Trump Taps Former Consultant to Lead Environmental Advisory Task Force

President-elect Donald Trump looks on during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Dec. 22, 2024. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has tapped former environmental consultant Ed Russo to lead an environmental advisory task force, which will be formed in his incoming administration.

Trump stated that the task force will advise his administration “on initiatives to create great jobs and protect our natural resources” that are aligned with his “policy of clean air and clean water.”

The group will be led by Russo, whom the president-elect described as an “environmental expert.”

“Together, we will achieve American Energy DOMINANCE, rebuild our Economy, and DRILL, BABY, DRILL,” Trump stated on his Truth Social platform.

Russo previously served as an environmental consultant for the Trump Organization. He also authored a book titled, “Donald J. Trump, An Environmental Hero,” published in 2016, which chronicled his time as an environmental adviser to Trump.

According to a 2017 press release, Russo was considered for senior positions in Trump’s previous administration but he chose “to stay in the private sector.” That same year, he launched a consulting company named ER Advisors LLC, which advises environmental organizations and national corporate entities on emerging environmental policies.

Russo also co-founded RussKap Water, a North Miami Beach-based company specializing in manufacturing atmospheric water generation. Russo previously held the position as CEO of WaterGen USA and led the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition.

He started his career in the environmental sector by crusading against polluting landfills in New Jersey and managing projects under the Federal Superfund Program, the website stated.

In September 2019, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Russo to the state’s Board of Pilot Commissioners for a four-year term. The governor’s office stated that Russo was also a member of the Monroe County Climate Change Advisory Board and the Board of Directors of Reef Relief.

He was described as having expertise “in the design, manufacture, installation, and maintenance of industrial water re-use, reclamation, and recycling equipment and facilities,” according to the statement.

Also on Friday, Trump named Bill Briggs as the next deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Briggs will work with Kelly Loeffler, whom Trump has selected as the agency’s administrator, once their appointments are secured.

The president-elect said that Briggs had served as an acting associate administrator in the Office of Capital Access at SBA during his first term in office.

“During his tenure, Bill helped oversee our Historic Paycheck Protection Program that saved many of our Small Businesses, and millions of jobs,” Trump stated in a separate post.