[Senate Hearing 117-295]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-295
APPLEGATE, CANTOR, AND WANG NOMINATIONS
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
to
CONSIDER THE NOMINATIONS OF DAVID APPLEGATE TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, CARMEN G. CANTOR TO BE AN ASSISTANT
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR (INSULAR AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS), AND
EVELYN WANG TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY-
ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
__________
APRIL 28, 2022
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[GRAPHIC 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
53-137 PDF WASHINGTON : 2024
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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
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........................................................ 3
WITNESSES
Gonzalez-Colon, Hon. Jenniffer, Resident Commissioner, Puerto
Rico........................................................... 5
Cantor, Carmen G., nominated to be an Assistant Secretary of the
Interior (Insular and International Affairs)................... 7
Applegate, Dr. David, nominated to be Director of the United
States Geological Survey....................................... 11
Wang, Dr. Evelyn, nominated to be Director of the Advanced
Research Projects Agency-Energy, Department of Energy.......... 15
ALPHABETICAL LISTING AND APPENDIX MATERIAL SUBMITTED
Applegate, Dr. David:
Opening Statement............................................ 11
Written Testimony............................................ 13
Responses to Questions for the Record........................ 40
Arthur, Jonathan D.:
Letter for the Record........................................ 73
Barrasso, Hon. John:
Opening Statement............................................ 3
BASF Corporation:
Letter for the Record........................................ 74
Cantor, Carmen G.:
Opening Statement............................................ 7
Written Testimony............................................ 9
Responses to Question for the Record......................... 37
Castro, Hon. Joaquin and Hon. Darren Soto:
Letter for the Record........................................ 75
Gonzalez-Colon, Hon. Jenniffer:
Introductory Statement....................................... 5
Manchin III, Hon. Joe:
Opening Statement............................................ 1
Republican Party of Guam:
Letter for the Record........................................ 77
Wang, Dr. Evelyn:
Opening Statement............................................ 15
Written Testimony............................................ 17
Responses to Questions for the Record........................ 68
APPLEGATE, CANTOR, AND WANG NOMINATIONS
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THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022
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 meeting will come to order.
We meet today to consider three pending nominations and to
vote on another.
First, as soon as we get a quorum, we will vote on the
nomination of Dr. Kathryn Huff to be the Assistant Secretary of
Energy for Nuclear Energy. The Committee held a hearing on Dr.
Huff's nomination six weeks ago, on March 17th. I believe Dr.
Huff is very well qualified for this important position. She
has the academic training as a physicist and a nuclear
engineer. She has extensive experience as a graduate research
assistant at the Argonne and Idaho National Laboratories, as a
postdoctoral fellow at Berkeley, as a professor at the
University of Illinois, and as a nuclear program manager for
the past year as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy. She has
demonstrated her ability to handle the job, both through her
performance as the Acting Assistant Secretary over the past
year, and at her hearing where she showed a firm grasp of the
nuclear issues in answering the Committee's questions. I
strongly support her nomination and I urge a favorable vote to
report her nomination.
Following the vote on Dr. Huff's nomination, we will turn
to today's hearing and our other three nominees. The three
nominees we have are Dr. David Applegate, to be the Director of
the United States Geological Survey. We have Ambassador Carmen
Cantor, to be the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for
Insular and International Affairs. And we have Dr. Evelyn Wang,
to be Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency. We
welcome all three nominees and thank each of them for being
here this morning and for their willingness to serve in these
important positions. Welcome to each of your family members, if
they are here, and if and when you get a chance, when you go
through, you will be more than welcome to introduce your family
members here. And I am sure they are very proud of you.
Dr. Applegate will be our first nominee. He has been
nominated to head the U.S. Geological Survey. The Department of
Energy often boasts of its 17 national laboratories as crown
jewels. Well, the USGS is one of the Interior Department's
crown jewels. It was founded a century and a half ago to assess
the nation's geology and its water and mineral and other
natural resources. It remains one of our oldest and most
respected scientific institutions and our principal source of
knowledge about our lands and waters, our mineral resources,
and the natural hazards we face from volcanoes, earthquakes,
landslides, and floods. Dr. Applegate is extremely well-versed
in these matters. He has been with the USGS for the past 18
years--for the first seven years as Senior Science Advisor, and
for the past 11 years as Associate Director for Natural
Hazards, and for the past year or so, as the Acting Director.
Moreover, David is no stranger to this Committee. Bennett
Johnson recruited David to work for the Committee as a Science
Fellow shortly after David received his doctorate in geology
from MIT in 1994. So I take great pleasure in welcoming you
back to the Committee this morning.
Our next nominee is Ambassador Carmen Cantor, who has been
nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for
Insular and International Affairs. The Department of the
Interior, like this Committee, has important stewardship
responsibilities for our insular areas--Guam, American Samoa,
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, in
addition to overseas federal assistance under the Compacts of
Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia, the
Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. As
we were reminded during our oversight hearing on the Compacts
last month, the Compacts with these Freely Associated States
are expiring and need to be renegotiated for all our mutual
benefit. So I am very pleased that the President has chosen
Ambassador Cantor for this important position. She was born and
educated in Puerto Rico. She is a career member of the Senior
Executive Service. She is an experienced diplomat who has held
senior positions at the State Department. She has spent the
last two and a half years as our Ambassador to the Federated
States of Micronesia, a post to which the Senate confirmed her
by a voice vote, and that is not that often happening in here.
I believe that Ambassador Cantor clearly has the knowledge,
experience, and training that this sensitive post calls for at
this critical time.
Our final nominee is Dr. Evelyn Wang, who has been
nominated to head ARPA-E, the Advanced Research Projects Agency
in the Department of Energy. ARPA-E had its roots in this
Committee. It grew out of a request made by two of our former
colleagues, Lamar Alexander and Jeff Bingaman, to the National
Academy of Sciences to tell us what we needed to do to enhance
science and technology so that the United States could compete
and prosper in the 21st century. The America COMPETES Act and
ARPA-E, which was authorized by the COMPETES Act, grew out of
the Academy's recommendations. ARPA-E is charged with the task
of overcoming technological barriers and developing
transformative science and technology solutions. It is the
chief innovation office in a Department whose primary mission
is innovation. And to head this Office, the law requires the
Director to be someone specifically qualified to manage
research programs and overcome technological barriers to the
development of new, innovative energy technologies. As
Secretary Granholm said, Dr. Wang has overseen groundbreaking
research in heat transfer technology that has advanced clean
energy and clean water solutions. She is the Head of the
Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT, and has served as
Associate Director of DOE's Solid State Solar Thermal Energy
Conversion Center.
I believe all three of our nominees are well qualified for
the offices to which the President has nominated them, and I
want to thank all of you for being here this morning, and for
your willingness to accept these important positions.
At this point, I recognize Senator Barrasso for his opening
comments.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN BARRASSO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING
Senator Barrasso. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Today, our Committee will consider Dr. Huff, who has been
nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at
the Department of Energy. Dr. Huff appears to be extremely well
qualified for this position. I agree with the comments that you
made, Mr. Chairman. She holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering
and currently serves as a Special Advisor to the Energy
Secretary. Before joining the Department, she was an Assistant
Professor in the Department of Nuclear Plasma and Radiological
Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She
has also worked with our national labs. At her nomination
hearing in early March, she testified, ``It would be my honor
to help the United States bolster and reclaim its global
leadership in nuclear energy.'' Now, more than ever, it is
critical that the Department work diligently to make America
energy dominant again. Nuclear technology is essential to
meeting America's energy, environmental, and national security
objectives. We need to be looking for opportunities to expand
our use of nuclear energy, and I believe Dr. Huff is ready to
accept that responsibility.
Russia's army is funded by the sale of energy. This
includes uranium. Russia accounts for one-third of the world's
uranium conversion. It has half of the world's uranium
enrichment capacity. Russia is our third leading supplier of
uranium. Its brutal attack on Ukraine has opened the world's
eyes, and we cannot be reliant on Russia for anything, and
certainly not for uranium. Now is the time for the United
States to stop buying Russian uranium. Now is the time for us
to ramp up domestic uranium production, and I believe Dr. Huff
recognizes this opportunity and is prepared to act. The
Department of Energy needs to take immediate action to
establish a strategic uranium reserve to ensure our existing
reactors have the fuel that they need. We also cannot allow
America's advanced reactor developers to be dependent on
Russia. The Department of Energy needs to take immediate action
to develop an American supply of high-assay low-enriched
uranium. To meet these challenges, we need experienced
leadership in place at the Office of Nuclear Energy. I believe
Dr. Huff is up to the task, and Mr. Chairman, I will support
her nomination today.
