[Senate Hearing 117-358]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-358
RICHMOND, STACHELBERG, AND BERHE NOMINATIONS
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
to
CONSIDER THE NOMINATIONS OF GERALDINE RICHMOND TO BE UNDER SECRETARY
FOR SCIENCE, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY; CYNTHIA WEINER STACHELBERG TO BE AN
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR (POLICY, MANAGEMENT, AND BUDGET);
AND ASMERET ASEFAW BERHE TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE,
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
__________
AUGUST 3, 2021
__________
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
45-380 WASHINGTON : 2022
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia, Chairman
RON WYDEN, Oregon JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington JAMES E. RISCH, Idaho
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont MIKE LEE, Utah
MARTIN HEINRICH, New Mexico STEVE DAINES, Montana
MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
ANGUS S. KING, JR., Maine JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota
CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
MARK KELLY, Arizona BILL CASSIDY, Louisiana
JOHN W. HICKENLOOPER, Colorado CINDY HYDE-SMITH, Mississippi
ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas
Renae Black, Staff Director
Sam E. Fowler, Chief Counsel
Richard M. Russell, Republican Staff Director
Matthew H. Leggett, Republican Chief Counsel
Darla Ripchensky, Chief Clerk
C O N T E N T S
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OPENING STATEMENTS
Page
Manchin III, Hon. Joe, Chairman and a U.S. Senator from West
Virginia....................................................... 1
Barrasso, Hon. John, Ranking Member and a U.S. Senator from
Wyoming........................................................ 2
Wyden, Hon. Ron, a U.S. Senator from Oregon...................... 4
WITNESSES
Richmond, Dr. Geraldine, nominated to be Under Secretary for
Science, Department of Energy.................................. 5
Stachelberg, Cynthia Weiner, nominated to be an Assistant
Secretary of the Interior (Policy, Management, and Budget)..... 10
Berhe, Dr. Asmeret Asefaw, nominated to be Director of the Office
of Science, Department of Energy............................... 16
ALPHABETICAL LISTING AND APPENDIX MATERIAL SUBMITTED
American Fly Fishing Trade Association et al.:
Letter for the Record........................................ 29
Barrasso, Hon. John:
Opening Statement............................................ 2
Berhe, Dr. Asmeret Asefaw:
Opening Statement............................................ 16
Written Testimony............................................ 18
Responses to Questions for the Record........................ 73
Manchin III, Hon. Joe:
Opening Statement............................................ 1
Richmond, Dr. Geraldine:
Opening Statement............................................ 5
Written Testimony............................................ 8
Responses to Questions for the Record........................ 50
Stachelberg, Cynthia Weiner:
Opening Statement............................................ 10
Written Testimony............................................ 12
Responses to Questions for the Record........................ 61
Wyden, Hon. Ron:
Introductory Statement....................................... 4
RICHMOND, STACHELBERG, AND BERHE NOMINATIONS
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:07 a.m. in
Room SD-366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Joe Manchin
III, Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOE MANCHIN III, U.S. SENATOR FROM
WEST VIRGINIA
The Chairman. The Committee will come to order. We are
meeting today to consider three pending nominations. The three
nominations are Dr. Geraldine Richmond to be the Under
Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy (DOE); Ms.
Cynthia Stachelberg to be the Assistant Secretary of the
Interior for Policy, Management, and Budget; and Dr. Asmeret
Berhe to be the Director of the Office of Science at the
Department of Energy. I want to welcome all three of you. Thank
you very much for being here. We also want to welcome each of
your family members that are with you and thank them for
attending, or if they are virtual, we appreciate that.
The office of Under Secretary for Science, to which Dr.
Richmond has been nominated, was established by the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 in recognition of the important role that
science and scientific research plays within the Department of
Energy. The Under Secretary for Science serves as the
Secretary's principal advisor on science and technology,
monitors the Department's wide-ranging research and development
programs, and oversees the management of the national
laboratories. By law, the Under Secretary for Science must have
an extensive background in science or engineering. Dr. Richmond
very clearly meets this test. She holds a Doctorate in physical
chemistry from Berkeley; she has been a Professor at the
University of Oregon for the past 26 years; she is the author
of more than 200 scientific papers; and she has received dozens
of honorary awards, medals, prizes, degrees, and other honors
in recognition of her scientific achievements. If confirmed, as
I am sure she will be, Dr. Richmond will be only the fifth
person, and the first woman, to hold this important office.
Our next nominee is Winnie Stachelberg, who has been
nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for
Policy, Management, and Budget. The office of an Assistant
Secretary for Administration was originally established by
President Truman and did not require Senate confirmation.
Congress created the current statutory Assistant Secretary in
1971, in recognition of the importance of the office's
functions and to increase its stature and effectiveness.
In some respects, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is a
collection of separate bureaus. The Assistant Secretary for
Policy, Management, and Budget helps cement them together by
developing policy, managing operations, and formulating budgets
across the breadth of the Department. The Assistant Secretary
serves as the Secretary's principal policy advisor and the
Department's chief financial officer. She oversees a diverse
collection of offices ranging from the Budget Office to the
Wildland Fire Office and from the Office of Native Hawaiian
Relations to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
It is an important job, and I am pleased to see that Ms.
Stachelberg has a graduate degree in public administration and
has worked as a budget analyst at the Office of Management and
Budget.
Our third nominee, Dr. Berhe, has been nominated to be the
Director of the Office of Science. Although the Department is
named the Department of Energy, science has always been at the
core of the Department. As a seedbed of science, the Department
has given us the technologies to increase our energy production
and use our resources in a cleaner way. It has given us
supercomputers and nuclear deterrence without testing. It has
even helped developed the internet.
The Office of Science lies at the heart of the Department's
science mission. The Office's mission, by law, is to deliver
the ``scientific discoveries, capabilities, and major
scientific tools to transform the understanding of nature and
to advance the energy, economic, and national security of the
United States''. That is no small task.
Judging from the list of scientific papers you have written
and the list of academic honors and awards that you have
received, Dr. Berhe, it is clear that you have the scientific
credentials the job requires.
Again, I want to extend a warm welcome to all three of our
distinguished nominees, and I want to thank you for being here
this morning and for your willingness to undertake these
important positions.
At this point, I will recognize my friend, Senator John
Barrasso, for his opening statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN BARRASSO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING
Senator Barrasso. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I also want to welcome and congratulate the nominees, Dr.
Richmond, Dr. Berhe, and Dr. Stachelberg. Welcome to the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Congratulations on the
nominations.
If confirmed as Under Secretary for Science and Energy, Dr.
Richmond, you would have an important responsibility spanning
the Office of Science and the Department applied energy
offices. You have been a chemistry professor for over 40 years,
including the last 35 years at the University of Oregon, served
in leadership positions on numerous boards, received many
awards and honors, as the Chairman just mentioned, all related
to the Department of Energy and the scientific community with
which it collaborates. You appear to be highly qualified to
serve as the Under Secretary of Science and Energy.
I cannot say the same for Dr. Berhe's specific
qualifications to serve as Director of the Office of Science at
the Department of Energy. Dr. Berhe has been a Professor of
soil biogeochemistry at the University of California, Merced
for over a decade and has focused her research on soil
management and sequestering carbon in soil. Her background and
experience appear to have very little to do with the Department
of Energy's main scientific focus and the scientific community
with which it collaborates.
In a May 9, 2021 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, a
theoretical physicist noted, ``Ms. Berhe's research program on
soil chemistry, exploring the capture of carbon dioxide, is
relevant to climate change policy, but her research expertise
is not in any of the Office of Science's major programs and she
has no expertise as a scientific administrator and minimal
experience with the Energy Department itself.'' This continues,
``Past directors have been established researchers from one of
the major fields supported by the Department or they have
administered large, private laboratories, such as Bell Labs, in
line with the demands of the job. It is hard not to wonder
whether Ms. Berhe is the right choice for the leadership role
at the Department of Energy.''
Certain public positions Dr. Berhe has taken and endorsed
are also concerning. On February 18th of this year, she
retweeted the statement, ``I'm just going to propose that a
nation that can land an SUV-sized rover in an ancient lake on
another planet can build an electrical grid that is f-ing
useless because of slavish devotion to the free market''. F-ing
useless because of slavish devotion to the free market.
On May 7th of 2015, she wrote in ``Science'' that, ``The
practice of farming is to blame for climate change.'' The
practice of farming is to blame for climate change.
Mr. Chairman, I am also concerned about Ms. Stachelberg's
qualifications to serve in the position to which she has been
nominated. The Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and
Budget plays a central role in policy development,
organizational management, and fiscal stewardship at the
Department of the Interior. Ms. Stachelberg appears to have
little, if any, background or experience in public lands, in
natural resources, in energy, or other policy issues managed by
the Department of the Interior.
For the past 25 years, Ms. Stachelberg has worked as a
political activist at the Center for American Progress and the
Human Rights Campaign. The only issue she appears to have
focused on, and even remotely within in the realm of the
Department of the Interior, is gun control. While I am a
supporter of the Second Amendment and the sportsmen and women
that rely upon it, I do not believe that gun control advocacy
is a helpful qualification for the job at the Department of the
Interior.
Again, welcome to each of the nominees. I look forward to
hearing more about your qualifications, your policy views, and
your plans for ensuring the work of the Departments of Energy
and the Interior, how that could benefit all Americans,
including those in my home State of Wyoming.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator. The rules of the
committee, which apply to all nominees, require that they be
sworn-in in connection with their testimony. So if you all will
please stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear
that the testimony you are about to give to the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources shall be the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Dr. Richmond. I do.
Dr. Berhe. I do.
Ms. Stachelberg. I do.
The Chairman. Thank you. You may be seated. Before we begin
your statements, I am going to ask three questions addressed to
each nominee before this committee. Will you be available to
appear before the committee, and other Congressional
committees, to represent Department positions and respond to
issues of concern to the Congress?
Dr. Richmond. Yes.
Dr. Berhe. Yes.
Ms. Stachelberg. I will.
The Chairman. Are you aware of any personal holdings,
investments, or interests 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 have been
nominated by the President?
Dr. Richmond. No.
Dr. Berhe. No.
Ms. Stachelberg. No.
The Chairman. Are you involved or do you have any assets
held in a blind trust?
Dr. Richmond. No.
Dr. Berhe. No.
Ms. Stachelberg. No.
The Chairman. We are going to start with our first witness,
Dr. Richmond. But first, we have a very dear Senator who had
conflicts, but he is virtually with us, and he wants the
privilege of introducing you. Senator Wyden.
STATEMENT OF HON. RON WYDEN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM OREGON
Senator Wyden. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you for you thoughtfulness in giving me this opportunity. We
Oregon Ducks really appreciate your incredible sendoff for Dr.
Richmond this morning. Your words really summed it up, and I am
not going to give a filibuster this morning.
