▶ 0:19:12Chair Lee: Senator heinrich and his staff are working with us. Want to thank all senators for being here and for your cooperation today and also last week. Recognizing the demands on the schedule of every senator and the fact that we have multiple committee proceedings going on over the next hour or so the committee meets today for a short business meeting to vote on four nominations followed by a hearing on three more nominations.
▶ 0:19:40Chair Lee: One with the department of the interior and two on energy. All four nominees who will be considered at today's business meeting submitted timely answers to questions submitted by senators for the record of our hearing.
▶ 0:19:59Chair Lee: Consequently each one listed on the agenda that the clerk sent to your offices on monday, first we will vote on the nomination of Dr. andrea travnicek, then leslie beyer, then theordore garrish, then the nomination of tristan abbey. Each of these nominees is well-qualified and has my wholehearted support.
▶ 0:20:28Chair Lee: As soon as we have a quorum present I will ask the committee to vote on those nominees. After the votes I will recognize any member who may wish to speak briefly on any of nominees. I was grateful to the senators last week for keeping the remarks brief and I renew my request for that today. So we can proceed promptly to our hearing.
▶ 0:21:04Chair Lee: Her to senator heinrich for a moment.
▶ 0:21:05Sen. Heinrich: Thank you, chairman. I intend to support three of the four nominations before us but I have to say I do so with substantial reservations. I remain concerned about the reckless policies this administration is pursuing in the department of energy, the workforce reductions, the funding freezes come the hit list of programs targeted.
▶ 0:21:32Sen. Heinrich: I'm equally concerned with its disdain for responsible stewardship of our public lands at the interior department. This administration does not seem to understand the need for the public in public lands. I still believe it is better for the senate to confirm qualified nominees who we can hold accountable and who will hopefully use their knowledge and expertise to push back on the president's misguided initiatives rather than leave these important offices in the hands of unaccountable doge
▶ 0:22:04Sen. Heinrich: Employees. I will vote in favor of three of the four nominations. I am unable to support Mr. abbey's nomination. I am deeply troubled by what is happening at the energy information administration. Last month it released its annual energy outlook without its analytical narrative which is traditionally the centerpiece of that roof work. It has also canceled -- centerpiece of that report.
▶ 0:22:35Sen. Heinrich: It is also canceled the report for 2025. Whether the whether this is a result of -- we are left without independent analysis. I do not blame Mr. abbey for this, he has not been there yet, but neither do I believe he is the correct person to stand up to this administration and defend eia's independence and integrity so I will be voting no on this confirmation.
▶ 0:23:05Chair Lee: Bill two short of a quorum. -- still two showrt of a quorum. What we moved to our opening statements and we can erupt if a quorum forms between now and then.
▶ 0:23:26Chair Lee: Today we will receive testimony from three of our fellow citizens nominated by president trump for senior offices, one with the department of interior and two with the department of energy. I thank president trump for putting their names forward. After these opening statements and assuming we are not interrupted by a vote then I will recognize senator justice to introduce Mr.
▶ 0:23:55Chair Lee: Aza -- miss jereza. Today we are considering three nominees for these positions for energy and interior offices. Responsible for legal affairs, conducting research to modernize the power grid, and developing projects to increase to Mr. production of oil, gas, coal, and elements for energy.
▶ 0:24:28Chair Lee: First we will hear from Mr. william doffermyre, solicitor for the department of the interior, second we will hear from miss catherine jereza to be assistant secretary of energy and third from Mr. kyle haustveit to be assistant secretary of energy. Mr. doffermyre is the nominee to be solicitor for the department of interior.
▶ 0:24:53Chair Lee: Solicitor is the chief legal officer of the department, providing legal counsel and advice to the secretary and other offices within the department as well as all of its bureaus and offices, ensuring the departments carry out the responsibilities in accordance with the law. Attorneys from the solicitor's office represent the department in administrative proceedings and work collaborate with attorneys in the department of justice to represent the department of the interior and judicial proceedings.
▶ 0:25:24Chair Lee: The solicitor's term also assists in trapping and reviewing legislation and contracts as well as upholding the departments ethical obligations. Mr. doffermyre currently serves as senior advisor to the national energy dominance council of the white house. Prior to that he served as general counsel for corporate america and also partner at the law firm. He graduated from the oversee virginia as an undergraduate and got his bachelors degree and that was also where he went to law school.
▶ 0:25:56Chair Lee: He served as an editor on the virginia law review. Second is Ms. catherine jereza nominated as assistant secretary of energy for electricity who will lead the department's efforts to modernize america's electric grid infrastructure.
▶ 0:26:15Chair Lee: That task requires modernizing grid hardware components, engineering systems for communications and modeling, measurements, and controls, and operations and planning and conducting research and develop it into power storage reliability and safety. Ms. jereza currently serves as senior advisor in the office of the undersecretary and in the first trump administration served as deputy assistant secretary for permitting and technical assistance.
▶ 0:26:43Chair Lee: She holds a bs in chemical engineering from virginia tech and an mba from loyola university maryland. Finally Mr. kino -- Mr. kyle haustveit nominated as assistant secretary of energy for fossil energy leave the office of fossil energy. This division focuses on investing in research develop met and implementation of fossil fuel derived projects as well as strengthening american energy and critical mineral security.
▶ 0:27:16Chair Lee: The offices core functions include increasing domestic production and the processing of critical minerals and materials for methane emissions, reviewing applications for lng imports and exports and issuing licenses accordingly. The office also manages the national energy technology laboratory or netl which is the lead field center for research and development.
▶ 0:27:43Chair Lee: It is also expected the president will restore to this office its long-standing duty of managing america's strategic petroleum reserve. Mr. haustveit is currently the geoscience manager at devaughn energy where he directs multidisciplinary teams responsible for completions designed diagnostic programs and field development planning in unconventional reservoirs and also manages that companies affiliate that invests in
▶ 0:28:14Chair Lee: Digital low carbon. He holds a bs in petroleum engineering from montana technical university and an mba from the university of oklahoma. All nominees are well-qualified for the offices for which the president has nominated them and they represent the type of bold leadership american needs and deserves.
▶ 0:28:41Chair Lee: United states truly is in a battle for our future. We will not win the artificial intelligence race. We will not win in advanced manufacturing, we will not win the battle for western civilization unless we win the energy war. Under the biden administration residential electricity rates skyrocketed 23% and our energy independence was significantly compromised.
▶ 0:29:13Chair Lee: This was the foreseeable future of administration defined by burdensome regulations, reckless climate mandates, and a deliberate war unreliable american resources like oil, gas, coal, and critical materials. These policies weakened our grid , they inflated our prices and left america vulnerable to adversaries. Adversaries who do not share our interests or values.
▶ 0:29:43Chair Lee: Republicans agenda for energy dominance is an overdue departure. It faces american interests first, prioritizing the responsible develop it of abundant natural resources. The trump administration recognizes a strong america requires an affordable energy supply that does not depend on foreign nations, especially adversaries like china or russia or regimes in the middle east.
▶ 0:30:11Chair Lee: Once confirmed each of today's nominees will have critical responsibilities to help achieve this. We have a quorum. I will pause there. Much as I am sure you are all riveted by that lovely statement. Will now turn to the nomination of Dr.
▶ 0:30:33Chair Lee: Andrea travnicek to be the assistant secretary of the interior overwater and silence -- for water and science. The clerk will call the role. [roll call]
▶ 0:32:09Chair Lee: On this boat the ayes are 14 and the nays six. The nomination is to be reported favorably. We now turn to the nomination of miss leslie buyer to be assistant secretary -- miss leslie beyer to be assistant secretary. The clerk will call the roll.
