[Senate Hearing 111-1182]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 111-1182
HEARING ON THE NOMINATION OF
THOMAS L. STRICKLAND TO BE
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE
AND PARKS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
MARCH 26, 2009
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
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_____
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__________
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
BARBARA BOXER, California, Chairman
MAX BAUCUS, Montana JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio
FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey DAVID VITTER, Louisiana
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont MIKE CRAPO, Idaho
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee
TOM UDALL, New Mexico
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, New York
ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania
Bettina Poirier, Staff Director
Ruth Van Mark, Minority Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
MARCH 26, 2009
OPENING STATEMENTS
Boxer, Hon. Barbara, U.S. Senator from the State of California... 1
Inhofe, Hon. James M., U.S. Senator from the State of Oklahoma... 2
Udall, Hon. Mark, U.S. Senator from the State of Colorado........ 4
Bennet, Hon. Michael F., U.S. Senator from the State of Colorado. 5
Lautenberg, Hon. Frank R., U.S. Senator from the State of New
Jersey......................................................... 40
Cardin, Hon. Benjamin L., U.S. Senator from the State of
Maryland, prepared statement................................... 50
Bond, Hon. Christopher S., U.S. Senator from the State of
Missouri, prepared statement................................... 51
WITNESS
Strickland, Thomas L., nominated to be Assistant Secretary of
Fish and Wildlife and Parks of the Department of the Interior.. 6
Prepared statement........................................... 9
Responses to additional questions from:
Senator Lautenberg....................................... 13
Senator Whitehouse....................................... 16
Senator Inhofe........................................... 18
Senator Voinovich........................................ 31
Response to an additional question from Senator Bond......... 37
HEARING ON THE NOMINATION OF THOMAS L. STRICKLAND TO BE ASSISTANT
SECRETARY FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE AND PARKS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR
----------
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2009
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Washington, DC.
The full committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m. in
room 406, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Barbara Boxer
(chairman of the Committee) presiding.
Present: Senators Boxer, Inhofe, Lautenberg, Cardin,
Carper, Klobuchar, and Udall.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BARBARA BOXER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Senator Boxer. The Committee will come to order.
It looks like we are going to be able to move quickly
through this. Today, we have before us the nomination of Thomas
Strickland to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish,
Wildlife and Parks.
I want to say congratulations, Mr. Strickland, on this
nomination. I know we all agree that we live in a Nation
blessed with spectacular public lands and a rich array of
wildlife, and I am so pleased to see someone so strongly
committed to protecting these resources under consideration for
this very key position.
If you are confirmed, you will oversee the protection of
these treasures, including some of my State's most important
wildlife refuges, one in San Francisco Bay, another in San
Diego. There are many others.
You will also be responsible for many more special places,
including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point
Reyes, and Yosemite National Park. I am just naming just a tiny
number.
By the way, with this public lands bill on the way to the
President and I hope he will be signing it on Monday or so, we
have another 770,000 acres in California under wilderness
designation. This was done with my Republican colleagues in the
House.
So I think your job is really one to be envied because to
have a chance to protect all this I consider God's gift to us
is a great responsibility and it is a great opportunity.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has gone through quite a
difficult time. Many of us believe, not all of us believe this,
but I believe that conservation laws have been undercut and
public lands have deteriorated, and in many cases the
scientists were not able to speak.
The Interior Department's Inspector General found political
interference by the then-Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish
and Wildlife. The IG stated that ``she caused,'' and this is
the IG speaking not me, ``considerable harm to the integrity of
the ESA program and to the morale and the reputation of the
Fish and Wildlife Service.''
Now, this gives you a real opportunity to lead that agency,
and to talk about what is right, what is wrong. And we all want
science to prevail. That is essential. Well, the good news is
that this month on the Interior Department's 160th anniversary,
President Obama committed to restore scientific integrity, and
he said, ``By being open and honest with the American people
about the science behind our decisions, that is how we will
harness the power of science to achieve our goals to preserve
our environment.''
So I think the President has basically said science must be
front and center. And I look forward to hearing from you as to
how you will fulfill this commitment to put the science first.
One of the critical issues the Fish and Wildlife Service
will also face is the impact of climate change on habitat. The
world's leading panelists have found that up to 40 percent of
the planet's species are at risk of extinction from global
warming.
Another issue that needs your attention is the severe
maintenance backlog at our national wildlife refuges. Over 300
Fish and Wildlife Service positions have been eliminated since
2004, 300 positions. Funding shortfalls have limited public
access. They have reduced law enforcement. They have threatened
the wildlife in the system.
Recent funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act will help to address immediate needs at our refuges, but a
long-term solution is needed.
I look forward to hearing from you today on these issues
and about your plans for revitalizing the Fish and Wildlife
Service.
And again, I just want to say that I have the privilege of
knowing Tom Strickland. I think he is a man of great integrity,
and I know he is going to well with both sides of the aisle.
With that, I turn to my Ranking Member, the esteemed
Ranking Member, Jim Inhofe, and after his statement, at that
time, we will go to the introduction.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES M. INHOFE,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
And also, Mr. Strickland, thank you for spending some time
with me and I look forward to working with you.
Unfortunately, simultaneously with this, we have an Armed
Services Committee hearing, so I have to go back and forth and
won't be here for a lot of the time.
The Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at
the Department of Interior is responsible for overseeing a lot
of important programs. You and I talked about these programs,
and many of these are very significant.
I am troubled by the Service's recent congressional mandate
to revise and reissue ESA rules concerning the listing of the
polar bear and modifications to the Section 7 consultation
process. My concern is not that reasonable minds disagree about
whether these are good rules or about the Department's
authority to properly revisit the rules. Rather, I am concerned
that Congress has given the Services the unusual authority to
waive all requirements for public input and allowances for
legal objections under the Administrative Procedures Act, while
dictating that these rules be revised within what is now less
than 60 days.
These are some of the concerns I have. And Madam Chairman,
I would like to put the entire opening statement in the record.
What I would like to do, I am going to try to be here
during question and answer time, but should I not, in your
opening statement the commitment I would ask of you, Mr.
Strickland, is that you make the commitment that you and your
staff will treat the minority requests to your office with the
same level of attention that you would the majority requests. I
know you told me individually. I wanted to get this on the
record, and if you would make that statement perhaps in your
opening remarks.
What I am going to try to do is get back here, Madam
Chairman, in time for questions. All right?
Senator Boxer. Yes, absolutely.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Senator Inhofe follows:]
Statement of Hon. James M. Inhofe, U.S. Senator
from the State of Oklahoma
Good morning. We are here today to consider the nomination
of Thomas Strickland for Assistant Secretary for Fish and
Wildlife and Parks at the Department of Interior.
The Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at
the Department of Interior is responsible for overseeing many
important programs at the Department. Most notable to this
Committee is the management of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Services and the implementation of the Endangered Species Act.
Mr. Strickland, I am very troubled by the Service's recent
congressional mandate to revise and reissue ESA rules
concerning the listing of the polar bear and modifications to
the section 7 consultation process. My concern is not that
reasonable minds disagree about whether these are good rules or
about the Department's authority to properly revisit the rules.
Rather, I am appalled that Congress has given the Services the
unusual authority to waive all requirements for public input
and allowances for legal objections under the Administrative
Procedures Act while dictating that these rules be revised
within what is now less than 60 days.
Given the majority's constant complaints to the last
Administration about the lack of process, it is at the very
least ironic they would be so bold as to willfully set aside
rules protecting public input and transparency. Should you be
confirmed, I strongly urge you to use your authority to ensure
that guarantees of public process in the APA are followed when
revising the polar bear and consultation rules. Anything less
will be taken as an abdication of this Administration's
commitment to transparency and integrity. More importantly, it
will certainly start you off on the wrong foot with the
Republicans on this Committee.
Aside from the controversies associated with ESA, the Fish
and Wildlife Service does a great deal of good. One of the
programs I am particularly interested in is the Partners for
Fish and Wildlife Program, which conserves habitat by
leveraging Federal funds through voluntary private landowner
participation. I look forward to working with you on this and
other issues.
I am anxious to hearing your perspectives on the issues
that will be raised today. Most importantly, I welcome you to
the Committee.
I am sorry that Jon Cannon is not here today. I was
surprised to learn about his decision to remove his name from
consideration to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency. As part of the oversight process, my staff
met with Mr. Cannon and questioned him about grants received by
a foundation on which he was a board member. My staff made it
clear that though the organization committed serious missteps
in managing Federal grants, it did not warrant opposition to
Mr. Cannon's nomination. I have long made EPA grant oversight a
priority, and I am looking forward to working with the next
nominee to be Deputy Administrator.
Senator Boxer. We are not going to have any more opening
statements except that Senator Carper wanted to give a welcome.
Senator Carper. Mr. Strickland, welcome. I think I have
seen you before. It is nice to see you here today, especially
sitting with Mark Udall. We are delighted you are here, and
appreciate your willingness to take this on.
Thank you. I will have more to say later, but we are glad
you are here.
Senator Boxer. Is that it? You are done? OK.
Senator Bennet, how nice to see you.
Well, why don't we then call on first Senator Mark Udall,
and then Senator Bennet, to introduce our esteemed nominee. And
then we will get to your opening statement and then we will
hear from our colleagues.
Go ahead.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MARK UDALL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF COLORADO
Senator Udall. Good morning, Madam Chairwoman and Ranking
Member Inhofe.
Madam Chairwoman, if I could, I would ask for unanimous
consent for my formal statement to be included in the record.
[The referenced material was not received at time of
print.]
Senator Boxer. Absolutely.
Senator Udall. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
Just 2 months ago, the Senate had the pleasure of sending
one of our own, Senator Salazar, to head the Department of
Interior, and he also happened, and he still happens to be a
Coloradan. Today, I have the honor of introducing another
Coloradan, Tom Strickland, to be the next Assistant Secretary
for Fish and Wildlife and Parks for the Department of Interior.
I would tell you that I am particularly pleased, as the
Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Natural Resources
for National Parks, to support Tom's nomination, because he has
a long history of activism on behalf of protecting National and
State parks.
If you will excuse me for indulging in a bit of home State
pride, it is I think exciting to see so many Coloradans who
have given up the opportunity to live in such a wonderful State
to be here in Washington at this historic time. And I think it
speaks highly of Senator Salazar's capacity to motivate the
people around him that he has been able to draw such talent.
It is clear that Tom Strickland will be an excellent
Assistant Secretary of the Interior. He has an exceptional
record of success in the private and the public sector. He also
has an extraordinary wife, Beth, who is here with him today who
is inspirational in her own right and her own successes.
I mention Tom's public and private sector experience. He
served as the U.S. Attorney from 1991 to 2001. He also has
worked as a partner in a number of law firms, and for the
lawyers here, he served as the managing partner at a couple of
these law firms. And you know, if you can mobilize and inspire
and lead 100 or more attorneys all at the same time, you have
real talent.
In the 1980s, he served as then-Governor Lamm's Chief
Policy Adviser, and he worked on all policy and
intergovernmental issues. And from 1985 to 1989, he was the
head of the Colorado Transportation Commission.
He has roots in the great State of Louisiana, which the
Senators from Louisiana have taken note of. He was an All SEC
academic football selection, and he received a J.D. from the
University of Texas School of Law with honors.
Now, Madam Chairman, I have worked with Tom Strickland for
many years. He is known in Colorado for his deep dedication and
love of our natural landscapes. There was an initiative in the
late 1980s and 1990s called Great Outdoors Colorado which
directed State lottery moneys to the acquisition of public
lands for parks, open space and conservation. Tom led that
charge and it is now a model for the rest of the Country.
He is an accomplished outdoorsman. We both have a deep love
for the outdoors and the history and the people and the
landscapes of the West. I think and I know that this is what
motivated Tom to public service in the first place and
sustained two very courageous runs for the U.S. Senate.
Madam Chair, I want to end with a reference to Tom
Friedman, because I am often influenced by his thinking and his
writing. Over this last weekend, Mr. Friedman reminded us of
the value of inspirational leadership. He quoted Dov Seidman,
the author of the book ``How,'' on what it takes to make an
organization sustainable. He wrote, ``Laws tell you what you
can do. Values inspire in you what you should do. And it is a
leader's job to inspire in us those values.''
I mention this because I know that as the Assistant
Secretary, Tom's job will demand both enforcement of laws,
regulations and important rules, and inspired collaborative
leadership. He knows, as one of the Country's most successful
lawyers, how to enforce environmental laws. And as a man who
draws inspirations from our mountains, plains and waters, he
knows how to motivate and lead others.
So with Secretary Salazar at the helm, I know that Tom
Strickland will be a strong and effective partner, and I am
very pleased to support his confirmation. It is truly an honor
to introduce him here today.
Thank you.
Senator Boxer. Senator Udall, thank you so much for being
here. I know everybody has hectic business to attend to, so we
understand if you need to leave.
We are delighted that Senator Bennet is here. We are
thrilled.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MICHAEL F. BENNET,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF COLORADO
Senator Bennet. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would only echo what my senior Senator has said, from our
State. Tom Strickland is one of the finest public servants that
has ever been produced by the State of Colorado. He is a person
for whom no challenge is too big, either in the public or the
private sector.