I will say, though, you touched on her many scientific
honors since she has been teaching. If I were to list them all,
Mr. Chairman, you would be here until tomorrow morning going
through this. She has an extraordinary record. And for my
personal involvement, I have known about her expertise for some
time and, frankly, we feel it would be impossible to have too
many Oregon Ducks serving in key Administration roles.
I would also like to note, as we get started, that she has
been recognized by President Clinton, President Obama, and
President Reagan for her scientific expertise. And it will
surely be needed right now, in her position at DOE, because
with her expertise in drought she can help us develop a
scientific response to drought, which is one of the real keys
to reducing fire risk. I will just close by way of saying, we
are really going to need Dr. Richmond to focus on that.
Just last month, my hometown saw record hot temperatures,
with some as high as 116 degrees. Mr. Chairman, you have been
very helpful to me, as Chairman of the Finance Committee,
because we got a law passed so that Medicare advantage plans
could provide air conditioning and air filtration systems for
seniors with chronic conditions who are just trying to breathe
in these conditions. A very significant portion of the deaths
we had during our record heat dealt with elders who clearly
were suffering those kinds of health problems.
Finally, I think her expertise in drought and its
relationship with the fire risk is going to be of huge help to
us because we are still dealing with the Bootleg fire at home,
and that is going to be an enormous concern of Westerners
through the months ahead.
Finally, she has some real expertise in another set of
important issues with alternative energy being an area that
will go front and center in her work in her days ahead at the
national labs. And the West, and all of America, cannot wait to
act on climate. We are seeing the effects of inaction now. Dr.
Richmond is exactly the right kind of person, at the right
time, for the Office of Science, and we could not admire her
more for her scientific achievements and her professional
analytical skills. Mr. Chairman, to have you give us this big
sendoff for her, along with Presidents Clinton, Obama, and
Reagan and the past statement--I think I will quit while we are
ahead, because this is an exceptional individual.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator. And to all three of our
witnesses, before you give your testimonies, if you have family
or friends that are here for support and you want to recognize
them, please feel free to do so. We are happy to have them. We
are going to start with, Dr. Richmond, you first. If you have
any of your family here, please feel free to introduce them.
Dr. Richmond. Thank you, Senator Manchin, I do. I have my
husband of over 40 years here, Dr. Steve Kevan.
The Chairman. Good to have you, sir.
STATEMENT OF DR. GERALDINE RICHMOND, NOMINATED TO BE UNDER
SECRETARY FOR SCIENCE, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Dr. Richmond. Chairman Manchin, Ranking Member Barrasso,
and the distinguished members of the committee, thank you very
much for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am so
honored to discuss my nomination to serve as Under Secretary
for Science and Energy at the Department of Energy.
As a research scientist, I have had a long association with
DOE, starting with a summer research internship at Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory when I was 21. Later I received
DOE funding for my own research, and I have served in
leadership roles on many of the Department's basic and applied-
sciences advisory boards. From my visits over the years to many
of the DOE laboratories, I know firsthand that they are indeed
the crown jewels of the nation's research and innovation
domain. These labs, along with thousands of initiatives funded
by competitive DOE grants, are achieving the groundbreaking
discoveries and breakthroughs that long have made the United
States the envy of the world in science and engineering.
Now, myself, growing up in Kansas on a farm, I could never
have envisioned the career opportunities I've experienced over
the years through science. In fact, as a little girl, I could
dream no bigger than just going to college, which was my
parents' aspiration for me because the Depression had deprived
them of that dream. My gift for math opened up possibilities in
science and, beginning with my undergraduate studies at Kansas
State University in chemistry and graduate work at Berkeley, my
world and my worldview have been expanding ever since.
In my laboratory at the University of Oregon, my students
and I use lasers to study issues relevant to energy production,
environmental remediation, and atmospheric chemistry, including
carbon capture. Our work has resulted in many publications and
many great students and, as noted, I've been honored with many
awards.
But science has also given me countless opportunities to
serve on national advisory boards, as president of scientific
societies, as U.S. State Department Science Envoy, and as
founding director of a grassroots organization that has helped
over 25,000 women and minority scientists and engineers around
the globe. These experiences have provided me with a deep
understanding of the scientific enterprise of this country and,
even more, its power to solve our problems and improve our
lives.
I come before you today as the scientific challenges for
our nation and our world have never been greater. I believe the
magnitude of the solutions outweighs even the Manhattan
Project, as climate change poses an existential threat to the
entire planet. I have been to all 50 states. I've worked in
countries on every continent, including over a dozen in Africa.
I have seen the human cost of climate change, the growing
shortage of clean water sources, job displacement, and
inequities in access to energy. But I also have experienced the
boundless energy and creativity of our human resources and I
deeply understand our capabilities, and I know solutions are
within reach.
If I am confirmed to lead DOE's science and innovation
ecosystem, I plan to set several priorities that will muster
our resources and place the United States at the forefront of
these solutions. First, I want to assure you that we will
continue our preeminent role in every step of the process of
innovation--from making fundamental discoveries, to developing
new energy technologies, to ramping up the scale to mass
production and deployment. This is not like a relay race where
the baton is passed off from one stage easily to the next. As
challenges arise along this journey, we need the discovery
science to be ready to intercede in the technological
development and deployment. DOE's national laboratories, user
facilities, Frontier Energy Research Centers,
ARPA-E, and others are uniquely situated around the country for
such long-haul mediating efforts.
Second, I want to strengthen partnerships with other
federal agencies, as well as private technology and energy
enterprises in this country and around the world. With the
urgency of the task before of us, we must resist the impulse to
compete against one another and develop collaborations that
will move us faster and farther together. I have been honored
to serve as chair of the DOE's Basic Energy Sciences Advisory
Committee, and as an appointee by both President Obama and
President Trump to the National Science Board and have worked
with leaders in the laboratories and offices of the Departments
of Defense and Commerce. I look forward to using these
leadership experiences to strengthen the connections among our
vast national community of innovators.
And finally, if confirmed, I also will foster a dynamic
science and technology workforce that reflects the diversity of
our population and geography, both urban and rural. I have a
deep understanding and a passion for what is needed to
identify, train, and support the best and the brightest among
us. I look forward to ensuring that DOE laboratories and the
programs the Department funds become a model for diversity.
We are stronger, smarter, and simply better when we all
seize the possibilities together, and there is no better place
on this planet for scientific discovery and innovation than a
country built on the premise of joining forces.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to appear before
you today, and I do look forward to your questions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Richmond follows:]
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The Chairman. Thank you, Doctor. Now we will hear from Ms.
Stachelberg. If you have anybody you want to introduce, feel
free to do so.
Ms. Stachelberg. I want to recognize my partner, Vicky
Phillips, who is here today. Thank you so much.
The Chairman. Thank you for coming.
STATEMENT OF CYNTHIA WEINER STACHELBERG, NOMINATED TO BE AN
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR (POLICY, MANAGEMENT, AND
BUDGET)
Ms. Stachelberg. Chairman Manchin, Ranking Member Barrasso,
members of the committee, it is a privilege to be here today
and to be considered as the President's nominee to be the
Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget at the
United States Department of the Interior. I want to take this
moment, not only to recognize my partner, Vicki, who is here,
but my sons, Will and Charlie. They could not be here today,
but they make me all the more driven to play a small part in
making a brighter future.
President Biden and Secretary Haaland have given me a great
honor by nominating me for this role. It is a post at one of
the most important departments, at one of the most challenging
of times, and the prospect of taking on this position is more
than a job to me.
Like many of you, and many Americans, I have always loved
the outdoors and, in particular, the sheer beauty of what this
country has to offer. I have been a lifelong angler and boater,
and I credit my parents for instilling in me a love for nature
and our place in it. Henry David Thoreau, the great writer and
naturalist, once wrote, ``heaven is under our feet as well as
over our heads''. And I think that just about sums up the
feeling of being in one of our national parks or incredible
monuments and taking in the marvel of what is around you.
I remember being a 9-year-old city kid, wide-eyed, with my
jaw to the floor at the sight of the Grand Canyon. And as a
young adult, I went diving and took in the sheer wonder of the
Buck Island Reef National Monument. And more recently, I took
my kids to visit the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge to
see the white pelicans making their trek from east of the
Rockies to Florida.
I am also very aware of what lands mean to western states
where large percentages of their area are managed by the
Department of the Interior. This includes millions of acres of
multiple-use lands where it is imperative for the Department to
work with states, tribes, and a diverse group of stakeholders
to strike the right balance.
As we do so, it is imperative that we take action to
address the threat climate change poses to communities across
the United States, and in the West in particular, which is in
the throes of unprecedented drought and devastating wildfires.
We also face important questions when it comes to clean
energy and wildlife conservation, fishing and hunting, and
access to our public lands and heritage. How we address these
challenges will have far-reaching ramifications. I sit here
mindful that, if I have the privilege of being confirmed as
Assistant Secretary, I will dedicate myself fully to working
with this committee to meet those challenges.
The role of Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and
Budget requires me to be a leader. It will require me to guide
programs with national and international concern across bureaus
and offices, to lead an inclusive workforce to optimize the
mission of the Administration, and to spearhead budget
formulation, to make key decisions when it comes to priorities
and goals, and to ensure that the Department complies with
statutory and regulatory requirements.
For more than two decades, I have helped lead organizations
and developed the skills necessary to fulfill these functions.
As a senior leader at the Center for American Progress and the
Human Rights Campaign, I have been key in developing and
driving strategy. I have also had the honor of managing a large
number of driven, dynamic staff tackling a whole range of
issues, and I have exhibited steady leadership when it has come
to personnel and human resource challenges--challenges that
include addressing diversity and equity issues to ensure that
wherever I serve there is a workplace culture where employees
can thrive and grow.
At both of these organizations, I have also executed cross-
cutting personnel and policy efforts, managed complex budget
and financial projects, and collaborated with key stakeholders
often with differing perspectives.
I take pride in the fact that I have worked with Members of
Congress on both sides of the aisle to achieve results and make
progress. I have worked with organizations like the American
Enterprise Institute, the Chamber of Commerce, the Bipartisan
Policy Center, and the McCain Institute, to name a few. I also
have a strong record of success. And I say all of this is, that
I believe I have the experience and the acumen to take on this
role, and I am ready to get to work.
Thank you for inviting me to be in front of this committee
today. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my nomination.
I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Stachelberg follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Stachelberg. Now we will hear
from Dr. Berhe. Doctor, if you have someone you want to
introduce, you are more than welcome to.
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, Senator. I would like to acknowledge
my husband and my kids, who are virtually joining the event
today. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you.
STATEMENT OF DR. ASMERET ASEFAW BERHE, NOMINATED TO BE THE
DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Dr. Berhe. Chairman Manchin, Ranking Member Barrasso, and
members of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, thank
you for the opportunity to appear before you today. It is my
great honor to appear before this Committee as President
Biden's nominee for Director of the Office of Science at the
Department of Energy. I thank the President and Secretary
Granholm for trusting me to help lead the next chapter in the
great scientific success story of the Office of Science.