▶ 0:32:36Chair Lee: [roll call] >>
▶ 0:33:46Chair Lee: On this boat the a -- on this vote the ayes are 15 vote the ayes are 14 and the nays are 6.
▶ 0:34:01Chair Lee: The nomination is reported favorably. The senate will then turn to Mr. theordore garrish. The clerk will call the roll. [roll call]
▶ 0:35:29Chair Lee: >> on this vote the ayes are 14 and the nays are 6 in the nomination is ordered to be reported favorably.
▶ 0:35:42Chair Lee: The name -- the nomination is agreed to and order to be reported favorably to the senate. We turn to the nomination of Mr. tristan abbey to be the administration of -- at the department of energy. The clerk will call the roll.
▶ 0:36:00Chair Lee: [roll call] >>
▶ 0:37:20Chair Lee: On this vote the ayes are 12 and the nays are 8 and nomination is ordered to be reported favorably.
▶ 0:37:36Chair Lee: Without the business meeting will proceed directly back -- with that the business meeting will now proceed directly back into the hearing. Unless there are objections I will submit the rest of my opening statement in written form and turned to senator heinrich for his opening.
▶ 0:37:56Sen. Heinrich: Welcome to Mr. doffermyre, Ms. jereza, and Mr. haustveit. Each of these nominees have been appointed for an important office. The office of solicitor of the department of interior is one of the most important legal offices in our government. As broad as these authorities are they are not unlimited.
▶ 0:38:25Sen. Heinrich: The solicitor does not make law, interpret and enforces the laws enacted by congress. For these reasons I am deeply troubled by a senior advisor to secretary byrd using the solicitor's authority to spend -- to suspend all of the legal opinions of the prior solicitor. We recognize departmental policies will change from one administration to the next. Our laws do not.
▶ 0:38:54Sen. Heinrich: I am even more troubled the same advisor reinstated an earlier solicitor's opinion that had been vacated by a federal district court. The department needs to follow the law as interpreted by the district court, not try to change it on its own. I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on these matters. The assistant secretary of energy for electricity is another office with crucial responsibilities.
▶ 0:39:23Sen. Heinrich: More than 340 million americans depend on the electric grid for the power we need for our daily lives. Americans today are facing in an energy affordability crisis as electricity prices on track to be the highest since the 1990's. Programs like the weatherization assistance program and the appliances rebate programs are saving american families money.
▶ 0:39:49Sen. Heinrich: The proposed cuts to these programs and the prejudices -- and the presidents budget take money away from families as inflation and tariffs are raising the prices of everyday goods. The eia expects projects that electricity demand will grow and as this happened electricity costs will rise.
▶ 0:40:11Sen. Heinrich: We simply will not be able to meet our energy needs without substantially more transmission and generation, expanding transmission planning across regions can lead to billions of dollars in energy cost savings. Scientists at the pacific northwest national library estimate that by 2050 transmission expansion could lead to $270 billion to as much as $490 billion in savings. We will be looking to you, Ms.
▶ 0:40:41Sen. Heinrich: Jereza, if confirmed, to help ensure the grid is reliant and resilient and has the capacity to add the resources we need to meet our growing demand. Finally the assistant secretary for energy for fossil energy is responsible for natural gas export but also has important responsibilities for fossil energy research and development, critical minerals production, carbon capture, hydrogen production and methane emissions
▶ 0:41:12Sen. Heinrich: Reduction. The job is bigger than issuing export permits and I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on these other matters, Mr. haustveit.
▶ 0:41:26Chair Lee: The rules of the committee require all nominees be sworn in in connection with their testimony. If you each please stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you are about to give with the committee is the truth and nothing but the truth? Thank you.
▶ 0:41:58Chair Lee: I will ask the standard questions. We you be able to appear before the committee and other committees to represent issues of concern to congress? Are you aware of any investments or interest that could constitute a conflict of interest or create the appearance of such a conflict should you be confirmed and assume the office to which you've been nominated by the president?
▶ 0:42:26Chair Lee: Third, are you involved in or you have assets in a blind trust? Now we will go to senator justice first who will introduce Ms. jereza and then we will go to senator hoeven to introduce Mr. haustveit.
▶ 0:42:48Sen. Justice: I appreciate the opportunity to introduce and speak very highly of this young lady right here. That is all there is to it. Katie therese -- katie jereza I attended the same high school in west virginia. I was there a few years earlier.
▶ 0:43:15Sen. Justice: In fact I was amazed it was still a high school when I was there. I can just tell you that we are both flying eagles from woodrow wilson high school and the little town of beckley, west virginia and when I grew up and I am sure when katie grew up in all fairness I rode my bicycle all the way across town to the little league to go to practice
▶ 0:43:46Sen. Justice: There. It was the perfect hometown america. Absolutely I know we are proud of it. This goes way deeper for me. Absolutely I know katie, I know all of the great things she has done. Just a couple of these. Just think about this.
▶ 0:44:16Sen. Justice: She served in the prior trump administration as the deputy secretary -- the deputy assistant secretary for transmission permitting and technical assistance. Then she served as vice president of corporate affairs and electric power research institute. She was the director of infrastructure resilience at edison electric institute. She is so qualified it is off the chart.
▶ 0:44:49Sen. Justice: I would tell us all that all of these nominees, I'm very confident you will be confirmed. That is all there is to it. You have a task in front of you that is astronomically important. I said it over and over and people get sick of listening to me say this. Energy is everything. It is everything. Right now it is everything.
▶ 0:45:21Sen. Justice: It resolves everything. Whether it be inflation, national security. We all know every country in the world, every country in the world, the more energy they have the longer their people live and the healthier their people. We have got to stop this war on energy in every way. We have to stop it. How do we win the war?
▶ 0:45:52Sen. Justice: We stop the war? That is what we've got to do. We've got to stop the war and realize one thing. We are going to awaken to a crisis like you cannot imagine in this country and we better get ourselves ready right now. We will win -- we will lose on a bunch of france if we are not ready. -- on a bunch of fronts if we are not ready.
▶ 0:46:20Sen. Justice: This lady is extremely qualified and I am in her camp wholeheartedly. I will do for the rest of the time and thank you katie for being here.
▶ 0:46:29Chair Lee: Thank you senator justice. That is fantastic. I am sure you both have the statues and plaques commemorating your public service and your share high school. We also have a statement from senator mccormick that without objection will be entered into the record in support of Ms. jereza. Senator hoeven, you are recognized.
▶ 0:46:54Sen. Hoeven: Senator justice I was wondering if you attended that school at the same time, it may be were a year or two ahead of her. Maybe were senior when she was a sophomore. That is pretty cool. Great to have all of you here. Mr. chairman, ranking member heinrich thanks for holding this important hearing and it is a pleasure to introduce kyle haustveit to the committee.
▶ 0:47:23Sen. Hoeven: He is a fellow north dakota which you can tell because he has that capable look about him. Nominee for the assistant secretary for fossil energy at the department of energy. I would also like to welcome your wife. Where are you? You have his back. And four children. I want to mature I get these right. Correct me if I'm wrong. Neveah.
▶ 0:47:54Sen. Hoeven: There you are. Good to have you here. Also harper. Noah. And hudson. So pool to have them here. -- so cool to have them here.
▶ 0:48:21Sen. Hoeven: Born in fargo, root in energy and agriculture. He is a third-generation energy worker, petroleum engineer by training, and a leader in terms of innovation. He coinvented a hydraulic fracturing technique, music to every north dakotan's ears and that is used across other shale basins.
▶ 0:48:52Sen. Hoeven: I understand energy is foundational. To our economic security, our national security, and many other things as well. Our standard of living. Every other way you can think of. He brings a tremendous men of experience and skill to our nation's mission, which is energy dominance. Not just energy security. We want to be energy dominant and we will do it.
