▶ 0:15:21>> committee will come to order. Welcome to the fourth nomination hearing of the hundred 19th congress. We will receive testimony from two distinguished americans who have been nominated by president trump for senior offices. We've got a lot to cover in today's discussion. First will be preston wells griffith iii.
▶ 0:15:53Second will be Dr. dario gil. Nominated to be secretary of the department of energy for science. I've been informed that Ms. kathleen sgamma has withdrawn her consideration to be the director of bureau of land management. These nominees deserve to be confirmed and each has my strong support.
▶ 0:16:17I think president trump -- thank president trump for nominating them. I mentioned a moment ago, I was informed by the white house that one of the nominees scheduled for nomination nominated to serve as the director of bureau of land management has withdrawn from consideration.
▶ 0:16:46Preston wells griffith iii nominated to be secretary of energy. Dr. dario gil nominated to serve as chief of science. Each of these carry significant responsibility in each will help shape the future of american energy policy. Mr. griffith is well known to us as he served at the department of energy with the white house during the first trump administration.
▶ 0:17:17If confirmed he will be tasked with overseeing some of the department of energy's most consequential applied energy programs at a time when the electric power grid is being stressed by reckless regulatory mandates, rampant retirements, baseload capacity on intermittent sources of power.
▶ 0:17:41I look forward to hear how he plans to correct and ensure the department of energy's affordability, reliability and national security interests. The sprawling science portfolio includes 17 critical and national laboratories. They are home to some of the most advanced research honor. They have become vulnerable to infiltration by hostile foreign interests.
▶ 0:18:09I look forward to hearing how Dr. gill will defend the labs from espionage, protect taxpayer investment on basic energy research that strengthens the U.S. economy. They bring unique perspective and valuable experience to their perspective positions and I look forward to how they intend to fulfill the responsibilities of their roles. Bringing accountability, transparency, and balance.
▶ 0:18:39I now recognize ranking member. >> welcome Mr. griffith and Dr. gill. The committee meets to consider the s. I understand miss sgamma won't be appearing before the secretary today.
▶ 0:19:08It was established in 1977 before duties assigned by the secretary and the offices under secretary for science was added in 2005 to serve as a science and technology advisor and oversee research and development programs and carry out additional duties assigned by the secretary. The flexibility built into these offices has enabled secretaries to shift functions and programs between the two secretaries.
▶ 0:19:44Secretary granholm combined sciences and consolidated the departments infrastructure programs under the secretary of energy renaming the office the undersecretary for infrastructure. I am told secretary right has kept secretary granholm's organizational structure at least for now. I'm most interested to hear from Dr. gill and Mr.
▶ 0:20:08Griffith what issues they believe will be in their portfolios, whether there are any plans or after have been discussions about reorganizing these offices. Overhanging our hearing this morning are the reductions in the workforce, the grant and loan funding freezes, the contract uncertainties and the so-called hit list of programs targeted for termination all of this threat and the important work of the department.
▶ 0:20:39I will be interested to hear from the two undersecretary nominees how they will balance their competing nominations to the president who has nominated them and the statutory requirements enacted by congress. Thank you.
▶ 0:21:02>> the rules of the committee require all nominees be sworn in connection with their testimony. If you would please stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you are about to provide to the senate committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Thank you. You may be seated.
▶ 0:21:29I will have each of you begin your opening statements in a moment. Three questions that aren't typically posed by the committee before we continue this process for nominees. First, will you be available to appear before the committee and other commissions -- congressional committees that respond to issues that congress should be confirmed. >> yes. >> yes.
▶ 0:21:58Chair Lee: Are you aware of any holdings, that could create a conflict of interest should you be confirmed since you have been nominated by the president?
▶ 0:22:12Chair Lee: Are you involved in or do you have any assets in a blind trust? >> I do not.
▶ 0:22:24Chair Lee: We will give your opening remarks -- remarks. Mr. griffith, we will start with you.
▶ 0:22:34Mr. Griffith: It is a true honor to appear before this committee today as president trump's nominee to serve as the secretary of energy at the U.S. department of energy. I want to thank president trump for nominating me to this important position and I'm grateful for the confidence that he and energy secretary right have placed in me. I would like to introduce the most important part of my life, my family. Joining me is my wife catherine.
▶ 0:23:05Mr. Griffith: Today marks our 10th wedding anniversary. She is thrilled to be celebrating here. [laughter] I'm also proud to have our eight-year-old son with us. With unwavering support. I'd like to recognize my mother and father, who is courageously battling als. A progressive neurodegenerative disease.
▶ 0:23:36Mr. Griffith: Since I was a boy his strength has inspired me every day. Lastly, I have many dear friends in the audience. I want to acknowledge my brother, three sisters, and their emilys probably -- families. I wouldn't be here without their support. I have a deep passion for public service and an appreciation energy plays in our daily lives.
▶ 0:24:05Mr. Griffith: My first impressions about energy came as a young boy at our family-run full-service gas station in alabama. My grandfather started it after returning from the korean war and eventually bought it. My father started when he was 13 until around 2020 when he was diagnosed with als. I spent my summers and holidays working alongside of him. It was there I first understood the real world impact of energy.