Allow me to acknowledge my family and friends whose love
and support I am fortunate to have, especially my husband,
Professor Teamrat Afewerki Ghezzehei, our children Essey and
Elilta, and my parents, Ghidei Woldeslassie Ketema and the late
Asefaw Berhe Hagos.
I was born in the horn of Africa, in Eritrea. I grew up in
a wonderful family with two great parents and role models who
not only were first-generation middle school graduates but also
received college degrees while working to support their
families and raising six kids. The fact that I am appearing in
front of you here today is a testament to the incredible power
of education to transform a person's life. My parents instilled
in me the value of education and respect for knowledge and
ignited my love of science and the natural environment. I am
now fortunate to be a professor at the University of
California, Merced, an institution with a genuine commitment
and demonstrated success in serving communities that have
historically been underserved.
I am an earth scientist and educator. I am passionate about
soil, the thin veil of loose material covering the land surface
that has an outsized role in regulating life as we know it.
Soil is the most complex biomaterial that we know of. It
regulates the earth's climate, it is home to the most abundant
and diverse forms of life on the earth system and is
foundational to human and national security. Because of the
complexity of soil, scientific investigations that seek to
unravel the physical, chemical, and biological processes that
take place in the soil system and the energy systems that
support said processes require advanced experimental,
observational, and computational tools and interdisciplinary
perspectives. This is why earth scientists, including me, have
had career-long ties to the Department of Energy, the national
labs, and the advanced facilities the Office of Science
manages.
As a soil and global change scientist who has studied and
worked in public institutions of higher learning, I have always
taken my responsibility to serve the public very seriously. I
believe publicly funded science and technology are critical for
inspiring the next generation of scholars. Scholars have a
responsibility to equitably serve the diverse communities of
taxpayers that make our scientific careers and love of
scientific research possible, and work to cultivate society's
trust in science.
I approach my nomination to serve as Director of the Office
of Science with the expertise of an earth system scientist that
works across and synthesizes knowledge from multiple scientific
areas and teams. The integrative systems perspective that I
would bring, if confirmed, is uniquely suited for this role,
especially for the current time when we need to urgently
address multiple issues that are critical for not just pushing
the frontiers of science but also to address the ongoing
climate emergency, the need for workforce development, and to
promote better understanding and trust in the scientific
process.
It is evident that no one person can be an expert in the
entirety of the wide-ranging portfolio of scientific endeavors
the Office of Science supports. My experience with scientific
investigations across multiple disciplines, covering spatial
scales ranging from the molecular to the global and processes
that occur from seconds to geologic timescales, is an asset as
we seek to address fundamental processes that hold the key for
the environmental, energy, and national security challenges of
our time.
It has never been more critical that we employ a systems
approach to support scientific endeavors that push the
frontiers of knowledge. The nation's response to the COVID-19
pandemic has clearly demonstrated what is possible when we
continue to fund basic science and then allow scientists from
across multiple fields to work in the most advanced scientific
facilities, including facilities the Office of Science manages,
to enable timely discoveries.
If I am confirmed, my vision for the Office of Science is
to ensure that I support and enable the Office's mission to
deliver scientific discoveries to transform our understanding
of nature and advance the energy, economic, and national
security of the United States. I am committed to fostering a
supportive scientific enterprise for staff and researchers from
across all fields to ensure that U.S. science and technology
remains pre-eminent, well-supported, at the cutting edge, and
continues to inspire and inform decisions in society.
If I am confirmed, I commit to you that I will provide
strong leadership for the Office of Science's mission.
Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you
today. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Berhe follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. Thank you. Thank you all for your statements.
I appreciate it very much. We are going to start with our
questions now. If you can, in your answers, try to be as direct
and brief as you can, so we are able to hear more and learn
more about you and have more dialogue. Thank you so much.
I will start the questioning. Dr. Richmond, the Department
of Energy Organization Act vests the Department's function in
the Secretary and gives her broad authority to delegate those
functions and organize the Department as she thinks best.
Secretary Moniz gave the Under Secretary of Science
responsibility not only for science but for most energy
programs including fossil energy, nuclear energy, energy
efficiency, renewable energy, and electricity. That was undone
in the last Administration and then reinstated in February,
before Secretary Granholm was confirmed.
So my question would be, have you discussed your portfolio
with Secretary Granholm? Will you oversee the Department's
energy programs, as well as its science programs?
Dr. Richmond. Thank you, Senator Manchin. It is indeed a
big task to take on, and I'm ready for it. I indeed have
discussed this with the Secretary. I understand what the role
is. I've had many briefings and am learning a lot but also
realize that my expertise that I have to address some of the
most important issues that are on the table, I'm ready to take
on. I must say, the nice thing about this particular position
is the integration of the science and applied research. I look
forward to that.
The Chairman. I would say, to follow up on that, do you
agree that your principal task, if confirmed, will be to foster
scientific discovery and technology innovation, and how do you
plan to go about that?
Dr. Richmond. Yes, absolutely. As I said, I have several
priorities, but one particular to that issue is to make sure
that as we go from discovery research to going all the way to
where we develop technologies and deploy them and also create
jobs, to help make that as seamless as possible. To break down
silos and make sure that we can work effectively--that is my
role, and I will take that on.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. Ms. Stachelberg. As I
mentioned in my opening remarks, the Assistant Secretary for
Policy, Management, and Budget has a very broad portfolio and
authority over more than two dozen different program offices
ranging from Native Hawaiians to natural resource revenues,
invasive species to wildland fires, and law enforcement to
hearings and appeals. No one can give equal attention to the
daily operations of all these offices. The Assistant Secretary
is aided by five deputies and, of course, individual offices'
directors, enabling the Assistant Secretary to focus on the
issues that need your attention most.
So where do you see yourself, if confirmed, focusing most
of your attention, and where do you think most of the attention
needs to be focused?
Ms. Stachelberg. Chairman Manchin, thank you so much for
that question. You are exactly right that the breadth of the
Assistant Secretary's portfolio is wide, and I'm looking
forward to getting to the Department, if I'm confirmed, to
tackle these challenges.
I see a couple of areas of focus to start out. I think one
of the first is really ensuring that the Department is fully
staffed. Really focusing on ensuring that the Department of the
Interior has the appropriate staff to address the challenges
that you mentioned.
A second priority area is the wildland fire program. We see
drought and severe fire, especially in the West. That seems to
be an area of what I'd like to spend increased attention on.
And then, finally, priorities that have to do with
management and budget--something I've been doing my entire
career. Working to address and develop and promulgate budgets.
I look forward to, if confirmed, working on those issues.
The Chairman. Thank you. Dr. Berhe, we passed the Energy
Act at the end of last year. It authorized over $35 billion to
invest in innovative energy solutions like CCUS, advanced
nuclear, renewables, and energy storage, just to name a few.
This was the first significant update to our energy policy in
13 years, and it was incredibly bipartisan, with close to 70
senators sponsoring or co-sponsoring pieces of legislation. In
addition, earlier this year, the Senate passed the Endless
Frontier Act, which will make additional funds available to the
Office of Science.
So how will you, if confirmed, ensure the additional sums
made available to the Office of Science are wisely spent to
fund the basic research and provide the greatest possible
return, in terms of scientific discoveries and technological
innovation?
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, Chairman Manchin. Let me start by
thanking the committee and the senators that work on both of
those acts--very important indeed.
I think it's extremely important that we are not just
working on--we're trying to innovate the newest technologies
and advance cleaner energy options, but as you stated, carbon
capture technology is an important part of that equation. I've
spent a big part of my life, in particular, on natural
solutions for carbon capture. But there are also a number of
engineered approaches there. I'm committed to making sure that
all those resources are spent wisely, to make sure that they
are helping us push again the frontiers of the science in this
area, but at the same time, see also a very smooth transition
to having these technologies applied and help address the
energy and climate-related challenge. And all of that's super
helpful.
I look forward to the opportunity to talk to you. Thank
you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Doctor. And now, Senator Barrasso,
for your questions.
Senator Barrasso. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
To the three of you, I'm sorry I have to ask the question of
all these nominees. But prior to this hearing, each of you has
sworn, under oath, that your answers to the committee's written
questionnaires are current, accurate, and complete. So would
each of you just please verbally affirm that your answers to
the questionnaire are current, accurate, and complete?
Dr. Richmond. Yes.
Ms. Stachelberg. Yes.
Dr. Berhe. Yes.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you. Have any of you ever
threatened the physical safety of federal officials verbally or
in writing?
Dr. Richmond. No.
Ms. Stachelberg. No.
Dr. Berhe. No.
Senator Barrasso. Have any of you ever been affiliated or
collaborated with an organization that uses violence against
fellow Americans?
Dr. Richmond. No.
Ms. Stachelberg. No.
Dr. Berhe. No.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you.
Ms. Stachelberg, I have a series of short questions for you
and since your job is at the Department of the Interior, you
quoted Henry David Thoreau, ``Walden''. It is during his
``Walden'' years he has written, ``I went to the woods because
I wished to be there deliberately''. So can tree spiking kill
or maim loggers, mill workers, and firefighters?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, thank you for your question. I'm
here to discuss my nomination and not anything about that. So I
don't understand the context----
Senator Barrasso. So can tree spiking kill or maim loggers,
mill workers, and firefighters? It is a simple yes or no
question.
Ms. Stachelberg. As a general matter, yes.
Senator Barrasso. Okay. And it is a crime on federal lands?
Ms. Stachelberg. Yes.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you. Individuals who are aware of
spiked trees, they should inform and cooperate with law
enforcement?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I certainly will cooperate with
law enforcement. Have done so----
Senator Barrasso. So somebody that was aware of that should
as well?
Ms. Stachelberg. If you're asking me the question about me
and how I would handle that, I will cooperate with law
enforcement, as I have done my entire life.
Senator Barrasso. Should individuals who disagree with
federal policies threaten the physical safety of federal
officials?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, if you're asking me the question
of whether I have ever done that, I have never threatened
federal officials or anyone else.
Senator Barrasso. Should individuals who plan or are
otherwise involved in tree spiking incidents and threaten the
physical safety of federal officials, should they expect to be
hired by the Department of the Interior, which you have been
nominated to?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, again, I'm here to discuss my
nomination for the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management,
and Budget and am interested in answering questions about my
nomination and my past actions and my vision for this position,
which is critically important. We have so many important
challenges, climate change being one of them. And I really look
forward to working with you and this committee in a bipartisan
fashion to address those issues.
Senator Barrasso. So you agree that tree spiking can kill
or maim loggers, mill workers, and firefighters?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, again, I really wish to address
questions that have to do with my portfolio and the challenging
job that I've been nominated for. And if I'm confirmed, I'd be
happy to work with you and others on the committee to address
those issues.
Senator Barrasso. Dr. Berhe, you clearly are a very well-
respected scientist. But your expertise is in soil science, not
physics or energy generation. This has led to some criticism of
your selection to head this specific office at the Department
of Energy. The majority of the Office of Science's research is
in areas of physics, high-performance computing. Do you have
any experience managing programs in these areas?
