Trump team wants names at DOE who worked on climate

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has requested information about how the Energy Department operates under President Obama, potentially hinting at how Trump will tackle the agency.

In the survey obtained by The Hill, Trump’s team asked the Department of Energy for a list of employees who have attended United Nations climate events, as well as those who worked on the “social cost of carbon” metric, which is used to outline climate impacts of agency regulations.

The team also asked multiple questions about job openings and which jobs might be filled before Inauguration Day.

The survey has specific questions regarding national laboratories, such as the top-paid employees at each lab, professional society memberships of staffs and what licensing agreements and royalties the labs receive.

{mosads}Transition officials are also seeking information on agency loan programs and research activities, including from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, an Obama initiative to fund clean energy projects. 

The survey was first reported by Bloomberg.

The Energy Information Administration is subject to Trump questions about its staffing and analysis processes, and the transition team is seeking information on Energy Department programs to assist the nuclear energy industry.

The transition team did not reply to a request for comment from The Hill. According to Bloomberg, a transition source said the questions were “designed to ensure transparency on the formation of existing, Obama-era policy.”

Trump has not named his pick for Energy secretary yet, though reports indicate he’s considering lawmakers including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) for the post. CBS News reported Thursday that Ray Washburne, a finance adviser to Trump, is also a candidate for the position.