Tom and Beth and their beautiful daughters are neighbors of
ours in Denver. You could throw a rock if you wanted to from
one house to the other.
Senator Boxer. You better be careful. You better support
everything he wants to do over there.
Senator Bennet. I will. But I will tell you that he is
somebody who cares passionately about making sure that our
generation leaves more opportunity, not less, to the generation
that is coming after us, that we preserve and protect our
public lands. It is a great testament to Tom that he has been
willing to come out of the private sector again to come serve
his Country. So I am incredibly proud to be here today to
support his confirmation.
Thank you.
Senator Boxer. Thank you so much.
With that, we will turn to our nominee, and then in the
order of arrival, we will turn to other Senators: Udall,
Carper, Klobuchar, Lautenberg.
[Remarks off microphone.]
Senator Boxer. Just vote for the one nearest you. That is
what I think.
[Laughter.]
Senator Boxer. OK.
STATEMENT OF THOMAS L. STRICKLAND, NOMINATED TO BE ASSISTANT
SECRETARY OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AND PARKS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
THE INTERIOR
Mr. Strickland. Thank you, Chairman Boxer, Senator Inhofe
and members of the Committee.
I am honored to be here with you today as President Obama's
nominee for Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and
Parks. Earlier this week, I also appeared before the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
I am joined here today by my wife Beth, and I would like to
thank her for all of her love and support over many years. Not
able to be with us here today, but with us in spirit, are our
three daughters, Lauren, Annie and Callie.
Like each of you, I have a deep commitment to public
service and consider it a privilege to have the opportunity, if
confirmed, to return to government service. As I will briefly
describe in a few moments, I have had the opportunity during my
career to serve in both State and Federal Government, and these
experiences have been the highlights of my career.
The responsibilities of this job include oversight of two
very important parts of the Interior Department: the Fish and
Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. As I will
address in my brief remarks, I believe my passion and
experience qualify me for this position at this important
moment in time.
A lawyer by training, I spent the majority of my career in
Colorado, where I have worked in both the public and private
sectors. Following a judicial clerkship in 1979, Beth and I
moved to Denver. In 1982, I was asked by then-Governor Lamm to
join his office as his Chief Policy Adviser. In that role, I
dealt extensively with the Interior Department and other
Federal agencies regarding many important natural resource
issues. Because one-third of Colorado is Federal land, the
decisions made in Washington have a profound impact on the
State and consumed much of our attention. If I am confirmed, I
believe this perspective will be valuable in helping me
understand and work with State and local governments.
After I left the Governor's office and returned to private
law practice, I was asked by Governor Lamm to serve on and
eventually chair the Colorado Transportation Commission, where
I had the opportunity once again to work with many different
Federal agencies including the Fish and Wildlife Service.
My civic and community work included volunteering on many
environmental and natural resource issues. I helped create the
Great Outdoors Colorado Program, which Senator Udall mentioned,
and served on its original organizing board. We now proudly
look back at Great Outdoors Colorado and the fact that it has
invested $600 million and preserved 600,000 acres just in the
State of Colorado for open space, parks and wildlife programs
since 1993.
In 1999, I was appointed by President Clinton and confirmed
by the Senate as United States Attorney for Colorado. I was
sworn in the day after the Columbine tragedy and spent my first
day on the job at the school with the Attorney General of the
United States.
During my tenure as U.S. Attorney, I had the responsibility
of representing the United States in all civil and criminal
matters in Colorado, and I worked closely with the Interior
Department, as well as other Federal agencies. Once again, this
experience gives me a valuable perspective on the role and
impact of the Federal Government.
While these professional experiences contribute to my
qualifications for this position, I believe my passion for the
mission of the Department is equally relevant. I grew up
hunting and fishing with my father and brother, and bring the
perspective of a sportsman to this task. After law school when
we moved to Colorado, we quickly fell in love with the
outdoors, the mountains, rivers, deserts, parks and wildlife of
the West.
I recognize and appreciate that our system of national
wildlife refuges span all 50 States and play an invaluable role
in preserving and protecting countless species and habitats.
Yet these vital lands face enormous pressures from population
growth and climate change. I believe we must develop a
strategic plan to ensure that these challenges are addressed so
that we have a 21st century vibrant wildlife refuge system.
One of the most significant responsibilities of the Fish
and Wildlife Service is the implementation of the Endangered
Species Act, a critically important law to ensure the
conservation of plant and animal species and habitat. My
commitment to you is that, if confirmed, I will work to see
that the decisions of the Service are based on science, not
politics.
While it does not fall within the direct jurisdiction of
this Committee, I would like to say a few words about the other
primary area of responsibility of this position, overseeing the
National Park Service. Like many families before us, many years
ago our family bought a book on the national parks and set out
to see all of them. We are still working on it, and from Acadia
to Great Smoky Mountains to Yosemite, we have enjoyed most of
them. They are, as Wallace Stegner famously said, America's
best idea. It is time for our generation to be responsible
stewards for these treasured icons.
As the park system approaches its 100th anniversary, the
parks are in great need of significant investment. Just as
President Lincoln did not let the Civil War keep him from
setting aside and protecting Yosemite Valley, we must not use
our current economic circumstances as an excuse for inaction.
If confirmed, I will do everything in my power to protect and
enhance our incomparable park system.
In closing, I would be deeply honored to serve as Assistant
Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. I have a deep
passion for the mission of these two services, and great
respect for Secretary Salazar, a friend for almost 30 years,
and his vision for the Department.
Thank you for the opportunity to present this statement,
and I would like to affirm, as requested by Senator Inhofe,
that I would treat the requests of the minority with the same
attention and responsiveness as those of the majority.
Thank you, Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Strickland follows:]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED]
Senator Boxer. Thank you so much, Mr. Strickland. We all
support that. We have been in the minority and we know how it
feels, and they need to have the same respect as everybody
else. So I definitely support that, and I thank you for saying
that.
Senator Udall.
Senator Udall. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Let me just say that our Chairwoman has been an incredible
leader on these issues, and I very much appreciate her giving a
lot of attention this morning to your nomination, Mr.
Strickland.
The first thing that I wanted to ask you about has to do
with the two positions, because you know, as we talked
yesterday in my office, this Assistant Secretary for Fish and
Wildlife, 44 percent, tell me if I am wrong, but we are talking
44 percent of the Department of Interior is under your
Assistant Secretary position. And this is roughly 30,395
employees.
So that is a huge job, that in itself. And let me say at
the beginning from what Mark Udall and Senator Bennet had to
say, I mean, you have incredible credentials and I know that
you are a Herculean-type person, and I can tell with your wife
smiling behind you that she believes that, too.