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, Senator, for your question. Yes, my
background is in soil science, biogeochemistry, and I'm an
earth system scientist. So I have not worked in the areas of
physics, but I assure you that if I were to be confirmed for
this position, no area of focus within the DOE's vast research
portfolio would be short-changed in any way.
As you know, these research priorities for DOE are set in--
with a very deliberate and thoughtful, you know, discussions
and consultation with Congress and the scientific community.
And I abide by those in making sure that the science remains
highly supported.
Senator Barrasso. So the Office of Science has an annual
budget of more than $7 billion. The Director of the Office
leads over 800 federal employees, oversees 10 national
laboratories with more than 26,000 employees. What kind of
management experience do you have that would prepare you for
this role?
Dr. Berhe. Thank you again, Senator. I'm an academic by
training and my areas of expertise have, so far, been in the
areas of academic research, science and technology, and
workforce development. So clearly this is a slightly different
approach, but my work so far in pushing not just the scientific
advances in multiple areas of research but also workforce
development and consultation with multiple national and
international efforts are well recognized. And I believe I
bring an earth systems sciences perspective that allows me to
expand and work on these important issues. Thank you.
Senator Barrasso. Ms. Stachelberg, you just talked about
working in a bipartisan way on climate change. In a 2016
interview with C-SPAN, you stated that Republicans are
``climate deniers''. Your statement, C-SPAN, all Republicans,
climate deniers. Do you stand by that characterization today?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I'm not familiar with that quote,
but I certainly have worked with Republicans and Democrats, not
just on climate change but a range of issues. And so, I have
worked in a bipartisan fashion and if I spoke about the
Republican Party, I may have been talking about particular
senators. But I have a career of working in a bipartisan
fashion and with organizations that I don't always see eye to
eye in.
I will say that the position for which I've been nominated
at the Department of the Interior is a different position from
the ones that I have held. Being a public servant is different
from being at an organization with ideological views, and I
understand that distinction.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Senator Cantwell.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Stachelberg,
if confirmed, you will have a key role in stewarding our public
lands. I want to ask you about the failed oil and gas sale
lease earlier this year and rights to drill in the Arctic
Wildlife Refuge. I say failed because you know that the lease
sale brought in a paltry $6 million to the Treasury. That is
0.67 percent of the $1.1 billion estimate that was used to
justify opening this pristine wildlife refuge in 2017. In fact,
the Trump Administration spent more on preparing for the failed
lease sale than what they raised.
So to me, they didn't count a lot of associated costs and
harms and impacts to communities. I understand that in the last
hour, the Department of the Interior announced they will
conduct a new environmental review of the Arctic Wildlife
Drilling program that will include consideration of greenhouse
gas impacts.
How do you think the newly announced environmental review
will help us get a more accurate cost for Arctic drilling?
Ms. Stachelberg. Thank you, Senator, for your question. I
am not familiar with the recently issued review. I will say
that your point does show the limited commercial benefits and
interest. I am not currently at the Department, but if I'm
confirmed, I look forward to working with you and others on the
committee and receiving a briefing on that really important
issue.
Senator Cantwell. But you do agree that you need accurate
cost and cost assessments?
Ms. Stachelberg. I absolutely believe that you need
accurate costs, and I look forward to working with you and
others at the Department of the Interior to assess and gather
those accurate costs.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you. Ms. Richmond, on the efforts
of our national labs and R&D, some people have already
mentioned USICA and our efforts to increase the R&D budget.
With the support of many of my colleagues, we were able to
authorize $17 billion in that. Do you support an increase in
funding for the Department of Energy?
Dr. Richmond. Thank you for that question, Senator
Cantwell. Yes.
Senator Cantwell. Okay. Do you support a doubling of DOE's
innovation budget? Or I guess I could broaden the question to
say, if we actually doubled that, we would see an additional
$40 billion. What kind of results do you think we could expect
from that kind of initiative? I am referring to a report that
was done by the National Academy of Sciences, the Bipartisan
Policy Group, and the Breakthrough Energy Institute on some of
the findings in that report about what we would then be able to
achieve.
Specifically, what I am after here is, the dynamics have
changed. This is not even really on my mind now, about carbon.
It is not. This is about what energy economies are you going to
chase? And if you do not do the R&D, we are going to fall
behind on these energy economies. In the rest of the world,
everybody has all decided. The consumer has decided. Other
countries have decided. Everybody is moving off of carbon.
So what are we going to do to chase those economies and
those solutions? Because if we do not, we are going to be
without a lot of jobs. The report characterized this very well.
What are you thinking--more investment on the R&D side would
help in doing this?
Dr. Richmond. Thank you, Senator Cantwell, for that really
important question. We are the envy of the world when it comes
to fundamental science and discovery science, and we have the
potential of falling behind if we don't continue to invest and
increase our investments in the basic sciences. That's where we
will continue to win if we continue to provide support for
them, at our DOE laboratories, in particular, and our
facilities. Our facilities have just been critical for many of
the advances that we have had in the past and that we need to
go forward. But we need funding for those facilities in
addition to our laboratories and our research scientist ran.
Now how could we make that change to where we really are
going to have an impact? I think we do it by funding these
activities, things like ARPA-E, our energy research centers
that are really working very hard to go from discovery to
technology and then further to deployment to create jobs. Those
kinds of programs and others that the Department of Energy is
launching, I think, are going to be game changers with regard
to the ability to get to the endpoint that we need to have.
We cannot lose this race. We cannot lose this race. So the
funding is critical to make sure that we can provide the
technologies that are the technologies of the future, to keep
jobs going, as we make the changes and advances in our energy
technologies.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you. Ms. Berhe, I will ask you a
question for the record, but it is a similar question, where
the economics just lose if we don't get it right, and that is
in that coastal region. It is 17 percent of U.S. land, but they
are more than half the population and wealth of our natural
resource economies. If we do not do good coastal zone
management, we are vulnerable to the seas and surges and
tsunamis, and understanding this, we are going to have a
problem. So I look forward to your work on soils and coastal
issues and getting an answer for the record.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, Senator.
The Chairman. Senator Lee.
Senator Lee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Stachelberg, we
will start with you. On March 22d of this year, you tweeted,
``Pass universal background checks and ban assault weapons and
high-capacity magazines. Deliver solutions and results. That's
what voters want.'' So it appears that you advocate banning
certain kinds of firearms and magazines. Let's start with the
firearms. Just, as briefly as you can, tell me what you define
as an assault weapon.
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I just want to start out by
saying, like President Biden, I believe we have too much gun
violence in this country.
Senator Lee. Sure, I get that. I am just wondering what you
define as an assault weapon, because you want to ban them. We
want to know what you mean by that.
Ms. Stachelberg. In my position at the Center for American
Progress, I hold certain positions. I have been nominated to be
the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget and
will follow the President's policies. I just also want to say
that I am a supporter of the Second Amendment to the
Constitution and believe that hunting, recreational shooting on
public lands should be followed.
Senator Lee. I get that. I appreciate all of that. We are
on a tight time constraint. I have only got a few minutes. So
just tell me what you mean by assault weapon. Something you
want to ban. I just want to know what you mean by that.
Ms. Stachelberg. You know, what I said, as a Center for
American Progress employee was to reduce gun violence, getting
assault weapons, AR-15s, out of the hands of people that
shouldn't have them. And I believe that gun violence is a
problem in this country, along with President Biden. But as I
said, I'm a believer in the Second Amendment----
Senator Lee. Okay. So you mentioned AR-15s. Any other type
of weapon you would want to ban? What do you define as the--as
the weapon you want to define? You have said assault weapons.
The only weapon you have mentioned so far is the AR-15. Is that
the only gun you want to ban?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I was speaking in a certain
context, as working at the Center for American Progress. That
is not the position that I've been nominated for now, and I
will follow the laws that are passed by Congress----
Senator Lee. Does the Second Amendment confer an individual
right to bear arms?
Ms. Stachelberg. Yes.
Senator Lee. Do you support the Department of the
Interior's current positions and policies allowing concealed
carry and allowing hunting on federal public lands subject, of
course, to compliance with state law?
Ms. Stachelberg. I will support all the laws of this land,
including those that you just mentioned, yes.
Senator Lee. Now, the wild horse and burro program has been
struggling for years to bring herds to appropriate management
levels. This has led to a massive humanitarian concern and
immense suffering among our equine friends that are part of
this program.
How do you believe we can better use fertility treatments
to get us to sustainable levels on the range?
Ms. Stachelberg. Wild horses and burros populations, as you
know, can double in size. It is a difficult issue because it
puts stresses on landscapes and other species, and I am
committed to humane treatment and understand that the
Administration has proposed an increase in the budget to
address this issue. And if I am confirmed, Senator, I look
forward to working with you and others on this committee, to
address this issue.
Senator Lee. Thank you. I appreciate that. Now, the
President has stated his strong support for extending federal
recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Can you tell
me why the Administration supports the Lumbee recognition when
they have not proceeded through the Office of Federal
Acknowledgment?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I'm not familiar with that
particular example. I would like to learn more about that,
spend some time learning about that issue.
Senator Lee. Okay. I ask about this because the Obama-era
updates to regulations governing federal acknowledgment of
Tribal entities significantly eased requirements for
petitioning for these groups. Do you feel like they should be
eased further to facilitate acknowledgement of groups like the
Lumbee?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, recognition of Tribes is
incredibly important. I know it is a priority of this
Administration and of Secretary Haaland. I'm not currently at
the Department, but if I am confirmed, I look forward to
working with you and others on this committee to ensure that we
have proper recognition of Tribes and have really enhanced the
sacred trust that we have with Native Americans.
Senator Lee. The Endangered Species Act is also something
that plays a significant role in the operation of the
Department of the the Interior. The Endangered Species Act has
often been interpreted and applied in ways that have prevented
forest management activities of the sort that are necessary to
reduce the risk of wildfire and, ironically, this in turn,
presented greater threats to wildlife.
Unfortunately, when forests are not managed, they can
become more dangerous for the endangered species that exist
there. How do you think we can better implement forest
management to prevent wildfires and protect species?
Ms. Stachelberg. I just want to say, at the outset, I want
to note that I don't believe that there's a choice. I think
it's a false choice between wildfire and the economy and
species. I do want to work with you and others on the committee
to ensure that the Endangered Species Act is implemented
correctly. I think it's been a success. We just have to look at
the bald eagle, or the American alligator to ensure that.
As I noted in my opening, wildfires are a growing problem
with severe drought and the prevalence of them. I look forward
to working with this committee to ensure that we address not
just endangered species, but our forests as well. I was
heartened to see in the bipartisan infrastructure deal, as it's
been reported, that there is money for additional support for
wildland fires. I'm looking forward to, if I'm confirmed,
working at the Department to bring those disparate and often
distinct bureaus and divisions at the Department of the
Interior together to address not just endangered species but
forest management.