Now, with regard to today's hearing, I would like to
welcome Ambassador Carmen Cantor. I would like to welcome Dr.
David Applegate and Dr. Evelyn Wang to the Committee.
Congratulations to each of you on the nominations.
Ambassador Cantor has been nominated to serve as Assistant
Secretary for Insular and International Affairs at the
Department of the Interior. She currently serves as the U.S.
Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. Before that,
she spent the majority of her career in various roles at the
State Department. This Assistant Secretary position carries out
the Department of the Interior's responsibilities for U.S.-
affiliated insular areas. This includes the territories of
American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, the
Assistant Secretary administers and oversees federal assistance
to the three Freely Associated States. They are the Federated
States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and
the Republic of Palau. I look forward to hearing Ambassador
Cantor's strategy for facilitating much-needed action on
stalled Compact negotiations with the Freely Associated States,
for which we held a hearing just a few weeks ago. These
Compacts are essential to denying China an opportunity to gain
a foothold in the Freely Associated States. They help deter
China's aggression and influence in the Indo-Pacific region,
and we are looking forward to hearing what you have to say
about that to bring us up to date from the hearing that we had
a couple weeks ago.
Dr. Applegate has been nominated to serve as the Director
of the United States Geological Survey at the Department of the
Interior. He has served in many roles at the USGS, including
that as Associate Director of Natural Hazards, currently
exercising the authority of being the Director. The USGS is the
nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and
civilian mapping agency. It collects, monitors, and analyzes
data about the geologic and other natural resources of the
United States. It is critical that their director prioritize
the core mission of the agency and zealously guard its
scientific independence to ensure the information it publishes
is not tainted by politics. I look forward to hearing from Dr.
Applegate about how he intends to protect that independence.
And then, Dr. Wang, you have been nominated to serve as the
Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy at the
Department of Energy. You are a mechanical engineer. Your
experience is very impressive. Currently, she is the Head of
the Mechanical Engineering Department and Professor of
Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has
written over 200 journal articles on topics including heat
transfer, thermal management, solar-thermal energy conversion,
water harvesting, and water desalination. In ARPA-E's
authorizing statute, it states the goals shall be among those,
``to enhance the economic and energy security of the United
States through the development of energy technologies that
reduce imports of energy from foreign sources.'' Right there in
the goals of the organization. So now, more than ever, energy
is very critical. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought
this reality worldwide into very sharp relief. As we work to
enhance energy security, innovation will be key. The Director
of ARPA-E will continue to play a critical role, and I look
forward to hearing how Dr. Wang plans to achieve this outlined
goal at ARPA-E.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Barrasso.
We do have a quorum and we are going to move to the
nomination of Dr. Huff.
[RECESS TO BUSINESS MEETING]
The Chairman. With that, we will now go to our hearing, and
first, we are going to recognize Representative Gonzalez-Colon
to introduce Ambassador Cantor. Congresswoman, nice to have you
with us.
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT OF HON. JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON,
RESIDENT COMMISSIONER OF PUERTO RICO
Ms. Gonzalez-Colon. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am happy to
be here. Thank you, Ranking Member Barrasso, and the rest of
the members of the Committee.
Today, I have the privilege to introduce a fellow Puerto
Rican who has dedicated herself to a career in public service,
Ambassador Carmen Cantor. She has been nominated by President
Biden to the position of Assistant Secretary of the Interior
for Insular and International Affairs. Having been nominated by
President Trump in 2019, she currently serves as the U.S.
Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, where she
remained during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands
of miles away from her husband and their three daughters.
Nevertheless, Ambassador Cantor has been focused on her
mission. Her unwavering commitment to service is a family
tradition exemplified by her Army-Veteran father. Like myself,
she is a product of Puerto Rico public schools and of the
University of Puerto Rico and the Interamerican University. She
brings over three decades of federal service in different
roles--in the U.S. Postal Service, the Federal Maritime
Commission, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and in the
Department of State, where she distinguished herself in
different leadership positions, including as Director of the
Office of Civil Service Human Resource Management, Executive
Director for the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, the
Bureau of International Information Programs, and the Bureau of
Counter-Terrorism.
From disaster preparedness to promoting a healthy coastal
environment, Ambassador Cantor has a unique perspective on the
challenges that come from living on an island, having been
involved with Sea Grant programs at the University of Puerto
Rico. As an ambassador, she has been promoting U.S. Government
grants to students interested in environmental issues. She has
also been strongly involved in women's leadership programs and
has made it part of her mission to empower and train women and
girls in Micronesia. If confirmed to her new position,
Ambassador Cantor will build up on these achievements. She will
serve as an important voice for the federal policy for the U.S.
territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our
native Puerto Rico has not been part of Insular Affairs since
1953, just to make that clear.
Additionally, if confirmed, Ambassador Cantor will be
instrumental in preserving peace and prosperity in the Indo-
Pacific region by countering Chinese aggression and supporting
the United States strategic alliance in close cooperation with
the Freely Associated States of the Federated States of
Micronesia and the Marshall Islands and Palau. I am confident
that in this position, Ambassador Cantor will continue to work
in a bipartisan way to safeguard our national interests and
enhance security for the U.S. and for our allies. I am
convinced her personal and professional background are great
assets in understanding the issues that the small island
territories and the associated states face related to human
development, environmental challenges, fair application of
federal programs, and their limited voice in Washington, which
require the responsible federal official to have a great degree
of understanding and willingness to listen and to convey the
needs to those communities. I encourage this Committee to
support the confirmation of Ambassador Carmen Cantor in this
new and important appointment, and I thank you, the Committee,
for having me today.
The Chairman. Well, let me thank you, Congresswoman. And
Congresswoman Gonzalez-Colon is the Resident Commissioner of
Puerto Rico, and I did not introduce her properly. So I want to
thank you for that.
And before we get started, we have some rules which will
apply to all nominees. We require you all to be sworn in. If
you will 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?
[Witnesses sworn in.]
The Chairman. You can be seated.
Before you begin your statement, I am going to ask three
questions addressed to each nominee before the Committee.
Will you be available to appear before this Committee and
other Congressional Committees to represent Departmental
positions and respond to issues of concern to the Congress?
[All witnesses respond ``yes.'']
The Chairman. Yes.
Are you aware of any personal holdings, investments, or
interests that could constitute a conflict of interest or
create an appearance of such a conflict should you be confirmed
and assume the office to which you have been nominated to by
the President?
[All witnesses respond ``no.'']
The Chairman. No.
Are you involved or do you have any assets held in a blind
trust?
[All witnesses respond ``no.'']
The Chairman. So, let's begin. We are going to begin with,
and Congresswoman, if you have to leave, we understand that
because we know everybody's schedule is quite busy, but you are
more than welcome to stay too. Okay?
And we are going to have Ambassador Cantor go first, if you
will.
OPENING STATEMENT OF AMBASSADOR CARMEN G. CANTOR, NOMINATED TO
BE AN ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR [INSULAR AND
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS]
Ambassador Cantor. Thank you very much, Chairman Manchin,
Ranking Member Barrasso, and distinguished members of the
Committee. I am honored to appear before you today as the
President's nominee to be the next Assistant Secretary for
Insular and International Affairs at the Department of the
Interior. I am grateful for the confidence that President Biden
and Secretary of the Interior Haaland have placed in me with
this nomination. If confirmed, I pledge to do my utmost to
uphold this trust and to advance our nation's interests in the
U.S. territories and the vital Indo-Pacific region.
I grew up and attended public schools in Puerto Rico, a
U.S. territory in the Caribbean. For over three decades, I have
been privileged to serve our nation in different roles and
agencies, including at the U.S. Embassy in the Federated States
of Micronesia, or FSM, the U.S. Postal Service, the Federal
Maritime Commission, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and the
U.S. Department of State. Any measure of success I achieved
during these appointments would not have been possible without
the support of my family, so I would like to start by
expressing my deepest gratitude to them. My father, Anibal
Castro Justiniano, an Army National Guard veteran, is one of 18
siblings. My mother, Zoraida Laracuente Ramirez, was one of
nine siblings. Regrettably, she passed away two years ago right
at the beginning of the pandemic. I have one sister, Zoraida,
and many uncles, aunts, and cousins, and I will not name them
all, but I do want to recognize my husband, Carlos, a retired
public servant, and our daughters, who are here with me today.
