Thread by @grist

President Biden sprung into climate action on his first day in office, but he will need to rely on his Cabinet choices to help deliver on his climate goals.

Here's a quick guide to the top 10 climate-relevant Cabinet nominees. THREAD ⬇️ bit.ly/3iRqH88

1/ If confirmed, @DebHaalandNM will become the first Indigenous Cabinet secretary. As secretary of the interior, Haaland would steward 500 million acres of public lands, manage oil and gas leases, and be tasked with upholding Indigenous treaty rights.

2/ Former Michigan Governor @JenGranholm is Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Energy. She would help lead the transition from gas-powered to electric vehicles and start work on Biden’s goal of a 100% clean electrical grid by 2035.

3/ @Michael_S_Regan is Biden’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, leading efforts to regulate industrial pollution and carbon emissions.

Regan founded North Carolina’s first Environmental Justice and Equity Board.

4/ Former Secretary of State John Kerry (@ClimateEnvoy) is Biden’s pick for special envoy on climate change. If confirmed, Kerry will have a seat on the National Security Council, guiding American foreign policy on climate.

5/ Merrick Garland is Biden’s choice to head the Department of Justice. The department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division is tasked with enforcement of key environmental legislation like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

6/ @Gina_McCarthy, a former EPA administrator and the current CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, will be Biden’s “climate czar,” responsible for coordinating the new administration’s domestic climate strategy across federal agencies and Congress.

7/ @PeteButtigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is Biden’s choice to lead the Department of Transportation. If confirmed, Buttigieg will oversee a sector that’s responsible for 28 percent of the U.S.’s greenhouse gas emissions.

8/ Tom Vilsack, who was secretary of agriculture during the Obama administration, is Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Agriculture.

Advocates have raised concerns about Vilsack’s nomination based on his past promotion of industrial farming and civil rights record.

9/ @XavierBecerra, the attorney general of California, is Biden’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Becerra filed more than 50 lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s environmental policies on California’s behalf.

10/ @JanetYellen was confirmed as the first woman to lead the Department of the Treasury. Yellen has long warned of the risks of climate change to the economy, and as secretary of the treasury will shape the federal budget and Biden’s tax and spending policies.

Read @HerrCaitlin's full guide and learn more about each nominee here: grist.org/politics/biden…