One of the things that I've done throughout my career is
work with local stakeholders to ensure that we come up with
solutions that are durable. I think forest management,
wildfires, and endangered species, and addressing those
challenges are among the things that will require that kind of
ability to bring different stakeholders from the local level--
from private landowners to ranchers to farmers and others.
Senator Lee. Thank you. I see my time has expired. I agree
with you that the Endangered Species Act has, in many ways,
been a success to those species, and to those humans whose
habitats have been destroyed through mismanagement and
misapplication of the Act. When we can see harm coming, fuel
building up and a refusal to treat them, that is less than a
success and I look forward to working with anyone within the
Department who can help address that.
Thank you.
Senator Barrasso [presiding]. Senator Heinrich.
Senator Heinrich. Thank you, Ranking Member Barrasso.
Ranking Member Barrasso, I have a letter here supporting Ms.
Stachelberg's nomination that I would like to ask unanimous
consent to enter into the record. It is signed by groups
ranging from the American Sportfishing Association to the
Archery Trade Association to the Hispanic Access Foundation,
the Mule Deer Foundation, Outdoor Industry Association, and
dozens and dozens of additional stakeholders in our public
lands.
Senator Barrasso. Without objection.
[The letter referred to follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Heinrich. Ms. Stachelberg, one of the proudest
moments that I have certainly had on this committee was passage
of the Great American Outdoors Act. That Act provided
guaranteed funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and
to fix public lands infrastructure that has fallen into
disrepair.
If confirmed, are you committed to fully utilizing those
funds in each and every Department of the Interior budget
request?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, thank you for the question. Yes,
I am committed to doing so. I think that the bipartisan passage
of the Great American Outdoors Act was a crowning achievement
last year. It is certainly one of the priorities of the
Secretary--effective implementation of the law.
The goal to meet the intent of Congress and reduce
maintenance is a terribly important component of Congressional
intent. If I am confirmed, I look forward to working with you
and others on this committee, ensuring that maintenance
projects are taken care of, the backlog is reduced, and that
the bureaus and divisions charged with deferred maintenance
have the appropriate resources, in order to do their jobs.
Senator Heinrich. I appreciate that very much, and I would
just point out, it is also an incredible opportunity for the
Administration to use something we did last year to build back
better. It is an enormous economic opportunity for the
investments in that infrastructure.
Dr. Richmond, in 2018 you oversaw the advisory body that
put together that year's edition of Science and Engineering
indicators. That is a biannual Congressionally mandated report
that provides authoritative statistics on the status of science
in the United States.
According to an American Institute of Physics article
published at the time, you expressed concern about U.S. R&D
policies, saying that inadequate funding levels for R&D, ``Will
continue to erode ability to be competitive to the level that
you see other countries rising, such as China''.
Talk to me about where you see American R&D today, what has
changed, and what has not, and where your concerns are.
Dr. Richmond. Thank you, Senator, for that question. This
is important and this is timely. The way I've seen us, since
2018--the numbers that came out in 2018, with regard to,
basically, China starting to eclipse our capabilities was
frightening, is frightening, especially when we think of
ourselves as being a leader in the science and engineering
enterprise. Looking at the funding that China is pumping into
their technology and research is incredible.
But you know, money is not the only thing. It's talent and
it's our facilities and our laboratories. I worried then, and I
still worry today that, do we have the funding that we need to
keep our laboratories, keep our research groups going, that we
really need to make this competitive edge?
Where we are ahead, currently, today and hopefully for the
future, too, really is in the basic fundamental science. We are
the leader, especially in the physical sciences, in materials,
in a number of different areas that I could name. We cannot
lose that.
Now, we can spend our time looking over our shoulder,
worrying about China. Instead, we need to look forward, like in
a race, and say, let's be as innovative as we possibly can. Get
our scientists onboard to be able to make the kind of changes
that we need in order to stay ahead and be innovators. I
believe if we can do that we will continue to be the leader in
the world. But there are threats. There certainly are threats
that are worrisome.
Senator Heinrich. I think you articulated that very well.
Dr. Berhe, congratulations on your nomination. You are a soil
scientist, and well-known for your climate-related research on
soil carbon sequestration, which is becoming more and more
recognized and relevant by the moment. I think that is a great
background to run the Office of Science.
Since the 1950's, actually, the Office of Science has made
major contributions to our understanding of environmental and
earth systems science research. For example, it was behind the
earliest research on atmospheric and ocean circulation that
eventually became the climate and earth system models that we
utilize and depend on so much today.
As you know, the President's budget requested a 10 percent
increase for biological and environmental research at the
Office of Science. Can you talk to us a little bit about what
some of the vital but underfunded initiatives are that you
might champion, if confirmed for this position?
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, Senator. Yes, as you stated, soil
carbon sequestration is an important area and an area that has
been a strong focus of BER and Office of Science activities, in
general. I think there's a number of activities that could
benefit with an increase in budget for the BER program, in
particular, having to do with climate change responses, in
particular, thinking about reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
for example, through a number of approaches.
But as are also genome-enabled research and biology, a
synthetic biology of multiple different areas that have only
risen in prominence over the last several decades and have
become even more important. You know, the facilities that
enable that kind of research, too, as we've seen with COVID and
the national research efforts that coordinated to understand
the dynamics of that--you know, how the viruses were changing
and how to even tackle that important issue.
So there are vast areas of research that have already been
set as priority areas for BER that would benefit and a number
that could be added to that list with an increase in budget.
And I appreciate your effort, and others, in helping see an
increase in budget for those really important programs.
Thank you, Senator.
Senator Heinrich. Thank you, Doctor.
The Chairman. Senator Lankford.
Senator Lankford. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank all of you
for going through the process and to be able to go through
these questions and issues.
Ms. Stachelberg, let me ask a question. What are your
thoughts about Congress having the authority to determine the
scope and authority of federal agencies? Does Congress have the
authority to determine the scope and the task on federal
agencies?
Ms. Stachelberg. If I understand your question, Senator, I
think that Congress, working with other entities, has the
ability to pass laws and--if that's what you're asking me----
Senator Lankford. Sure, yes, just trying to figure out, I
guess, just more of a constitutional question of who sets the
parameters for agencies? Can agencies decide what they want to
do or are those parameters set by Congress?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I've been nominated for the
position of Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and
Budget and----
Senator Lankford. Yes, but dealing with policy, yes.
Ms. Stachelberg [continuing]. And will absolutely be
dealing with policy. Looking forward to working with you and
others on this committee. I think that's outside the scope of
what I will be doing on a day-to-day basis. I know the one
thing that I will do is that I will follow the regulations and
the rules and the laws and work to implement the policies of
the Secretary and the President.
Senator Lankford. That's great. I ask--in 2016, you wrote,
at one point, ``In the face of persistent inaction in Congress
to close the gaps in the nation's gun laws that leave many
communities vulnerable to near daily gun violence, today's
comments and actions demonstrate this Administration's
continued commitment to taking a comprehensive approach to
addressing this public health crisis.'' Okay, no issue there.
Then, the next statement is, ``Center for American Progress is
eager to continue working with leaders across the country to
follow the President's example and explore opportunities to
take action now, without waiting for recalcitrant
legislature''. That is one.
In 2013, you wrote, ``There are more than a dozen
appropriation riders passed each year, typically without any
discussion or debate, which significantly limit the Federal
Government's ability to regulate the firearms industry.
Congress has interfered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms and Explosives' ability to fulfill its mission by
enacting riders to the appropriation bills that dilute its
power over licensed gun dealers.''
So the reason I ask is, it is a philosophical question but
it is a practical effect, to try to figure out just your
perspective on whether Congress has the authority, for
instance, to give instructions through legislation that's
appropriation riders, is legislation to give instruction to the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives to be
able to deal with what they can do and cannot do, or to be able
to deal with firearms, or if agencies or entities, or your
office in the future, in dealing with firearms policy on
Department of the Interior lands. For instance, what that's
going to look like, how wide is that latitude, or is that set
by Congress?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I look forward to working with
you on further addressing this question but let me zoom out for
just one moment and say that, absolutely, Congress passes laws
and works with agencies. As you know, the Executive Branch has
the ability to pass regulations. One of the things that I'm
looking forward to, if I'm confirmed, is working with Congress
to achieve policies that address climate change, affect
conservation of our public lands, and that's the job that I'm,
before you now, seeking to talk about.
And so, if you're asking me whether agencies have latitude
to issue regulations and Congress has latitude to pass laws and
write appropriations riders, absolutely both of them are true.
Senator Lankford. Yes, to me it is more of a philosophical
conversation, trying to figure out what kind of relationship we
would have because, constitutionally, Congress obviously writes
the laws. Regulations are created that have to be consistent
with those laws. A regulator cannot just create regulations
outside of the scope of what law is already there. And so, what
I am trying to figure out is, when you write things like, ``a
recalcitrant Congress is not doing it, and so, the
Administration's going to do it'', or that appropriation riders
are limiting the actions of an agency and what they want to do,
I am trying to figure out a philosophical basis on this.
I do want to drill down one other issue, as well. You
mentioned about the success of the Endangered Species Act.
There are some species that have recovered on that, but if I
remember correctly, it is about two percent of the species that
have actually graduated out of being listed in the Endangered
Species Act.
It has been a challenge for us, in Oklahoma. For instance,
we are dealing with the lesser prairie chicken on the western
side of our state. We have done a lot of voluntary cooperation.
Our farmers and ranchers and commercial entities have done a
lot of work and when the agency steps in and says, ``Thanks for
all your work on this but now we're going to take it from
here'', it diminishes some of that.
So we do have some work to be able to do to actually have
the Endangered Species Act actually be successful, because I do
not see a two percent graduation rate as successful. So there
are some things that we still need to be able to do to try to
recover these species and graduate them off.
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, if I just might comment. If I'm
confirmed, I look forward to coming to Oklahoma and learning
more about it. I think the partnership of ranchers and farmers
and local communities and engaged stakeholders is essential,
not just for the successful implementation of the Endangered
Species Act, but for all the laws and policies that are
promulgated by the Department of the Interior. If I'm
confirmed, I hope I'll be able to work further with you and
your staff on that issue.
Senator Lankford. Great, thank you. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Lankford. Senator
Hickenlooper.
Senator Hickenlooper. Great, thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank
all of you, not just for being here today, but for your public
service. I tremendously appreciate it.
Dr. Berhe, I saw that you went and you got a Ph.D. in
biogeochemistry. I want to just publicly salute you for that,
because that has to be one of the great interconnections of
science which, I think, if you look at where cutting-edge
research is today, so much of it is taking place at a nexus
like that. I have a master's in geology, but it would be
considered primitive from anything that you have studied. I
know that Berkeley is one of the top schools in the country. So
again, to have dealt with what you did, what your family did,
to come here and to achieve that is really remarkable.
I wanted to ask you, looking at just direct capture, nature
affords us a multitude of ways of capturing carbon and storing
carbon. How do you think about funding that research and
supporting entrepreneurs whose natural carbon removal
technology, perhaps, does not get to the market for 5 or 10
years, as opposed to being there already? I would also love if
you could provide some examples from the soil carbon and
mineral sequestration. I do not even know what blue carbon is,
but one of my staff dug that up. Anyway, give us a quick answer
on that.
