▶ 0:14:34Sen. Heinrich: The committee
▶ 0:14:35Willsen. Heinrich: Come to order. Before giving my opening statement, I want to let numbers know how we will proceed this morning. I want to thank senator heinrich and his staff for working with us on the schedule for today's activities and thanks to all senators for being here. Respecting the time demands on the schedule of every senator serving on the committee, the committee meets today for a business needing to vote on three nominations.
▶ 0:15:03Willsen. Heinrich: One with each apartment the interior and three with the department of energy. All three of the nominees to be considered at the business meeting submitted timely answers to senator questions for the record for hearing. Each one was listed on the agenda. The committee kirk -- clerk said -- sent last friday.
▶ 0:15:32Willsen. Heinrich: The night of the first vote -- first we will vote on -- 30 will vote on the nomination -- each of these nominees are well-qualified and has my full support. As soon as we have a voting reporting for the present, I will ask the committee to vote on the nominations. I will recognize any member who may wish to speak on any of the nominees.
▶ 0:16:03Willsen. Heinrich: I continue to be grateful to the senators for keeping remarks brief and request that we continue that practice if we can so we can proceed to the hearing after. And at this point, we do not yet have the voting quorum present.
▶ 0:16:27Willsen. Heinrich: So while we wait for a quorum to form, -- what we are going to be doing today in the hearing portion, as opposed to the business meeting portion of the meeting, let me describe that in a moment, this is the seventh hearing for this congress on
▶ 0:16:57Willsen. Heinrich: This committee and we are going to hear testimony today from four distinguished americans who have been nominated by president trump for senior offices within our committee's jurisdiction. One of the deferment of the interior and three at the department of energy. I'm grateful to the president for sending us these nominees. First we will hear from Mr. jonathan brightbill. He has been on needed to be general counsel of the to permit of energy.
▶ 0:17:25Willsen. Heinrich: -- nominated to be general counsel of the department of energy come up providing legal counsel and advice to the secretary and other officers at the department, as well as its many components, ensuring the department carries out its duties and responsibilities in accordance with the law. Attorneys from the general counsel's office represent the department in various matters and work in partnership with attorneys to represent the department of energy.
▶ 0:17:53Willsen. Heinrich: The general counsel's team assists in drafting and reviewing legislation regulations and contracts as well as upholding the department's ethical obligations. Mr. brightbill is a partner at an llp and happens to be chair of the firm's environmental litigation and enforcement practice.
▶ 0:18:16Willsen. Heinrich: From 2017 to 2021, he served in the to permit of justice's environment of natural resources division, successively as deputy assistant attorney general and acting assistant attorney general. Only in a department of lawyers can you have so many acronyms and their own abbreviations, but it is one of the things that they are known for.
▶ 0:18:45Willsen. Heinrich: In that role, he managed more than 435 attorneys, handling roughly 6500 active matters. And oversaw enforcement actions on the clean air act and a number of other environmental statutes. Mr. brightbill was previously a partner at kirkland and ellis and clerked for a judge on the U.S. court of appeals for the third circuit.
▶ 0:19:15Willsen. Heinrich: He holds a juris doctorate from georgetown university law center and a bachelor of science in economics from the wharton school at the university of pennsylvania. Second, we will hear from tina pierce, to be the chief financial officer of the department of energy.
▶ 0:19:37Willsen. Heinrich: The cfo ensures the effective management and financial integrity of department of energy programs, activities, and resources. She develops and monitors policies, procedures, and systems regarding appropriations. She is currently the chief -- deputy chief financial officer at the to part in of defense and advising the pentagon's cfo.
▶ 0:20:02Willsen. Heinrich: She directs policy development, audit readiness, and remediation , enterprise risk management, and production at the doj and overseas control and payment integrity programs. She previously served as chief of financial reporting and compliance at the defense health agency. An idaho native, she served as a marine corps officer, obtaining -- attaining the rank of captain.
▶ 0:20:31Willsen. Heinrich: Between her military service and return to federal service as a civilian, she held finance and accounting leadership posts in the public and private sectors across the united states and europe with expertise spanning information technology, energy education, and consulting. Appointed to the senior executive service in august 2020, she earned a bachelor of science in accounting from the university of utah and an mba from colorado state university.