▶ 0:49:23Sen. Hoeven: And ensure americans have access to low-cost dependable energy. Thanks for being here and your willingness to serve. Thank you, Mr. chair.
▶ 0:49:31Chair Lee: Thank you, senator hoeven. I'm impressed you can tell by looking at someone they are from your state.
▶ 0:49:40Sen. Hoeven: When I look in the mirror every morning, that is what I see. [laughter]
▶ 0:49:46Chair Lee: It is the cold air. What is the coldest it got up there this winter? About 30 below. That is significant. Cite turned to each witness we will have opening statements -- as I turned to each witness we will have opening statements from Mr. doffermyre, Ms.
▶ 0:50:13Chair Lee: Jereza, and Mr. haustveit. You may begin.
▶ 0:50:33Mr. Doffermyre: Chairman lee, ranking member heinrich, members of this committee, it is an honor to appear as president trump's nominee to serve as assistant solicitor to the apartment of the interior. I would like to introduce the most important people in my life. Here is my oldest son william, my daughter mary, my daughter win wiynn and my youngest son who is celebrating his birthday tomorrow.
▶ 0:51:04Mr. Doffermyre: They are my best friends and biggest supporters. I want to recognize my beautiful wife, the love of my life and the greatest wife and mother a man should want. My sweet and always supportive sister julia is here along with a woman who brought me into this world and raise me to be the person I am now, my mom, mary doffermyre. I would like to recognize my late father everett doffermyre who I loved so much and trust is with us in spirit.
▶ 0:51:35Mr. Doffermyre: Thanks to the members of this committee for your warm welcome to my family and thanks for all of you for your service and dedication to this country. My inspiration to serve my country dates back many years ago when out of the blue I was asked to serve in one of the single most import positions in the white house. Thanks to my sweet wife bessie who was my girlfriend at the time who was working in the visitors office in the bush administration I was appointed to serve as the easter bunny at the 2006 white house easter egg roll.
▶ 0:52:06Mr. Doffermyre: It was hard to see out of that six foot tall bodysuit and it was hot and uncomfortable underneath all of that for but I can ensure you that was a small price to pay for being the most important figure at the white house and I did not have to go through a confirmation. In all seriousness I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to service the solicitor of the department of the interior. Serving at the department of the interior would be a dream job in many ways.
▶ 0:52:36Mr. Doffermyre: My first job out of college was whitewater rafting guide at teton national park. I lived in a two room log cabin heated by a wood burning stove with the majestic view of the grantee non--- of the grand teton out of my window. Of you I shared with a moose. When I was not getting on the river I spent my free time backpacking on some of america's most treasured public lands.
▶ 0:53:03Mr. Doffermyre: If fortunate enough to be concerned no that this former snake river rafting guide will consider the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve as a steward for america's best idea, our national park system. It also be the honor and privilege of lifetime to work with united states fish and wildlife service. I love to hunt, I am having fly fisherman, I love to hike, I love nature, I am in explore. I love sharing these lifelong passions.
▶ 0:53:31Mr. Doffermyre: I cannot agree more with the great teddy roosevelt when he observed very few responsibilities of the government compare with the great central task of leaving this land a better land for our descendants. Above all else the department of the interior is responsible for managing our nations vast energy resources is what landed me in this seat today.
▶ 0:54:01Mr. Doffermyre: I've had the privilege of working in texas and one of america's great energy companies. After spending over a decade as a D.C. attorney and that is general counsel open overseas develop an agency in the first trump administration I decided to move to texas to work in the energy business, to work alongside the patriotic americans who design and operate the critical infrastructure that fuels our economy and enables our way of life. I learned a tremendous amount in the energy business over the past five years.
▶ 0:54:31Mr. Doffermyre: One lesson I learned too well is the energy emergency our nation currently faces is not due to a shortage of natural resources. Working in the private sector, the primary contributor to this energy is our countries byzantine state and regulatory framework that makes it too easy to kill projects. Endless litigation and far too hard to get shovels in the ground.
▶ 0:54:59Mr. Doffermyre: If confirmed I look forward to working with this committee to fix our broken permanent system and help ensure our country has a transparent and efficient regulatory regime that not only permits but promotes responsible buildout of our nations critical energy infrastructure. I would like to conclude by giving all thanks and praise to god the father and his son my savior jesus christ who taught us all that to whom much is given much is required.
▶ 0:55:26Mr. Doffermyre: I feel so blessed to be born a citizen of the greatest country in the history of the world. This country has given me and my family so much that we feel it is incumbent upon us to give back to our country in any way we can. If confirmed I look forward to working with this committee to do just that. Chairman lee, ranking member heinrich, thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you today. I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:55:52Chair Lee: Thank you. Before we turn to Ms. jereza I want to note that the thought of the easter bunny -- imagine this is how you won bessie over. It is a high-stakes gambit. It could have ended in disaster but if you pull it off but could have won its affection -- you could've won her affection. Had I known I would've insisted you wore the easter bunny costume. Ms. jereza?
▶ 0:56:23Sen. Heinrich: It is 8 -- Ms.
▶ 0:56:27Jereza: It is a true honor to be here and I want to thank president trump and energy secretary right for the trust they have placed in me for this nomination to serve as assistant secretary of electricity at the U.S. department energy. If I have the honor of being confirmed I look forward to working with all of the members of this committee. I would like to take a moment to recognize those were very dear to me, especially those who have traveled to be here and continue to support me during one of the most important opportunities of my life.
▶ 0:56:55Jereza: My husband ken and stepdaughter chloe from maryland, my sister and her daughter from virginia, my sister and her son brandon from west virginia, and many extended friends and colleagues. My parents wish they could be here in person but since my mom is recovering from surgery they are watching from their home in west virginia. I also want to thank my large and extended family who are watching from all over the country. More importantly, I want to thank my parents and the leaders who have come before me.
▶ 0:57:28Jereza: My dad instilled the importance of academics, religion, music, and sports, also known as arms which has armed me on how to live my life. My mother is a lot like president trump. Their attitude inspires me to keep going. I'll never forget growing up under their guidance at a place called almost heaven, west virginia. My dad moved the family to beckley to work as a doctor for the united mine workers of america.
▶ 0:57:59Jereza: My passion for math and science would eventually lead me to get back to my roots to unleash baseload power, including fossil fuels, advanced nuclear, geothermal, and hydropower that is so important to the reliability and security of our nation's electricity system. My whole life I have honed my skills in multi-stakeholder collaboration. Imagine growing up with seven siblings and trying to get an agreement on anything.
▶ 0:58:30Jereza: Negotiating strong and divergent personalities to line up and move forward is never easy. Now imagine doing that in today's political environment? I believe collaboration is one of my most important leadership skills I can bring to the U.S. department of energy and the many stakeholders that make our north american electricity system work. Engineers help make things work. That is why I chose to become an engineer who likes to pick the most difficult things to figure out. I picked the french horn because it is the most difficult instrument.
▶ 0:59:01Jereza: I picked chemical engineering because it is the most difficult undergraduate degree to earn. Now if confirmed I will tackle one of the most challenging problems our nation has ever faced -- helping add the baseload power america needs to meet its energy demands today and in the future. President trump and energy secretary right have made their agenda clear and if confirmed I will work every day to advance U.S.
▶ 0:59:26Jereza: Leadership in innovation, reduce cost for american families, and strengthen liability and security. I have a mindset for innovation starting with my first job out of college -- I am fermented programs that increased production and product quality. For 20 years I have worked with national laboratories and other premier research institutions to drive innovation from concept car commercialization and foster ingenuity to optimize technology throughout its lifecycle.
▶ 0:59:59Jereza: I am a systems thinker who understands the promise and trade-offs of all technology under real-world conditions. If confirmed I will strive to bring cost-effective solutions that benefit all americans. In president trump's first term, I had the opportunity to work in the office of electricity as deputy secretary for transmission permitting and technical assistance.