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, Senator, and I appreciate your
comments. Biogeochemistry is, as you said, a very
interdisciplinary area. But as, again, you correctly said, we
have to think in those interdisciplinary perspectives if we are
going to, kind of, keep pushing the frontiers of the science.
And I'm a huge fan of geology, obviously, so thank you.
Yes, just to address your question, nature, indeed, is one
of our best allies in addressing the climate challenge. There
are multiple solutions available. This is the area of research
where I've spent a considerable part of my career. There are
multiple areas where we are able to actually take out carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere, for example, and store it in more
slower cycling pools in soil. And doing so, in soil and other
natural environments--in blue carbon even--becomes an important
issue, as in carbon in oceans and ocean sediment--and in the
ocean system and marine systems and aquatic systems in general.
All of those are options that are incredible, available.
And you know, keep in mind that the way we have used natural
resources, historically, has caused a lot of carbon to be
released from the natural ecosystems into the atmosphere. But
we can, at least, reverse some of that and actually use natural
ecosystems to sequester a significant amount of carbon from
the--and take it out. So drill down from the atmosphere and
reduce the atmospheric burden of greenhouse gases.
This is a thriving area of research and also a thriving
area that is of interest to businesses and land managers across
the board. And I think, you know, I agree with you that
sometimes research can be little slow, but this is in one area
where the technology transfer and the partnerships between
science and industry is moving at a really fast pace. And I
think everything we could do to help in that respect, from the
scientific standpoint, could only help address these incredible
climate challenges that we have in front of us.
Senator Hickenloooper. It is an exciting time. I think you
are going to be the right person in the right place.
I am not sure I am going to get to you, Dr. Richmond, but
trust me, I am so impressed with all that you have done. I saw
that you taught for five years at Bryn Mawr where my----
Dr. Richmond. I did.
Senator Hickenlooper [continuing]. My great-aunt went and
so, I am a huge fan of that institution.
Ms. Stachelberg, I want to just put in a plug and ask your
opinion. So often when science is occurring and research is
occurring, some of the most important work is done by the
people that are not scientists and those who are able to keep
an enterprise on budget and on task, and obviously, you have
done that in number of different arenas. Is that somehow--
describe just briefly, I have used up too much of my time--that
ability. How do you see that helping in the Department of the
Interior and the role you are proposed for?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, thank you for that question and I
will be brief. That is what is exciting about the Assistant
Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget. I've spent my
career working to ensure that teams have the support they need,
the budgets they need, the direction that they need, providing
strategic guidance and leadership to teams and bureaus and
divisions. And that's what I've done throughout my career.
If I'm confirmed, I look forward to doing it, not just with
scientists, not just with climate experts, not just with
firefighters, not just with those who work on water and mines
and Native Americans but with all of the Department assets to
ensure that we conserve our public lands, that we ensure that
we have an outdoor economy that is creating jobs and working
for all of us.
It's the kind of work that I like to do--bringing disparate
people together, working across the aisle. If I'm confirmed, I
look forward to working with you and others on this committee,
to ensure that the Department is moving in the right direction.
Senator Hickenlooper. Great, and I have firsthand
experience of the sensitivity of scientists that is probably
only matched by the sensitivity of Senators. Anyway, I yield my
time--or, my lack of time--to the Chair.
The Chairman. We are not that sensitive, sir.
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. We have Senator Marshall at this time.
Senator Marshall. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
congratulations to our nominees.
My first question is for Dr. Richmond. Dr. Richmond, the
Big 12 is one of the most storied conferences in the history of
our nation. It is known for its academic excellence and,
obviously, the strongest basketball conference in the history
of this nation for the last 10 years, and a top three football
program as well. Let's assume that Texas and Oklahoma leave and
Oklahoma State, for my colleague from Oklahoma, that they are
out of the conference. If Kansas State was playing West
Virginia, (a) who would you root for?
[Laughter.]
Senator Marshall. And (b) can you think of a funner place
to be than a Kansas State-West Virginia football game?
Dr. Richmond. I'd probably be watching the Ducks.
[Laughter.]
Dr. Richmond. How can I win by answering that correctly?
The Chairman. Good one--that was a good answer. Good
answer.
Senator Marshall. Well, great answer. No, I--certainly from
one Wildcat to another, the--what did Senator Roberts say? The
ever-fighting, mighty Wildcats. Welcome and congratulations.
Dr. Richmond. Thank you.
Senator Marshall. Let's talk about something really
important to Kansas, and that is biofuels--and I think
important to the environmental footprint of this nation. What
do you see for the opportunities for biofuels, and
specifically, renewable diesel and biodiesel?
Dr. Richmond. Well, thank you for that question, Senator
Marshall. Let me just start by saying, on our farm, in the
early morning years and years ago, my father got up every
morning and shoveled coal into the furnace to get our house
warm. And now, I know that there's a nuclear plant in Kansas
that's providing 800,000 people with energy. What a transition
that's made.
Senator Marshall. Eighteen percent of our energy comes from
that nuclear plant.
Dr. Richmond. It's amazing. It's amazing. And so
transitions can happen, and transitions can certainly happen.
We can make much more progress in the bioenergy sphere. But
again, it takes what's--we just have to make sure that we are
doing the best research that we can, getting at tech
technology, and getting it further. That, and any of the other
fossil fuels, on all of these--we cannot give up on any of
these fuels at all, because we need them to drive our economy.
That said, we also need to make sure that we reduce our
greenhouse gases and make sure that everything is--the
emissions can be--not be detrimental to the climate, as they
are right now.
And so all of these energy sources, it's important for us
to go forward. And nuclear, of course, in the respect of
emissions is a good resource. But we have to work hard on the
carbon capture in other ways, too, in order to reduce the
greenhouse emissions.
Senator Marshall. So I am excited to hear you talk about
taking traditional energy and making it cleaner. That is a
great start.
What would the impact of year-round E15 have in this
country, as well as the rest of the world?
Dr. Richmond. You mean in terms of what would--if we make
advances in these areas, how would it----
Senator Marshall. If we were using E15 year-round, what
impact would it have on tailpipe emissions?
Dr. Richmond. Could you explain to me what E15 is? I'm
sorry.
Senator Marshall. It is an ethanol blend.
Dr. Richmond. Oh, oh, of course.
Senator Marshall. Of 15 percent.
Dr. Richmond. With ethanol. Well, I think--listen, I think
it's important for us to show that this is a very powerful way
to generate energy for cars. Sorry, I didn't know it was called
that. But on the other hand, it does give a message to the
world and helps us with regard to being able to export and do
issues in this area too. It's important. We just have to work
some details out.
Senator Marshall. Okay, thank you.
Dr. Berhe, let's talk about soil carbon sequestration, just
for a second. Certainly, I'm excited about those opportunities.
You know, the same farmers that took 10 bushels-of-wheat land
and turned it into 70 bushels-an-acre land could develop
something at Kansas State University to be used in the ocean.
We're taking plankton and teaching it how to absorb more
carbon, which is simply photosynthesis, where we would farm the
carbon in the ocean--the plankton in the ocean, as well.
What do you see on the horizon? What are the opportunities
for soil carbon sequestration? And please don't talk about no-
till farming or cover crops, which we have been doing on our
farm in Kansas for 25 years. What is out there? What is the
vision? What does the future look like to you?
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, Senator, for that important question.
Yes, this is an area that I'm very, very passionate about and,
in addition to the really great options that are on the table,
some of which you mentioned, I think we have an incredible
amount of opportunity in front of us when it comes to working
with land managers to improve soil health, which is beneficial
for improving their productivity. But at the same time, it
builds up carbon in soil and takes it out of the atmosphere and
builds up in soil.
Some of the most promising technologies out there, and
approaches, include, for example, bioenergy crops that
sometimes tend to be perennial and also have deep rooting
systems that are critical for carbon sequestration. But we also
have to bring into the mix, to a larger extent, how we can use
carbon that is currently in waste streams and bring it back
into the soil, which also comes with additional nutrients. And
I'm talking about animal manure, animal waste in general, as
well as even sometimes human and municipal waste, in the form
of biosolids, that is now being tried across the board as an
option for improving soil health, soil carbon sequestration and
thereby improving activity of agricultural and working lands in
general.
I think there are a number of these options. In particular,
ones that have to do with options that allow us to use waste
and reroute waste and use it as a resource. Options that allow
us to store carbon in deep soils, in particular, with deeper
rooted, in particular, perennials. All of these and many, many
more. This is a very exciting area for this field, as you can
imagine. And I'm very passionate and excited about the
opportunities to work with land managers and all sorts of
stakeholders in this area because this is something that is
happening, and I think we need to figure out a way to make sure
that we're helping all of those that are doing the good work in
this area.
Thank you, I appreciate----
Senator Marshall. Thank you so much. Chairman, I yield
back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator. Senator Hirono.
Senator Hirono. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I ask all nominees
on any of the committees on which I sit the following two
initial questions. I would like to ask all of you this en
masse. Since you became a legal adult, have you ever made
unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or
physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature?
Dr. Richmond. No.
Dr. Berhe. No.
Ms. Stachelberg. No.
Senator Hirono. Have you ever faced discipline or entered
into a settlement related to this kind of conduct?
Dr. Richmond. No.
Dr. Berhe. No.
Ms. Stachelberg. No.
Senator Hirono. Dr. Berhe, I was very interested to learn
of the work that you did with the ADVANCEGeo partnership that
focuses on empowering geoscientists to respond to and prevent
sexual harassment, discrimination, and bullying in research
workplaces. This is an area of concern to me as we talk about
our country's ability to compete, especially in the STEM areas
where women and minorities drop out of these fields in droves.
Your work in preventing sexual harassment and these kinds of
workplace issues is really interesting to me.
So Dr. Berhe, what have you learned working on the
partnership, and how would you apply that learning in leading
the Office of Science?
Dr. Berhe. Thank you very much, Senator. You're right. This
is a really important area if we're going to continue to
maintain a very competitive and successful, scientific
workforce. Ensuring the welfare of that workforce and ensuring
that people from all walks of life can enter science and
succeed in the scientific workforce is a really important goal.
It's been a goal of mine in my entire professional career.
In particular, what we've done in the ADVANCEGeo
partnership--which is, as you know, an NSF-funded effort--is to
make sure that we're empowering scientists to address these
issues and prevent them from happening in the first place.
Create workplace cultures that actually limit the occurrence of
these incidents. You know, we have legal mechanisms to address
them after the fact, but I personally believe that's a little
too late a time to address them.
So we could actually use a community model, a community
building approach, where we're empowering scientists to work
together to establish a culture where everyone that enters our
academic institutions deserves to just be able to focus on
their work, in peace, without any kind of exclusionary
behavior. And that if we establish these shared goals and learn
about what's right and what's not right ahead of time, I think
we could do a lot of good. And that's one of the most important
lessons that has come out of the ADVANCEGeo project.
