The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) voted to advance fossil fuel advocate Tristan Abbey’s nomination to lead the Energy Information Administration (EIA) on May 8, the committee said in a press release.

If confirmed by the full Senate, Abbey would oversee the agency tasked with providing objective energy data and analysis to the public.

Abbey is a former staffer of the ENR and previously worked on energy issues for the National Security Council during the first Trump administration.

The confirmation hearing took place as the EIA is set to lose more than 100 of its 350 employees, or about 30% of its workforce, following the Trump administration’s round of resignation and buyout offers, Reuters reported in April.

As a result of staffing constraints, the EIA confirmed its International Energy Outlook will not be released in 2025.

Abbey argued that the EIA is in “need of revitalization” during his nomination hearing on April 30.

He said he would make the establishment of a critical minerals outlook, which has been mandated by Congress, a top priority.

“Some will say that the administrator of the Energy Information Administration should not have this deep level of exposure to the policy-making world,” Abbey said. “On the contrary: leadership that understands the demands of policymaking and the needs of policymakers is exactly what the EIA requires at this critical time.”

 Abbey’s nomination has been met with backlash from environmental activists who fear his leadership will negatively impact the objectivity of the EIA’s analytics.

“Tristan Abbey’s bias towards the fossil fuel industry would threaten the integrity of these analyses that help us understand how to lower the cost of energy and protect public health,” said Claire Dorner, Sierra Club associate director.

Committee Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) did not respond to a request for comment by press time on May 8.

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