During a Senate Energy Committee hearing last week, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) questioned Dr. Andrea Travnicek, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Water and Science, about tribal consultations for future energy projects.
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00:00Ms. Beyer, as Assistant Secretary, you will oversee management of more than 245 million acres of public land.
00:09This land belongs to all Americans, including every single one of my constituents,
00:14and Americans highly value their ability to access these lands for hunting, fishing, and other recreational uses.
00:21Do you support the large-scale divestment of our public lands?
00:25Sir, only Congress has the authority to dispose of any public lands,
00:32but I believe that our public lands have multiple-use mandate,
00:37and they can be used for energy production, recreation, any number of other uses for the benefit of all Americans.
00:48Dr. Travnik, you've been on staff at the Department for several months now,
00:53and I appreciate many of our conversations, but that gives you specific insights into decisions that have already been made at the Department.
01:04The new NEPA guidance for energy projects that the Secretary announced last week does not make any mention of tribal consultation.
01:13However, it requires all reviews to be done within 14 to 28 days.
01:18I have personally never seen meaningful tribal consultation completed in that time frame.
01:25So my question is, is the administration proposing to eliminate tribal consultation for these projects?
01:32Thank you, Senator Heinrich, and I also appreciate some of the conversations that we've had already.
01:37So we know that there's been a lot of conversations for a long time related to try to streamline the permitting processes, right?
01:44I think we've all been frustrated by that. We've seen some of the discussions here within this committee as well.
01:49So we are really just trying to figure out how we can move forward while still meeting the different requirements as well, right?
01:56We know that ESA was mentioned in there, NHPA.
01:59Also, we know that we will have to engage with tribes.
02:02So at the same time, how do we get the permits out the door, get the infrastructure in place, develop the resources that we need?
02:09So it's going to be trying to work on all the above, working with ESA, NHPA, and also engaging with the tribes.
02:16As someone who strongly supported permitting reform, and a majority of the members on this committee did,
02:22I think we largely support getting to yes or no faster.
02:30But I really want to urge you to make sure that that tribal consultation process is not a check-the-box exercise, that it is meaningful.
02:42I'm going to switch gears a little bit.
02:44Back to you, Ms. Beyer.
02:47Two weeks ago, actually, let me quote back something that you said just a few minutes ago.
02:53If our companies can't get permits, we will be behind.
02:57I agree with that sentiment.
02:58Two weeks ago, Secretary Birgham sent a letter to the acting director of BOEM, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
03:06ordering an unprecedented stop work order to Equinor's Empire Wind Project off the coast of New York.
03:14That's a fully permitted project.
03:17It has undergone rigorous review.
03:19It's already under construction.
03:21And it would power half a million homes.
03:24Canceling this project is a job killer for the skilled trades.
03:31And my concern is it will squash any faith that the private sector has in the federal permitting project process.
03:39If you can do this to one project of one energy type, you can do it to another of a completely different energy type.
03:45So if fully permitted projects are subjected to arbitrary stop work orders, how can we expect the private sector to commit capital to those large, expensive projects?
03:58Senator, thank you for that question.
04:01As you know, I have not been confirmed and so did not participate in that decision making.
04:08I agree with you.
04:10Speak to the larger issue.
04:12I agree with you.
04:12Like not the specificity of that issue.
04:14Right.
04:14While we need all forms of energy that we can get our hands on, there is a premium to secure, reliable, and affordable energy.
04:25I'm from Texas.
04:26We have a lot of wind energy there.
04:28I appreciate that it's additive.
04:30But there is a premium to secure, affordable, and reliable energy that is not weather dependent in my view.
04:39And I will adhere to the guidance of the Secretary if I'm confirmed.
04:46In your view, should permitting be transparent and predictable?
04:54Yes, sir.
04:58Thank you, Senator Heinrich.