▶ 0:21:00Willsen. Heinrich: She is a cpa and certified defense financial manager level three. Her 22 military decorations include the armed forces expeditionary medal, the deployment ribbon, membership in an international business honors society, and the office of secretary of defense in -- medal.
▶ 0:21:27Willsen. Heinrich: Third, we will hear from conner prochaska. It enhances the economic and energy security mission and technological leadership of the united states through the development of advanced energy technology. It is a launchpad for new companies and major industry advancements and was founded to preserve america's technological edge in the area.
▶ 0:21:57Willsen. Heinrich: It is advancing state-of-the-art energy science and engineering and finding new opportunities for commercialization of advanced energy technologies. He currently serves as senior advisor at the to part of energy. He was previously the chief commercialization officer and director of the office of technology transitions.
▶ 0:22:25Willsen. Heinrich: Guiding all technology transfer and commercialization activities across doe's 17 laboratories, production sites, and resource centers. He also served as chief of staff at arpa-e, where he helped shape the agency's portfolio.
▶ 0:22:46Willsen. Heinrich: He began his career as an intelligence officer at the united states navy, attaining the rank of lieutenant while assigned to the center for combating weapons of mass destruction. His military decorations include the joint service commendation medal, the marine corps achievement medal joint meritorious unit award, global war on terrorism medal, and a bunch of others, a very impressive background.
▶ 0:23:17Willsen. Heinrich: He graduated from texas a&m university with a bachelor of arts in political science and was elected student body president and inducted into the core honor society. He received his law degree from your china university law school. Today, we will hear from Dr. name amulet -- Dr. den -- Dr. ned mamula. Dr.
▶ 0:23:44Willsen. Heinrich: Mamula has over 35 years experience in energy and mineral expiration production, experience in the federal government and private industry, as well as academia. With critical and strategic minerals -- hydrates, coal, and uranium.
▶ 0:24:04Willsen. Heinrich: During his career, he has worked at chief geologist, a company focused on achieving mineral security and owned and worked at a corporation. From 2019 to 2023, Dr. mamula directed the critical mineral and rare earth program. His considerable experience at the U.S.
▶ 0:24:33Willsen. Heinrich: Geological survey -- now he has been asked to leave by president trump, having served the agency as research geologist from 2007 to 2009 and earlier in his career from 1977 and 1987. He was only 12 years old at the time, a prodigy, I am told. He also served in the central intelligence agency as a geoscientist and intelligence analyst from 2009 to 2015.
▶ 0:25:02Willsen. Heinrich: At the cia, he received the deputy director of intelligence medal of service and multiple exceptional performance rewards for superior accomplishment and valuable service. He previously served as geoscientist at the department of homeland security, where he received a meritorious service reward for providing intelligence support for operations and interagency coordination as well as a commendation for meritorious
▶ 0:25:33Willsen. Heinrich: Service while fulfilling a spectrum of intelligence support missions. He also received the assistant commandant for intelligence performance award. He received a bachelor of science in geology from slippery rock university and later a master of science in geosciences from penn state university in 1980.
▶ 0:25:56Willsen. Heinrich: He also earned a phd in geosciences from texas a&m university in 1986 and a master international public policy and strategic resources from johns hopkins university in 2005. All the nominees we will hear from today are qualified for the offices for which they have been nominated and represent the type of bold leadership america needs uniquely right now.
▶ 0:26:34Willsen. Heinrich: We are almost to the point where we have a voting quorum present. I will ask -- yes. That is right. The ranking member is correct. We do not have the votes that we need yet, so we are almost there. Almost there.
▶ 0:27:01Willsen. Heinrich: I will ask the ranking member if you would like -- he would like to make an opening statement.
▶ 0:27:07Sen. Heinrich: Thank you, chairman lee. Welcome. Confirmation hearings enable senators to advise and consent on presidential nominations. They also remind us of the great importance of the functions that we entrust to presidential appointees. They nominations before us this morning are no exceptions. Today we have three nominees before us who have been nominated to important positions at the department of energy.
