The Big Story 

Energy and climate are expected to be divisive issues in 2025 as President-elect Trump, backed by GOP majorities in both the House and Senate, looks to expand U.S. energy development, while congressional Democrats worried about the effect on global warming seek to stymie him.

© Greg Nash for The Hill

Here are five figures likely to make headlines on energy and environmental issues in 2025.

Energy czar and Interior secretary nominee Doug Burgum

As chair of a new National Energy Council, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) is set to broadly coordinate the incoming administration’s energy agenda. If confirmed to lead the Interior Department, he also likely would oversee an increase in oil and gas drilling on federal lands, marking a sharp contrast to the department’s outgoing secretary, Deb Haaland, who has been a major ally within the Biden administration to environmentalists. 

North Dakota is the No. 3 state nationwide for crude oil production. Burgum was a high-profile Trump surrogate during the 2024 campaign and reportedly a vice presidential contender. One of the president-elect’s less controversial nominees, he is unlikely to see obstacles to his confirmation.

Energy secretary nominee Chris Wright

Chris Wright, the CEO of fracking giant Liberty Energy, similarly is likely to carry out policy that echoes Trump’s support of the fossil fuel industry if confirmed to lead the Energy Department.

President Biden’s Energy Department, under Secretary Jennifer Granholm, has heavily promoted renewable energy development and expansion of electric vehicles, two frequent targets of Trump’s. The department is likely to abandon those efforts under Wright. 

For more people to watch, read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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Essential Reads 

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

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What We’re Reading 

News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

• Polar vortex poised to spin into U.S., leading to frigid January (Axios)

   

• Why the troubled carbon offset market is taking cover (The Financial Times)

• These homeowners’ PG&E bills reveal California’s dramatic shift on solar (The San Francisco Chronicle)

What Others are Reading 

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Tensions with Russia rise amid power line sabotage

Russia’s connection to the rupture of an undersea cable between Finland and Estonia is raising a new bevy of fears over the sabotage of critical power lines. Read more

Trader Joe’s is opening a dozen new locations in 2025: Here’s where

Trader Joe’s, a grocery-store chain known for its individually priced bananas and often “challenging” parking lots, is planning to open at least a dozen new locations in 2025. Read more

Opinions in The Hill 

Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: