Reuters reports that Jeff Holmstead and Mike Catanzaro, two current energy lobbyists who also served under both former Bush presidents, are among the top contenders to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration.

Jeff Holmstead (left) and Mike Catanzaro (right).

Holmstead, an attorney with Bracewell, now represents coal and oil industries. Under Bush II, he oversaw the "Clear Skies" legislation that allowed "three times as much mercury as the Clean Air Act."

Catanzaro, a lobbyist at CGCN with clients including Koch Industries and Noble Energy, has worked for former Speaker John Boehner and Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe. Robert Grady, also a contender for the position, advised Bush I on the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments.

"We are going to fight these rollbacks, if that is what they do, each step of the way. It's going to be a legal battle but it's also going to be a battle in the court of public opinion," David Doniger, director of the climate program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told Reuters. "Whatever people voted for, they did not vote against climate action, clean air, clean water and environmental protection."

For a deeper dive:

Reuters, The Hill

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