▶ 0:27:36Sen. Heinrich: I want to hear from today's nominees about how they plan to use their positions to do good for the american people. At the minimum, that is what we should want. What we should demand from our public servants. That is not what we are seeing currently at doe. In the last few days, doe announced plans to cut dozens of energy efficiency rules that have saved consumers hundreds of dollars a year on utility bills. The administration claims it is cutting red tape.
▶ 0:28:07Sen. Heinrich: Instead, we are seeing it stop progress. The president has nominated Mr. brightbill to be general counsel at the department. The general counsel is the chief lawyer for the department. The department's general counsel must not only be a skilled advocate but also a wise counselor. He is the keeper of the agency's conscience who ensures the department follows the law, uphold the constitution, and protects public interest. The president has nominated Ms. pierce to be the department chief financial officer.
▶ 0:28:37Sen. Heinrich: The cfo is the guardian of public money in the department, who ensures it is properly obligated and dispersed as congress has directed in the law. The president has nominated Mr. prochaska to be the director of the advanced research project agency. It is our investment in the future.
▶ 0:29:01Sen. Heinrich: Its mission is to overcome barriers to developing transformative science and technology solutions to our energy and environmental problems. My colleagues are fond of talking about energy dominance. Dinosaurs were once dominant, not so much today. We will not remain a great nation by clinging to the past. If we want to remain dominant, we must embrace the future and invest in it today.
▶ 0:29:26Sen. Heinrich: Arpa-e is our investment in the future scientific advances that will ensure our scientific and technological dominance into the 22nd century and beyond. Finally, the president has nominated Dr. mamula to lead the geological survey, our trusted source of data on ecosystems and minerals.
▶ 0:29:54Sen. Heinrich: It must remain nonpartisan and independent and the integrity of its science is essential for informed decision-making across the government and industry alike. Dr. mamula has stated he plans to shrink the agency's mission and has dismissed efforts as a left-wing tool to block mining.
▶ 0:30:15Sen. Heinrich: Some of his past statements, particularly his accusation that hostile foreign entities fund environmental lawsuits raise questions about how he would uphold the equipment to impartial, science-based work. The usgs should not be turned into a vehicle for deregulation or industry favoritism. We need a director who will defend its core mission, not politicize it.
▶ 0:30:40Sen. Heinrich: I look forward to hearing from each of our witnesses and appreciate their willingness to take on this important and challenging responsibility.
▶ 0:30:47Chair Lee: We will now proceed to the business meeting, as part of today's hearing. We will turn first to the nomination of william d offermyre. The clerk will call the role. >> Mr. risch. Mr. daines. Mr. cotton. Mr. mccormick. Mr. justice. Mr. cassidy.
▶ 0:31:19Chair Lee: Ms. hyde-smith. Ms. murkowski. Mr. hoeven. Mr. heinrich. Mr. wyden. Ms. cantwell. >> no by proxy. >> Ms. hirono. Mr. king. >> yes by proxy. >> Ms. cortez masto. Mr. hickenlooper.
▶ 0:31:50Chair Lee: Mr. padilla. >> no by proxy. >> Mr. gallego. >> no by proxy. >> on this boat, the a -- vote, the ayes are 12.
▶ 0:32:18Chair Lee: The nomination is agreed to and ordered to be reported favorably to the senate. We will turn to the nomination of catherine jereza. The clerk will call the role. >> Mr. lee.
▶ 0:32:32Chair Lee: Aye. >> Mr. daines. Mr. cotton. Mr. mccormick. Mr. justice. Mr. cassidy. Ms. hyde-smith. Ms. murkowski. Mr. hoeven. Mr. heinrich.
▶ 0:32:52Sen. Heinrich: No. >> Mr. wyden.
▶ 0:32:55Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> Ms. cantwell.
▶ 0:33:00Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> Mr. king.
▶ 0:33:04Sen. Heinrich: Senator king will abstain pending his afternoon meeting with Ms. jereza. >> Ms. cortez masto.
▶ 0:33:14Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> Mr. hickenlooper. Mr. padilla.
▶ 0:33:19Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> Mr. gallego.
▶ 0:33:24Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> on this vote, the ayes are 11 and the nays are eight.
