We investigate whether and how environmentally inclined politicians (EIPs), i.e., politicians with prior environment-related work experience, affect local environmental performance in China. We find that firms located in cities with EIPs have lower levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. The effect is attenuated when the politician is in his/her second term and among firms that are economically important. Firms in cities with EIPs commit fewer environmental violations, receive more green subsidies from the local government, and choose to establish new polluting subsidiaries in cities without EIPs. We also find that the economic performance of cities governed by EIPs is not statistically different from that of cities governed by non-EIPs. Furthermore, the promotion likelihood of EIPs is negatively related to local emission levels. The findings overall suggest that local officials strategically leverage their expertise in environment protection to allocate more effort on environmental causes.