"How will Brooke Rollins, a climate skeptic, fossil fuel ally and Trump’s pick to lead the USDA, handle the crisis? That’s anyone’s guess."
"Exactly where Brooke Rollins stands on agricultural policy is unclear, but her positions on fossil fuels and climate change are explicit.
After weeks of speculation, President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday announced Rollins as his pick to lead the sprawling U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A Trump administration adviser, Rollins was not on any oddsmaker’s list of contenders to run the agency, which oversees nutrition programs, farm subsidies, agricultural conservation, forestry programs—and, under the Biden administration, significantly expanded programs to tackle climate change as it increasingly beats up American farms.
Rollins, a lawyer, has an agricultural development degree and grew up on a farm in Texas, but has little to no professional experience with agricultural policy. “She’s an unknown in ag circles,” said Ferd Hoefner, the former head of policy for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
The nomination puzzled many agriculture industry observers who had placed their bets on other potential nominees. “Maybe she was the last bon-bon in the box,” said Karen Perry Stillerman, deputy director of the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “He’s been doling out cabinet positions like candy.”"
Georgina Gustin reports for Inside Climate News November 26, 2024.
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