▶ 1:00:21Jereza: In that role I developed and still have extensive relationships and understanding of the complex and often divergent perspectives of the international, regional, state and local levels. The north american power grid is the biggest machine in the world and has the biggest bureaucracy in the world to make it work.
▶ 1:00:42Jereza: If confirmed I will work to deliver on trump's promise to cut red tape and expedite the -- I enjoyed meeting with many members of the committee and I appreciate the priorities and insight you have shared. If confirmed I will need your continued partnership to strengthen our great. I look forward to answering -- to strengthen our grid. I look forward to answering your questions and if confirmed implementing the president and secretary's bold energy agenda.
▶ 1:01:11Jereza: Chairman lee, ranking member heinrich, thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee today and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 1:01:18Chair Lee: I had a few friends in college who are chemical engineering majors and I can bounce -- I can vouch for the fact that no one worked harder up am a science dude, just political science. We will hear now from Mr. house that.
▶ 1:01:36Mr. Haustveit: Distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am deeply honored to be considered for the role of assistant secretary for fossil energy at the U.S. department of energy. I want to express my sincere gratitude to president trump for his nomination and to energy secretary right for his support -- energy secretary wright for his support. I would like to thank my family and friends.
▶ 1:02:06Mr. Haustveit: I am here with my high school sweetheart and wife brea, her four children naveah, harper, noah is sleeping, and hudson is sitting down next to my parents. I am also joined by several close friends. Thank you for your support. I was born and raised in north dakota just a few miles from the historic discovery well. My family's roots run deep in energy and agriculture.
▶ 1:02:38Mr. Haustveit: One grandfather managed drilling operations while the other farmed our family homestead. I'm fueling tractors to providing fertilizers that nourish our crops, I am proud to say I am a third generation energy worker.
▶ 1:03:03Mr. Haustveit: My family's connection to energy spans decades and their hard work instilled in me a deep respect for the industry and its importance to our nation. With a small nudge from our late grandfather I pursued a degree in petroleum engineering from montana tech followed by an mba in energy from the university of oklahoma. This combination has been instrumental in shaping my career and preparing me to address the challenges and opportunities in the energy sector.
▶ 1:03:35Mr. Haustveit: Early in my career I was fortunate to lead a team that invented and commercialized a diagnostic technique now used globally to optimize hydraulic fracturing and resource development. This experience parked or growing passion for energy and technology which led me to the lead energy ventures team.
▶ 1:03:55Mr. Haustveit: In this role our team had the privilege of investing in early-stage startups rooted in fundamental science, including the leading next-generation geothermal company with operations in nevada and a 500 megawatt develop and underway in utah. Our team also conducted technical valuations for products such as direct lithium extraction from brine in arkansas and california, carbon and utilization in wyoming, and produced water treatment and beneficial use in mexico.
▶ 1:04:27Mr. Haustveit: These experiences have given me a front row seat to the incredible innovation happening in the energy industry across our nation. I've been blessed to build my career during one of the most transformative periods in energy history, the shale revolution. A revolution brought about by industry and enabled in part by fundamental research from our tremendous national laboratories. This technological breakthrough moved the U.S.
▶ 1:04:57Mr. Haustveit: From the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas to the largest exporter, positioning us as a global leader in oil and natural gas production, transforming us from energy dependent to energy dominant. The energy industry has not only powered our nation but it has also fueled economic growth, strengthen national security, and improve the quality of life for millions of americans and our allies around the world. U.S.
▶ 1:05:25Mr. Haustveit: Natural gas is delivered affordable, reliable, and secure energy while reducing the emissions from electricity generation by more than 40%. It has been a privilege to contribute to this progress and I am passionately aligned with president trump's common sense energy agenda. An agenda that will ensure future generations have access to an affordable, secure, and abundant energy made in america.
▶ 1:05:54Mr. Haustveit: If confirmed I will honor the fundamentals of science and economics to serve our country. I am committed to advancing policies that unleash U.S. energy dominance, foster innovation, and ensure america remains a global leader in energy production and technology. If confirmed I will work to leverage incredible talents to try forward cutting-edge research and develop it -- to drive forward cutting-edge research and develop meant. Energy is the backbone of our national security and our way of life.
▶ 1:06:26Mr. Haustveit: Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your questions.
▶ 1:06:29Chair Lee: Thank you so much. We will proceed to five-minute rounds of questions. Each senator on the committee will have a turn. We will go between republicans and democrats come alternating in order of committee seniority as modified by the earlybird rule. Mr. doffermyre, why don't we start with you?
▶ 1:06:54Chair Lee: As a lawyer you are aware of the fact that the national environment of policy act is a procedural statute. It does not require a specific foreordained or substantive outcome. It requires that agencies take a hard look at environmental impacts.
▶ 1:07:14Chair Lee: Recognizing that and given the urgency we face in the energy space, the department of interior recently invoked some procedures to speed up the process. There are a lot of countries that have emulated our laws. A lot of them have been very good at making sure the process does not take longer than necessary.
▶ 1:07:38Chair Lee: The plan as I understand it at that a permit of the interior would be to complete environmental assessments within 14 days and environmental impact statements within 28 days for energy products. Do you believe these expedited timelines are consistent with the requirements and how do you plan to help the department meet those goals?
▶ 1:07:59Mr. Doffermyre: Thank you. As we discussed in your office and I very much enjoyed my time with you and your staff I very much agree with president trump that our country does face an energy crisis. With generative ai and data centers and advanced manufacturing our demand is going up exponentially. Meanwhile we have a permitting system that takes too long to actually meet the increasing demand we are facing.
▶ 1:08:29Mr. Doffermyre: When president trump first took office on his first day he signed executive orders relating to energy. The unleashing american energy executive order instructs all the agencies to exercise all legal authorities they have to expedite this permitting process. I am not at the department of interior and I've not been involved with the emergency procedures. I am familiar with nepa and it is a procedural statute and it requires a hardluck.
▶ 1:09:00Mr. Doffermyre: I am looking forward -- a hard look. I am looking forward to meeting with the department of interior to make sure we satisfy all of the legal requirements to get projects moving and not stopping endless litigation.
▶ 1:09:13Chair Lee: Mr. house fight -- Mr. house that -- Mr. house to vet -- Mr. haustveit, I will go to you next. The action laid out in the fourth and it's to that document is likely to have a detrimental effect on lng exports.
▶ 1:09:39Chair Lee: The action would require 1% of lng export vessels to be U.S. flag in U.S. built by 2029. That percentage shifts up gradually over time until it gets to 15% by 2047.
▶ 1:10:01Chair Lee: The action would also allow ustr to suspend lng export licenses until the terms of the action are meant. This raises considerable concerns and bears a stunning resemblance to the so-called jones act. The jones act applies with regards to shipments between U.S. ports, one U.S. port to another without an intervening stop in another country. It requires them to be U.S.
▶ 1:10:33Chair Lee: Built and accrued and so forth. -- and crewed and so forth. Does ustr have the authority to suspend lng licenses through rulemaking procedure?
▶ 1:10:48Mr. Haustveit: Thank you for the question. This is not an area of expertise but I can say lng is a force of good for the world and has delivered reliable energy to our allies. Any rulemaking that restricts our ability to deliver that incredible fuel to our friends and allies is a negative for america, negative for allies. We need to do everything we can to avoid putting further restrictions on lng exports.
▶ 1:11:16Chair Lee: I appreciate that. If you are confirmed will you agree to work with me and my staff to clarify and figure out this jurisdictional ambiguity between whenever you are confirmed and prior to finalization of this proposed rulemaking?
▶ 1:11:36Mr. Haustveit: Absolutely.