▶ 0:24:35Mr. Griffith: Not in theory but in practice. I remember helping my dad change the gas prices. When gas prices were high, we saw firsthand customers having to choose between putting five dollars and $10 in the tank or buying groceries. Americans felt high prices immediately. Energy wasn't a commodity, it was a lifeline.
▶ 0:25:00Mr. Griffith: Above the garage doors was a sign that read service is our business. It's what brought me to public service. Since leaving our family gas station I have been a servant to the american people in multiple roles at the federal government. In president trump's first administration I had the ability to work at the secretary's office and later as the assistant secretary for international affairs.
▶ 0:25:30Mr. Griffith: I then served as a special assistt to the president on the national security council. Later at the U.S. development finance corporation. In each of these worlds I worked alongside many career public servant, scientists, engineers, and professionals. If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed I look forward to returning to work with them and serving with the same spirit of excellence and humility.
▶ 0:25:59Mr. Griffith: I have seen firsthand the role the department of energy and its national labs play in securing america's energy function. To unlocking our vast natural resources and technologies, science and advancement. From fueling our economy to powering ai dennis enders -- data centers, energy is foundational. America must lead, not follow in this next era of energy transformation.
▶ 0:26:30Mr. Griffith: If confirmed I will work every day to advance the mission efficiently and affect late and deliver on the president's priorities winning the ai arms race, lowering costs for americans, advancing leadership innovation, ensuring americans have access to affordable and secure energy. Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you. I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:26:57Chair Lee: Thank you.
▶ 0:26:59Dr. Gil: Thank you chairman lee, ranking member heinrich, members of the committee. It is an honor to be here. I want to thank president trump and secretary wright for the trust they have placed in me. If I have the honor of being confirmed I look forward to working with all of the members of this committee and to seek their guidance.
▶ 0:27:28Dr. Gil: I would like to recognize the members of my family who have joined me today. My lovely wife of 25 years. My daughters. My parents and in-laws who have traveled from maine. My brother who has done so from spain. Many extended friends and colleagues. As you may tell, I am an immigrant. It is an experience and identity that has greatly shaped me.
▶ 0:27:55Dr. Gil: It would be the honor of my life to serve the united states, which has given me more than I could have dreamed. I have been passionate about science and engineering since I was a teenager. When I first came to the U.S. as an exchange student from spain I became fascinated and an expert in technology. Measuring distances that are 100 times -- 100,000 times smaller than a human hair. It is a world that has plenty of room at the bottom.
▶ 0:28:27Dr. Gil: By the end of this decade we will be fabricating chips that will have one trillion transistors, each engineer with atopic precision. During my grad school years I was captivated by the beauty of quantum mechanics. It was a necessity to understand in our world. It was then that I was first in -- exposed to the idea of quantum information.
▶ 0:28:52Dr. Gil: I had the great privilege to work with my research team to create the world's first power accessible quantum computer. That event along with the 80 computers we have built since were instrumental in creating the vibrant quantum computing industry. The industry of the future is one the U.S. has dominated. It has profound economic and national security implications.
▶ 0:29:24Dr. Gil: It is time to mobilize the nation's best teams to achieve the final frontier of building a quantum supercomputer before the end of this decade. If confirmed, I look forward to working with this committee to ensure america wins this great race. Which brings me to the core of our current revolution, ai. The field is going through a renaissance. The pace of progress unlike anything I have witnessed in my 25 year career.
▶ 0:29:55Dr. Gil: They have referred to the potential of ai as having a country of genesis in a data center. Discoveries taking us decades will become possible in years. The combination of inspiring missions broad and deep scientific expertise, infrastructure and nation scale resources make the U.S.
▶ 0:30:19Dr. Gil: National labs the world's greatest platform of scientific is covering and the physical sciences. The powerful aspect of new era powered by what I like to summarize as neurons has the potential to help entire science national security and energy portfolio of national lab complex.
▶ 0:30:44Dr. Gil: Much like secure and reliable energy could accelerate the growth of the entire american economy. Imagine a future in which fusion becomes the first technology fully driven by the ai revolution. Using the combined power of ai and supercomputers to steer fusion innovation, we could shape decades off development timelines.
▶ 0:31:10Dr. Gil: Imagine a portfolio from noble catalysts, new fertilizers, beyond. If confirmed, I will bring to this role 22 years of private industry experience, serving as one of the worlds most influential corporate research laboratories.
▶ 0:31:33Dr. Gil: I will bring my commitment to work across sectors having served on the president's council of advisors for science and technology as a member of the national academy of engineering and for the last five years as a member of the national science board that I'm currently the chairman. I hope that in your consideration of this nomination that I will have the privilege to learn from and work with all of you. Mr.
▶ 0:32:00Dr. Gil: Chairman, ranking member heinrich, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee today. I look forward to your question.
▶ 0:32:09Chair Lee: Thank you. We will begin five-minute rounds alternating between republicans and democrats. I really am glad it is the 10th anniversary and she could put on a happy face. A lot of people wouldn't want to celebrate their 10th anniversary at this place. We will try to make it as pleasant as possible. We look forward to holding a nomination hearing for preston wells griffith iv.
▶ 0:32:40Chair Lee: If you are started -- if you are nominated you will oversee the rmd that goes into funding a lot of the innovation related to our electric power generation center , nuclear, coal, oil, geothermal, all of those will play a critical role in meeting the demand challenge we are facing and looking specifically at dispatch a bull baseload sources of power.