Senator Barrasso. Could we have them stand up, please? Just
your husband, Carlos and then your daughters, did you say?
Thank you. Welcome, welcome to the Committee, congratulations.
Thank you, Madam Ambassador.
Ambassador Cantor. Thank you.
Amanda is a communications coordinator at the American
Junior Golf Association and Adriana is in high school. Ashley,
a public servant working at NASA, is in Puerto Rico watching
this hearing with my dad and my sister.
Over the last two and a half years, I have had the distinct
honor to serve our country as U.S. Ambassador to the FSM, a
country of 607 islands. I was honored to be nominated by the
previous Administration and confirmed by the Senate to my
current position. In addition to being a committed career
public servant, because I grew up on an island, I can connect
with and understand the challenges and issues islanders face,
particularly in the U.S. territories. The Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs
carries out the Secretary of the Interior's responsibilities
for the U.S. territories; administers and oversees federal
assistance under the Compact of Free Association, or COFA, to
our distinct and sincere friends and partners of the Freely
Associated States; and leads the Ocean, Great Lakes and Coastal
Program, helping to coordinate ocean and coastal programs
across the Department's bureaus.
If confirmed as Assistant Secretary, I will support our
relationship with the territories--hardworking and patriotic
Americans who are not always at the forefront of attention in
Washington. I will work with these communities closely to
ensure they can thrive. I place a high priority on the Indo-
Pacific and our enduring relationship with the strongholds of
freedom in the region--the Freely Associated States. These
sovereign countries share our vision for an open and free
region that respects sovereignty, the rule of law, and
transparency. If confirmed, I will work to strengthen our
relationship with the Freely Associated States by continuing to
support their peace, security, prosperity, democracy, and
freedoms.
I also commit to work closely with the Special Presidential
Envoy on Compact Negotiations to prioritize and expedite
dialogue on the expiring COFA provisions and advance our
mutually beneficial partnership. Having lived in Puerto Rico
and the FSM, I understand island nations face unique
challenges. If confirmed, I will work with agency partners and
the insular communities and their leaders to identify their
priority needs, support them when it comes to climate
resilience projects, and assist with their economic recovery.
Given my decades of experience in an interagency environment,
if confirmed, I will use my skills to continue to foster
collaboration and ensure all federal agencies with a role are
working effectively together in these strategically important
regions.
In closing, I can imagine no greater honor than to serve as
the Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs
at the Department of the Interior, working with our friends in
the territories and in the Freely Associated States during this
critical time. Chairman Manchin, Ranking Member Barrasso, if
confirmed, I look forward to working with you and the honorable
members of this Committee to advance U.S. interests in the
insular areas, and to sustain and expand the progress we have
achieved in our unique, long-term, and positive relationship
with our tremendously important partners, allies, and special
friends, the Freely Associated States.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
today. I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Ambassador Cantor follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. Thank you, Ambassador, and I should have
asked, do you have any of your family members you would like to
introduce?
Ambassador Cantor. Yes, yes. I have my husband, Carlos.
The Chairman. I am so sorry. I missed that.
Ambassador Cantor. My daughters.
The Chairman. Thank you all. Thank you for being here.
Congratulations. Thanks.
Dr. Applegate.
OPENING STATEMENT OF DR. DAVID APPLEGATE, NOMINATED TO BE
DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Dr. Applegate. Thank you, Chairman Manchin and Ranking
Member Barrasso, for the opportunity to appear before the
Committee this morning. It is a great honor to be nominated to
serve as the 18th Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, and I
appreciate the Committee's consideration of my nomination.
I am grateful to have my family here with me today. My
wife, Heidi and my daughters, Maggie and Bea, who are getting
more than they bargained for on National Take Your Kid to Work
Day.
[Laughter.]
Dr. Applegate. And I think this would be an appropriate
time to thank my big brother, John, for encouraging me to take
a geology class in college, the spark that started this
journey. That class led to a major in geology and ultimately my
doctorate, after which I had the transformative experience of
working for this Committee as a Congressional Science Fellow.
Having spent five years of field work in the Death Valley
region in California, I was curious how the knowledge gained
studying the inner workings of our planet--both out there and
at the lab at MIT--could aid policymakers in their decision-
making back here. I quickly learned how science can help
examine consequences and trade-offs of decisions and the value
that clearly-communicated science had for decision-makers and
the American people. I believe our nation's success is directly
tied to our long history of scientific excellence and
innovation, and if confirmed, I would bring all my ability and
experience to bear to support the future success of our nation
by ensuring that continues long into the future.
For nearly two decades, I have been lucky enough to work at
the USGS, an agency dedicated to delivering science to inform
decisions on some of the most consequential issues facing our
nation. That was the case when the USGS was established in 1879
and the order of the day was to characterize the resources of
an expanding nation. It is very much the case today, when a
growing population requires safe and abundant water resources,
critical minerals for our energy future, healthy ecosystems
that foster our quality of life and fulfill our stewardship
responsibilities, and disaster-resilient communities prepared
to not only survive, but thrive, despite the natural hazards we
face today and what we may face in a warmer world.
The USGS is a scientific answer factory for our nation and
our planet. Our science is grounded in world-class mapping,
monitoring, remote sensing, and sampling of our changing earth
systems. Our technical expertise to analyze, model, and
interpret these data results in science products from real-time
situational awareness of extreme events to long-term
assessments of natural hazards and geological and biological
resources. I am committed to delivering that science so that it
reaches those who need it, when they need it, in a form they
can use. Staying with the metaphor just a bit longer, the
engine driving this answer factory is its people, and I believe
it is important that we invest in their success as well as in
our data, our technology, and our partnerships. The USGS
workforce is very dedicated to the Bureau's role as an
objective science leader for the nation. It is critical to
continue to nurture that role by hiring and retaining a more
diverse next generation of talent so we can pass on the
accumulated knowledge of our current staff while growing our
core capacity to ensure we can continue to deliver on our
important mission, even as demands for our science change. It
is also vitally important in all aspects of our science and
service mission to uphold our commitment to scientific
integrity and objective results codified in our fundamental
science practices. If confirmed, this will be a key priority
for me, to ensure that remains the bedrock of our culture as an
organization.
Finally, as is the case throughout the Department of the
Interior, partnerships are central to the success of the USGS.
And if confirmed, I will work to strengthen our ties across the
Department, the Federal Government, tribes, the states,
academia, and the private sector. As an example, many of our
offices are co-located with universities, providing ready
access to new talent and also leveraging academic expertise. I
would like to see us do more with tribal colleges and
universities and minority-serving institutions. Working in
collaboration with our partners helps us deliver science that
is more relevant, meaningful, and useful than we can do alone.
I love working for the USGS. It has a mandate that is neither
regulatory nor policymaking, but is instead tasked with this
critical mission--to provide science that can be used to
underpin policy and management decisions with credibility. On
matters of science, it is an honest broker and a straight
shooter.
Thank you for your consideration of my nomination and the
opportunity it presents to provide leadership to this
remarkable organization and pursuing its exciting and important
mission. I would be happy to answer any questions that the
Committee might have.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Applegate follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. Thank you, Doctor.
Now we have Dr. Evelyn Wang.
OPENING STATEMENT OF DR. EVELYN WANG, NOMINATED TO BE DIRECTOR
OF THE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY--ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF
ENERGY
Dr. Wang. Thank you.
The Chairman. I didn't know that Senator Barrasso already
introduced the family, and if you want to do it again, you are
more than welcome to.
Dr. Wang. My family is not with me here today, but they are
watching online.
The Chairman. Well, good. Tell them we appreciate it.
Dr. Wang. Chairman Manchin, Ranking Member Barrasso, and
distinguished members of this Committee, it is my honor and
privilege to appear before you today as President Biden's
nominee to be the Director of the Advanced Research Projects
Agency-Energy, ARPA-E. I would like to thank President Biden
for nominating me for this important role. I would also like to
thank Secretary Granholm for her confidence in me. If
confirmed, I look forward to working closely with Secretary
Granholm, members of this Committee, and the dedicated and
vibrant teams at the Department of Energy and our national
laboratories. I would also like to thank my family, especially
my parents, Kang and Edith, my husband and sons, brothers,
mentors, friends, and colleagues. I am deeply honored by the
opportunity to serve as Director of ARPA-E. I first received
funding from ARPA-E over a decade ago, just two years after its
founding, and have participated in multiple other ARPA-E
projects since then. During this time, I have witnessed
firsthand the impact that ARPA-E has had on creating innovative
energy technologies, bringing them to market, and how these
commercialized technologies help bolster our economic energy
and national security.