▶ 0:33:43Chair Lee: The nomination is agreed to an order to be reported favorably to the senate. Finally, we turn to the nomination of Mr. kyle haustveit to be assistant secretary of energy for fossil energy. The clerk will call the role. >> Mr. lee.
▶ 0:34:02Chair Lee: Aye. >> Mr. daines. Mr. cotton. Mr. mccormick. Mr. justice. Mr. cassidy. Ms. hyde-smith. Ms. murkowski. Mr. hoeven. Mr. heinrich.
▶ 0:34:26Sen. Heinrich: Aye. >> Mr. wyden.
▶ 0:34:30Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> Ms. cantwell.
▶ 0:34:36Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> Mr. king.
▶ 0:34:40Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> Ms. cortez masto.
▶ 0:34:44Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> Mr. hickenlooper. Mr. padilla. Mr. gallego.
▶ 0:34:54Sen. Heinrich: No by proxy. >> on this vote, the ayes are 12 and the nays are eight.
▶ 0:35:18Chair Lee: The nomination is agreed to an order to be reported favorably to the senate. >> Ms. cortez masto, do you want to be recorded as present in voting?
▶ 0:35:35Ms. Cortez Masto: Yes.
▶ 0:35:39Chair Lee: Before we proceed to the hearing of our nominees today, the chair will recognize any senators who want to speak briefly about the nominees who we just voted out of the committee and voted favorably to the senate. Senator justice?
▶ 0:36:00Sen. Justice: I am proud of who we just voted for and everything and especially this young lady from my hometown.
▶ 0:36:08Chair Lee: Thank you, senator justice. Any other members? Ok. If not, we will proceed to our hearing in just a moment.
▶ 0:36:43Chair Lee: Again, I want to thank members for being here promptly so we can get through those votes. Let's turn to the hearing today. The world is in a race for resources, for technological supremacy, for control over supply chains that power our daily lives. In this race, there are no consolation prizes. America will lead or be led.
▶ 0:37:12Chair Lee: Led by powers that do not always share our interests or our values. Unfortunately, we have experienced painfully what happens when energy policy is driven by ideology rather than reality. Rolling blackouts. Soaring prices. Families struggling at the gas pump. American workers have been outsourced.
▶ 0:37:38Chair Lee: Our mineral resources are locked away with producers forced to jump decades of procedural hoops while china tightens its grip on global supply chains. This is not the america we believe in. We believe in an america where our energy is not hostage to foreign interests. Where innovation is rewarded and workers lead the world, our workers.
▶ 0:38:03Chair Lee: That is why we are here today, assembling a dream team, a roster of american patriots who know the stakes are high and can outwork, outsmart, and outlast america's adversaries.
▶ 0:38:20Chair Lee: These nominees will be responsible for critical roles in our energy future, overseeing the legal strategy of the department of energy and ensuring financial integrity across multibillion-dollar energy programs, driving ground breaking research at arpa-e and securing critical minerals through the U.S. geological survey.
▶ 0:38:43Chair Lee: Their decisions will impact everything from keeping the lights on in american homes to unlocking the next generation of energy innovations. These are not ceremonial posts. These are positions of consequence. We are processing nominees more than three times faster than the last congress.
▶ 0:39:07Chair Lee: By the close of this hearing, we will have reported 16 critical energy leaders out of this committee compared to just four at this point in 2021. We know what is at stake and that is why we are moving fast. We are moving at a breakneck speed because america cannot afford to wait and our leadership on the world stage cannot be taken for granted. In must be earned, secured, and defended every day.
▶ 0:39:36Chair Lee: Our adversaries are watching and hope that we will fumble, that we turn inward and abandon the competitive edge that has made america the global leader. We will not give them that satisfaction. We must not. We will lead with strength and resolve and unshakable commitment to american energy dominance.
▶ 0:40:03Chair Lee: American energy dominance means american security, american jobs, american leadership. It means no more pleading with global adversaries, no more dependency on unreliable supply chains, and no more surrendering our future to global competitors. America's energy future must be american-made. That means putting leaders in place who understand our resources and strength.
▶ 0:40:30Chair Lee: Our workers are an asset and our technology is unmatched. We have resources and talent and will. Soon, we will have the team to reclaim our position as a global energy superpower.