▶ 0:33:10Chair Lee: What role do you think the offices that will be under your purview in that position should play in meeting that challenge and how important do you think innovations are particularly in nuclear and national gas.
▶ 0:33:26Mr. Griffith: Thank you for the question. Really enjoyed the visit in your office. I mentioned about the gas station as a boy. It almost tracks with the history of the department of energy where we went from scarce to abundant. We faced a lot of challenges with energy.
▶ 0:33:51Mr. Griffith: Now we are in that next energy challenge with power ai keeping with energy affordable, reliable, secure for americans and keeping on insuring for me, should I be confirmed it will be to leveraged the resources, the expertise, the funding across offices to deliver on the president's agenda to accomplish the shared goals and make sure
▶ 0:34:23Mr. Griffith: America remains the top of the global energy systems and unleashes that abundance here at home and also abroad with nuclear and national -- natural gas. A lot of that technology came out of the department.
▶ 0:34:42Mr. Griffith: Continuing to double down using the expertise on the department of energy engineers and sciences to leverage these energy technologies and sources for america and for our partners and allies. Especially with nuclear with those reactors coming to market. We ensure our supply chains are secure from uranium production, enrichment, and fuel.
▶ 0:35:10Chair Lee: Thank you. Mr. gil, throughout your career in the private sector including during your tenure at ibm you have undoubtedly become aware of the lengths to which china has gone to steal intellectual property and technological advances. Given the cutting-edge research that is conducted at U.S.
▶ 0:35:36Chair Lee: Natural labs which will be under your supervision, how do you plan to ensure the sensitive innovations are protected from foreign espionage and theft from china.
▶ 0:35:51Dr. Gil: Thank you for the question. I appreciate the time you have spent with us. This topic is one I know you are passionate about. There is no doubt these technologies with ai, quantum, fusion. Some of the most consequential technologies in the world. We have to do everything in our power to protect it. I'm keenly aware of theft.
▶ 0:36:25Dr. Gil: China has been a very bad actor. I'm very much committed to working with you and all of the members of the committee to implement ways and improvements to protect our most sensitive technologies.
▶ 0:36:39Chair Lee: Have you perceive there being lapses from outside the department? Are there things you have observed that you have seen about china's ability to infiltrate, spy, and steal intellectual property?
▶ 0:36:56Dr. Gil: Yes, I have been aware and unfortunately we have to deal with consequences dealing with theft from china. Semi conductors in areas of quantum. We have been enormously aware of the need to protect our role in ibm.
▶ 0:37:29Dr. Gil: I know in this area there is a lot more to be done. I look forward to perceiving it.
▶ 0:37:37Chair Lee: My time has expired. We will turn over to senator heinrich in just a moment.
▶ 0:37:46Sen. Heinrich: Thank you chairman. The strength of our national labs lies in the diversity of their science and engineering programs. Even at nuclear weapons facilities a key factor in attracting and retaining top talent is the opportunity to collaborate with leading experts across the wide range of fields.
▶ 0:38:12Sen. Heinrich: I want to know if I have your commitment that you will not use your positions to reduce the research capabilities and staffing for open science and national labs. We will start with you.
▶ 0:38:26Mr. Griffith: Thank you for your time. I -- you nailed it, the department and labs have some of the most talented scientists, engineers, employees in the entire government.
▶ 0:38:47Mr. Griffith: Obviously we are not at the department yet, should we be confirmed, committed to working with the secretary in this committee to make sure that we deliver the efficient use of government resources and we could maintain american leadership largely driven by the employees by the department.
▶ 0:39:15Dr. Gil: I really enjoyed the conversation we had. On this topic, I could not agree with you more on the laboratory complex. I was sensitized to the importance of this topic while discussing the national laboratory the fact that it was found under the office of science maybe a small fraction of the budget of the national
▶ 0:39:47Dr. Gil: Lab. The reason for that is it allows them to attract and retain the mission. That is something that I'm aware of throughout my career. You have to allow scientists an element of that flexibility to keep the curiosity to sink under the box of ideas.
▶ 0:40:18Dr. Gil: You have the commitment of the appreciation and important of open science.
▶ 0:40:31Sen. Heinrich: Not an easy one but you have swore over oath that you will make yourself available in congress. The house of representatives subpoenaed youtube testifies six years ago. You didn't comply with your subpoena. To be clear when you swore to appear, was your commitment to testify unconditionally?
▶ 0:40:55Mr. Griffith: Yes. Thank you for that question. I didn't know that subpoena was related to the impeachment. That subpoena did not allow for white house counsel to be present and thus the department of justice office of counsel deemed it invalid. It did not protect executive privilege for the president. I'm committed to following the law.
▶ 0:41:26Mr. Griffith: Working with you and the members of this committee to execute the mission.
▶ 0:41:32Sen. Heinrich: For both of you, the power to rescind obligated funds rests with congress. It doesn't rest with the executive, the department, or the department of government efficiency, whatever that is. Do you both agree that the power to rescind obligated funds rests with the legislative branch?
▶ 0:41:58Mr. Griffith: Obviously the congress has the power first. Should I be confirmed I will first and foremost follow the law. The funding or disbursement with taxpayer dollars.
▶ 0:42:25Dr. Gil: I'm absolutely committed to follow the law on congressional direction with appropriate funds.