But these are two full-time jobs, Chief of Staff and being
the Assistant Secretary. So my hope, in a way, is that, and I
know you have the enormous trust of the Secretary Ken Salazar,
my hope is that you will be able to assume the Assistant
Secretary position, get him, the Secretary, in a comfort level
with somebody at some point down the line that can take over
that, because they are two very, very important positions. I
just think it is difficult to do both of those.
I know that you can do them for a significant period of
time, but that is my hope is that we, because there is so much
that needs to be done. And really, that is my first question,
and then I would like you to also talk about the issue of how
you see consensus-building in dealing with these environmental
issues that are before you, both in Parks and in Fish and
Wildlife and endangered species. But do you believe you would
be able to give sufficient time and leadership to both the
Parks and Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as Secretary
Salazar and the entire Department of Interior? Can you describe
to the Committee how you will manage both of these positions at
once? Please.
Mr. Strickland. Thank you, Senator.
If I could just, before I respond to that, Madam Chairman,
I haven't been sworn in and I just want to make sure that as I
go forward that----
Senator Boxer. We don't need to swear you in.
Mr. Strickland. That is fine on that basis.
Senator Boxer. This isn't the inauguration where you have
to.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Strickland. Thank you.
Senator Boxer. You are fine. What we do have to do is ask
you a couple of questions for the record before it ends, but
you are in good shape.
Mr. Strickland. Very good. Very good.
Senator Udall. You can also see he is a fine lawyer and
trying to give us a little advice here.
Senator Boxer. I think, absolutely, absolutely.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Strickland. Well, Chief Justice Roberts is a former law
partner of mine.
Senator Boxer. Oh, is that right?
Senator Klobuchar. Did you advise him on the word
faithfully?
[Laughter.]
Mr. Strickland. I won't claim any responsibility for that.
Senator, first of all I want to say that it is an honor to
be considered for a position at the Department of Interior and
to be in the same room with the son of one of the greatest
Secretaries of Interior of all time, Stewart Udall. I have to
pay homage to your father's tremendous legacy. The Department
will always reflect his stewardship, so I just want to
acknowledge that. And certainly I want to acknowledge your
uncle as well, Mark's father, and his contributions. It is a
privilege to know your father and to have known Mark's.
With respect to your question relative to the fact that
Senator Salazar has asked me to be both the Chief of Staff and
the Assistant Secretary, let me speak to that. First of all,
that is what he asked me to do, and he is pretty persuasive. I
have been in the role of Chief of Staff since January 21, so I
have been helping the Senator as the transition has been
undertaken and as we have tried to recruit and get the team
through the confirmation process.
I will commit to this Committee, as I did to the Energy and
Natural Resources Committee, that my first priority will be the
responsibilities of this Assistant Secretary position. We are
staffing the personal operation of the Secretary with that in
mind. I have a very strong Deputy Chief of Staff, Renee Stone.
She literally is a Rhodes Scholar and she is going to take most
of the responsibilities of the Chief of Staff day to day.
I will have an office down on the third floor with Fish and
Wildlife and the Parks Department. If there is any conflict,
then I will make further adjustments. But my primary focus will
be on the responsibilities for the position that I am in front
of you all here today to discuss.
With respect to the second part of your question and the
role of consensus in resolving these issues, I completely agree
with you. I believe in particular that the Endangered Species
Act has many vehicles for partnerships to accomplish the goals
of preserving habitat and endangered species. And those
partnership situations, whether they are habitat conservation
plans or other kinds of similar undertakings, are central to
the success that we want to have going forward.
I believe I have experience at that. Following the
Columbine tragedy in Colorado, we embarked on an effort as U.S.
Attorney to strengthen the enforcement of the gun laws. I think
for the first and only time, at least up to that point, we got
Wayne LaPierre and James Brady together on the same stage at
the same time to join in tougher enforcement of gun laws in
Colorado.
So we appreciated at that time the importance of bringing
disparate interests together. I wish I could say that
particular partnership had continued, but in any event I think
it is central to this task and I will commit to you that I will
do my best to further that.
Senator Udall. Thank you for those answers. Thank you.
Senator Boxer. Senator Carper has very sweetly yielded to
Senator Lautenberg for a couple of minutes.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK R. LAUTENBERG,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Senator Lautenberg. I will be brief, and say hello, Tom. We
have known each other for some time. Tom Strickland called me 1
day shortly after I wrote a law that bans gun permits for
spousal abusers. And Tom Strickland called me up and said,
Frank, I got a conviction there. This guy is going to get 3
years for violation of, correct me if I am wrong, but be
careful.
And we have had a lot of contact. And one thing I know, and
my friend Mark Udall has responsibility for two beautiful
grandchildren, my son and daughter-in-law who live in Colorado,
and we are tree huggers and nature lovers. Call it what you
will. I know that we share the same view on our responsibility
to nature and our responsibility to the environment.
Madam Chairman, I have a longer statement which I will not
read out of gratitude for the forbearance of my colleague from
Delaware, and some questions. One, that we are very excited in
New Jersey now. I look out at the mountains of New Jersey,
well, hills of New Jersey. Our mountains, the highest mountain
in New Jersey is 800 feet. It is really devilish getting up
there, but we have now in New Jersey just been awarded historic
protection to an area called the Passaic Falls. It is the city
I grew up in, Paterson, New Jersey, an industrial town, abused
by industry. Factories used the river as a way to discharge
effluent.
And we are all so proud of that. And Mr. Assistant Chief of
Staff, I hope that you will be able to join us. The bill was
passed last week, and the measure would designate 35 acres of
the Paterson Great Falls Historic District as a National
Historic Park. President Obama is expected to sign the bill
into law early next week.
I hope that you will come and visit us in Paterson to
welcome our newest National Historic Park. As an addendum,
Alexander Hamilton began his influence on the industrial
revolution in Paterson, and we still see raceways that funnel
the water to factories and provided the energy and power, and
we welcome you and Beth Strickland to this assignment. And I
know very well that you will handle it well.
As a managing partner who was able to keep our good friend
at that time in order, no names because he runs a very
significant law firm, and you were a partner there as well. So
I know that you can handle very difficult assignments.
Thank you very much, and thank you to Senator Carper.
Senator Boxer. Thank you.
Senator Carper.
Mr. Strickland. Thank you, Senator. And I will look forward
to visiting that new park and we are very excited about it.
Senator Carper. Well, that is a great segue into my
question. Again, welcome to you and to your wife. Nice to see
you.
Let me just say to her, thank you very much for your
willingness to share this guy with us in this way.
The President came and spoke with us, by the way, at our
caucus and talked about his budget. In responding to him, I
suggested some ways we could save money. It is easy to come up
with the ways to spend money. Actually, I think in his budget
it makes very wise investments, for the most part. But the idea
of you serving as Chief of Staff and as the Assistant Secretary
in this post, that is a good way to save money. I hadn't
thought of that.