▶ 0:40:51Sen. Heinrich: I would say the reality is the to part one of energy is hobbling our energy leadership and this administration is sidelining the majority of our energy products -- projects, killing jobs, for example the empire wind project which was fully permitted, and raising energy costs on consumers.
▶ 0:41:12Sen. Heinrich: This is threatening our leadership, not only in the field of energy but also in artificial intelligence, so I look forward to hearing from our nominees today on how they would manage these positions.
▶ 0:41:25Chair Lee: Thank you, senator heinrich. Having spent time with them, I'm confident each of them will serve our country well. The rules of the committee require that all nominees be sworn in in connection with their testimony, so if you would all rise and raise right hand. You solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to provide to the committee will be the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god. Thank you.
▶ 0:41:58Chair Lee: Then we will have you begin your opening statements in a moment. Before we do that, I asked the witnesses three questions that are posed to all nominees appearing before this committee. First, will you be available to appear before this committee and other congressional committees to respond to issues of concern to congress?
▶ 0:42:22Chair Lee: Second, are you aware of any personal holdings, investments, or interests that could constitute a conflict of interest or create the appearance of such conflict, should you be appeared -- confirmed's? -- confirmed? Third, are you involved in or have any assets in a blind trust? We will note that each nominee responded in the affirmative to the first question and negative to the subsequent questions.
▶ 0:42:54Chair Lee: Now, as I turned to the witnesses, we will have each of you speak for five minutes, starting with Mr. brightbill and moving to your left. I would like you as you may prefer to introduce any family members who may be here with you today.
▶ 0:43:16Mr. Brightbill: Thank you, chairman lee, ranking member heinrich, and distinguished members of the committee. It is an honor to appear before you as president trump's nominee as -- for general counsel for the department of energy. I am grateful to president trump and secretary right for this nomination, recognizing under our constitution your advice and consent are essential for me to assume this position of trust.
▶ 0:43:43Mr. Brightbill: I look forward to today's hearing and any further discussions that may be needed and I hope to earn your support. I want to thank my family, who have supported me and tolerated the long hours and frequent absences my work has required over the years. Thank you to my wife, who manages to balance everything in our family, in addition to her own demanding professional obligations.
▶ 0:44:09Mr. Brightbill: I want to recognize my children, tems and -- tamsin, chip, and davis. Every day these three blessings from god remind me of the greatness and promise of america and inspire me to do what I do. One of the most unexpected lead difficult questions I received during this process is to identify the state from which I hail.
▶ 0:44:37Mr. Brightbill: Having lived in virginia for 20 years now, with my three children born and raised there, I responded the commonwealth of virginia. I somewhat regret having done so because I was born and raised in pennsylvania and consider myself , like senator mccormick, a proud son of that other great commonwealth.
▶ 0:44:59Mr. Brightbill: With me as well is the honorable david brightbill, and my mother, whose own dedication to public service in pennsylvania inspired me to that same call here today. With one senator and one judge already in the family, that left the only option for me to maintain the constitution's separation of powers was to pursue service in the executive branch.
▶ 0:45:25Mr. Brightbill: I want to thank my mother carol back home in pennsylvania, though she could not be here today, as well as my brother for coming down from pittsburgh to help. I want to thank the deputy secretary for his role in including me as part of the great team that he and sec. Right are assembling for the department of energy.
▶ 0:45:45Mr. Brightbill: I ask for this committee's support because I think I can help the department of energy and the country at this moment when I think there is a bipartisan consensus that the united states needs more energy to meet our challenges in the world. My training to help address these challenges began at the university pennsylvania wharton school of business, where I concentrated on public policy and management.
▶ 0:46:09Mr. Brightbill: My first public service was as an executive policy specialist for the pennsylvania governor at his department of environment or protection. There I traveled the state and learned much about the energy industry so critical to the economy of that state and this country and first cut my teeth on the many public policy issues still impacting energy development. After graduating from georgetown university law center, I clerked on the U.S.
▶ 0:46:38Mr. Brightbill: Court of appeals for the third circuit for my first 15 years I practice law in D.C. before joining the department of justice in 2017. At the environment of natural resources division, I had the privilege of working with the department of energy general counsel, including bill cooper and other officials.