I was born in Upstate New York and grew up in Southern
California. Raised in an academic household, I was lucky to be
exposed to science and engineering at an early age. I was
particularly excited about product design, which led me to
major in mechanical engineering at MIT. While there, I
discovered the field of heat transfer and its application to
energy production and management. In fact, about 90 percent of
the world's energy used today involves generation and
manipulation of heat. Heat transfer ultimately became the focus
of my research, which included projects in a variety of
industries. My graduate studies at Stanford University focused
on heat dissipation of high-performance electronics.
Subsequently, I became a postdoctoral researcher at Bell Labs,
where I used heat to accelerate immunoassays for biodefense,
which also provided me with a broader perspective on industry
needs.
After my Ph.D. and postdoctoral work, I returned to MIT as
a professor with my research focused on applying nanotechnology
to heat transfer. For example, my team developed coding to
enhance efficiency of condensers in steam power plants. In
another project, we added photonic structures to solar
thermophotovoltaics, thereby increasing their energy output.
More recently, we built a water harvester that used the
temperature differential between night and day to extract water
from air. These advances took years of research and were not
mine alone. I have been privileged to work with tremendously
talented students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators
in academia, national labs, and industry. Together, we have
produced many scientific publications and patents, which in
turn have inspired start-up companies. These experiences have
helped me develop a deep understanding of the challenges and
making practical use of scientific discoveries.
For the past four years, I have also served as the Head of
the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the second largest
department at MIT. In this role, I have recruited the best and
brightest talent, garnered resources to execute our mission,
built consensus on strategy and culture, and empowered
colleagues to work toward meaningful goals. If confirmed, I
will bring the same passion and dedication to ARPA-E.
I also participated in the Defense Science Study Group,
funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or
DARPA, which was a pivotal experience that further motivated me
to serve our country. This two-year program allowed me to see
firsthand our national security operations and learn from
esteemed mentors, including retired four-star generals. This
experience showed me the critical role that our nation's
innovation ecosystem plays in national security and the
importance of research security. Our innovation ecosystem is
particularly important in the context of clean, secure, and
affordable energy, for which the commercial landscape could
change dramatically in the coming decades. If confirmed, I will
look to strengthen the ties between research and development to
enable more timely, innovative breakthroughs to create jobs and
provide energy security for our nation. Maintaining ARPA-E's
ethos of speed, calculated risk, internal competition, and
agility will be essential to achieving these goals. If
confirmed, I look forward to working with the members of this
Committee and leading ARPA-E to bring the most value and impact
to communities across America.
Thank you very much for this opportunity to come before
this Committee, and I look forward to your questions. Thank
you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Wang follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. Thanks to all of you for your wonderful
statements, and I don't recall, I don't know if my other
colleagues would think--I don't know if we have ever had three
top-qualified and quality people to serve in these positions or
be nominated for these positions. So we are very appreciative.
Senator Barrasso. Not in this Administration.
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. Easy now, John.
Anyway, it is a delight to have you all three and willing
to serve.
We will start with our questions now.
In the 1879 law that created the Geological Survey--this is
for you, Dr. Applegate--the Director is given the task of
examining the mineral resources and products of our national
domain. The job was important a century and a half ago as our
nation began its development as an industrial superpower, and
it is every bit as important today as we seek to maintain our
national security, our economic strength, and our standard of
living in a rapidly changing world. Our computers, our
electrical vehicles, our windmills, our solar panels, all
depend upon minerals, many of which we import from other
nations which do not always have our best interests.
So you and I talked briefly yesterday. My concern is this--
that we are putting a lot of our technology and a lot of the
growth of our country and our economies in the hands of foreign
supply chains that are not always that friendly. The war that
we have going on right now--no one--I don't think anyone in
this room would have ever expected to see a land war in the
21st century in Europe. None of us could expect this. And to
see what is happening, Putin has weaponized energy, and I am
concerned that basically Xi Jinping, the leader of the People's
Republic Party in China, will do the same with critical
minerals since they process about 80 percent.
My question to you would be, if you all have, or are you
aggressively looking at what we can do in America or the North
American continent, since we do have friendly neighbors, if you
will--Canada and Mexico. So, if you could address that for me
and show us what you think is the path to make us totally
independent, not just in energy, but in the critical minerals
we need for the new technology that we depend on.
Dr. Applegate. Well, thank you very much for that question,
Mr. Chairman, and for your strong interest and support on this
issue. Understanding the energy and mineral resources of the
nation remains a central role for the USGS. And as you pointed
out, it is not enough to just understand the resources within
the U.S., it is also important to understand global resources.
Our National Mineral Information Center, for example, is
looking at the flows of mineral resources across a global
stage. Domestically, we have received an incredible shot in the
arm with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is enabling
us to invest heavily in what we call our Earth Mapping
Resources Initiative (Earth MRI). This is collecting
foundational data in areas that are prospective for a wide
range of essential minerals.
The Chairman. Doctor, excuse me one second. Do you have the
personnel? Have you been able to ramp up the people you need to
do this?
Dr. Applegate. One of the great strengths of this
investment is partnerships. We are partnered very heavily with
the state geological surveys. So it is both a matter of being
able to strengthen our own workforce----
The Chairman. Right.
Dr. Applegate [continuing]. But also, for them to ramp up,
so we are in the process. Absolutely right----
The Chairman. Push hard.
Dr. Applegate. Absolutely. And I will also say a very
important role for the private sector, as we look at the data
collection, whether it is high-resolution topography or whether
it is geophysical data collection, a lot of that is done
through contracts with the private sector. So we are investing
in this foundational data. That is going to enable us to better
understand our resources here in the U.S., including the
resources that are available from secondary recovery and mine
waste. So it remains an important issue, and it is one in which
we have lots of strong collaborations--particularly with
Canada--there is a U.S.-Canada critical minerals working group
that we are a part of. We work closely with Natural Resources
Canada to understand how we, as a block, are handling our
mineral resources.
The Chairman. Thank you, sir.
Ambassador Cantor, you hold a unique position with
Micronesia and how important it has been in the history of the
United States, as far as defending ourselves in World War II
and reshaping the world order, if you will. With this vantage
point that you have had, what other strategic relationships did
you see that we need to do, and also, what we need to defend
from happening as aggression from Asia--from China--and how do
we best combat that, or how do we best defend, to make sure
that we are all still moving in the same direction with
Micronesia?
Ambassador Cantor. Senator, thank you so much for that
question. You know, you mentioned that we have a very special
and unique relationship with the three Freely Associated
States--with the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Now,
more than ever, it seems China is seeking to expand its
influence in the region. So this is a very important
relationship that we need to continue to have. You mentioned we
have been family. We have been friends since the days of World
War II. I think that one of the ways that we can do this is by
expediting the negotiations on the Compacts of Free Association
with the three countries. And if I am confirmed, I commit to
doing that, to do the most that I can to make sure that these
Compact negotiations are completed in a timely way.
The Chairman. Thank you.
I am going to take a little privilege if I can here because
I will be pulled out, if I may, Senator.
Dr. Wang, we talked briefly on this and we spoke about
carbon capture and sequestration and every one I talk to, from
Dr. Birol, from IEA all the way down, I have been over to
France and met with the different specialists over there. We
have expanded our thinking to include carbon capture
utilization and sequestration. At first you just heard about
sequestration, but we know that we must be able to utilize this
product. We have to come to see, if we are ever going to
succeed in decarbonizing our economy, but we have got to remove
it--the carbon from the smokestack--but can we put it to use?
Do you see movement in that direction? Will you commit to
furthering research, and do you see it developing quick enough
and fast enough that we can find a way not to have that so
costly that everyone says well, sure, we know we can take clear
stream carbon off. We know what we can liquefy, and we know we
can pressurize it, but the cost is so extreme that it is not
feasible as far as in the realm of how we are producing power.
Do you see us coming to that technology soon?
Dr. Wang. Thank you, Chairman, for that important question.
As we think about the future in terms of the net-zero
emissions, carbon capture utilization and storage is going to
be very critical. In fact, ARPA-E has devoted some research in
this area particularly in trying to make this process more cost
effective, less energy intensive. Just to give you an example
of this, there has been a program focused on developing new
materials that can capture more effectively a significant
amount of the carbon, using materials such as what is known as
these metal organic frameworks, which are a way to tailor the
structure of the material in a way to be able to absorb more of
the carbon--CO2 in this case.
