Trump Nominates Mary Neumayr and Dan Simmons

The White House has announced that President Donald J. Trump will nominate two individuals for positions of considerable importance to energy and environmental issues. Mary Neumayr is the president’s choice to be chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Presently serving as chief of staff, she has been the highest-ranking Trump appointee in place at CEQ. Among other things, she has been involved in creating and implementing the executive orders streamlining the federal permitting process for major infrastructure projects.

Daniel Simmons, who has served as acting principal deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), will be nominated to serve as assistant secretary for EERE. The office oversees DOE’s renewable energy efforts as well as other programs such as energy efficiency standards for home appliances like dishwashers and air conditioners. He has been heading up administrative reform efforts to make the appliance efficiency standard-setting process more transparent and consumer friendly.