▶ 0:47:07Mr. Brightbill: Effectively in the role of outside counsel to the department of energy across a range of matters. Doj was my first opportunity to serve as senior manager in government, where I helped lead 400 25 lawyers and 600 employees met managing 6500 active matters , cases, investigations, and a budget of $150 million a year.
▶ 0:47:32Mr. Brightbill: Over the last four years,-privilege to be partner at a law firm here in D.C., where my practice has continued to include many any -- energy industry clients and matters across the range of technologies and different areas of the energy sector. If confirmed as general counsel, it would be my privilege to assist president trump and sec. Right in achieving their vision of american energy dominance.
▶ 0:48:01Mr. Brightbill: I also look forward to working with this committee and congress and other stakeholders to undertake sound energy policy reforms to our laws, regulations, and programs to advance interests of the american people first but ultimately through american greatness and leadership to better all human lives. Thank you again for the honor to appear before you here today and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:48:23Chair Lee: Thank you, Mr. brightbill. We will hear now from his peers -- Ms. pierce.
▶ 0:48:31Ms. Pierce: Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as president trump's nominee for chief financial officer at the department of energy. Before I begin my official remarks, I would like to introduce members of my family who have joined me today.
▶ 0:48:50Ms. Pierce: My husband of 26 years, who as a root -- who is a retired marine colonel and at the age of 19 work in the oil fields of wyoming, montana, idaho, and north dakota. My stepdaughter, son, and daughter. I would also like to recognize my son, daughter-in-law, and my amazing parents, who are unable to be here today.
▶ 0:49:16Ms. Pierce: I'm honored to be nominated by the president and humbled to be considered by the senate for an office of such great trust and responsibility to the american people. If confirmed, to play a role in unleashing american energy dominance to better all human lives. The energy secretary asked me what I would consider success if I were to be nominated and confirmed as energy department cfl. My answer was simple.
▶ 0:49:45Ms. Pierce: To provide the secretary with timely and accurate financial information that allows him to make prudent, well-informed decisions so we can legally and responsibly stuart taxpayer dollars that congress entrusts to us to advance america's energy interests. I would like to share with you a little of the story that brought me here today. I grew up on a small farm in idaho.
▶ 0:50:14Ms. Pierce: I am the first person in my family to earn a college degree. I studied accounting on a naval rotc scholarship at the university of utah. Eager for challenge and discipline, I chose to serve in united states marines after graduation. The marine corps put this round peg in a round hole, making me a financial management officer.
▶ 0:50:38Ms. Pierce: I let marines in hawaii and california and deployed for the contingency operation desert thunder. I left active duty a month later , exchanged wedding vows, and two days later my husband and I are on our way to his next assignment in the netherlands.
▶ 0:50:57Ms. Pierce: As the wife of a marine infantry officer and mom of three, every couple years I had to pick up our house and kids, often by myself, quit my job, and start over someplace new. Through it all, I was able to continue to pursue my professional passion, using accounting to drive business decisions. In europe, I worked as a financial manager at a multinational I.t. Firm.
▶ 0:51:27Ms. Pierce: In mack north carolina, we experienced the shock of 9/11 -- in north carolina, we experienced the shock of 9/11. I was called back to active duty. I earned an mba colorado state university and graduated at the top of my class, staying on as a remote instructor. A job I could take with me.
▶ 0:51:52Ms. Pierce: In eastern california, I commuted over an 8000 foot mountain pass with morning sickness and altitude sickness to serve as a county deputy controller in southern california. I worked in the energy sector as a senior financial analyst for a nuclear generation plant at a major public utility. I became and am a certified public accountant.
▶ 0:52:16Ms. Pierce: When the marine corps brought us to washington, D.C., we decided it was time to give our children the stability we had had and we grew up, so we settled down. I started over as a junior contractor, reviewing army pay records on a laptop at a crowded conference room table with 20 other analysts. I was recruited to work on the air force help services financial remediation team and entered the federal workforce at the defense help agency.
▶ 0:52:45Ms. Pierce: My performance led to a senior executive position with the department of the air force, overseeing financial operations and remediation. Since july of last year, I have served as deputy chief financial officer at the department of defense. Where we have made great strides to bring entire department closer. I look forward to bringing my broad financial experience in government and the private sector to the department of energy.