▶ 1:11:39Chair Lee: My time is up. We are going to turn to senator heinrich will be asking questions. I have to run to the foreign relations committee for a moment to cast a few votes. Senator hoeven has agreed to take the gavel while I am out and I will be back in a few minutes. Senator heinrich?
▶ 1:12:01Sen. Heinrich: Mr. doffermyre, the office of the solicitor is responsible for making sure the department follows the law. Right now the department continues to violate court orders with respect to frozen funds and at some point the excuse that these funds are under review begins to not hold water.
▶ 1:12:24Sen. Heinrich: If confirmed will you ensure that appropriated funds are obligated and dispersed in a timely manner in accordance with the law and in accordance with the impoundment control act?
▶ 1:12:36Mr. Doffermyre: Thank you, senator heinrich. I have not started working at the department of interior yet so I'm not familiar with what appropriate funds have or have not been spent. As a solicitor my job will be to review the facts and review the law and provide clear advice on what the law requires.
▶ 1:13:00Mr. Doffermyre: The act and other legal requirements say congress controls the purse strings and I will analyze them and give the advice the law requires the funds be spent than the funds will be obligated and spent.
▶ 1:13:13Sen. Heinrich: Last month a senior advisor to the secretary exercising the power of the solicitor outside of vacancies for format reinstated a legal opinion that had been vacated by a federal district court.
▶ 1:13:30Sen. Heinrich: The district court vacated the prior solicitor's opinion because the solicitor had misinterpreted the migratory treaty -- the migratory bird treaty act -- notably the justice department did not press an appeal to that court's decision. The senior advisor's opinion purports to reinstate the vacated opinion in 93 of the 94 judicial districts.
▶ 1:13:58Sen. Heinrich: Do you believe that a solicitor or advisor exercising the authority can overrule the decision of a federal district judge?
▶ 1:14:12Mr. Huastveit: Thank you senator, I do not -- Mr.
▶ 1:14:16Doffermyre: Thank you but the answer is no. Opinions which is uniquely part of the interior and I have learned a little bit about and I look forward to learning more about. They are the highest level legal at reputation and those opinions are binding on the department of interior. My past in addition to the easter bunny and a draft guide, I was a litigator for 12 years.
▶ 1:14:46Doffermyre: When I first learned about the opinions and turned through a few of them I felt like this would harken back to my litigation days. They are long reasons and they look like court opinions. And I look forward to exercising those skills that I learned in order to analyze the law and the facts and up -- and apply the opinions that are sound and durable.
▶ 1:15:10Sen. Heinrich: I want to go back for a minute for something that the chairman asked you about which is complying with nepa, with both environmental impact statements and environmental assessments in these 14 to 28 day timelines. If you can do that and meet all of the requirements of the law, I am for it.
▶ 1:15:35Sen. Heinrich: What you have seen in this committee has been a bipartisan commitment to permitting reform and getting to yes or no faster for projects. However if you get the end of 28 days and you have not been able to meet all of the legal requirements for an eis, if at that point you publish an eis if -- that does not meet the requirements it creates litigation risk. That is the opposite of shovels in the ground.
▶ 1:16:07Sen. Heinrich: So, talk to me about how you will balance that? If you could get to a high quality legal product that does not create litigation risk in 28 days I am all for that. If you have not checked all the boxes at the end of 28 days will you continue forward and make sure that those products actually will withstand legal challenge?
▶ 1:16:30Mr. Doffermyre: Thank you. And that is a great question. Thank you to you and the members of the committee for the work that you have done on permitting reform. The fiscal responsibility act for the time limits for nepa and the permitting reform bill that did not quite pass, they were very welcome news to the industry.
▶ 1:16:51Sen. Heinrich: We can still pass that law, I will just mention to all my colleagues. That would be a good idea.
▶ 1:16:58Mr. Doffermyre: The short answer is well, I do not know if there is a short answer. I would say it would do no good and be counterproductive to publish a final eis and record of decision that did not entail the necessary hard look and what is required by the statute.
▶ 1:17:18Mr. Doffermyre: You can get a permit in 28 days but if two years of litigation results in a remand that is a new analysis and that is not getting shovels in the ground and we are completely relying on that.
▶ 1:17:30Sen. Heinrich: I appreciate that.
▶ 1:17:32Sen. Hoeven: Senator justice.
▶ 1:17:39Sen. Justice: Before I get started and I will be short n' sweet, I have got to tell you a little story. And this centers around senator hoeven. But, the story is just this. A long time ago, my dad was sitting at a pool bar, in the pool with lawson hamilton.
▶ 1:18:05Sen. Justice: And dad had been working hard on trying to come up with the keys to emerald city in regards to how a high wall minor would work. He was trying to basically go into the high wall with a round hole and come back with a square hole. And he looked in the bottom of the pool and there was a circle with a square around it. And he said there it is, lawson. Right there. There it is.
▶ 1:18:36Sen. Justice: And Mr. hamilton was telling me the story and he kept looking back at me and say I did not know what to say to your dad. I thought that possibly he had lost his mind because he kept saying there it is lawson, right there. There it is. Well, I was struggling with this striking resemblance between Mr.
▶ 1:18:59Sen. Justice: Haustveit and senator hoeven but I get it now and I get it and everything. The resemblance is without question there. And you know, the use, the passion, the wisdom, absolutely, I have got it. It took me a little while to see the circle in the square, but I have got it now.
▶ 1:19:23Sen. Hoeven: That is why everybody likes you, I am telling you that right now.
▶ 1:19:28Sen. Justice: I can ask you questions and they might sound important. We are really blessed, really blessed to have three nominees like these. I mean, that is all there is to it. And so, you know, I congratulate you and everyone.
▶ 1:19:51Sen. Justice: I have looked at questions and thought about it and everything and I thought that I am going to absolutely waste your time and maybe mine too. I congratulate you and we have to have these nominees. That is all there is to it. You will do amazing work, and I know you well. I can just feel it in my heart, and I really listen to my heart more than my mind a lot of times.
▶ 1:20:22Sen. Justice: But, I think you will be fantastic beyond belief. The only other thing I can say is this, you know, I go back and think a second about my dad, and really how hard he tried and started with nothing. And I mean nothing. And how proud he would be of all of y'all. You are young, and go to work and make us proud. That is all I've got.
▶ 1:20:53Sen. Justice: God bless you. I am deferring the rest of my time.
▶ 1:20:56Sen. Hoeven: Senator hickenlooper.
▶ 1:20:59Sen. Hickenlooper: Thank you. I thank you for all of the work you've done and being willing to commit yourself to public service for who knows how long. Let me talk some of the questions for Ms. jereza. The goal of the office of electricity is to strengthen the nation's power grid which lord knows needs a lot of help right now.
▶ 1:21:29Sen. Hickenlooper: And yet the doe has lost 4000 staff members so far including 70% of the people in the grid deployment office. The national laboratory is working to advance red monitor -- modernization and they have begun layoffs and colorado laid off 114 people. So it seems to put our energy goals at risk.
▶ 1:21:53Sen. Hickenlooper: I just wanted to ask as we try to upgrade the grid to prevent blackouts and meet this rising energy demand and often times we need energy and places we did not need it before, especially as ai takes off, we are losing the export -- expert staff. How are we going to respond to that? You are coming into a situation where you say all hands on deck, there will not be a crowd.
▶ 1:22:20Ms. Jereza: Thank you for the question, I appreciate it. One of the reasons I love working at the department of energy is the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds who have such a commitment and dedication to their mission and they worked tirelessly for that. When I, if confirmed, my mission space will be with the office of electricity and the grid deployment office is a separate area.
▶ 1:22:50Ms. Jereza: But, I wanted, when I think about the resources, if confirmed, I will make every effort to work with you and assess the situation to ensure that we have the staffing and resources that we need to ensure that we will continue to meet are very important mission.