Obviously, the ADVANCEGeo project was focused on very
different kinds of institutions--in particular, universities.
Not necessarily the Office of Science type of scale, even
though Office of Science funds universities, obviously. But I
think there are important lessons of community building and
partnerships that would allow us to prevent things.
Senator Hirono. And are these lessons learned things that
you will apply, heading up the Office of Science? Because I
agree with you that prevention and education and awareness and
creating an environment where these kinds of behaviors get
reported and dealt with is really important. So I assume that
you will implement or institute these kinds of practices----
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, again, Senator.
Senator Hirono [continuing]. In your new position, should
you be confirmed.
Dr. Berhe. Yes, I'm looking forward to working with the
leadership at DOE and the national labs and learning about what
kinds of things are occurring right now in that space and
sharing things we've learned from the AdvanceGeo and other
opportunities.
Senator Hirono. I am going to be interested in continuing a
dialogue with you in these areas.
I am running out of time, but I just wanted to mention to
Ms. Stachelberg the important role that the Department of the
Interior plays in serving indigenous communities, including our
Native Hawaiian community. So I certainly look forward to
speaking with you about this in more detail during a future
discussion.
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I look forward to that, if I'm
confirmed. Thank you.
Senator Hirono. Dr. Richmond, maintaining a culture of
scientific integrity within DOE's Office of Science is
critically important. What steps will you take to support DOE's
scientists and foster scientific communication with the public?
Dr. Richmond. Thank you very much for that question. It's
really important and also timely, Senator. My role, if
confirmed, would be to ensure that the leadership sends the
message strongly, down and out, that scientific integrity is
our priority.
As a scientist, we have ways in terms of the research that
we do, making certain that it is valid, reproducible, and comes
to the appropriate conclusions based on the data. We have
checks and balances that are there in order to ensure that the
best science gets out and gets very visible as long as we're
sticking with the data.
But it goes beyond that with regard to being able to
enter--to have the public trust us, with regard to whether they
believe what we are saying is important and the priorities that
we are setting. And therefore, it's important that we use data
that has the integrity that allows us to make the important
points to move the needle on some of the important issues that
we have in technology and also energy workforce development.
So I can assure you that that would be a top priority for
me and working with the Secretary to ensure that scientific
integrity is operative at all levels and also that we provide
the public and the taxpayers the knowledge that that's the way
we operate.
Thank you for that question.
Senator Hirono. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, if you don't
mind--I am glad that you mentioned the need to restore the
public's trust in science and facts as a way to make decisions
because there are major concerns that I have as to whether or
not we do have a public that relies on facts and science for
decision-making.
Thank you.
Dr. Richmond. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator. Senator King, by virtual.
Senator King. Mr. Chairman----
The Chairman. Oh, I am sorry. Senator King, I am so sorry.
I missed our good friend, way up in Alaska. I missed her. I did
not see her over there in Alaska. Senator Murkowski, I am so
sorry.
Senator King. I am delighted to defer to the Senator from
Alaska.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you.
The Chairman. And then, Senator King, you will be next.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. I am sorry.
Senator Murkowski. No, no, no, I appreciate that. I thank
you for your willingness to come before the committee today and
answer some questions.
First, this is a question, I think, to both Dr. Richmond
and to you, Dr. Berhe. I have been paying very close attention
to the Arctic Energy Office. This is going to be playing an
ever-increasing role in our nation's national security policy,
as the Arctic becomes, certainly, a focal point when we look to
geopolitics, but also, certainly in the climate space and
initiatives, as well.
So Dr. Richmond, Dr. Berhe, I would ask for a commitment
from both of you today that, if you're confirmed, you will
collaborate closely with the Arctic Energy Office, promote
Arctic-related science issues in your positions, and ensure
that the AEO retains its independence and its cross-cutting
nature. I would like to know that you are going to be
supporting that moving forward.
Dr. Richmond. Yes, Senator Murkowski, this is an incredibly
important issue, not just for Alaskans, but for the country. We
stay involved in many of the things having to do with
microgrids, and so forth, that you have in Alaska that can be
really cross-cutting and also very forward-looking, as we go
forward, in addition to all the other EERE activities we have
in Alaska.
You have a spectacular state, but you also have a
spectacular opportunity to really lead the country in many of
these areas. So yes.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you for acknowledging that. We do
have a role that goes far beyond the boundaries of the State of
Alaska, and it is very global. So we appreciate that. And my
friend, Senator King, who deferred to me, knows that well, as
the Co-Chair of the Arctic Conference.
Dr. Berhe, your views, please.
Dr. Berhe. Yes, Senator. You have my commitment. The Arctic
is an important area for many reasons, including the beauty and
the majestic environments. And you have my commitment that
these are very, very important areas that I would be--look
forward to talking to you and your staff and working with all
the stakeholders on these important issues.
Senator Murkowski. Yes, I would appreciate that. In
addition to great beauty, we have really, really smart and
innovative people. So tap into those.
Dr. Berhe. Yes, I know that.
Senator Murkowski. Question for you, Ms. Stachelberg. The
Office of Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and
Budget obviously plays a key role in the management of our
nation's resources, including the collecting, the accounting,
and the distribution of revenues from energy and mineral
leases. Whether it is on our federal lands or on our Tribal
lands, so many of our rural communities rely on these
disbursements from the Department for everything from schools
to community services. Many of these revenues go to pay for
many of the conservation programs that have very broad,
bipartisan support here.
I know that you have not been at the Department. You
probably have some limited insight in the current
Administration's oil and gas lease pause. But you are here as
the nominee for the Chief Financial Officer for the Department.
In that prospective role, do you think that it is prudent to
put a pause on one of the main drivers of revenue for the
Department while the Administration is proposing a massive
spending increase for the Department?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, thank you for your question, and
it's good to see you again. I'm not confirmed yet, as you know.
We've had conversations before about the incredible opportunity
that the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget
has in working with the career staff--incredible staff--in
Alaska, and if I'm confirmed, I look forward to doing that.
I am nominated by the President and follow the policies of
the President, Secretary Haaland, and those are their policies
and I plan to follow those.
Senator Murkowski. Well, it is just--again, I am asking
from the perspective of the financial management--fiscal
management, here, and it just seems a bit incongruous that you
would be limiting--clearly limiting the ability of receiving
these revenues that are so key to some of, not only the
Administration's priorities, but I think, priorities here in
Congress.
One last, quick question for you. As you know, I am the
Senior Republican on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.
I am very familiar with the Department of the Interior's
budget. The President's budget includes $17.6 billion for the
Department this year. It is a big job. It is an extraordinarily
diverse Department, if you will, in terms budget areas. So very
quickly, what is your experience with developing and
implementing large budgets and your familiarity with the
Department's annual budget process?
Ms. Stachelberg. I am familiar with the Department's budget
process. One of the reasons why I am eager to be confirmed is
not only to work with this committee on so many of the issues,
but to begin to work on the Fiscal Year budget and work with
you on the issues that you have.
I've spent two and a half decades working on budgets,
finances, doing cross-cutting work at complex, large
organizations. I have the skills to bring people together.
I think one of the interesting and unique roles that the
Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget plays at
the Department of the Interior is to bring sometimes competing,
sometimes conflicting, views together, whether it's on budget,
whether it's on management. Listening to Members of Congress on
both sides of the aisle, listening to perspectives from people
from Alaska--and we'll hear from Maine. Those are the kinds of
things that I have done. As I think Senator Collins might have
said to you, I have a track record of working across the aisle,
working with diverse people. And one of the jobs of the
Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget is to be
one of those liaisons with respect to appropriations and
budget.
I believe I have the skills, the temperament, and I'm
eager, if confirmed, to work with you and others on this
committee to ensure that the Department of the Interior's
budget, the programs that it runs--conservation, climate,
Western water, fire and land management--are all taken care of
and that the departments and bureaus and divisions have the
appropriate resources they need to do their jobs.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you for the response. Thank you,
Mr. Chairman, and thank you to Senator King.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator. And now, Senator King.
Senator King. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Dr. Richmond, we have mentioned the subject of climate
change several times. I am haunted by the experience of England
between the World Wars, particularly in the 1930's. Winston
Churchill wrote his first volume of the history of World War II
called, ``The Gathering Storm'', which was about the period of
the 1930's, when English politicians essentially denied, or
ignored, the growing threat from a militarizing Germany.
I wonder how we are going to be viewed 20 years from now,
in terms of the threat of climate change. This summer has
really brought it into stark focus, with wildfires earlier than
ever, larger-than-ever drought, and the excessive heat in the
Northwest. If ever we are getting a warning, it is now. Yet we
are still sort of arguing about it and moving forward, and we
are taking steps in various bills and legislation.
But do you share my sense of urgency about this and that
when the history of this period is read, I want to be Winston
Churchill, not Neville Chamberlain. Can we do more, and should
we do more?
Dr. Richmond. Thank you, Senator King, for that really
important question. You mentioned that, will we look back after
30 years and wonder if we made the wrong decision? I'd say
that's closer to 20, maybe 15. This is urgent. We have to take
action now. And the Department of Energy has to be the leader
in taking those initiatives that will make us not regret that
we did nothing for the now, and the next even five or six
years, whatever it is.
And I assure you that that will be, if confirmed, a top
priority of mine to basically save the planet. To do the
technologies that we need to save the planet for ourselves, but
also our children. Thank you.
Senator King. Well, a young Harvard senior in 1940 wrote
his thesis called, ``While England Slept''. That was, of
course, John F. Kennedy, and I do not want somebody writing a
book, you know, called ``While America Slept'' or ``While the
World Slept''. We went into this really extraordinary crisis,
the likes of which I do not think we have seen. So I look
forward to working with you on that.
I want to ask you a somewhat difficult question, but it
gets at some of the questions we have had today. There have
been questions raised about Dr. Berhe's experience and
administrative experience. You are going to be the Under
Secretary for Science. She is going to be the Director of the
Office of Science. Do you have confidence in her ability to
manage that office and to lead that office, in terms of the
important scientific research that we must do?
Dr. Richmond. Yes, I am fully confident that she will be
capable of fulfilling the duties of that position, and I look
forward to working with her to see if there is any way I can
continue to support the efforts that she will be leading.
Senator King. I am delighted to hear that. To go back to
the question of climate change--you know, there were, sort of,
Chicken Littles or Paul Reveres, whatever you want to call
them, in the past--Malthus being one. But technology saved us
from Malthus' predictions, and that is why I think the work
that this office and you will be doing is so essential. Science
must lead us out of this crisis.
Dr. Richmond. Yes, I agree. And let me reemphasize the
point that I made earlier, that our Department of Energy
national laboratories are really the ones that can make the big
difference that we need to make. We just need to make certain
that they have the appropriate resources to be able to move
forward. Because, again, they can take things from the
beginning of the journey, the fundamental science, all the way
to the end, in which it's deployed. And that is going to be so
critical that we do that quickly, without breaking down the
stove pipes, in order to get an answer to some of these issues
that we so critically need to find answers to.
