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Interior boss: No monument changes planned, but up to Trump

May 23, 2019 — U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said Wednesday he has no plans for additional changes to national monuments that were recommended by his predecessor, but that it’s ultimately up to President Donald Trump.

The comments at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee meeting are the latest indication that recommendations to shrink two monuments in Oregon and Nevada and change rules at six others remain relegated to backburner status as the White House deals with other issues.

Trump acted in December 2017 to shrink two sprawling Utah monuments on the recommendations of then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who was tasked with reviewing 27 national monuments around the country. Since then, he has done nothing else with Zinke’s recommendations.

The monument review was based on arguments from Trump and others that a law signed by President Theodore Roosevelt allowing presidents to declare monuments had been improperly used to protect wide expanses of lands instead of places with particular historical or archaeological value.

New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall, a Democrat, asked at Wednesday’s hearing if there were plans to move forward on the other eight monuments.

“I think the answer is no,” Bernhardt said.

He said he has not received any further instruction on Zinke’s report from Trump. “The president is ultimately the holder of the pen,” said Bernhardt, who was confirmed as Interior Secretary last month.

Bernhardt is a former lobbyist for the oil and gas industry and other corporate interests who became the acting secretary after Zinke resigned in December amid multiple ethics investigations.

Read the full story at Boston.com

Rep. Amata highlights American Samoa’s fishing needs with Sec. Bernhardt

May 22, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Congresswomen Aumua Amata (R-American Samoa):

Last week, Congresswoman Aumua Amata and the Natural Resources Committee conducted a budget and policy hearing with Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, and she placed a focus on American Samoa’s fishing needs.

In her questioning of the Secretary of the Interior, Congresswoman Amata asked if there would be any changes to the recommendation by his predecessor, former Secretary Ryan Zinke, regarding reopening portions of the marine monuments to American Samoa’s fishing.

In his response, Secretary Bernhardt said the Department’s prior recommendation stands. That response is good news for this policy pursuit for American Samoa, as it means the recommendation to allow much-needed restoration of American Samoa’s fishing waters is not being withdrawn or changed under a new Secretary.

“It’s important to know that the Department of Interior has no plans to pull back the prior recommendation which would allow for restoration of American Samoa’s fishing waters,” said Aumua Amata. “During Secretary Bernhardt’s confirmation process, I repeatedly stressed that American Samoa benefits from a consistent vision in the leadership of the Department of Interior, and I’m pleased that the transition will not interrupt or reduce this policy priority. As it stands, there is a clear recommendation on the books that would allow for restoration of some of American Samoa’s waters.”

Read the full release at Samoa News

David Bernhardt confirmed as new Interior chief

April 12, 2019 — Congress confirmed David Bernhardt as Interior secretary on Thursday, adding his name to a list of Trump Cabinet officials with lobbying ties.

Bernhardt was confirmed Thursday afternoon in a 56-41 vote with three Democrats and one Independent breaking ranks to vote for him. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Angus King (I-Maine) voted in favor of his confirmation.

Manchin, the top Democrat of the Senate committee that oversees Interior, welcomed Bernhardt’s confirmation Thursday, saying he was more than qualified for the job

“I believe Mr. Bernhardt is clearly qualified to serve as secretary,” Manchin said during a floor speech. “He knows the Interior Department inside and out and he is well versed on all the issues that come before it. He clearly has the knowledge and experiences to serve as secretary.”

Republicans also cheered the confirmation, adding that Bernhardt’s policy chops would be very useful at the Interior Department.

“I think he’s got more experience than just about anybody who has been named to this position and he’s ready to go,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters, brushing off concerns that Bernhardt’s past lobbying would influence his future work. “There’s nothing new that is out there, there are new stories on old facts. We’ve heard the same comments from the same critics.”

Read the full story at The Hill

Rep. Bishop Commends Confirmation of Bernhardt as Secretary of the Interior

April 11, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT):

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Republican Rob Bishop (R-Utah) released the following statement on the confirmation of David Barnhardt as the Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

“After decades of mismanagement and regulatory abuse, the Department of the Interior and the communities impacted by its decisions will greatly benefit with David Bernhardt at the top. He is uniquely qualified to lead the Department and continue important regulatory reforms to improve land management, limit prior executive abuse, expand conservation, and advance greater public access to our public lands. I congratulate David on today’s confirmation.”

Senate panel approves Trump’s pick for Interior Dept.

April 5, 2019 — A key Senate committee approved U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Interior on Thursday, putting former energy lobbyist David Bernhardt closer to becoming the permanent head of the agency that oversees public lands.

The Republican-controlled energy and natural resources committee voted 14 to 6 in favor of advancing Bernhardt’s nomination. A full Senate vote must now be scheduled to complete his confirmation. He is currently serving as DOI’s acting secretary.

Bernhardt cleared the committee vote, as expected, despite concerns raised by some Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups about his conflicts of interest as a former lobbyist representing companies affected by Interior department regulations.

The Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General is reviewing allegations that Bernhardt violated ethics rules by getting involved in issues that affect his former clients.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden urged colleagues not to vote for Bernhardt until the watchdog agency has reviewed the allegations but Senate energy panel chair Lisa Murkowski said the acting secretary was being attacked by political opponents.

Read the full story at Reuters

Lawmakers take up threats to North Atlantic right whales

March 11, 2019 — The sound of an air horn echoed through a Congressional subcommittee hearing Thursday, set off by U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., to mimic what critically endangered North Atlantic right whales might experience during seismic testing for oil and gas.

The loud demonstration occurred at a hearing focused on permits that could soon be issued by the U.S. Department of Interior to five companies to explore oil and gas reserves off the mid- and southern Atlantic states. Critics of the move argue that the North Atlantic right whales, many of which visit Cape Cod Bay to feed, could be harmed in the process.

“We must reduce exposure of all whales but particularly females to stressors that can slow or stop reproduction,” said Scott Kraus, an expert witness with the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, who appeared during a hearing before the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Massachusetts wind-power project to move forward despite shutdown

January 25, 2019 — The U.S. Interior Department will press forward with a wind power project during the partial government shutdown using money already granted by Congress, its acting head announced Thursday.

The move could assuage Democrats’ concerns about the Trump administration pushing for oil drilling in the Arctic during the shutdown, which has lasted 34 days.

Avangrid Renewables wants to build an 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts near Martha’s Vineyard. Public meetings on the project were canceled during the shutdown and will be rescheduled, according to acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.

Wind is generally viewed as an alternative to fossil fuels that is better for the environment because it is renewable, readily available and does not create air emissions.

Read the full story at Reuters

With Zinke Out, Former Lobbyist Becomes Acting Interior Secretary

January 4, 2018 — As Ryan Zinke left his post heading the Interior Department on Wednesday, the agency’s No. 2 official, David Bernhardt, joined President Donald Trump at a meeting of cabinet officials.

Bernhardt, who has been serving as deputy Interior secretary since his confirmation last July, is taking over as acting Interior secretary, said a person familiar with the matter. But White House officials did not respond to requests for comment or confirmation Wednesday.

Zinke, who announced his resignation under pressure in December, was not present at the meeting, and his Twitter profile description had been changed to “former secretary of the Interior” by midday. Zinke tweeted that it had been “a high honor to serve” Trump and the American people in the role.

“We’ve restored public lands for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, improved public access and shall never be held hostage again for our energy needs,” Zinke said.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

Offshore Wind Bonanza Draws Bidding War in Record-Setting Sale

December 14, 2018 — Companies competed Thursday for the opportunity to install wind turbines in Atlantic waters off Massachusetts in an auction that shattered records even as it headed toward a second day of frenzied bidding.

After 24 rounds of sealed bidding, companies had already pledged $285 million toward the three offshore wind leases that are up for grabs — more than six times the previous high-water mark: Norwegian energy company Equinor ASA’s $42.47 million bid in 2016 for the rights to build an offshore wind farm near New York.

High bids in the offshore wind auction, set to resume Friday, also already eclipsed the $178 million the U.S. government collected in its August sale of offshore drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico.

By Thursday evening, when Interior Department officials called an overnight halt to the auction, four companies were still vying for the territory, drawn by growing demand for renewable power in the Northeast U.S. and a chance at gaining a foothold in the nation’s growing offshore wind market.

“The unprecedented interest in today’s sale demonstrates that not only has offshore wind arrived in the U.S., but it is set to soar,” said Randall Luthi, head of the National Ocean Industries Association.

Active Bidders

Some 19 companies were deemed qualified by the Interior Department to participate in the auction — higher than in any of the previous seven competitive sales of wind leases in U.S. waters. The prospective bidders included units of established offshore wind developers and renewable power companies that have primarily focused on land as well as oil companies such as Equinor and Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

Eleven companies were actively bidding at the start of Thursday’s sale, nearly twice the most-recent record, in 2016, when six developers competed for the New York offering. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is conducting the sale, will name participants after the auction ends, expected sometime Friday.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

 

Trump Said to Advance Seismic Surveys for Oil in Atlantic

November 30, 2018 — The Trump administration is taking a major step toward allowing a first-in-a-generation seismic search for oil and gas under Atlantic waters, despite protests that the geological tests involve loud air gun blasts that will harm whales, dolphins and other animals.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is set to issue “incidental harassment authorizations” allowing seismic surveys proposed by five companies that permits them to disturb marine mammals that are otherwise protected by federal law, according to three people familiar with the activity who asked not to be named before a formal announcement.

The firms, including TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. Asa and Schlumberger Ltd. subsidiary WesternGeco Ltd., still must win individual permits from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management before they can conduct the work, but those are widely expected under President Donald Trump, who has made “energy dominance” a signature goal.

Read the full story at Bloomberg