▶ 0:53:15Ms. Pierce: If confirmed, I pledge that I will apply high standards of fiduciary responsibility for funds entrusted by this congress. I will do everything in my power to work with this committee and congress to facilitate oversight required by the constitution. With that, I look forward to answering any questions the committee may have.
▶ 0:53:38Chair Lee: Thank you.
▶ 0:53:41Mr. Prochaska: Chairman lee, ranking member heinrich, and distinguished members of the committee, it is an honor and privilege to appear here as president trump's nominee to serve as director of the advanced research projects agency. I would like to thank president trump and sec. Right for their confidence and trust placed in me with this nomination. Before I began, I would like to introduce the most important people in my life, my family.
▶ 0:54:09Mr. Prochaska: Here today with me is the love of my life, the most amazing wife, mother, and true life partner I could ever imagine. Kate, I am in awe of your ability to balance a career and provide a loving home for our family. I love you. Also here is my four-year-old sun and who you have already heard from, my two-year-old daughter. They are the light of my life and my world spins around them.
▶ 0:54:41Mr. Prochaska: I would like to recognize my parents, who have joined us from texas. They have guided me through my life. The words thank you can ever express the gratitude I have for the sacrifices you have both made to raise me and my amazing brothers, who are home with their families in texas watching. I would like to thank all those that texter their support over the last few days for this effort. It means the world.
▶ 0:55:09Mr. Prochaska: As an eagle scout from a patriotic family, I was instilled with a sense of service at a young age. This sense of service was further ingrained during my time at texas a&m, where the core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, respect, and selfless service are paramount and I strive to live everyday. My love for the united states let me to be commissioned in united states navy met I saw firsthand the devastating effects of energy scarcity.
▶ 0:55:35Mr. Prochaska: The navy is also where I was first acquainted with the doe through the nuclear weapons program as an intelligence officer. Following law school, I was armed to serve in president trump's first term as arpa-e's chief of staff, ushering in many programs and projects which exist today, including the first nuclear technology projects.
▶ 0:56:00Mr. Prochaska: After, I was privileged to be selected as the first chief commercialization officer and director of the office of technology transitions. In this role, I worked with this committee and staff on ushering doe technology out of labs and into the daily lives of americans. Ask amazing their impact. Following my time at doe, I continued my career in emerging technologies as I helped cofound a quantum technology company.
▶ 0:56:29Mr. Prochaska: If confirmed, it will be a true, humbling honor to lead the talented, innovative, and dedicated team. When I left to become the department chief commercialization officer, I told the staff the fact that my name would be associate with theirs and the organization was one of the proudest accomplishments of my professional career, and I feel the same today.
▶ 0:56:53Mr. Prochaska: As members of the committee and staff are aware, energy and critical technologies are at an inflection point. Quantum artificial intelligence, geothermal, the list can go on, but these technologies will change how the country in the world consume and produce energy. The department's of energy role -- the apartment of energy's role has never been more critical.
▶ 0:57:23Mr. Prochaska: Arpa-e is positioned to lead on high-risk, high reward research, leading to technological developments that will better lives through the united states and across the globe. The trump administration's forward leaning approach to innovation and technology require interagency effort to ensure the united states continues to spearhead energy around the world.
▶ 0:57:48Mr. Prochaska: Arpa-e's unique authorities and structure will allow flexibility to address these challenges in a timely and effective manner. If confirmed, I intend to work closely with the committee and congress to effectively and efficiently lead arpa-e and its staff, who I consider the elite of the energy research community, to drive innovation, maintain american leadership in critical technology areas, and unleash american dominance.
▶ 0:58:19Mr. Prochaska: Under the secretary's leadership, we will not fumble. Thank you for your time and the opportunity to appear before you today.
▶ 0:58:32Dr. Mamula: Chairman lee and ranking number heinrich and committee members all, good morning and thank you for your time and the opportunity to be in front of this committee. I am honored and humbled to be here and proud of the agency I have been nominated to lead, the U.S. geological survey.