▶ 1:23:09Sen. Heinrich: I noticed -- so hickenlooper -- Sen.
▶ 1:23:16Hickenlooper: The imperative as we consider the low growth in our electric utilities, and I think that is why you will be very busy. I saw you spent, is that your whole karesh -- professional career with devon? That is either a curse or very for tenant.
▶ 1:23:37Mr. Huastveit: I think the latter.
▶ 1:23:40Sen. Hickenlooper: I would not argue. Colorado has a proud history. We were the first government entity of any kind to regulate methane and recognize the negative effects of it and recognize that you could by regulating it, you could allow it to be captured and used as a form of energy instead of working against us and against the climate.
▶ 1:24:08Sen. Hickenlooper: A number of colorado companies and universities have continued to try and focus on how do we make that next step in methane and be able to measure it more clearly. And other aspects of methane emissions for the benefit of industry and climate. If you are confirmed, are you willing to really push to continue the methane reduction research taking place in a variety of places within the fossil energy office?
▶ 1:24:36Mr. Huastveit: Thank you for the question. One of your state's most well-known labs is one of the labs that we work with. Methane is a very difficult gas to measure and we are actively working on technologies including continuous monitoring. Our company has a test site in oklahoma that we invite people to visit freely where we can test these different systems to find the best solution.
▶ 1:25:06Mr. Huastveit: Not only is it the right thing to do for the environment but the right thing to do for the economics. We spend millions of dollars to crude -- to produce oil and natural gas and we want to do our best to capture it and put it to good use to supply the energy that america needs. I will commit to continue to work to find ways to take care of our nation's natural resources.
▶ 1:25:27Sen. Hickenlooper: It is important to continue to recognize that we can have a strong economy and address climate change at the same time. There is an alignment of self interest for all of us. I am just about out of time. I did want to talk a little bit about the power grid and how we will need to get energy from places where we do not generate it to places where we will need it.
▶ 1:25:55Sen. Hickenlooper: And, part of -- we lost some of the research around that and we were looking at ways before to strengthen and modernize our grid. Past research showed that increasing the flows of a city across multiple regions can make the grid more reliable and electricity more affordable. Some of those research findings have been suppressed in various ways. I am sure you are aware of some of that.
▶ 1:26:26Sen. Hickenlooper: Obviously you are committed to scientific inquiry and the integrity of science and I respect that. Will you make sure that you get the resources published in a timely matter, no matter which direction it a point -- it points us?
▶ 1:26:39Ms. Jereza: I appreciate with -- I appreciate what you are saying. During my college years I got rigorous review and I learned from that and offer it to others when I look at their reports so that they will resonate and be useful. And so it is important that, at the pace we need to go, if confirmed, I will work to help to expedite the analysis so that it gets into the hands of those who need it.
▶ 1:27:08Sen. Hickenlooper: I am out of time, but I appreciate all of your time being here. I will have other questions that I will pepper you with in written form in the future.
▶ 1:27:18Sen. Hoeven: Thank you senator hickenlooper. Mr. haustvi, you are familiar with the baken, and you know that even before it was commercially viable it was technologically viable. So the challenge we had and I was governor at the time and starting in 2000 is that we were drilling vertical wells which you are familiar with.
▶ 1:27:46Sen. Hoeven: But the economics were such that all of the companies were leaving and there were other places they could go and frankly do better. We started to work on shale and eventually cracked the code and went from being technologically viable to commercially viable. So, talk to me in terms of carbon capture. The same thing applies. You are familiar with the energy and environmental research center at the university of north dakota.
▶ 1:28:13Sen. Hoeven: Are you committed to -- continuing the partnership that they have with the department of fossil energy at the doe?
▶ 1:28:20Mr. Huastveit: Thank you for the question and time earlier this week. I am very familiar with the eerc. It is a talented team of scientists. I do not know the agreement currently in hand, but if confirmed I commit to reviewing that contract and extending the benefits.
▶ 1:28:40Sen. Hoeven: That is part of the work that -- and eerc is a great example of the type of entity that you need to work with along with private enterprise to crack the code. You need to crack the code in terms of getting carbon capture virtually viable. How are you going to do it?
▶ 1:28:59Mr. Huastveit: Thank you for the question. Working with the brightest minds in the country is one way. We need to drive the cost down. To make anything compete for capital it needs to generate a return that attracts investment. We need to find ways to capture co2 and use co2. Most of our conventional resources are maturing and we are leaving 90% of the oil in the ground.
▶ 1:29:26Mr. Huastveit: We have 90% of the oil we need to go and co2 is the right resource to do that. It has the right physical properties and it will mix with the oil at lower pressures and will allow us to recover the remaining resource below the wells that have already been drilled and locations with infrastructure in place. We need to think about how to use this resource to recover affordable and reliable energy.
▶ 1:29:49Sen. Hoeven: It is a huge two-fer. Now you have longevity with base load and the co2 for carbon floods which doubles the life of the oil fields. And that is better environmental stewardship.
▶ 1:30:06Mr. Huastveit: We need to get more oil out of the ground and co2 is a fantastic research -- resource to do it with.
▶ 1:30:12Sen. Hoeven: You have the time to do it with an administration how to produce oil over energy resources. We need to get this done for the future so we have this for future generations, would you agree?
▶ 1:30:24Mr. Huastveit: Hydrocarbons make up 80% of our primary energy and we need more of it for many decades.
▶ 1:30:31Sen. Hoeven: I am going to turn to Ms. jereza. We need more electricity. All of the smart guys wanted for ai and all of these different uses. They want more electricity, and at the same time we face all of these pressures that constrain our ability to produce the base load electricity.
▶ 1:30:54Sen. Hoeven: Coal fire electricity is incredible important for the stability of the grid and having the baseload. How will you work with your colleague next to you and make sure that we have the coal plants running for a long time for future generations so they can provide the baseload you need for electric and reliable grid. I am counting on you two to get this done.
▶ 1:31:18Ms. Jereza: Well, it is a daunting task, but we work for president trump. And I think he would only trust folks who are movers and shakers and want to get things done. So, if confirmed, it also will involve not just the two of us working together but with our federal families and also the grid in itself has many stakeholders working with the states and local people to get it done.
▶ 1:31:49Ms. Jereza: The collaboration I talked about before, we will have early conversations and ongoing engagement to ensure that what we are doing is in the best interest in our tax -- taxpayers.
▶ 1:32:02Sen. Hoeven: You agree that we need the baseload?
▶ 1:32:05Ms. Jereza: Absolutely. In fact, we are in a situation today and thank you for reminding me about that. The baseload is so important for stabilizing the grid. It allows more buffer in the system to accommodate the different shapes happening. You were talking about the ai and data centers. They will not only have huge demand interesting shapes at the grid will have to respond to.
▶ 1:32:35Ms. Jereza: And baseload will certainly help to support that.
▶ 1:32:37Sen. Hoeven: So, you have the key role to play in that delays defeat. You start out talking about your job in terms of guiding light -- guiding white water rafting and hunting and fishing. I about crowd -- I about cried because it sounded so good. I could see the serene look on your face while you are talking about it and that is awesome stuff. We love the environment and we want to protect it.
▶ 1:33:09Sen. Hoeven: But we have to develop this energy and so we have to have a certain permitting process that works that is certain. We get the investment made and we do it well and we get hurt on -- and we get it done. How do we get energy from the sources that we cannot get the energy dominance without the things we are talking about. How do you cs forward -- moving forward to get that done.
▶ 1:33:37Mr. Doffermyre: Thank you for all of the work that you have done and that eyewitness. I was not involved with the dakota access pipeline and I was familiar. I know you were helpful. That is the perfect example of a regulatory system. One president says you have the permit.