The question is also, of course, the release, once you
capture it. And that can be relatively energy-intensive, and
that is where there is opportunity to be able to tailor, again,
the structure of these materials. And that is an example of
what ARPA-E has been doing in the past. Now, the question is,
what is the next step? There is the science and innovations----
The Chairman. Yes, what is the time frame here?
Dr. Wang. And we could do this at a grand scale, right? And
so, that is the opportunity space, I think, to think about how
do we scale up materials? How do we get them low-cost enough,
and how do we integrate them effectively so that we can make
these affordable solutions so that we can ensure energy
security? And so, if confirmed, I certainly would love to work
with you more, and with the members of this Committee to look
at these possibilities and really innovate in these
technologies moving forward so that they can be integrated to
achieve net-zero emissions.
The Chairman. Great. Well, I think that is the key that
unlocks the door to success as far as for the climate. And
anyway, I appreciate it very much.
Sorry, I apologize for indulging, and with that we will go
to Senator Barrasso.
Senator Barrasso. Thanks so much, Mr. Chairman, and I agree
with the quality of the nominees that are here today.
Dr. Applegate, let me start with you. In February of this
year, a couple of days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S.
Geological Survey issued its critical minerals list for 2022. I
know that is something you work on over the year leading up to,
but this is a dramatic change. And since Russia's invasion, the
United States, the European Union, and other industrialized
nations have imposed a wide variety of sanctions on Russia, and
there are critical minerals that we get from Russia. In
addition, companies in the private sector have taken steps to
reduce purchases of those products, including minerals from
Russia. So, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is that going to
prompt USGS to reconsider and expand its critical minerals
list? We have had a couple of hearings in this Committee in the
last couple weeks about critical minerals and what is needed.
And if so, let me know, and if not, why not?
Dr. Applegate. Thank you, Senator, for that question, and I
very much appreciate the Committee's attention to this
important issue. As you noted, the critical minerals list--it
is a snapshot in time, and something that we are continuously
reviewing. And I also want to emphasize that the critical
minerals list is not a list of all essential minerals, in other
words, it is looking specifically at a set of criteria that
includes supply chain disruptions and the impacts associated
with that. So, we will be continuing to look. We revise it on a
regular, standing basis, and we continue to do research on a
wide range of minerals.
Senator Barrasso. Dr. Wang, you know, under federal law,
one of the goals of the Advanced Research Projects Agency is to
``enhance the economic and energy security of the United States
. . .'' -- I read this in my opening statement -- ``. . .
through the development of energy technologies that reduce
imports of energy from foreign sources.'' So, you add that to
what we talked about earlier, you know, I note the agency has
funded energy technologies which are heavily reliant on
minerals--just as we just talked about with Dr. Applegate--
minerals imported from foreign countries. Batteries for the
electric vehicles require, as we learned at previous hearings
here, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and manganese, which
are mined and processed overseas.
If confirmed, how would you ensure that the Agency's
efforts to reduce reliance on foreign energy doesn't increase
our reliance on foreign minerals?
Dr. Wang. Thank you for that question, Senator Barrasso.
Certainly, critical minerals is a very important challenge
that we face, and ARPA-E, in fact, has been investing research
in trying to look at potentially other types of materials that
can enable us to have the energy security, the economic
security, as well as environmental well-being. I will just give
you one example, in fact, of a product already that is being
commercialized right now from ARPA-E's portfolio, which is the
development of magnets. So, typically, they rely on these rare
earth elements that are also very scarce and rely on foreign
sources. And with that, in fact, there have been research
developments to be able to create other alternatives, such as
an iron nitride material that can be more readily abundant,
lower cost, and that can be readily scaled. And so, that is
just one example of the types of research that we want to
continue to push at ARPA-E, to think of all these alternatives
such that we can ensure our energy security. And if confirmed,
I would love to discuss more with you and the members of this
Committee to work toward these goals.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you, Dr. Wang.
Ambassador Cantor, you stated in your testimony before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding the nomination to
be Ambassador that you were going to facilitate efficient
Compact negotiations. The current Compact negotiations are
stalled. There hasn't been an official negotiation going on--I
think we heard at our previous hearing--since 2020. So on March
22nd, to get negotiations moving, the Department of State
appointed a Special Presidential Envoy for Compact
Negotiations. If confirmed, how do you see your role in working
with that Special Envoy, and do you think a Special Envoy is
the answer to getting these negotiations back on track?
Ambassador Cantor. Senator, thank you so much for that
question. I have had the pleasure of already meeting Ambassador
Yun, who is the new Special Presidential Envoy for Compact
Negotiations, and I do believe that he has already had a
meeting with the delegation from the Federated States of
Micronesia. I know this in my current capacity as Ambassador. I
see my role, if I am confirmed to this position, as someone who
will support this team that has been put together to move these
Compact negotiations forward. This is very important. I think
we need to send a signal to the world that, you know, this
region--the three Compact states--are very important to us.
Like I have said, we have had great relationships with them for
more than 75 years. Again, if confirmed, I will continue to
work with Ambassador Yun on moving these Compact negotiations
forward.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you. Thank you, Ambassador.
Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Cortez Masto.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Congratulations, again, to all three of you and thank you
for your willingness to serve.
And let me just start with a general question. First of
all, I want to credit all of your written testimonies for
prioritizing ways to establish and enhance partnerships with
stakeholders and the general public. I think that is so
important. In fact, Dr. Wang, in your written testimony you
touched on your previous experiences with ARPA-E to produce key
findings that inspire start-up companies and uncovered new
scientific discoveries, which I believe is just fantastic.
So, if confirmed, I am going to ask all three of you, can
the three of you please elaborate on how you will prioritize
partnerships at your respective federal agencies, as well as
the ways that you envision these initiatives contributing to
the various topics that you outlined in your written testimony?
And maybe, Dr. Wang, we will start with you.
Dr. Wang. Thank you, Senator Cortez Masto, for that
important question.
I see that partnerships are critical for advancing
transformative energy technologies and getting them to the
commercial stage. In fact, ARPA-E's mission is focused on these
high-risk technologies, but that is not the endpoint, right? As
we get to the end of these projects, there are still many steps
to get it out to commercialization. That is where the
partnerships become, really, an opportunity for us. Partnering
with the DOE labs is one example. Other parts also of the DOE
enterprise, such as applied offices such as EERE, and working
with these various stakeholders to be able to more effectively
transition and have a path toward commercialization and de-
risking it such that the private sector will then come in and
invest. So I think that is an opportunity that, if confirmed, I
would like to explore further and form more of these
collaborations and collaborative opportunities ahead.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you.
Ambassador.
Ambassador Cantor. Thank you, Senator Cortez Masto.
Let me share with you my priorities, and they are all
related to partnerships. You know, the first one for me is, I
want to support our relationship with the territories. We have,
you know, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam and
CNMI. I want to be an advocate for them, and you do that
through partnerships. I also want to strengthen the
relationship that we have with the three Compact states, again,
given, you know, the reason that I gave before regarding the
influence of China in the region. And also, I want to work on
the ongoing Compact negotiations and again, it is very
important that we cultivate our partnerships, continue
collaborating with our friends, with the territories, and the
leaders of those territories, so we can move our agenda
forward.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you.
Dr. Applegate.
Dr. Applegate. Thank you so much for that question, and
partnerships are absolutely central to the success of the USGS.
I would like to say that is actually one of our superpowers, is
all of the different entities that we work with both in helping
us to achieve our mission and particularly to achieve the
delivery of our science, getting it to the people who need it
most in a form that they need it in most. And that means that
we are engaging with our partners early in the process so that
we know what it is that they need, and also working with our
partners to enable this. So, for example, the state geological
surveys--I was just talking about the infrastructure law--this
is how we achieve our goals in terms of geologic mapping. It is
very much on a collaborative basis. For our ecosystems mission
area, it is the state fish and wildlife agencies. We need to
work closely with them to be able to understand what their
needs are so we are delivering the science they need. And then
in our water mission area, we have literally thousands of
cooperators.
We are a very distributed organization. We have 400 offices
and 68 science centers across the country. All of that is
enabling partnerships at a local level, at a state level, as
well as all the way up to the global level. So this is
absolutely essential to the USGS.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you.