▶ 0:42:35Sen. Heinrich: Would you agree that in order to keep energy prices affordable for consumers that we need an energy strategy right now focused on rapidly expanding productions from basically all available sources including from things like renewables and storage?
▶ 0:42:52Mr. Griffith: Absolutely. We need all electronics to meet the growing demand from ai, reassuring american manufacturing and keeping prices low for american consumers. It is imperative that we bring all of those resources to bear for all energy resources that are secure, reliable, affordable.
▶ 0:43:18Sen. Heinrich: My time has expired. Senator hyde-smith.
▶ 0:43:24Sen. Hyde-Smith: I want to congratulate all of you for being here today. These families are so proud of you. I want to tell you how much I appreciate your character and trust and confidence that we could certainly have in you to do everything you are supposed to be doing for this congress. I appreciate that.
▶ 0:43:50Sen. Hyde-Smith: The united states has the ability to be a leader whether it is traditional drilling, nuclear reactors, or hydrogen. They help with growing demands for high tech tools such as artificial intelligence that you have talked about.
▶ 0:44:09Sen. Hyde-Smith: From energy production, manufacturing, you have discussed the united states has the opportunity to be bolder and inspire new generations. It is no secret that we are falling behind china in nuclear and hydrogen technologies.
▶ 0:44:28Sen. Hyde-Smith: What do you see is the department's biggest challenge for bolder innovations and what steps need to be taken for the united states to become more of a world leader in energy and technology development? Thank you --
▶ 0:44:45Dr. Gil: Thank you senator. I really value the conversation. Such an important question. We are indeed in a great race in leading the science and technology portfolio. The stakes could not be higher. The positive message I want to send is we also have the ability to do what it takes to succeed.
▶ 0:45:15Dr. Gil: We have to be very clear in our ambitions of energy making sure we unleash all forms of american energy to be sure we have secure and reliable and affordable portfolio including the ones that we listed. The science and technology domain we have to succeed in winning the ai race, fusion technology.
▶ 0:45:42Dr. Gil: I will leave you with this thought that what we are going to witness in the next four or five years are some of the most consequential advancements in technology not just in the last 100 years but probably that have ever been achieved.
▶ 0:45:58Dr. Gil: You have my commitment to make sure that if confirmed we are going to marshall every resource that we have working collaboratively with secretary wright and the entire team to make sure we succeed in this great race.
▶ 0:46:15Sen. Hyde-Smith: I will ask you the same question but I wanted to know how much I appreciate the service that you did our state that we are still benefiting from. We are very proud you have the opportunity to work with you then and where you are now. What are the challenges that you are facing based on the timeline in question?
▶ 0:46:40Mr. Griffith: Thank you for all you do for the state of mississippi. I enjoyed my time there early in my career and in law school. We have a big energy gap to fill. Electricity demand is skyrocketing. We have got to bring a lot more trust to the grid.
▶ 0:47:05Mr. Griffith: The rights and demand for ai, manufacturing in the united states, keeping our prices low as well as sharing that abundance with our partners and allies. I see this just like the manhattan project when the department of energy started with the arab oil embargo. This is a pivotal time for us to meet the challenges in the present and future.
▶ 0:47:37Mr. Griffith: With all the technologies and science. We look forward to taking those to market and deploying them crucially to fuel americans future.
▶ 0:47:52Sen. Hyde-Smith: Thank you very much. I enjoyed your stories about the gas station. Mississippi is a rural state. When you are filling up a 200 gallon tank because you are a truck about to go to harvest in the woods. It makes such a difference. The future is so bright for people like you. I appreciate that.
▶ 0:48:19Sen. Hyde-Smith: Both of you discussed with me that you view these roles together as a team. That is very evident today in the way you are answering things. Should the department continue partnering with universities and companies willing to make investments in research and high tech future and how do you see the continued partnerships benefiting our country?
▶ 0:48:41Dr. Gil: Thank you senator for that question. It is an indispensable strategy to succeed. The united states spends about $850 million a year in rmd. 600 billion of that is in the private specter -- sector. We have to do everything in our power and work collaboratively in ways that achieve the national mission.
▶ 0:49:11Dr. Gil: The private sector is an indispensable role for that.
▶ 0:49:16Sen. Hyde-Smith: Did you want to address that at all?
▶ 0:49:19Mr. Griffith: Mr. gil and I, hopefully we will be a good team should we be confirmed. Look forward to working together.
▶ 0:49:30Sen. Hyde-Smith: The team speaks as one.
▶ 0:49:35Sen. King: Thanks to our witnesses going into critical jobs as you mentioned the next few years could be incredibly important to the development in technology. We are talking about development of the grid and stabilization.
▶ 0:50:02Sen. King: I hope both of you will remain committed, it is part of the solution. Do you agree?
▶ 0:50:12Dr. Gil: Thank you for the question. Let me just say that representing the maine, I have a long connection with maine.
▶ 0:50:31Sen. King: Tell her in-laws they saw me working.
▶ 0:50:33Dr. Gil: Will do so. I completely agree on the importance of storage technology . It is an essential part the unprecedented electricity systems. I have also pointed out using the science portfolio of the department that we have a lot of opportunity to accelerate, opportunity for the discovery of safe and efficient storage technologies. The commitment is twofold.