Senator King. And everything from soil's ability to
sequester carbon to carbon removal from the atmosphere to
energy storage. I mean, all of those are scientific questions.
Ms. Stachelberg, let me ask a completely different
question. Senator Heinrich mentioned the Great American
Outdoors Act, and I think one of the most important principles
is that execution is as important as vision. We supplied the
vision, and now you have to supply the execution and the
implementation.
I hope that you will commit to absolute transparency and
clarity about the administration of the Great American Outdoors
Act, especially the Restore Our Parks Act. Where the money is
going, how it is decided where it is going, what the formulas
are. I think that would be very important in giving us
confidence in the administration on this important program.
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, as I said earlier, I think the
Great American Outdoors Act certainly is one of the Secretary's
highest priorities. It was a crowning achievement last year in
a significant bipartisan way. You absolutely have my 100
percent commitment on that front. In addition to committing to
you to be transparent on this issue, that's the way I will
work, if I'm confirmed, as Assistant Secretary for Planning,
Management, and Budget at the Department of the Interior.
I think it's also important, especially with the Great
American Outdoors Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund
and spending the taxpayers money wisely, that we encourage
local, community-driven conservation projects. And I'm looking
forward, if I'm confirmed, to working with you and this
committee, to ensure that we spend those dollars wisely, that
we create outdoor recreation opportunities, and provide much-
needed open spaces for families and boost local economies.
So thank you for your question.
Senator King. Thank you, and thanks to all three of our
nominees this morning for your testimony. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator. Senator Cortez Masto.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome,
congratulations to all three of you. It has been an incredible
morning just listening to your responses to the questions
posed.
Dr. Richmond, let me ask you. Based on your current
experiences with DOE, I am curious to hear more about your
thoughts on the current status of the U.S. workforce. When it
comes to RD&D for new technologies. Is there more that the U.S.
Government needs to be doing to enhance STEM education in order
to attract more scientists and researchers into this field
knowing that the 21st century is going to take us in this
innovation economy? I am curious about your thoughts on that.
Dr. Richmond. Thank you, Senator, for that question. I'm as
passionate about the workforce as I am about innovation.
I have worked with many of the DOE lab leadership over the
years, even doing research on issues of workforce in their
laboratories, to try to understand how we can increase not only
the number of women and minorities that are in their
laboratories but also get them into leadership positions, which
then, of course, we all know makes a big difference.
I think there's much that we can do in the educational
arena to increase the number of students going into STEM. But I
must also say that one thing that I think is oftentimes missed
is that what we really lose out on in this country is this
retention of students that want to be scientists at 16 or 18
and then aren't by the time they're 22 or 24. We are ranked one
of the lowest countries in the world with regard to retention.
That's embarrassing. We have to work harder on that retention.
And so that's why I believe really strongly and especially for
women and under-represented groups, because their numbers are
the lowest.
And so I do believe that there are things that we can do at
the undergraduate, graduate level, and above, and of course, K-
12. But if I'm talking about retention, you know, that's where
the problem child is.
Senator Cortez Masto. And I agree, and I--listen, this is
an area where, as we are looking at new legislation, whether it
is this bipartisan legislation that we are working on now or in
the future, the workforce is key. Bringing this workforce along
with us, but giving them the opportunities and retaining them
in this kind of space for innovation and science is so
important.
If you have ideas, I am looking forward to working with you
around the retention issue. This is an important part of the
legislation that I am working on to bring that workforce along,
but really focusing on how we incentivize them. How do we
engage? Whether it is learning for the first time around STEM,
or retraining, or taking the skills that they have and
transitioning them. I mean, there is a lot of work in this
space that we need to do. Whatever ideas you have on it, I am
open to listening to you. So I look forward to that.
Dr. Richmond. Well, I would be thrilled to no end to work
with you on this. I think in the sphere of community colleges,
but in addition, thinking of graduate school. We are paying our
graduate students, who are the seed corn of our future, at
levels that you have to ask the graduate students why they
would even go to graduate school, being paid at the level that
they're being paid for five or six years in their 20s, or seven
years in their 20s.
We have to seriously, as a nation, look--and across the
agencies--at how we can make sure that we are attracting the
best and brightest and that they can afford to do the training
to take on leadership roles.
So I would be thrilled to work with you on any aspect of
that.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. I appreciate that. I know
my time is running short.
Dr. Berhe, let me ask you about this--this is another area
that I don't think we are as focused on as we should be, as we
look at the global competition of renewable technologies. It is
the standards-setting process. Standards specifications and
defined performance requirements for materials and for products
and services related to technologies around the world. And I
have watched as China has already established goals to set
global standards for emerging technologies like 5G internet,
the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and other
technologies that impact the energy sector.
I am curious if you have thoughts on this. Can you discuss
the importance of U.S. involvement in the standards-setting
process? We cannot forget that. I would love to hear your
thoughts.
Dr. Berhe. Thank you, Senator. I agree, this is a really
important area. Some of the efforts on setting standards are
beyond the purview of the Office of Science, obviously. But if
you think about, you know, contributions that the Office and
the research that enables can--I mean, the best way we can make
sure that the standards we think are important are set is to
out-innovate and out-compete everybody in having the best
science and technology products out there and the most
efficient systems. And I think we could do that, and we must do
that. We have to keep doing so if we're going to ensure U.S.
competitiveness in a variety of areas that are related to the
topics you discussed. I would love the opportunity--I know we
don't have time right now, but I would love the opportunity to
talk to you and work with you on these.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. I appreciate that. I have
one more question, with the Chairman's indulgence, if that is
alright.
Ms. Stachelberg, is it?
Ms. Stachelberg. Yes.
Senator Cortez Masto. Let me ask you this, because this is
another area that I have focused on. We have talked about oil
and gas leasing in the Energy Committee ad nauseam. Let me just
say that. But in recent years, the BLM has spent an inordinate
amount of time and resources offering vast acreages for oil and
gas development on land where the oil and gas industry does not
really have a development interest and on lands that have
little-to-no potential for development.
What does that mean? That makes these lands available for
leasing and only fuels the speculative industry and wastes the
BLM resources, while locking up the land from being managed for
other purposes like a wildlife habitat preservation, outdoor
recreation, grazing--that happens in my state, as well.
So I introduced the End Speculative Oil and Gas Leasing
Act. And what it does is, it prohibits BLM from offering leases
on lands determined to have low-or-no drilling potential,
requiring BLM to evaluate eligible lands for the development
potential instead.
My question to you is, I would hope that you would have an
open mind around this and be willing to work with me, or at
least take a look at the legislation and give me your input, or
the Department's input, around this legislation.
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I am familiar with your
legislation. I think it's very interesting and I definitely, if
I'm confirmed, look forward to working with you and others on
this committee on reforming the leasing program. It's a
priority of the Secretary. If I'm confirmed, it would be a
priority of mine, as well.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. And thank you, all three
of you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator. Senator Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. For Dr. Richmond
and Dr. Berhe, Dr. Fatih Birol, who is head of the
International Energy Agency, has said that carbon capture
storage is, quote, ``the most important technology that exists
today''. And I would ask, do you agree with his assessment that
it is the most important, or one of the most important energy
technologies today?
Dr. Richmond. Yes, Senator, thank you for that question. I
agree that it's incredibly important, absolutely.
Senator Hoeven. Dr. Berhe.
Dr. Berhe. Yes, Senator, I also agree. It's an extremely
important area and important technology that's out there.
Senator Hoeven. And do you agree that global demand for
fossil fuels, including coal, will continue to be significant,
particularly among developing economies in the years to come?
Same question for each of you.
Dr. Richmond. I'm sorry, I didn't hear the first part of
your question.
Senator Hoeven. Do you agree that global demand for fossil
fuels, including coal, will continue to be significant,
particularly among developing economies in the years to come?
Dr. Richmond. Yes, I do.
Dr. Berhe. Yes.
Senator Hoeven. And so then, do you think it is very
important that we lead the way forward and really crack the
code on adding carbon capture and storage, so that we can
address carbon in those industries and really lead the way
forward and get it done not only from a technological
standpoint but from a commercially viable standpoint? Same
question for both of you.
Dr. Richmond. Absolutely, Senator, absolutely.
Dr. Berhe. Yes, Senator.
Senator Hoeven. So if confirmed, will you work with myself,
our chairman, and others to crack the code on CCUS,
specifically including for coal-fired electric, as well as
renewables and others?
Dr. Berhe. Yes.
Dr. Richmond. If confirmed, I absolutely would be looking
forward to working with the committee and others on this
important issue.
Senator Hoeven. Dr. Berhe.
Dr. Berhe. Same answer. If confirmed, I would be very
honored to work with you all on this. It's a very important
area.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you. For Ms. Stachelberg, two
questions. One is, on the moratorium on energy development on
federal lands, how will you approach making sure the Interior
Department acts to comply with the court order to resume those
lease sales?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, thank you for your question. I
will comply with all court orders, with all Congressional
mandates, as I have in all my previous jobs, and will wait for
the court's decision and will work with the Secretary and
others at the Department of the Interior on implementation.
Senator Hoeven. Do you agree public safety in Indian
Country is a very important issue and a big issue? Something
that needs to be addressed?
Ms. Stachelberg. I absolutely do. Not only public safety in
Indian Country, but education and access to public lands, yes.
Senator Hoeven. We are short of BIA, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, law enforcement officers throughout reservations
across the Midwest. We have established a training academy,
essentially, at Spirit Lake in North Dakota. Will you work with
me to make sure that we continue to develop that academy to
train BIA law enforcement officers for the whole upper Midwest
region?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, if I am confirmed, I hope to work
with you on that issue and a range of other issues that affect
Native Americans, the law enforcement community, and those
interests in North Dakota.
Senator Hoeven. We need the Bureau of Reclamation to work
with us on water issues, certainly throughout the West but very
much in my state. Will you commit to work with me, as well as
my other western colleagues, to make sure that the Bureau of
Reclamation is able to help meet the important water needs of
the communities in our states and throughout the West?
Ms. Stachelberg. Senator, I absolutely commit to you, if
I'm confirmed, to working with you and others on the
challenging issues of Western water resilience. I do want to
just note that I was heartened to see that in the bipartisan
infrastructure deal there is over $8 billion for repairing
aging infrastructure, water recycling, reuse, storage planning,
including rural water projects. And so if I'm confirmed, I
would love to work with you and your staff on those issues.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you. Thanks to all three of you. Mr.
Chairman, I yield back the rest of my time.
The Chairman. Oh, thank you, Senator. You are so kind. We
are going to have to go vote now, but I want to thank all three
of you. You did an excellent job. We appreciate you being here.
And I want to thank, also, all of our participants. We
appreciate you being here.
Members will have until 6:00 p.m. tomorrow to submit
additional questions for the record.
So the committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:58 a.m. the hearing was adjourned.]
APPENDIX MATERIAL SUBMITTED
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