Myron Ebell to retire from CEI in 2024, Daren Bakst promoted to be Director of the Center for Energy and Environment 

Myron Ebell, longtime Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment and a key leader on energy and environmental issues, has stepped down from that position to serve as a senior fellow until his retirement from CEI in early 2024. His successor will be Daren Bakst, elevated from deputy director to director.  

“I’m tremendously grateful for all Myron has done and the leadership he has shown with CEI for nearly 25 years,” said CEI President and CEO Kent Lassman. “He started with CEI in 1999 after spending time on Capitol Hill in the heady days after the ‘Republican Revolution’ of 1994. In that time, Myron became an institution across a range of related policy areas. From climate change to federal lands, he does work that matters in a city and a political environment that increasingly rewards superficiality and self-promotion. Thanks to Myron’s contributions to CEI, our rule of law, property rights, and free market environmentalism have been protected against tremendous external assaults and CEI enjoys an enviable position as a leader on crucial issues to the future of America and the economy.”

“It has been a great privilege to work at CEI. I especially want to thank CEI founder Fred Smith for hiring me against better advice, Kent Lassman for his continuing strong support, and all my CEI colleagues and allies in the Cooler Heads Coalition, who have been a pleasure to work with over the past 24 years,” said Ebell. “My colleagues have accomplished a lot on big issues, with occasionally a little help from me. I am confident that CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment will do much more in the years ahead under Daren’s leadership. After leaving CEI in January, I plan to continue in some capacity to try to contribute on several energy, environmental, property rights, and federal lands issues.”   

Bakst joined CEI earlier this year after a decade at the Heritage Foundation, where he served as senior research fellow for environmental policy and regulation and played a leading role in the launch of Heritage’s new energy and environment center.  

In addition to his role at CEI, Daren currently serves on the Federalist Society’s Environmental Law and Property Rights Executive Committee.

“Since joining CEI earlier this year, Daren Bakst has already demonstrated his deep experience and knowledge, while establishing himself as a productive member of our team and I’m excited to work more closely with him as the new leader of the Center for Energy and Environment,” said Lassman. 

“I’m honored to have this opportunity to lead CEI’s energy and environmental policy work and humbled to follow in the footsteps of Myron, whom I deeply admire,” said Bakst.  “Our energy and environment team is second to none, and together we are going to be proactive and relentless in advancing policies that respect free markets, individual liberty, and private property rights.”