Katherine Scarlett, chair of White House Council on Environmental Quality, leaves administration, replacing leadership with acting chair

Katherine Scarlett, who served as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, has left the Trump administration, an administration official confirmed to The Hill. The change comes as CEQ oversees the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, the federal law that requires environmental review for many major infrastructure, permitting, and other construction decisions across agencies.

Scarlett, described by The Hill as a top environmental policy adviser in the White House, previously chaired CEQ and led efforts to narrow or revise federal environmental review requirements and guidance for projects moving through NEPA. The Hill reported that she had been the lead figure in rolling back White House regulations for how agencies conduct environmental analyses, including rescissions of prior guidance described by The Hill as spanning multiple years.

CEQ’s chair is the senior White House-level role responsible for coordinating environmental review policy across the federal government. In that capacity, Scarlett’s work also included efforts focused on permitting timelines and the tools used by agencies to conduct required analyses, according to White House releases from earlier this year. In a June 2026 White House release announcing permitting-related steps, the White House described CEQ’s role in engaging technology and innovation efforts aimed at shaping environmental review processes.

The White House also published multiple statements in 2026 reflecting the administration’s view of the NEPA framework and the costs associated with environmental permitting delays. One June 2026 White House release argued that regulatory burdens can increase costs and stated a “freedom to fix” theme in directing the Environmental Protection Agency, while other White House posts highlighted the CEQ chair’s characterization of NEPA implementation during the administration.

Following Scarlett’s departure, The Hill reported that Rachael McNitt, CEQ’s chief of staff, is serving as acting chair. That interim structure keeps CEQ leadership in place while the administration determines permanent staffing for the council’s top role.

The Council on Environmental Quality is located in the Executive Office of the President and functions as the White House’s central coordinating body for NEPA implementation. Agencies use CEQ’s regulations and guidance to shape how they conduct environmental reviews, including the scope and timing of analysis required for project approvals, permits, and other federal actions.

The Hill also reported that Bloomberg Government first identified Scarlett’s exit and that she is headed to a consulting firm. The Hill did not describe a date for her final day beyond her confirmed departure as of July 7, and it did not provide further detail on the timeline for selecting a successor to serve as CEQ chair.

As acting chair, McNitt will be responsible for continuing CEQ’s coordination work across agencies during the transition period. For NEPA-centered permitting decisions already underway, the immediate practical effect is that CEQ’s leadership and management functions will continue under interim authority, while policy guidance and implementation remain tethered to the administration’s prior CEQ and White House directives.