We have Senator Amy Klobuchar over here, who is doing
yeoman's labor. She is like the only Senator from Minnesota,
and she is doing the work of two Senators. I asked Harry Reid,
our leader----
Senator Klobuchar. Well, compared to Delaware, a woman can
always do the work of two men.
[Laughter.]
Senator Boxer. And two women in California, with 37 million
people----
Senator Klobuchar. Oh, here we go.
Senator Boxer [continuing]. Can do the work of several men.
Senator Klobuchar. I should have let it go.
Senator Carper. I yield back my time.
Senator Boxer. But we will strike that off the record.
[Laughter.]
Senator Boxer. We are going to give you as a result of
having to put up with Amy and me an extra 2 minutes.
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. I was the only Senator for Delaware for 5
days after Joe Biden stepped down. And I said to Harry Reid,
our leader, I said, you know, Harry, I am doing the work of two
people here. Do you think I could for 5 days get paid for both
of us? And he said, you're lucky to get one paycheck. So I am
taking abuse from all sides.
Earlier in your comments, you quoted Wallace Stegner who
once described national parks as America's best idea. I don't
know that it is the best idea, but it is certainly a great
idea. My family and I have been privileged to visit national
parks in many places around the Country. In fact, my boys are
now in college. One of them was actually here yesterday. He
spent the day shadowing me. He is on spring break, which is
great fun.
And I remember we were thinking of taking a trip maybe to
go to Alaska several summers ago, maybe four or five summers
ago. And we got on the Internet, the National Park Service Web
site, and we just decided to see what kind of national parks
were available for us to visit. And there are wonderful
national parks in Alaska, bigger than the whole State of
Delaware, as it turns out. And we ended up going and spending
7, 9, 9, 10 days there. We had a great time.
But as we went through the National Park Web site to look
at the different offerings, we found that there are 49 States
that had national parks to visit, and one State, ironically,
did not. And it is a State where, I think, America's best idea,
which I think is our Constitution, was first adopted. And for a
whole week or so, Delaware was the entire United States of
America. We were the first State to ratify the Constitution.
And we have done a whole lot of other things as well that we
think are deserving of recognition and of a national park, but
we have never gotten one.
Dirk Kempthorne, who was Ken Salazar's predecessor, he and
his staff were very good to work with us to address that. And
we got authorization passed to do a study, funding for a study.
That has been completed. The study was presented late last year
by some very fine people who work at the National Park Service
in recommending a national park in Delaware, with a little
different kind of approach, but one that celebrates our
national heritage.
And one of Dirk Kempthorne's, one of his hopes was that
before he finished, left as Secretary, they could wrap it up
and finish. We still need to pass authorizing legislation
through the Congress and my hope is we will be able to do that
and to move forward.
I just want to bring this to your attention. Our friend Ken
Burns, the famous film maker who lives in New England now,
actually grew up in Delaware. And one of his latest creations,
as you probably know, I think it is called America's Best Idea,
The National Park. And he and I have shared notes before about
how ironic it is that the State that helped start his Country
is the last State to actually be eligible for a park.
I just want to put all that at your doorstep today and just
ask for your thoughts.
Mr. Strickland. Well, thank you, Senator. I have had a
chance to meet with Ken Burns, in fact, and the Secretary has,
and we look forward to the opportunities of sharing his great
craftsmanship with the American people. I think it is going to
create an unprecedented additional level of support for the
park system as that rolls out this fall. I will commit to work
closely with you and I am sure the Secretary will as well, to
remedy the fact that there is one State that doesn't have a
national park. And so I will make that commitment here today
and look forward to working with you to that end.
Senator Carper. Good. I appreciate that commitment, and we
will look forward to working with you and this Administration,
much as we did the last.
The other thing that Secretary Salazar was good to say, I
spoke with him about this issue a couple of months ago and he
was aware of it even as a Senator. And he said to me, if you
think that Dirk Kempthorne was supportive of your initiative,
you have not seen anything yet. So I appreciate the commitment
from both of you.
And Madam Chair, I have a statement for the record. And
with that, I will bid you adieu and wish you good luck.
Thank you.
[The referenced material was not received at time of
print.]
Mr. Strickland. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Boxer. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Klobuchar.
Senator Klobuchar. Thank you very much, Madam Chairman.
And I want to congratulate you, first of all, for holding
this hearing so quickly, and also to the Administration, the
President, for despite all the big challenges going on, is
working tirelessly to fill as many seats in government as there
are in a hockey arena, a college hockey arena. That is a
Minnesota analogy. It is true. We just figured that out.
I also want to welcome my friend, Tom Strickland, who I
know was the U.S. Attorney. I knew him then, as he worked in
Minnesota, so he knows our State well. Thank you so much.
I just see this as such an opportunity for Secretary
Salazar and you, with our shared views that, first of all, we
shouldn't be operating in an evidence-free zone when it comes
to the protection of our natural resources.
Second, we have an opportunity, and I know both you and
Secretary Salazar believes this, to have our environmental work
go hand in hand with our work in the energy area to promote
home-grown energy and others.
So I just had a few questions. The first is really about
our national parks. I can tell you I know the stimulus package
included some money. As you probably know, we have the Boundary
Waters Canoe Wilderness Area as well as Voyageurs National Park
in Minnesota, that are really very close to where my dad grew
up and my relatives in northern Minnesota.
And I know that there is $750 million in there for the
National Park Service, and some of the funds are scheduled to
go to deferred maintenance and critical repairs, and a large
chunk of the funds, $589 million, is slated for replacing
facilities and cleaning up mine sites.
I just wondered if you could talk a little bit about your
priorities for that stimulus money.
Mr. Strickland. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar, and thank you
for your welcoming remarks.
We are in the process right now of working with OMB to
refine a list of projects for the $750 million that has been
directed by the Congress to the national park system. And there
were parameters, as you articulated, set forth. In addition,
Secretary Salazar has challenged the services and bureaus of
the Department that are getting dollars to have their projects
also reflect an emphasis on renewable energy, on promoting what
he called the ``treasured landscapes and special places in
America,'' as well as promoting youth programs.
So those are some additional areas of emphasis that we are
trying to accommodate as we go through the list of potential
projects. We have what has been estimated to be a $9 billion
backlog of deferred maintenance in the park system. So while
$750 million sounds like a lot and is a lot, in the context of
the needs we have many more deserving projects than we have
immediately available dollars.
So of course the driving urgency of the program is to have
shovel-ready projects that create jobs that can help alleviate
the economic suffering that is so strongly felt throughout the
Country. So we are trying to accommodate all of those
considerations.