And I so appreciate all three of you saying that
partnerships are important, particularly among federal
agencies. In Nevada, over 80 percent of the land is owned by
the Federal Government. So we need not only that collaboration
and partnership, but we need the federal agencies working
together as well, which is just as important.
Workforce development--let me ask you both, maybe. Dr. Wang
and Dr. Applegate, you both touched on the need for investing
in workforce development. Dr. Applegate, can you talk a little
bit more about that? What should we be thinking about here at a
federal level to help incentivize that and support that
investment?
Dr. Applegate. Thank you for that question. One of our
major challenges over the years is that we have seen a decrease
in the size of our workforce. We very much need to be able to
bring in this new generation of talent both in terms of the
ability to, you know, internally be able to deliver the work,
but also to be able to better understand the communities that
we want to reach. So that means that we have to be able to
create a more diverse workforce, not only to bring in talent,
but to retain that talent. So to be able to--when we bring
folks in--to be able for them to see a whole career path within
the organization. And so, that speaks to being able to ensure
that there is a safe and welcoming workplace and that folks see
meaning in their work. We have a wonderful mission and we need
the people to be able to make that happen.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. And I know my time is
almost up. Dr. Wang, do you have any additional comments?
Dr. Wang. Thank you for that question. I think workforce
development is extremely critical for the development of
innovative energy technologies. I think it starts from these
projects that are being funded by ARPA-E, where students,
researchers, all work on these projects and they develop really
critical skill-sets that are quite specialized, and I think
there is an opportunity to try to encourage more of them to
stick with it because that is a really important skill-set that
does not exist elsewhere. And as they develop their companies,
they can bring in others that can then ultimately learn from
them and further nurture that. And I think there is opportunity
there. Thank you.
Senator Cortez Masto. I Appreciate that.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Dr. Cassidy.
Senator Cassidy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Applegate, Dr. Barrasso set up this question very
nicely, but in 2019 it was reported that USGS scientists
believed that the deep sea may contain more cobalt, nickel, and
rare earth minerals than all land-based resources combined. And
as forecast, deep-sea mining could account for 15 percent of
global supply by 2050. Obviously, we are vulnerable right now
because of geopolitical tensions, and the Administration has
announced plans to increase the use of EVs, but that, of
course, requires more critical minerals, although, Dr. Wang
mentioned how we are trying to mitigate that dependency.
And as you mentioned, I think, the Bipartisan
Infrastructure bill has money for recycling, for battery
processing, but also to further map these critical minerals. A
long way to set up--how significant could a new source of deep-
sea cobalt, nickel, and rare earth be to the United States, not
just in general, but specifically to that which has been
apportioned to us, theoretically, to take advantage of?
Dr. Applegate. Well, thank you very much for that question,
and this is truly a frontier area in terms of resources. We are
involved. We have marine geologic expertise that we bring to
bear in this arena. There is a tremendous amount of work to be
done in order to be able to assess what the scale of these
resources are, and of course, to understand what the associated
impacts would be from their development. We have strong
partnerships with both the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
with responsibilities in this area as well as with NOAA.
Senator Cassidy. What would be a time frame to actually be
able to have an assessment, because if on the one hand you are
saying this could account for 15 percent of global supply, but
then on the other hand, you are saying more needs to be done to
assess, square that for me, please.
Dr. Applegate. Sure. Well, the more we know, the more we
know. So, at this point--you mentioned our investments--onshore
investments with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are enabling
us to collect foundational data, whether it is from a
geospatial standpoint, from a geophysical standpoint, as well
as from a geologic mapping standpoint. Those are all in the
future with respect to seabed resources.
Senator Cassidy. Now, I am a little bit confused again,
because if you can say that it will be 15 percent of our
resources, but it seems as if we need to do more mapping and I
presume more sampling, maybe I just was gathering wool, but I
don't quite figure that out.
Dr. Applegate. I understand, Senator. No, and the issue is,
we provide the best available information on these issues. This
is a frontier area, so that is our best estimate with current
level of understanding, but there is a great deal more----
Senator Cassidy. And let me ask, because it seems like you
could drop some remote-operated vehicles such as we use for
outer continental shelf oil and gas. You could sample various--
take a representative sample of that which we might have access
to and make that assessment. Am I oversimplifying?
Dr. Applegate. We have participated--again, our role here
is the sort of marine geologic expertise--and we have
participated in research-focused activities to better
characterize resources along the lines that you are describing.
Senator Cassidy. Now, I am told that if the U.S. ever
implemented the Law of the Sea treaty, we would have access to
the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Is that the area that you are
focusing your attention on?
Dr. Applegate. It is----
Senator Cassidy. Would it be the area?
Dr. Applegate. Right. No, it is one very important area,
particularly with respect to manganese nodules. And this is an
area where we have collaborated with international partners,
again, seeking to better understand, in research, this
potential resource.
Senator Cassidy. Okay. A lot of generalities in all these
answers, but I will accept that. I mean, you are in a hearing
like this, so, okay.
Dr. Applegate. I would be happy to follow up and provide
you with additional information.
Senator Cassidy. Sounds great.
Dr. Wang, a couple years ago, ARPA-E began a program called
the Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy Technologies
with Untapped Potential, or SCALEUP, to attempt to address the
innovation ``valley of death.'' So, when I speak to people
though, this valley of death is real. What would you do to
support and grow this program if confirmed as Director?
Dr. Wang. Thank you, Senator Cassidy. I think this is a
very important part of the success of ARPA-E--to address the
valley of death. I have my own experience, in fact, working on
ARPA-E projects, where you get to the end of the project, but
it is just not quite ready, because you have not considered,
for example, how do you actually make materials that are
manufacturable? How do you scale up these materials, for
example? And so, I think there is an opportunity to be able to
support further and add more to that part of this--the ARPA-E
portfolio, to be able to look at the SCALEUP program, and look
at maybe even riskier technologies that maybe are not funded
right now.
And another is an option to work with the other DOE
offices, such as applied offices, as I mentioned earlier--with
EERE--where there are parts of portfolio that may be able to be
transferred to the other parts of the DOE to be able to further
support it and get it more to the point whereby the private
sector will invest. And I think there are these various
options. And if confirmed, I look forward to being able to work
with you and others to be able to address this valley of death
and try to really get more of these high-risk transformative
energy technologies out.
Senator Cassidy. I would follow up, but I am over time. So
thank you.
Dr. Wang. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Hirono.
Senator Hirono. Thank you.
I ask the following two initial questions of nominees for
any of the Committees on which I sit. So I will just go down
the line with this group. By the way, welcome to all of you and
your families.
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?
[All respond, ``no.'']
Senator Hirono. Have you ever faced discipline or entered
into a settlement related to this kind of conduct?
[All respond, ``no.'']
Senator Hirono. A question for Dr. Applegate. As you know,
USGS is currently working to rebuild the Hawaii Volcano
Observatory (HVO) that was destroyed during the volcanic
eruption in 2018, and I know that due to supply chain issues,
inflation, et cetera, that the cost to rebuild HVO, which
includes the laboratory at Hilo and the field station in Hawaii
Volcano National Park, is now higher than originally planned,
and I am glad that the President's budget provides an
additional $29 million for the project. And I just want to
thank you for continuing to give me updates every six months,
and I just received your most current update.
I know that you are also having to engage in some land
lease agreements. So, are these lease agreements on track--the
negotiations for these agreements?
Dr. Applegate. Thank you for the question, Senator Hirono,
and thank you so much for your strong support of our Hawaiian
Volcano Observatory and the efforts to be able to create a
vibrant, long-term future in partnership with the University of
Hawaii. We are very excited to be co-locating there. My
understanding is that efforts are underway, and as you
indicated, with the supply chain and other reasons, costs are
going up. We have identified facilities funds that we will tap
into going forward to be able to augment that, but that is
probably our biggest challenge because both for the main
center, co-located with the university, as well as the field
station that is at the National Park Service, agreements are
well underway, and we are hoping to have construction starting
as early as next year.
Senator Hirono. Thank you.
Ambassador Cantor, it was a pleasure to talk with you. Was
it only yesterday? I know that you have a commitment to our
Compact nations--very critical to our national security and
very important to allies. In the 1993 Welfare Reform bill,
suddenly, the citizens--the Compact citizens--no longer are
eligible for a number of programs--social service programs,
including Medicaid eligibility, and we finally were able to
restore Medicaid eligibility. I am hopeful that should you be
confirmed, that you will be an advocate for them as we seek to
restore the other social service program eligibility that were
suddenly excluding them. So I would like to have that
commitment from you.