▶ 1:34:00Sen. Hoeven: It has been operating for over five years now. You know, 500,000 plus barrels a day and it still does not have the final regulatory approval, think about that.
▶ 1:34:13Mr. Doffermyre: It has granted the right of way and revoked and it has gotten it again and revoked. But if we continue along that line and have a permitting system that operates like that, the capital will dry up an investment in these type of infrastructure projects will not be there and we will not meet the growing demand. And ultimately, kevin burke -- heaven forbid we lose the ai arms race.
▶ 1:34:43Mr. Doffermyre: Permitting is critical to energy security and energy security is critical to national security.
▶ 1:34:47Sen. Hoeven: I appreciate it. Congratulations and welcome to your family members and I appreciate your willingness to serve. Let me start with I do not really have questions for you, but I will do it on the record that I will have to say I appreciate your candor or and respect -- candor and respect for the rule of law.
▶ 1:35:18Sen. Hoeven: That is very rare with individuals coming before us. I thank you for your comments on that. Let me start with Ms. jereza as well as Mr. haustviet. The bipartisan infrastructure law is helping nevada become a leader for bad -- for battery manufacturing and recycling. We hold the capacity to support the entire supply chain in my home state.
▶ 1:35:45Sen. Hoeven: For example, nevada has enough lithium to provide -- to supply the world for 85 years and I know you are aware of that. However, it is important -- unfortunate that the fiscal year 2026 budget calls for the cancellation of over $15 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law and specifically in that fiscal year budget target battery manufacturers and calls these funds handouts.
▶ 1:36:15Sen. Hoeven: Now, as lithium-ion batteries and related technologies continue to be used by our military and clean energy applications, I believe that we should be making them here to cut our reliance on communist china and not dismantle an china and not dismantle a active doe programs that strengthen our global competitiveness.
▶ 1:36:38Sen. Hoeven: If confirmed let me ask you what your positions would be on the dismantling of those programs that support the research into and support for battery manufacturing. Not me start with you.
▶ 1:36:54Ms. Jereza: Thank you for the question. It is in this race, very important that we continue to have innovation that is so necessary to deploy the new technologies that we need. And just for clarification, the office of electricity has energy storage research and its budget and it is not I/o j related. But I expect if confirmed that research will continue.
▶ 1:37:25Ms. Jereza: What is interesting, even though I have not been directly involved. There is a cluster effort of pacific northwest national lab. But if you look with the office of science and basically going from atoms to systems to make sure that the concept to commercialization is happening. I am excited to see where we come up with non-lithium solutions and america is poised to take advantage of that.
▶ 1:37:55Ms. Jereza: If confirmed I look forward to working with you and with the others around me to ensure that we do that.
▶ 1:38:03Mr. Huastveit: Thank you for the question. Your state has been blessed with great resource both clay and brian and it has been incredible to watch the rapid technological development including direct lithium extraction.
▶ 1:38:19Mr. Huastveit: I am not yet in the office so I am not sure what is being proposed but I am fully in line that we need to take out of the hands of communist china 90% of the manufacturing of battery technology and bring it back to the U.S.. We have the you -- we have the resources and the talent.
▶ 1:38:39Sen. Cortez Masto: I appreciate some of your written testimony earlier and even your comments about the importance of lithium extraction and mining and its role in the future of technology. And that this country should be leading, leaving in public and private partnership.
▶ 1:39:01Sen. Cortez Masto: Why would we be doing that extraction if we are not bringing the manufacturing back here that utilizes that technology especially around battery and battery storage. I appreciate those comments. Let me jump back to something that has come to my attention and if you would, and comments on this. In 2022, congress appropriated $1 billion to department of energy for the department of infrastructure.
▶ 1:39:32Sen. Cortez Masto: And past december the apartment -- the department announced awards for an energy supply projects at community health care centers. The department wrote a letter specifying requirements to advance these projects but their future appears to be at risk. My question to you is can I count on you to implement these projects that will provide life-sustaining electricity to medically vulnerable puerto rican americans?
▶ 1:40:00Ms. Jereza: Thank you. Though puerto rico effort -- the puerto rico efforts are led by the grid deployment office and I think they are the one leading the efforts and the review efforts as well. If confirmed what I will do is assess those projects and look at how does this impact not just those that are in need, but also the entire grid.
▶ 1:40:27Ms. Jereza: Secretary wright and president trump have made it clear to look at what we can do to improve the security --
▶ 1:40:35Sen. Cortez Masto: Let me ask you this. This was appropriated to congress and this goes back to the rule of law. This was appropriated for a specific reason. So, how does the administration have the authority to redirect the funds when it was not within their jurisdiction. That is my concern.
▶ 1:40:55Sen. Cortez Masto: And I am hoping that, when you are in this position, following the rule of law and respecting the role of congress and/or appropriation authority and where we redirect the funds.
▶ 1:41:07Ms. Jereza: I very much appreciate the rule of law and if confirmed I will comply with the law. And we will work -- I look forward to looking into this to assess the situation.
▶ 1:41:20Sen. Cortez Masto: Thank you.
▶ 1:41:23Sen. Hoeven: Senator king.
▶ 1:41:26Sen. King: I was fascinated by your exchanges at the end of senator hoeven's questioning about the restricting and changing permits and midstream. How do you feel about the fact that two weeks ago the department of interior canceled the permits for empire wind, which took seven years and cost $2.5 billion.
▶ 1:41:51Sen. King: They had fully completed permits including a lease from the bureau of energy management from 2017, how do you feel about that? Is it ok to pull that permit, but not a permit for a pipeline?
▶ 1:42:08Mr. Doffermyre: No, and I will address your question directly. And I did not just want to say because you were not here. My wife and I lived in maine and I believe that you are the governor at the time.
▶ 1:42:22Sen. King: Referred to as a golden age.
▶ 1:42:24Mr. Doffermyre: It was a year-long honeymoon and could not have been better. I am not familiar with the wind project permit or licensing issue that you are describing. I will say that from my standpoint -- standpoint especially in the private sector I think the reliance interest of business and the predictability of these permits is important. I do not know what would have caused this administration to review a permit the way that you described.
▶ 1:42:52Sen. King: It was completed and issued and final record of decision and everything was done. I think they were actually beginning construction. That was stopped. But so, we should look into that. As a person in the development business, this is their worst nightmare to go through the process and spend millions of dollars and in this case, several billion dollars in permitting and have it pulled after it is issued.
▶ 1:43:23Sen. King: That is not a good signal to industry and you will agree.
▶ 1:43:25Mr. Doffermyre: Yes, and I do agree. As the solicitor I will not be as much of a policymaker as an advisor. To the extent where the lines blur you will have a strong voice in the room in favor of reliability, predictability, and durability of the permits and the private sector needs to rely on this to attract the capital to build the infrastructure that we need.
▶ 1:43:51Sen. King: I agree and I hope that voice will be heard. 14 days, 28 days for an environmental impact statement. That is impossible. That is the lawyers and accountants relief act of money 25 because that decision well, inevitably be appealed and go into litigation which will take a year or two and come back to the agency.
▶ 1:44:21Sen. King: I incompletely committed and I joined the chair and senator barrasso and senator manchin on permitting reform and time minutes -- time limits absolutely but setting limits to guarantee litigation is not a productive use of the rulemaking power. You have been in this business. 28 days for an environmental impact statement, that is not serious.
▶ 1:44:45Mr. Doffermyre: I share the view that if we are able to comply with the statute within 28 days then I will applaud.
▶ 1:44:54Sen. King: If I could walk across the potomac river that would be good. Although the press would say king unable to swim if I did that.