We don't have a list to share yet, but we will shortly, and
we are literally in what we hope will be the final stages of
review with OMB, and I think that they are going to show wide
geographic diversity and honor these priorities.
So I will be happy to work with you. We are going to post
all of that on the Internet and we will be making announcements
as we get the final sign-off from OMB.
Senator Klobuchar. Thank you.
The national parks have always been a part of my family's
history, as they were of yours. Actually, as I was sitting
here, I realized every family vacation we ever took involved a
State park or a national park. My sister hiked up Harney Peak
in South Dakota when she was still in diapers. We spent many
times in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, and we have, as I
mentioned, parks in Minnesota.
Could you talk a little bit of how you, which is a big
issue in our State, how you balance the multiple uses of parks,
whether it is some grandfathered-in trails or things like that?
We have had, of course, as you know, battles over the Boundary
Waters in our State's history. And as Jim Oberstar declared,
the 100-year fight over the Boundary Waters has finally ended,
and we have been able to work that. But could you talk a little
bit about multiple uses in parks?
Mr. Strickland. I would be happy to, Senator.
It is a central premise of our public lands to honor the
concept of multiple use and this omnibus lands bill reflects I
think the values that we bring to our management of our public
lands. Now, some lands are deemed to be so fragile and special
that we should have a minimum of human activity. And of course,
those are wilderness designated areas. At the other end of the
continuum, you have lands that are actively developed for coal
mining or other kinds of intensive development.
Along that continuum, it is often a balancing act. And with
respect to our national parks, we have a wide range of requests
that come in all the time for hunting activities. In
Yellowstone, for another example, the level and use of
snowmobiles has been an ongoing issue of conversation and
litigation, for that matter. Right now, we are in Yellowstone
in the middle of dueling Federal courts, one in DC and one in
Wyoming, that are directing us to do different things.
So I think our basic philosophy as we sort through those
decisions will be to honor the values that are central to the
mission of the park. And so while in some parks you can have
more intensive activity in certain areas, other parts of the
parks, as designated, for example parts of Rocky Mountain Park
are now designated as wilderness as a result of the bill that
the Congress just passed and the President is expected to sign
on Monday.
So the level of activity in those places will be, in terms
of motorized vehicles, et cetera, will be very different than
if they hadn't gotten that designation. So I think what we need
to do is we need to look at these things on a case by case
basis, but recognize that certain activities are going to
impinge on other people's enjoyment, and so we need to be able
to have some of the core missions of these parks honored as a
place of respite and a place for wildlife to be able to live
harmoniously.
Senator Klobuchar. Madam Chair, could I ask one more
question?
Senator Boxer. Yes.
Senator Klobuchar. OK.
In Minnesota, we love our fishing. I think I have the
statistic once of how many tens of millions of dollars we spend
every year on worms. It is really quite impressive to show how
it contributes to our economy. But one of the things that has
concerned us about Lake Superior and some of our lakes is just
the danger of invasive species.
My staff actually told me that Senator Nelson of Florida is
trying to wrangle you to go down to Florida to have an 18-foot
Burmese python wrapped around you and Secretary Salazar. I
actually have seen these pythons. I will tell you it is
disturbing that they suddenly landed in the middle of the
Everglades.
But we also have some issues with invasive species in
Minnesota, particularly the Asian carp. I don't know if you
know about this issue. We have actually got some funding for
dams and there is a YouTube video I suggest you look at that
shows that these huge Asian carp jumping out of the water and
hitting fishermen on the head. I am not kidding.
And so we are very concerned about these issues of invasive
species. One, I want to extend to you and invitation to get hit
over the head by an Asian carp. And then second, I just
wondered about your general view of invasive species and what
role the Department could have with regard to those.
Mr. Strickland. Well, thank you. I would be happy to come
visit the carp as well. And Senator Nelson has invited us to
come down and see the Burmese pythons, which I think do grow to
that size.
Senator Klobuchar. It scared my daughter, so it is worth
seeing.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Strickland. We have this issue in many places, and we
have it not only with respect to plants, but with fish and
other animal and reptile species as well. And it is a serious
problem. And the Department of Agriculture also has funding to
assist. And so what we are trying to do is identify the highest
priority areas and try to address those.
I know that the Asian carp is high on our list. In fact, it
had been brought to my attention before this briefing. In the
Grand Canyon, we have invasive species of plants. We have that,
I know in California we have some of the same issues.
So I think it is something that has not gotten as much
attention as it should of, and we will commit that we will give
it more attention. And to the extent that we have adequate
funding, we will do our best to address the problem.
Senator Klobuchar. Thank you very much.
Senator Boxer. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar.
I am going to do my job here, and then I am going to hand
the gavel over to Senator Cardin and he will run the rest of
the hearing and close it down.
I am going to send you a couple of things to look at. There
was an article February 27, 2007 in the L.A. Times, Mighty Lean
Times For Wildlife Refuges. And it goes through the fact that
the budget for these were just starved, and we have all these
problems. You were supposed to build visitors centers and
didn't do it.
One of the arguments I always make about preservation of
our environment in California is that it is good for the
economy. We have asked various firms to let us know about this,
with the 700,000 acres of wilderness designation that just
appeared, that just make it into this wonderful lands bill; 400
permanent jobs and millions of dollars in income to our State.
So when we fail to maintain and protect these areas, we pay
a price. At the end of the day, people aren't going to come. So
here, we have over 40 refuges in our State, and I am going to
send you, well, I am going to send it over to you, not that you
need it. It is on your Web site, but I am going to send it over
to you. Also a map.
You know, California is just dotted with these places,
these wonderful glorious places. So I am going to send this
over to you, as well as this article.
So there was very little money, then, to hire a second
full-time law enforcement officer, for example, in the San Luis
National Wildlife Refuge complex, because we really need to
ensure that people aren't misusing these refuges. So I am going
to hope that, you are going to know this, but I am going to ask
you for the record, as you sit around these meetings with your
superiors, I hope you are going to be a real stalwart for
arguing.
It is not always funding. Sometimes it is just you could
shift some funding. You could make some of these changes, but I
am going to assume that you are going to fight hard so that you
can do this job right. You are going to tell honestly what you
need to do it right. If you don't, if you can't, if we can't
give it to you, that is another story.
But I guess my question is, will you be an advocate for
what you are supposed to be looking after?
Mr. Strickland. Thank you, Chairman.
I can assure you that I, along with Secretary Salazar, take
the point that you make very seriously. We have refuges in all
50 States. We have about 93 million acres of wildlife refuges.
They are under enormous pressure from global climate change in
many cases, and population encroachment. We have just embarked,
I think, just in the last months of the previous
Administration, in the first assessment of the impact of
climate change on our wildlife refuges to see if we have to
make adjustments to the boundaries or if we have to set aside
other lands, or how to manage the ones that we have.