Ambassador Cantor. Yes, Senator. As you and I discussed
yesterday, the people from the Compact states, they make
valuable contributions to our communities here in the U.S. and
yes, if confirmed, I will be an advocate.
Senator Hirono. Thank you.
I was listening to the questions, Dr. Applegate, regarding
the undersea resources. Now, what if a country like China or
Russia--because they are already doing various things that--for
example, what if China were to mine undersea minerals? What is
to stop them from doing that? Is there some sort of an
international treaty or anything that would provide some sort
of guidelines for what countries can do regarding undersea
mining?
Dr. Applegate. Thank you for that question.
There is. This is an area that is covered under the Law of
the Sea Treaty. There is an International Seabed Authority that
develops the rules and guidelines associated with this. I am
not familiar with all of the specific aspects of it, but
absolutely, it is governed through an international process.
Senator Hirono. Well, the thing is that our country is not
part of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea). So shouldn't we join UNCLOS at this point?
Dr. Applegate. Well, that is beyond my expertise and the
role of the Geological Survey, but you know, we do engage
with--from a technical standpoint, on these issues.
Senator Hirono. Well, it seems to me that it is about time
that we start to really review whether or not we should be a
member. And I am not suggesting that we should mine undersea
resources, by the way, because there are a lot of environmental
concerns attendant to that. I just wanted to make a point here,
Mr. Chairman.
Thank you.
Senator Barrasso [presiding]. Thank you. Thank you, Senator
Hirono.
Senator Hickenlooper, please.
Senator Hickenlooper. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Needless to say, this is one of my happiest, most exciting
days. To have such talent in front of us is really exhilarating
and, I think, inspiring, that you are all willing to go and
give yourselves to public service in the manner that you are.
And as a geologist, obviously having Dr. Applegate here is
especially exciting. But I think all three of you add
tremendous value.
Dr. Wang, I just came back from spending the weekend--my
son is at Stanford, and so I got to walk around and just see so
much of what is going on there in engineering. He is taking a
lot of engineering classes. Again, to see the creative energy
that our scientific community is generating gives us hope in
these very difficult times.
Let me start with Dr. Applegate. Some of the Energy
Information Administration's expected oil and gas usage
numbers, in their outlook, seem to be larger than what the USGS
calculates to be technically recoverable--you know, achievable.
Clearly, something is not adding up here. Dr. DeCarolis, who is
coming in to be the Director of EIA, has committed that he
would work directly to compare the EIA data and the USGS data,
just to make sure we begin to sort through and get the--make
sure we are all on the same page. And I wanted to make sure
that you would commit to that as well so we have everybody
working together.
Dr. Applegate. Yes, I am very happy to commit to that,
Senator, and as we bring our geologic resource assessments and
align with--we have many partnerships, longstanding
interactions with EIA, and so I am very happy to do that.
Senator Hickenlooper. Yes, and when we had our discussion,
we spent a period of time discussing earthquakes and other
geological risks. And it was such a treat to go back into my
distant past and re-experience so much of what I loved so
deeply and still love to this day--the application of what we
learn by observation and measuring and testing and experiments
and then putting it into practical application.
In 2013, the USGS completed an initial assessment of our
national and regional storage capacity for geologic carbon
sequestration. I know we have talked about this a little bit,
but I thought, obviously, with the BLM and project developers,
we can do a better job of speeding up the assessment of pore
space, of the porosity in formations that have already
delivered oil and gas. So, if confirmed, are you willing to
make it a priority to update the 2013 assessment, which is the
most recent we have, and refine some of the methods technology
that now allows us to look more accurately at geologic carbon
sequestration?
Dr. Applegate. Yes, thank you for the question, Senator,
and it is a pleasure to get to speak to you geologist to
geologist.
[Laughter.]
Senator Barrasso. This hearing is adjourned.
[Laughter.]
Senator Hickenlooper. As a doctor, he is really more of an
engineer--an engineer of the body.
[Laughter.]
Senator Barrasso. Well, as an orthopedic surgeon, I was a
well-paid carpenter.
[Laughter.]
Senator Hickenlooper. Well, there we go.
Dr. Applegate. No, I very much appreciate the question, and
this is, again, this speaks to the role of the USGS. It also
speaks to the ability to take the expertise that we have
developed for assessing oil and gas resources, understanding
the pore spaces from that standpoint, and now to look at it
from the standpoint of sequestration. We actually, in the
President's budget request, we have requested an increase to be
able to do a new version of that. As you say, there is new
technology. We would like to also incorporate, for example,
understanding the opportunity for hydrogen resources as part of
that for sequestration. And in the interim, we also have done a
study in terms of the use of CO2 for enhanced oil
recovery. So it is an important issue.
Senator Hickenlooper. Absolutely. Great, thank you for
that.
Now, I am going to go a little bit over time. I hope that
is all right, Mr. Chair.
Dr. Wang, energy transition brings with it a host--a
universe of new technologies, which are already changing how we
connect into and use our transmission and our distribution
grids. And when it comes to grid infrastructure and operation,
can you speak a little bit to some of the challenges we see on
the horizon as we begin to try and develop the technologies and
techniques to address these challenges?
Dr. Wang. Thank you, Senator Hicken--looper.
Senator Hickenlooper. That's okay.
Dr. Wang. Sorry.
Senator Hickenlooper. You can't do anything to my name that
hasn't been done much worse, previously.
[Laughter.]
Dr. Wang. Thanks.
I think the grid certainly is facing challenges, especially
as we introduce renewables, and thinking about the electricity
flows and the aging infrastructure, and there are a lot of
opportunities, I believe, with advancements of technology. To
give you a few examples--I will mention one that, in fact, has
been commercialized by ARPA-E right now, which is in fact a
device that can change the impedance of electrical wires. You
place it on the electrical wires so that you can, in fact,
redistribute electricity to more underutilized wires. And in
this way you can improve the efficiency and you can prevent
overloads.
And so, I think there are more innovations like this, and
this is an opportunity for ARPA-E to really try to address some
of this. Of course, there is also thinking about how, when we
have renewables, the storage aspects and how that interfaces
also with the grid as well, and I think that is also something
that ARPA-E is putting efforts into as well, and will continue
to in the future.
Senator Hickenlooper. They are all connected. Thank you,
and thank all three of you. I yield back to the Chair.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Dr. Applegate, I just have a couple quick questions. Dr.
Applegate, you know, before minerals can be mined, they need to
be discovered. And when we fall behind on exploration, it does
seem to me to be creating a domino effect, setting the entire
mineral development process back. So how can the U.S. Geologic
Survey--what can you do to help accelerate mineral exploration?
Dr. Applegate. Well, thank you for the question, and really
the key role here is in being able to provide that foundational
data that is needed to be able to then allow for the more
detailed kinds of studies that would be done, say, you know, by
the mining interests. And that is one of the things that we
have really been able to accelerate in partnership with our
state geological survey partners in terms of geologic mapping,
doing geophysical assessments, and doing the geospatial data
collection. So we have really been able to accelerate that, and
I think that is probably sort of the kind of foundational work
that is available to all, but will enable us to have a better
sense of what are those resources that are out there
domestically as an insurance policy for all of the issues that
you raised earlier.
Senator Barrasso. Ambassador Cantor, we had a good
discussion here in the Committee previously about action that
China has been taking in the area that you are most familiar.
So I just ask that you give some of your experiences as
Ambassador to Micronesia, and briefly give us some specific
examples of actions that China took to gain influence and how,
as Ambassador, you attempted to address the action?
Ambassador Cantor. Senator, thank you so much for that
question. You know, I agree that China is an increasing threat
in the region. You are very familiar with what just happened
with the Solomon Islands and the security agreement that they
signed with the PRC. The President of the Federated States of
Micronesia, as a matter of fact, sent a letter to the Prime
Minister of the Solomon Islands expressing concerns about that
agreement. And I have seen, you know, how they have moved in
the region.
Let me tell you that in preparation for this hearing I
spoke with the Governors of the territories, and the Governor
of American Samoa, Governor Lemanu. When we discussed China and
their influence in the region, he was describing to me how they
are very active in the western part of Independent Samoa. And
Independent Samoa is only a 30-minute flight to American Samoa.