▶ 1:45:03Mr. Doffermyre: I would not agree that it is impossible. It does not defy the laws of physics. My view is that it is an ambitious timeline and I have not been involved in developing that timeline. I am committed to expediting these parenting timelines as much as we can.
▶ 1:45:20Sen. King: We are all committed but I do not want unrealistic goals that end up lengthening the timeline. Ms. jereza, are you aware of the cheapest electricity produced in america today?
▶ 1:45:37Ms. Jereza: So, when it comes to --
▶ 1:45:40Sen. King: The fact that I'm asking is a question should give you a hint. It is solar and wind. The cheapest form of electricity today. Would you also agree that renewables plus storage equals baseload.
▶ 1:45:58Ms. Jereza: Thank you for asking about the cost of electricity. It is a complicated question.
▶ 1:46:04Sen. King: It is not. It is what it costs for various forms of electricity. I get a report every week on the cost of electricity from various sources. Wind and solar are consistently the lowest.
▶ 1:46:19Ms. Jereza: At the office of electricity we look at systems. So as an engineer that is what we look at. We look at integrated systems planning, not just resource planning. Every resource has a certain value that they can provide to the grid and sometimes there are system costs. And there are different values compared from a firm baseload compared to solar and wind, that you need to make a commendation for the intermittency.
▶ 1:46:48Sen. King: I agree with that and right now, battery storage is more expensive, and therefore makes the net cost higher. I understand that. On the other than cash on the other hand there have been gigantic steps of battery technology over the last five years.
▶ 1:47:08Sen. King: And the point is that wind and solar are intermittent, but when you have storage whether it is battery or pump storage, that is the same as baseload because the intermittency problem goes away, correct?
▶ 1:47:21Ms. Jereza: When we think about the cost of electricity it will depend on the geography, where you are located and how does that resource behave there, and it will depend on the load and how it behaves with that. It is really going to depend on where you are in the system, and what we are finding --
▶ 1:47:44Sen. King: Wendy places have more when plot -- when power, I get that. I will share the data with you and it is pretty clear. Natural gas combined cycle is a little bit higher. Wind and solar is the cheapest. Coal is very expensive and nuclear is expensive. I understand, you have to talk about storage too. The point I want to make is all of the above means all of the above.
▶ 1:48:15Sen. King: It worries me that we are strictly talking about fossil fuel development and not the technologies that will enable us to have a cleaner energy future. Storage is part of it. Solar and wind prices have already dropped dramatically. One other point and I am way over time. It is about grid enhancing technologies when you are talking about transmission.
▶ 1:48:41Sen. King: I hope that you will look seriously at that so we are not overbuilding and we should take advantages of technology like re conductoring or gt conductoring or gatz. Do you agree that should look at that?
▶ 1:48:56Ms. Jereza: It is very important because if we are going to get more energy out of the system we need to not just have energy addition but we can get more of the -- out of the system.
▶ 1:49:06Sen. King: Which will save us huge cost and transmission development, and that is something that should be looked at first before we talk about new right-of-way poles and etc..
▶ 1:49:18Ms. Jereza: I think we have to look at everything and all the options available because the demand is increasing by so much that we will have to look at every option on the table. And, what is commercially ready and viable over the long term.
▶ 1:49:36Ms. Jereza: If confirmed, the office of electricity will be looking and working to end -- work in that research area for advancing conductors, power electronics, microgrids and various areas.
▶ 1:49:50Sen. King: Thank you for the indulgence.
▶ 1:49:53Chair Lee: Senator murkowski.
▶ 1:49:56Sen. Murkowski: I apologize that I have missed most of the technology. I am going back to read it all with some very quick questions today as we run between different committees. First, carbon capture. We have some key projects that we are anticipating as we are looking to process north slope natural gas. This is central to the viability of the alaska lng product.
▶ 1:50:27Sen. Murkowski: D.o.e. Has awarded the funding for two initiatives, one is the carbon save hub and then a direct air capture feasibility study. Both are in limbo. And we are concerned that they might be on a doe list of cuts going to the white house. It is something again that we have been working with industry in a very collaborative way and working with the agency's.
▶ 1:50:56Sen. Murkowski: And, we look at this piece as really strategic for the energy initiative that we have up there. I know you are not in yet but I am asking where -- asking for your commitment to look critically at this and defend these projects given your strategic energy importance.
▶ 1:51:18Mr. Huastveit: As you stated I am not in so I do not know the details but I commit to looking at projects a part of the department. Carbon capture for use and additional hydrocarbons is something that I am passionate about. Have a place to put the gas for a long time. My home state is recovering somewhere between 10 to 15% of oil and co2 is a potential solution to inject.
▶ 1:51:48Mr. Huastveit: We have a tremendous resource in our country and alaska is blessed greatly with resources across the entire state. Co2, if available at affordable levels can be a great solution to recover more of that resource.
▶ 1:52:02Sen. Murkowski: We look forward to sharing more details. Let me turn to you Ms. jereza. As you know, the map shows we are not connected by geography to the lower 48 and are grid is not part of the continental grid. So we have some unique reliability and affordability challenges. Our grid is the rail belt.
▶ 1:52:32Sen. Murkowski: It goes up as far as the railroad and then it just kind of comes back down the other way. But, we have aging infrastructure, aging transmission infrastructure that we are dealing with and limited redundancy and high cost to the ratepayers. So, I need you and the same point that I made previously.
▶ 1:52:56Sen. Murkowski: I understand that you are not there, but we have a grid modernization effort underway, significant grant funding that came a couple of years ago to help us with this integration of this transmission grid to of boosted up to allow it to take us at least forward for the next decade or so.
▶ 1:53:20Sen. Murkowski: I just need your commitment to look critically at what our needs are in alaska when we are not part of anybody else's interrelated grid.
▶ 1:53:30Ms. Jereza: It would be my pleasure to do that. I was fortunate enough to go to cordova and see the great innovations. So I cannot wait to go back.
▶ 1:53:41Sen. Murkowski: You will have that in -- that invitation. Finally, I know that you have a little bit of a connection to alaska through some of your law school buddies who are very focused on alaska. He is around here and he speaks highly of you, by the way.
▶ 1:54:04Sen. Murkowski: We saw in the last administration just a torrent of decisions and regulations from interior that were absolutely contrary to what we passed into law in congress. It was pretty tough. And this was on our petroleum reserve and the non-wilderness portion of the coastal plain and on the ambler access project and we have a whole list.
▶ 1:54:31Sen. Murkowski: I just need your commitment and I hope that this is the easiest question that you will ever get. Your commitment to ensure that interior returns to the following the law. The law as it is written, if you are confirmed as solicitor.
▶ 1:54:51Mr. Doffermyre: Yes.
▶ 1:54:52Sen. Murkowski: See how easy that was. I appreciate that because we feel like we are clear in our policies, and then when it is not followed through on the other end, rate frustration so we look forward to seeing you keep that commitment. Thank you, and I appreciate the opportunity to comment in at the very end, thank you.
▶ 1:55:20Chair Lee: I want to thank our witnesses and all of the senators for their cooperation. I want to thank senator hoeven and his team for filling in. Questions for the record of the hearing will be due by 6:00 p.m. This evening. The record will main open for statements until 6:00 p.m. On thursday, may 15, one week from today.
▶ 1:55:42Chair Lee: Thank you for the members of the committee and I amicably -- I'm pleased to extend congratulations to all three of the nominees. And I look forward to working with each one as we progress on the floor. Should you beef confirmed, -- be confirmed thereafter. I also like to look forward at the -- work with committee as we move forward through the president's nominees.
▶ 1:56:09Chair Lee: And I hope everybody on the committee will keep working with me to help persuade leadership on both sides of the aisle to bring these nominees to the floor and have them considered on the floor as soon as possible. The hearing is adjourned. Thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap.org]