Former Obama Staffer With Climate Ties Still Embedded in Key Energy Agency
A former Obama White House staffer who later worked for major climate-advocacy organizations joined a federal energy regulatory agency during the Biden administration and appears to still hold the same position under President Donald Trump.
Brett Cozzolino Bhave, whose career includes posts at the Obama administration, the World Resources Institute, and the Yale School of the Environment, has raised concerns among conservatives who support the Trump administration’s energy and climate agenda.
Michael Chamberlain, president of the watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust, said the situation illustrates how activist backgrounds can influence federal decision-making. “During my time in the federal government, it became clear that the idea of a completely apolitical civil service is a myth,” Chamberlain told The Daily Signal. “While activists may be a small portion of the workforce, it is enough to create problems for an administration they disagree with.”
E. Calvin Beisner, president of the Cornwall Alliance, expressed similar concerns. “There is nothing wrong with public servants holding strong views, but when they serve their own views instead of those of the elected administration, they stop serving the public,” Beisner said. “Cozzolino’s record shows a commitment to a vision that is the opposite of President Trump’s. If he will not resign, Trump should remove him.”
Who Is Brett Cozzolino Bhave?
According to federal personnel records, Brett Cozzolino began working at the Office of Personnel Management on January 17, 2016, and later joined the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on December 26, 2021 as an energy industry analyst focused on litigation. His name appears in official reports tracking “political conversions,” which note cases where former political appointees transition into permanent civil service roles.
Public salary databases show that Cozzolino began using the last name Bhave before 2023. A LinkedIn profile under the name “Brett Bhave,” which matched the employment history listed in Legistorm’s database, went offline after The Daily Signal contacted FERC.
Before joining FERC, Cozzolino worked for the World Resources Institute, served briefly in the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and worked at the Yale School of the Environment. Both WRI and Yale’s program strongly advocate for carbon-emission reductions and climate-policy initiatives.
WRI produces an annual “State of Climate Action” report promoting global emissions reductions aligned with the Paris Agreement. Yale’s forestry and environmental programs conduct research centered on climate adaptation, sustainability, and forest-climate interaction.
Celeste Miller, FERC’s acting director of media relations, said the agency does not comment on individual employees. She noted that all former political staff are subject to OPM’s full merit-system review before being hired into career positions.
Concerns About Internal Resistance to Trump Policies
A recent poll found that 75 percent of Washington-based federal employees earning $75,000 or more who voted for Kamala Harris said they would not follow a lawful Trump order if they personally believed it was bad policy. The finding has fueled broader questions about whether some career federal employees may resist Trump’s agenda from inside government agencies.
A separate analysis by the Foundation for Government Accountability found that federal employees who identify as Democrats outnumber Republicans by roughly two to one, and 84 percent of political contributions from federal workers in 2024 went to Harris.
There is no direct evidence that Cozzolino plans to oppose Trump’s agenda from within the federal government.
The Daily Signal contacted the Obama Foundation, the World Resources Institute, and the Yale School of the Environment for comment. None responded before publication.