Energy

Trump’s Chief Energy Adviser Is Leaving The White House

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

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Michael Bastasch DCNF Managing Editor
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President Donald Trump’s chief energy adviser is leaving the White House to return to his old lobbying firm, according to reports.

Mike Catanzaro will return to the CGCN Group where he worked before joining the Trump administration. Catanzaro has been called “a chief architect” of Trump’s energy agenda, including the rollback of Obama administration regulations, Bloomberg reported.

Catanzaro played a key role in repealing the Clean Power Plan, “waters of the United states” rules and, most recently, challenging Obama-era fuel economy regulations on cars and light trucks.

Catanzaro is the second Trump energy adviser to leave the White House this year. Former adviser George David Banks resigned from the White House in February after being denied a permanent security clearance.

Banks admitted to using marijuana in 2013, which cost him a permanent security clearance. Banks was one of many White House officials working on a temporary security clearance.

Catanzaro is expected to step down next week, E&E News reported. Under federal law, Catanzaro is prohibited from lobbying the agency they served for 12 months. Trump issued an executive order extending that ban to five years, but there’s no legal penalty for violating it.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mike back to CGCN,” CGCN managing partner Steve Clark told E&E News, which first reported Catanzaro’s departure.

“Our firm is like a family, and we are proud Mike wanted to come back to us after his service in the government,” Clark said. “He is a tireless worker with an unrivaled command of energy and environmental policy and even stronger sense of integrity.”

At CGCN, Catanzaro’s client included energy companies Hess, Noble Energy and Halliburton.

The White House did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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