▶ 0:51:04Dr. Gil: The recognition of importance storage pays but also that we have to do a lot of discovery to make sure that we could take that we could harness capabilities from ai.
▶ 0:51:23Sen. King: I assume you believe storage is a part of all of the above?
▶ 0:51:27Mr. Griffith: Absolutely. It is the holy grail. We need all energy sources, technology to meet this growing demand. I want to talk about three offices in the department of energy. The elephant in the room here is staffing cuts. I worry about these particular offices. First is grid deployment office.
▶ 0:51:55Mr. Griffith: We are headed into a time of dramatically increased electricity and demand. You could have all the production in the world. If you don't have grid capacity and won't get where it needs to go. I hope you look at it as an important part and function of the department of energy in terms of the research necessary, the support of the technology throughout the country. Is that a fair statement?
▶ 0:52:27Mr. Griffith: I worked in president trump's first administration. The work department does on great reliability and deployment is very important especially in the years ahead. Obviously I'm not in the building. Should I be confirmed I look forward to learning more about all of the activity.
▶ 0:52:51Sen. King: Part of that activity in research is what we call gets . I hope that is part of the research. We don't have to build all new towers. Office of cybersecurity and emergency response. I have been working for four or five years on cyber. Our grid is a critical infrastructure.
▶ 0:53:18Sen. King: I have a friend in the utility industry who tells the electric company is attacked 3 million times per day. Tell us about what they call caesar?
▶ 0:53:32Mr. Griffith: Caesar is a very important tool for stakeholders to prevent a threat from state and nonstate actors. Also other events and vulnerabilities to the grid. Should I be confirmed I will forward to prioritizing the mission of caesar to make sure america's grids are protected, secure, reliable.
▶ 0:53:57Sen. King: I think that is a critical mission. The final office is clean energy demonstration. This is required by law. I think you have testified, your attention is to follow the law. I hope that includes maintaining the vital programs under clean energy demonstration.
▶ 0:54:21Mr. Griffith: Thank you. I am absolutely committed to following the law first and foremost. Not working with the department yet but I have read the reports and the work it is doing. I look forward to learning more and making sure we are effectively deploying those resources.
▶ 0:54:43Sen. King: I get a weekly report on energy costs including electricity costs. The cheapest forms of energy today are solar and onshore winds. They could also be deployed the fastest if you wanted to build a plant today it would be five years before you could get this because of the backlog. All of the above includes renewables.
▶ 0:55:17Sen. King: It includes all energy sources and technologies that are secure, reliable, affordable. Electrons don't know how they are generated.
▶ 0:55:28Sen. King: Thank you very much.
▶ 0:55:34Sen. Justice: Thank you. Let me say just this. To all of you and especially to this little fella. He's just as beautiful as ever, as anybody could ever be. We have a lot at stake. At the end of the day, we've got him at stake, all of you at stake.
▶ 0:56:06Sen. Justice: I think your roles are going to be so unbelievable. So challenging and so wonderful going forward it could be off the chart. I'm from west virginia. We know energy. Like bo jackson. They set bo knows.
▶ 0:56:38Sen. Justice: I know as far as energy. I love the fact that both of you seem to be stuck on it. I love that. Enthusiasm is contagious. I congratulate you on lots of different ways. We all know one thing that is so simple. It is just this. A year and a half from today maybe three years from today.
▶ 0:57:08Sen. Justice: We will have the demand for electricity that has doubled what it is today. What are we going to do? At that point in time, are we going to decide between homes and industry? Are we going to combat one against the other? Oh my gosh. Babydog is here.
▶ 0:57:39Sen. Justice: Let me halfway finished. Call him down. Forget that. Let me say just this. I am braced all of the energy. I would continue to do just that. Stay with me just one second.
▶ 0:58:09Sen. Justice: If it is a level playing field for all energy forms we cannot subsidize certain things and disadvantage other things. I hope to goodness you will always do just this. You will always know how hard your coworkers have worked.
▶ 0:58:43Sen. Justice: The first question is please tell me your thoughts something the other day that was off the chart was just this. My mom and dad love the coal business.
▶ 0:59:05Sen. Justice: The people who work on tv you went to work, you took a lot of risk by going to work. You couldn't possibly stand up.
▶ 0:59:29Sen. Justice: You provided so much power it absolutely fueled us in our world wars and on and on. Every day. Every single day people said we don't like coal, we don't like what you are doing. Absolutely over and over.
▶ 1:00:00Sen. Justice: My mom and dad were in tears the other day when president trump stood up for them. Where does coal play in that role?
▶ 1:00:15Mr. Griffith: I think all energy sources technologies are vital to our energy. Coal is in our past and future as well. It got us to the moment here, and abundance of all energy sources and technologies. It has an important future just like all of the other resources that we have.
▶ 1:00:48Sen. Justice: Before we go any further I will hold babydog. You cannot be drinking. Let me say just this. This little rascal has done something very important to all of us.
▶ 1:01:15Sen. Justice: All of this committee, all of you, all of us in these wonderful buildings across this. She given the highs is us. She makes us know that just this , here is her message, she makes you smile. Do you know what else she does? She loves everybody.
▶ 1:01:46Sen. Justice: She truly does. I found this in covid. I didn't intend in any way to be hauling a bulldog around. We never owned a bulldog before. She is not supposed to like everybody, but she does. With that being said, how could the message be any better? Made other smile. It would be one better world. That's all there is to it.