So we have multiple considerations that make your point
that much more important for our consideration. And as we are
looking at the stimulus moneys, we also recognize that 40
million people visit our wildlife refuges annually, so they are
an important source of economic activity and enjoyment for the
public.
So we will commit to work with you and your Committee and
others to identify what the needs are and to try and spend the
dollars as wisely as possible, and to make sure that we are
addressing the challenges that population growth and climate
change are putting on our wildlife refuges.
Senator Boxer. Well, that is very important, because I have
always believed that when you take a job like this, you need to
be an advocate for it. And I have found under some
Administrations we didn't have that. And all I ask is for the
truth. You know, in order to do this job right, what is it you
need? If we don't give it to you, that is our problem, but I
need to know that you are going to tell us the truth, and I
have that great sense that you will.
I also think, I am glad you raised the stimulus issue
because those moneys really should be used for those one-time,
neglected improvements that we need to make, rather than the
ongoing. The ongoing we have to do in our budget. So I hope you
will oversee that because that is a great opportunity.
Let me do my little business here that I have to do so that
we can get your nomination moving along.
In order for the Committee and other committees to exercise
their legislative and oversight responsibilities, it is
important that committees of Congress are able to receive
testimony, briefings and other information.
So first of all, do you agree, if confirmed, to appear
before this Committee or designated Members of this Committee
and other appropriate committees of the Congress and provide
information subject to appropriate and necessary security
protection with respect to your responsibilities as Assistant
Secretary?
Mr. Strickland. I do agree.
Senator Boxer. Do you agree to ensure that testimony,
briefings, documents, and electronic and other forms of
communication of information are provided to this Committee and
its staff and other appropriate committees in a timely manner?
Mr. Strickland. I do agree.
Senator Boxer. And three, do you know of any matters which
you may or may not have disclosed that might place you in any
conflict of interest if you are confirmed as Assistant
Secretary?
Mr. Strickland. My investments, personal holdings and other
interests have been reviewed by both myself and the appropriate
ethics counselors within the Federal Government. I have taken
appropriate action to avoid any conflicts of interest. There
are no conflicts of interest or appearances thereof to my
knowledge.
Senator Boxer. Excellent. And we are going to ask our
Members to submit questions by tomorrow morning, with responses
due Monday. So I am assuming that you will do whatever you have
to do to get those responses in because what we want to do is
mark up your nomination as early as next week. And if we miss
that deadline, then we have to wait until after the recess.
So are you willing to do what it takes to answer these
questions?
Mr. Strickland. Absolutely.
Senator Boxer. That is right. It could be a late night
Sunday, but I know your wife is saying, he will do it.
[Laughter.]
Senator Boxer. Well, I am just thrilled with this
nomination, obviously. And I am happy to turn the gavel over to
my friend Ben Cardin, who by the way has a very important
responsibility. He is overseeing all of the water issues. And
you and he will have a lot of work to do. He is a passionate
defender of wildlife and of the environment. And I am so proud
of my Subcommittee Chairs and give them a lot of
responsibility.
So I think it is appropriate, Ben, that you take as much
time as you need and close out the hearing.
Senator Cardin [presiding]. Well, thank you, Madam Chair,
and I appreciate your leadership on this issue.
Mr. Strickland, thank you for your willingness to serve the
public in this very, very important position. I want to thank
your family for the sacrifices that you will be making.
I enjoyed our conversation yesterday, or the day before,
where we had a chance to talk a little bit about your
commitment to our environment. I hope that this new assignment
will not prevent you from getting out and enjoying the
wilderness of America because it is a great Country, and your
position will have a critical role in preserving that for the
future.
I do want to ask you about policy guidance and the use of
best information, science information in making judgments,
particularly as it relates to the Endangered Species Act.
I think most people agree that the Endangered Species Act
is one of the most important safeguards that was enacted by
Congress in order to preserve diversity in our wildlife, and
that decisions should be based upon good science, good
information, and should not be based upon political
considerations.
And yet a recent IG investigation pointed out that
political interference did affect the Endangered Species Act
implementation by the Department of Interior. And that there
was at least some ambiguity as to how the Department should
enforce the law because of the political guidance given by the
previous Administration.
Are you committed to giving the agency staff clear policy
guidance on the implementation of the Endangered Species Act,
which will be based upon the best science information we have
to make sure that we carry out that important law?
Mr. Strickland. Well, Senator, absolutely. I can say this
on my behalf and on behalf of Secretary Salazar. One of the
reasons I think he asked me to join him in this job is that as
a former Federal prosecutor, he asked me to come in and help
him address some of the historic issues that plague the
Department with respect to the issue that you mentioned in Fish
and Wildlife, and some management issues at the Mineral
Management Service.
One of the very first things that the now-Secretary did was
to go with me out to Colorado to MMS to meet with every
employee there to address these ethics and integrity issues. We
have sent the message throughout the Department that the rule
of law will apply and that policy decisions will be based on
science and on the appropriate considerations, and not politics
or special interests.
Senator Cardin. Well, I thank you for that commitment. I
was pleased to see the President make a similar commitment. It
was in a different context. We were there dealing with
research. But he made a similar declaration, actually signed an
executive order that the guidance would be based upon the best
science, and not political considerations, which clearly has
been the tradition within the Department of Interior and also
within the other departments of government, but was
compromised, I think, in recent years.
So we are very concerned about making sure the consultation
process that was envisioned in law to get the best possible
information-based decisions becomes the policy of the
Department of Interior, particularly as it relates to the
Endangered Species Act.
Let me move on to a second issue that we talked about, and
that is the concerns on our refuge, our wildlife refuge, and
what is happening particularly as it relates in Maryland to the
Blackwater. The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a
valuable area of our State for diversity. We are currently
losing about 150 acres a year because of sea level change. We
believe it is a result of global climate change. We are in
danger of losing the local habitat for the Baltimore orioles. I
don't know what that means as far as our State is concerned,
but I think it reflects the consequences of not dealing with
global climate change.
In the 2009 omnibus appropriations bill, language directed
the Secretary of Interior to develop a national strategy to
assist wildlife and the ecosystems across our Nation from the
adverse impact of global climate change.
Can you just share with us your thoughts as to how you
would go about advising the Secretary in complying with that
provision in the omnibus appropriation bill?
Mr. Strickland. Well, thank you, Senator.
We do have a special challenge, as I alluded to a few
minutes ago, in trying to protect the role played by our
wildlife refuges for the next century. Those that set refuges
aside many, many years ago had vision, and the system has been
in place for many, many years. We have to match that now in the
time when we are seeing these pressures.