He said it is 30 minutes by plane, six hours by boat. So we are
talking about our backyard, practically. So I think that we
need to do more. We need to be more visible and we need to
signal to the world and to China that this region is very
important. You know, we are focusing on the Indo-Pacific, as
you know, and if I am confirmed, I commit to you and the
members of this Committee that I will do everything that I can
to make sure that China doesn't continue to be a threat in the
region.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you. That is very helpful.
Before turning to Senator Hoeven, Senator Hickenlooper, any
additional question that you had?
Senator Hickenlooper. The only thing I was going to just
ask the Ambassador was that the Compacts of Free Association
are about to expire in, I guess 2024, or the Marshall Islands
were next year and then Palau, 2024. As you were just
discussing, China has increased encroachment there. How will
climate change factor into the Compact negotiations as they go
forward?
Ambassador Cantor. Yes, Senator, thank you. Climate change
has impacted not only the Freely Associated States, but the
insular areas, and it is a major concern for them. I do expect
this issue to be a major topic that will factor into the
Compact negotiations. I have seen it myself, having been in
Micronesia for the last two and a half years, the impact of
climate change. Just this past December there was a series of
king tide events that flooded taro patches in two of the states
in Micronesia. They had to declare an emergency. So we are not
only talking about rising sea levels, we are also talking about
food security, water security. So definitely, this is something
that is going to be discussed during the Compact negotiations.
My understanding is that Ambassador Yun, the new
Presidential Envoy for Compact Negotiations, he has been
empowered to discuss any topics that are brought up by any of
the three nations.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you, Senator Hickenlooper.
Senator Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Ranking Member Barrasso.
Dr. Applegate, talk to me a little bit about CO2
storage and enhanced oil recovery. That is something that we
actually do in North Dakota. Dakota Gasification Company--we
have a plant that takes lignite coal, converts it to synthetic
natural gas, puts that in the pipeline, captures it, separates
the CO2 in the process, and sends that to what are
called the Weyburn oil fields and puts it down a hole for
tertiary oil recovery. It seems to me that is the way for us to
produce more energy in this country, while at the same time,
capturing CO2. Obviously, we have the technology to
do it. The challenge is getting it to a commercially viable
basis. So, whether we are talking about coal, coal-fired
electricity, or in this case, converting coal to natural gas,
or we are talking about natural gas or oil--any of the fossil
fuels--it seems to me this is a way to both address carbon and
also make these technologies commercially viable. And not only
important for our country--and of course, the Ranking Member's
state is a leader in this area as well as our state--but also
then, those technologies get adopted around the world, right?
And so, it is actually something that is a solution not only
for America, in terms of energy and good stewardship, but also
globally.
How do you play an important role? What can you do to
advance this technology and make this happen? I hope it is
something you have thought about and something that you can
help address.
Dr. Applegate. Yes, thank you very much for the question,
Senator. And yes, there is an important role here for the U.S.
Geological Survey. We recently issued a report specifically
looking at where the potential is for using CO2 for
enhanced oil recovery. And so, that is really our part of this,
is understanding where, you know, where are the prospective
areas, and as you noted, I think, the Williston Basin was one
of the most significant areas in the nation for that. So,
again, it is using the same kinds of expertise that we develop
to understand where the oil and gas resources are for the
nation, and understanding where the sequestration potential is
as well. So that is an area of ongoing work.
Senator Hoeven. And that is something that you would help
with in your role, if confirmed, correct?
Dr. Applegate. Absolutely.
Senator Hoeven. Very good.
Okay, Dr. Wang, I am going to go the same direction with
you at ARPA-E there. Whether it is coal, whether it is natural
gas, whether it is oil, you know, we are facing inflation right
now. Obviously, every product has an energy component in its
cost structure. So not only for our country, but also for our
allies, with what is going on in Ukraine, and Western Europe's
need for energy as well as other places around the globe, and
we don't want to have to depend on our adversaries for energy,
we want to produce it here at home. Talk to me about how you
can help address what I just described to Dr. Applegate, and
are you committed to helping us make that happen? And how do
you propose to do it?
Dr. Wang. Thank you for that question, Senator Hoeven. It
is extremely important as we think about our energy
independence. ARPA-E has a mission to develop transformative
technologies in a range of diverse ways. And I think that is
where there is an opportunity. In fact, I was just thinking
that I think we could collaborate more. I could collaborate
more with Dr. Applegate to work toward transformative
technologies that can address the CO2 challenge, and
I think there are other opportunities as well beyond that, and
that ARPA-E can support and further invest in, which includes
looking at next generation, say, nuclear power and how do we
actually interface that, in particular thinking about the waste
management and the safety of those. And there are other
opportunities with other clean energy sources and renewables.
And we have to look at all this range of energy sources,
including this carbon capture utilization and storage as well.
And these are advances that ARPA-E has already demonstrated at
some level.
I mentioned earlier that ARPA-E has had a program in
developing advanced materials for carbon capture utilization
and storage. And the challenge is still that how do we scale it
up, and there are opportunities there, but can we accelerate
the pace of these technologies and get them cost-effective and
efficient so we can really deploy them and incorporate them and
collaborate with others within the DOE and others to be able to
get those to the point by which we can commercialize and make
the impacts we need so that we can be energy independent. And
so, if confirmed, I certainly will work toward looking at this
diversity of portfolio of energy sources and generation.
Storage, as well, is really important to the utilization of our
energy and to be able to work toward these goals.
Senator Hoeven. For both storage--geologic storage and
tertiary energy recovery--would you agree though that you are
committed to helping us do that on fossil fuels? You mentioned
renewables, but also on fossil fuels, one, and two, recognize
that when we crack the code on doing that here, other countries
around the globe will adopt that technology as well, at places
like China, where they are building coal plants.
Dr. Wang. Right.
Senator Hoeven. We want to develop these technologies and
make them commercially viable. That not only maintains our
industry and more energy here at home, but it also sets the
standard for technology around the world so that other places
have better environmental stewardship as well. Do you agree
with that, and specifically, as regards fossil fuels?
Dr. Wang. Absolutely. I think that certainly we will also
rely on fossil fuels in the future, and this is where the
carbon capture, I think, is very important because you want to
minimize emissions, right? So that is a really important part
of this as well.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Are you Chair or Ranking Member now?
Senator Barrasso. Yes.
Senator Hoeven. Okay, good. Thank you.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you, Senator.
I have one last question, Dr. Applegate, and it is
something we talked about earlier--the critical minerals list.
In light of your answer of how we try to take a close look at
that, and it modifies over time as things change, and it brings
me to the issue of helium. So I raise the issue because the
U.S. Geologic Survey removed helium from its critical minerals
list in February. You know, we now are experiencing a shortage
of helium, and the shortage of helium is a result of Russia's
invasion of Ukraine. Algeria is the world's fourth largest
helium supplier. And so, it is producing less helium. Helium is
a byproduct that occurs in the process of liquefying natural
gas. So with Algeria producing less helium because it is
producing less liquefied natural gas--still producing natural
gas, which is shipped by pipeline now to Europe as an
alternative to Russian gas, but as a result we are having less
helium being produced as a byproduct of the chemical process
here.
So I would just recommend and ask you to consider, in light
of these developments, which USGS needs to be constantly on top
of, if you would reconsider putting helium back on the critical
minerals list.
Dr. Applegate. Thank you for the question, Senator. And I
have to admit, I am having a bit of a sense of deju vu, because
when I was a Congressional Fellow here 27 years ago, helium was
one of the issues--the National Helium Reserve--that I worked
on. So there is nothing new under the sun, as it were.
Helium is, as I indicated--we continue to look at the
different factors that go into that criticality determination,
particularly with respect to supply lines. Obviously, the
United States has huge helium resources as well as being an
overall net exporter, so those are some of the drivers in terms
of whether it made that list or not. But no question about it
being an essential, central resource, and one that we will
continue to look at in terms of its criticality.
Senator Barrasso. Well, I think you have effectively
pointed out the issues related to this critical minerals list
and how it can change from time to time in terms of use of
those minerals as well as the impact of global activities and
availability for use in the United States, and that is why it
is critical to us.
Well, I want to thank all of you, all of our nominees
today. Congratulate all of you as well. We appreciate all of
you being here with your families, your responsiveness to our
questions and concerns, your willingness to take on these very
important jobs.
Members have been in and out, some may have additional
questions. They have until 6:00 p.m. tomorrow night to submit
additional questions for the record. I hope you would get back
to us with answers as quickly as possible.
Thank you for bringing your daughter to work today, Dr.
Applegate.
And with that, the Committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:35 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
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