▶ 1:02:17Sen. Justice: She would say just this, if you are rich or poor, god for bid a republican or democrat she still loves you. She celebrates this little thing as she humanizes all of those. Thank you so much. Thank you for letting her come. Get her out of here because she is heavy.
▶ 1:02:44Sen. Justice: >> babydog's testimony will be admitted into the record without objection.
▶ 1:02:51Sen. Cortez Masto: I did notice babydog got five minutes as well. Appreciate that. Let me say congratulations on your nomination. Welcome to your families. Appreciate your willingness to serve.
▶ 1:03:09Sen. Cortez Masto: Let me start with you, four years ago specifically this committee came together in a bipartisan way to pass legislation that helps create jobs, solidify our energy sector and local communities. I have seen the values of investments through national security.
▶ 1:03:36Sen. Cortez Masto: The battery manufacturing in critical mineral extraction that we are focused on. Now there is concerns that I see in public hearing about elon musk, doge, the new leadership in energy. Some of the funding that we file for in a bipartisan way.
▶ 1:03:57Sen. Cortez Masto: It's confirmed, what is your plan to implement the bipartisan infrastructure energy programs that are actually enacted by congress as part of a bipartisan infrastructure law.
▶ 1:04:13Mr. Griffith: I'm obviously not in the building. I have just read the same reports. The president ran on being efficient in being smarter with taxpayer dollars. Prioritize being briefed on this.
▶ 1:04:38Mr. Griffith: Making sure we deploy those resources in a way that is in the stewardship of american tax player -- payer dollars. The mission and burning these -- bringing these projects online and power and energy back.
▶ 1:04:59Sen. Cortez Masto: Do you agree to upholding those that are funded or contractually obligated in recent years?
▶ 1:05:06Mr. Griffith: I am fully committed first and foremost to following the law. Should I be confirmed to understanding the different projects and details and working with you and this committee?
▶ 1:05:27Sen. Cortez Masto: Thank you. Your written testimony said the U.S. must dominate in quantum computing, I agree. How could the U.S. further solidify the commercialization of new technologies.
▶ 1:05:49Dr. Gil: Thank you so much for the question. This is the most extraordinary time. The most exciting time in computing. During that decade, the first programmable computer. Several advances processing were developed.
▶ 1:06:19Dr. Gil: We witnessed the implication of that decade. What it requires is not only the support of science and research in all of those fields. We demand of ourselves building and leading a capability for the nation that we do have. It is time to build a quantum centric supercomputer.
▶ 1:06:46Dr. Gil: It is time to elevate the capability of ai and do problem-solving. It is time now to shave off decades of development. If we do all of that together as a team, if we execute that objective I think we will have a portfolio of technologies in the nation that would serve us for decades to come. Frankly the whole world. Allies and partners of that.
▶ 1:07:16Dr. Gil: If we do not succeed on those and we have rival nations like china get ahead of ourselves on that, the consequences will be terrible. We have no choice but to succeed.
▶ 1:07:32Sen. Cortez Masto: I will submit the rest of my questions for the record again.
▶ 1:07:41Sen. Murkowski: Thank you. I appreciated our conversations last week. I just want to note for the record I'm disappointed we are not going to have the opportunity to advance kathleen sgamma for the congress. Looking at her background and working with her over the years she is very well qualified.
▶ 1:08:09Sen. Murkowski: I'm counting on her to be able to unlock some of the things that have been stalled out in the previous administration. We will not have that opportunity. We do with the two of you to advance to the department of energy.
▶ 1:08:25Sen. Murkowski: I mentioned in our discussion the situation with cooking gas and the looming shortage that we are facing and the desire to move forward as the president has expressed as well to figure out a way to move alaska's gas.
▶ 1:08:45Sen. Murkowski: I want you to nod your head accordingly and let the record reflect that we are all on board in helping to advance alaska's opportunities pursuant to that executive order. I do want to reinforce what senator cortez masto just asked deal with regards to the funding to advance programs that have already been obligated.
▶ 1:09:15Sen. Murkowski: Knowing this is a bipartisan request to make sure that we follow through with these priorities. We passed the law. The infrastructure act is law. I think about the many benefits that we have seen through energy innovation projects that really made a difference on the ground. You have indicated that you intend to follow that law.
▶ 1:09:42Sen. Murkowski: I would hope that you could look expeditiously at how we might be able to reduce those funds that might have been obligated. I have also raised an issue with the meeting. This relates to the office of indian energy as you know, the chairman of the senate committee .
▶ 1:10:06Sen. Murkowski: We have really looked to the office of indian energy has an area where we could make some significant advancements in places where we have met all kinds of barriers that were unnecessary. Unfortunately, that program did not do as much as we had hoped in the last administration. It was focused entirely on solar projects.
▶ 1:10:35Sen. Murkowski: As much as solar might help us in alaska, there are pressing needs. Right now my communities, they don't necessarily want to be, that is a reality that our heartbreaking in understanding how we could understand some of the infrastructure and vulnerabilities. The program closed its first tribal loan guarantee this past september.
▶ 1:11:07Sen. Murkowski: It took them as many years as they have. I would ask both of you to confirm here before the committee that you will work to identify opportunities to better leverage opportunities to make real progress. Tell the tribes go out and take a look at this. Have no deliverables.