So we have a lot of good scientists at the Department. We
have 8,700 at USGS. We have a lot of fine biologists and
scientists at Fish and Wildlife. What we are going to do is
fast track a baseline analysis throughout the Country of the
changes that are impacting the refuge in your State that you
just mentioned, and others, and determine what remedial actions
we need to take, and they will be different in different
places.
Some places we may acquire additional lands. Other places,
we may do habitat restoration. So we are going to do it on an
accelerated basis and we are going to do it with a sense of
urgency and mission because we understand that these species,
if their habitat is no longer available, will be pressured and
we could lose them. So it is a very important part of our role.
Senator Cardin. Let me just stress, I think there are
several parts to this concern. We certainly want to look at
remedial action, what we can do to save diversity and species
in America. Each State has its own challenges. In Maryland and
our region, the Chesapeake Bay is a huge challenge. We are
seeing patterns dealing with the future of the blue crab that
concerns us.
We know that global climate change has produced a sea level
change, but also a warming of the water which affects how our
sea grasses can survive, which affects where juvenile crabs can
hide. And if they can't hide, they can't survive. And the crops
are getting smaller and smaller, which is affecting diversity
in the whole food chain in Maryland. And I think every Senator
could tell you another story about what is happening in their
own States as far as fish and wildlife is concerned.
So part of our concern about the dangers of global climate
change is how do we have remedial programs to preserve
diversity and to preserve our economy and our way of life. But
the other is so we can take action to prevent this type of
damage.
One of the problems we have is that many Americans have yet
to really understand the day to day risks associated with
global climate change. And the more information we can get
available to them, and I think you can play a role here, we can
work and develop policies based upon facts. And that is what we
are trying to do. We are trying to use good science and facts
to say what can we do to change the future direction of our
environment for the better, and what can we do to try to fix
the damage we have already done.
That is certainly our challenge in the Chesapeake Bay. In
the Chesapeake Bay, we have taken steps to try to correct a lot
of the problems in the bay, but we also want to prevent the
future decay as a result of matters that we can control,
whether it is global climate change or whether it is pollution
issues or whether it is farming practices or whether it is
runoff issues. All of that will have an impact on preserving
the diversity of fish and wildlife in our region.
So I would hope that the strategy that you come out with
within the Department of Interior will be mindful that you can
play a dual role in educating the public to take action to help
the future, as well as remedial programs that are our best
chance to preserve our way of life and our future for diversity
of wildlife and fish in the United States.
Mr. Strickland. Well, thank you, Senator. I think it is
fair to say that the Department has been behind the curve on
this, and we have some catching up to do. We need to bring a
sense of urgency, because you said it very well. The challenge
is there.
Senator Cardin. And let me just concur with Senator Boxer's
comments. We are so pleased that you willing to take on this
responsibility. I certainly hope that the Committee can
complete its review quickly and that your nomination can go to
the floor for action so that our colleague, our former
colleague can have a little bit of help in the Department. I
know it gets lonely there without having confirmed positions.
So we hope we will be able to give him a confirmed position and
be able to move quickly on your nomination.
And with that, our Committee will stand adjourned.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Strickland. Thank you, Senator.
[Whereupon, at 11 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
[Additional statements submitted for the record follow:]
Statement of Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, U.S. Senator
from the State of Maryland
Madam Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing.
Today we will hear from Tom Strickland, nominated for
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the
Department of Interior.
The nominee has extensive, relevant, on-the-job experience,
and has made major contributions in his area of expertise.
Unfortunately, he will face some daunting challenges. During
the last Administration, decisions made in the Department of
the Interior ignored the role of science with frightening
regularity. The nominee is charged with restoring the role good
science must play in making good public policy. The Department
of Interior has world-class scientists as part of its
workforce. The challenge for Mr. Strickland will be to
reinvigorate that scientific expertise and re-empower these
scientists. Secretary Salazar, as well as the President
himself, has promised to return scientific integrity to
government. I will be listening closely for a similar pledge
from you today.
The first front for restoring the role of science will be
addressing the problems associated with the Endangered Species
Act. The highly politicized way in which this critical statute
was handled during the last Administration has left a legacy of
poor decisions, discarded science, and policies that are being
challenged successfully in our courts.
We need your full attention focused on restoring the
integrity of the ESA process.
In addition, our National Wildlife Refuges and National
Parks are all in a state of serious disrepair. The backlog of
deferred maintenance is overwhelming.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided
substantial resources to the Department of Interior to address
some of those issues in both our refuges and our parks. But
that is just the beginning. We will be looking to you for long-
term investment plans that will restore these jewels of our
public lands to their full glory.
We will also be looking to you for how best to manage many
of the impacts of global climate change. The Fish and Wildlife
Service will be in the forefront of national efforts to address
new land management issues as well as the adaptation needs of
our wildlife brought about by the impacts of climate change.
As I mentioned to you when we visited in my office earlier
this week, you will find few better examples of the impacts of
climate change than in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
on Maryland's Eastern Shore. I encourage you to come to
Blackwater with me to see firsthand the impacts of climate
change and to discuss ways in which we can creatively address
these land management and adaptation issues.
Madam Chairman, I think Mr. Strickland is highly qualified
and I hope that he will receive broad, bi-partisan support from
this Committee and the entire Senate. President Obama needs to
get his team into place, and I hope we will act quickly to get
Mr. Strickland confirmed and to work for the American people.
Statement of Hon. Christopher S. Bond, U.S. Senator
from the State of Missouri
Every year, Missouri farmers understand that we will have
spring rains, which may damage or break levees.
And yet every year Missourians have to beg the Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Corps of Engineers to prevent further
flooding with a man-made spring rise, which they call a
``pulse.''
This entire battle which puts human lives and farmland at
risk is all done in the name of a fish. The Pallid Sturgeon.
Even though some reports show that a spring rise has no impact
on mating habits, we continue to have this debate.
The spring rise has been strongly opposed by Missouri DNR
under four separate Governors of both parties. Democrats and
Republicans have all concluded that the value of this is
experiment is dubious and risks are real.
I have been fighting the man-made spring rise for years and
for years know from experience that you cannot anticipate the
amount of waterfall from the time the water is released at
Gavin's Point dam until approximately 10 days later when it
reaches Jefferson City, Missouri.
To add insult to injury, each year we find that many of our
land owners are still waiting for the levees to be repaired
from the last year's flood events. This is simply unacceptable.
It would be great of the Fish and Wildlife Service to be
out monitoring the impacts of the natural rises that occur each
year and the impacts that these natural ``pulses'' have on the
mating habits of this fish. Otherwise, we will never know if
this man-induced flood is needed. I hope you will consider this
monitoring in the future. Our river should not be used as a
grand scale science experiment.
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