WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is planning to nominate a climate change skeptic with ties to the fossil fuel industry to serve as one of his top environmental advisers.
The White House on Thursday announced Trump’s intent to nominate Kathleen Hartnett White to serve as chair of his Council on Environmental Quality.
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White was previously appointed by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to serve on a commission overseeing the state’s environmental agency.
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White is a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank that has received funding from fossil-fuel interests. In a 2014 policy paper, White praised oil for improving people’s lives while likening mainstream climate science to “the dogmatic claims of ideologues and clerics.”
She holds academic degrees in East Asian studies and comparative literature.