▶ 1:11:37Sen. Murkowski: We just ask for your support on that.
▶ 1:11:40Mr. Griffith: It was nice spending time with you prior to the hearing. If confirmed I will prioritize getting up to speed and the spending in response to this committee and yourself.
▶ 1:12:00Mr. Griffith: Also, working with the office when it comes to prioritizing the office of indian energy with a role for the 574 tribes and the alaskan natives to make sure we were executing the mission and delivering results to support the alaskans.
▶ 1:12:23Sen. Murkowski: And our american indians around the country. Thank you for that.
▶ 1:12:31Dr. Gil: One of the things that was very vivid in the meetings we had with you is this is a unique opportunity that alaska brings. How that could be a test space to not only solve problems in the context of alaska but help us solve problems for the rest of the nation. That was very clear. You have my commitment to work with you and your staff on those areas.
▶ 1:12:57Sen. Murkowski: We are working already on developing an itinerary for the two of you when you come to alaska. I was reading a great article about our fishing community that is an energy innovator with hydro and battery storage. The national labs already have it. An opportunity for you to see that as well as our extraordinary geothermal in addition to the other things.
▶ 1:13:32Sen. Murkowski: -- I'm excited about your confirmation. Thank you. Mr. chairman?
▶ 1:13:35Chair Lee: Senator hickenlooper?
▶ 1:13:39Senator Hickenlooper: Thank you for your public service so far and your intention to continue that. Talk to us a little bit about the grid. I look at ai and the projected growth of the need for electricity, it's almost exponential. We have looked at the great deployment office, the loan program office, the transmission and facilitation program, as helping to meet that demand.
▶ 1:14:11Senator Hickenlooper: What are your thoughts on probably the most important priorities we can take to make sure we have the grid that we need in time for when we need it?
▶ 1:14:21Mr. Griffith: Thank you, senator. With this skyrocketing demand as a result of the ai demand coming on, the re-shoring up manufacturing, we've got to bring up our energy generation production. It is not going to do us any good if we don't have a secure, modern, and strong grid.
▶ 1:14:44Mr. Griffith: There are a lot of tools that the department that we can use in tandem with increasing production generation that this committee and this congress has passed into law to do just that, strengthen, modernize, and secure the grid for our energy future.
▶ 1:15:00Sen. Hickenlooper: I appreciate that. It's going to be all hands on deck to make sure we pull it out. There's a large office of the national renewal energy laboratory in colorado, I think we are justifiably proud of it. But with all the budget cuts, do you think that we will be able to protect the lion's share of the work being done out there? So much of it is midstream.
▶ 1:15:29Sen. Hickenlooper: We are getting there, not quite there yet.
▶ 1:15:31Mr. Griffith: Yes, sir. There's a lot to be proud of their. It's an important lab doing important research. I think that we can be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and run government effectively and efficiently. If confirmed, to continue to execute the mission of deliverables of from all these years.
▶ 1:15:54Sen. Hickenlooper: Dr. gil:
▶ 1:15:58Sen. Hickenlooper: Dr. gil, I would ask you the same thing, except I wanted to ask you more about 2024, national science board, you talk about the need to get more young people engaged in stem. I have a son graduating, he's an electrical engineer, minor in computer science. Not very many of his friends have come along for that ride.
▶ 1:16:21Sen. Hickenlooper: What are some of your ideas that you can put in place to prioritize getting more young people at an earlier age engaged in stem?
▶ 1:16:29Dr. Gil: Senator, thank you for the question. I will highlight my own daughter, sophia, just here, graduating computer science this spring from cornell. We are trying to keep it in the family.
▶ 1:16:43Sen. Hickenlooper: Far from sanford, but there must be some place to meet in the middle. [laughter]
▶ 1:16:48Dr. Gil: To address that point, if you asked me what are the areas of most concern in terms of competitiveness in the nation, I would say it is this area. In some ways at the national science board we have been discussing a lot the need for a national defense education act of 2.0. There was a seminal moment in the 1950's when there was a need to mobilize all of the resources in the country.
▶ 1:17:19Dr. Gil: Educate teachers, support teachers, foment americans entering into stem and foreign languages, so on. We believe the moment has come to do something equivalent right now. If you look at scores in math, for example, for eighth grade, what little progress we have made as a nation, we have reversed 20 years of progress after pandemic. When you look at stem graduation rates in china, as an example, compared to what we do, we have a lot to be concerned about.
▶ 1:17:52Dr. Gil: So, I just want to highlight that if you were to ask me the single most important thing we should focus on? It would be to do exactly that. I would love to work with you and members of congress to really take serious action that requires local, state, and federal coordination to achieve.
▶ 1:18:09Sen. Hickenlooper: Great. I assume you agree with that as well, Mr. griffith? It's pretty clear.
▶ 1:18:16Mr. Griffith: Absolutely. I'm just a history major with a law degree. My son is 99th percentile in the math. He will be following into that mechanical engineering, like your son.
▶ 1:18:28Sen. Hickenlooper: It's hard work. But I think the reward is out there. My son, actually, is looking, as he works, at getting a masters in history as well. They do go well together. Let me ask you also about geothermal energy, which I share with secretary wright, the importance in the potential of geothermal. How do you think that d.o.e.
▶ 1:18:53Sen. Hickenlooper: Can support the next generation of thermal technology that is just rolling out so rapidly?
▶ 1:19:01Mr. Griffith: I share your enthusiasm around geothermal. It's in a pivotal moment. I think a lot of the techniques and the research that came out of the department of energy in support of the oil and gas industry can be applied. I think it's got a promising future and I look forward to, if confirmed, getting in the building and working to unleash all the tools and expertise of the department to bring it to bear.
▶ 1:19:33Sen. Hickenlooper: Appreciate that. I think I'm out of time, but thank you both again. I yield back to the chair.
▶ 1:19:39Chair Lee: Senator cantwell?
▶ 1:19:43Senator Cantwell: I represent bill nye the science guy, but I'm more than happy to say Dr. gil, the doe science guy to keep our investments. One of them is in the area of ai and quantum, the pacific northwest lab and microsoft are using buncombe computing and ai high performance for all sorts of different issues already. Battery research, computer approaches, simulating turbulence, the superconductors.
▶ 1:20:13Senator Cantwell: Do you support the natnal quantum initiative reauthorization and if confirmed would you work with my staff and members of this committee to advance it?
▶ 1:20:20Dr. Gil: Thank you for your question is your support on these topics for so many years. I appreciate your leadership on that. You will not find a more enthusiastic person in supporting the national quantum initiative. My challenge would be like how do we become older and what we achieve on that.
▶ 1:20:40Dr. Gil: The way that I frame that thinking is not only do we need to support the centers that the national quantum initiative created in fundamental science, we've got to now combine that aspiration with delivering that capability for the nation. Just like in the past, building cpu centric supercomputers, like recently we built gpu centric supercomputers, we have to build a quantum centric supercomputer.
▶ 1:21:07Dr. Gil: It will mobilize and activate the national quantum initiative centers towards a goal and we have to deliver that goal. I'm a huge supporter of that effort.
▶ 1:21:14Sen. Cantwell: That's about test betting?
▶ 1:21:17Dr. Gil: It's an element, but to use all of those things, the scientific research, the testbeds, but to give it a goal is to build a capability with this performance at this costs just like we would build in the past any of the other supercomputers. There is a definitive timeline to deliver a capability. I think we need to do the same thing and quantum.
▶ 1:21:42Sen. Cantwell: Appreciate that answer. Mr. griffith, obviously I'm a big supporter of epa and what it delivers on costa-based power. I think that we need to give ppa more support, not less. They have committed to $5 billion in grid upgrades using borrowing authority that the committee approved as part of the bipartisan infrastructure act.
▶ 1:22:06Sen. Cantwell: I want to submit a letter to the record, sorry, article, written by two former bpa leaders, randy hardy and steve wright. I want to quote, they say that they can say with confidence that the level of risk now with the existing workforce reductions it's unacceptable and at some point further reductions would make outages practically inevitable.
▶ 1:22:38Sen. Cantwell: That concerns me, when two famer -- former bpa administrators make those kinds of statements. I appreciate that doge has already allowed bpa to rehire some of those employees, but do you believe that the workforce should be exempt from the current hiring freeze and future force reductions?
▶ 1:23:02Mr. Griffith: Thank you for your question. I haven't been confirmed, I have read similar reports but I don't think I saw the one you submitted to the record. Should I be confirmed, I look forward to getting up to speed on that.
▶ 1:23:18Mr. Griffith: In the last trump administration I came to understand the importance of the bpa in delivering affordable and reliable energy from our hydroelectric resources and am committed to working with you and your office, this committee, to do that, should I be confirmed.
▶ 1:23:35Sen. Cantwell: Do you commit to articulate their safety and reliability role when considering any proposals?
▶ 1:23:44Sen. Cantwell: -- Mr. griffith: again, I don't know exactly what's happening in the department or any discussions, but I will prioritize working with the secretary, deputy secretary, and the rest of the team on this issue, if confirmed.
▶ 1:23:59Sen. Cantwell: I'm just asking you if you will raise safety and reliability roles.
▶ 1:24:09Mr. Griffith: Those are very important to the grid and I think we will continue to prioritize the reliability, security, and resilience of the grid.
▶ 1:24:19Sen. Cantwell: Are you committed to it perp -- are you intending to propose any auctioning of assets? Do you commit to oppose proposals to auction off pma assets, including those owned by bpa?
▶ 1:24:34Mr. Griffith: I think that bpa is a very important piece of the department and plays an important role. Unaware of any discussions or conversations about selling it off. So, I really can't --
▶ 1:24:53Sen. Cantwell: If senator risch were here, I think he would be backing me up at this moment and encouraging me.
▶ 1:25:03Mr. Griffith: I don't, not being confirmed, I. It's not something that I would be a proponent of.
▶ 1:25:14Sen. Cantwell: Thank. Mr. chairman?
▶ 1:25:17Chair Lee: Thank you, senator cantwell. I want to thank the witnesses for their testimony today. Sometimes we have a chance for a second round. We don't have that today. We have votes being called. Any additional questions will be submitted in writing for the record. Questions for the record for the hearing are due by 6 p.m. Today, the record of the hearing will remain open for statements until 6 p.m. On thursday, april 17. The meeting is adjourned.
▶ 1:25:47Chair Lee: Thank you.