▶ 0:58:53Dr. Mamula: My deepest thanks to the secretary and president trump for the confidence they have in me. Behind me are my wife, my son, and his wife. My son is joining us remotely and my friend jj is with us as well and they have been a great source of strength.
▶ 0:59:20Dr. Mamula: But for me, the path to today has been basically an incredible personal and professional journey, starting as a steelworker in my native pittsburgh. Before attending college, becoming an entry-level geologist.
▶ 0:59:42Dr. Mamula: My academic work included major research and studies in iceland and later wyoming's bighorn basin and part of my training -- two far country's premier geology programs. I was privileged to help stand up a new mineral sustainability division, established for the purpose of characterizing or deposits for critical content.
▶ 1:00:11Dr. Mamula: Then for three years I have been serving as chief y'all just here and finally, my co-author and I produced two recent, thought-provoking books on the issue of america's critical mineral import dependence and our desperately needed path to mineral independence. I am ready for this next assignment at the geological survey, should I be confirmed.
▶ 1:00:42Dr. Mamula: That agency, the U.S. geological survey, the survey as we affectionately call it, is one of the oldest and most storied of federal agencies. It is 150 years old.
▶ 1:00:58Dr. Mamula: The success of our four great geological survey's during the 1870's provided the impetus for president hayes to sign on march 3, 1870 nine the congressional bill appropriate money for the formation of the U.S. geological survey within the department of the interior.
▶ 1:01:19Dr. Mamula: President hayes' signature approved the organic act and the U.S. geological survey, a unique company nation of responsibilities described in only 19 words, which are classification of the public lands, examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and the national domain.
▶ 1:01:46Dr. Mamula: These organic functions were critical because the federal government had titled them -- to more than a billion acres of land across the west and of which only 200 million acres had been surveyed. After decades of adding more states and more federal land, approximately 80% of our country still does not have geological map coverage at a scale that is necessary for detailed exploration of minerals and other resources.
▶ 1:02:16Dr. Mamula: Therefore, we can appreciate more fully the importance of the organic act today and the need to laser focus attention on the hard work of mapping. Discovery of energy and mineral resources and inventory of other products of our national domain. Mr.
▶ 1:02:34Dr. Mamula: Chairman, the usgs appears more important today than it was , particularly given the recent explosion of demand for energy, critical minerals, rare earth elements, and technology metals. Not to mention america's very risky critical mineral import reliance, much of it from adversarial nations.
▶ 1:02:59Dr. Mamula: Little wonder america's national security and economic stability will remain dependent on the original mission of the U.S. geological survey. As our secretary says, map, baby, map. He is correct because the all-important mapping must always precede the long road of expiration, discovery, and start up production of energy and minerals.
▶ 1:03:29Dr. Mamula: Therefore, the survey needs to dramatically reinforce institutional strength and mapping across geology with the other missions, too. Leading one of our nation's preeminent scientific agencies has never been and will never be easy, but my love for it and support for it and the strong support of my colleagues, my fellow scientists, and others will be helped much should I be
▶ 1:04:00Dr. Mamula: Confirmed. Furthermore, I pledge to the committee and especially to president trump, who nominated me, to uphold the usgs mission to the best of my ability. With that, I look forward to your committee's questions.
▶ 1:04:16Chair Lee: I like your description of the survey. The insiders call it the survey. I had a friend who was a big fan of mountain dew and I asked wether he agreed with the assessment that was the nectar of the gods. His response reminded me of what you said. He said yes, but the gods just call it nectar because to them that is what it is. The survey it is. We will begin alternating rounds of questions, republicans, then democrats in order of sin yorty.
▶ 1:04:47Chair Lee: I will begin. -- señor eddie -- seniority. I will begin. Neighbor -- nepa is a significant law that has to be followed. It requires agencies to ensure that environmental amenities and values may be given appropriate consideration in decision-making along with economic and technical considerations.
▶ 1:05:14Chair Lee: Now, some experts argue based on the text that if a cooperating agency is analyzing an environment will affect so can issue a permit, let's say for example a permit under the clean water act within the agency may not assess the effects of the action on the waters covered by the permits because those effects are not presently unquantified or to whatever
▶ 1:05:44Chair Lee: Circumstances in which they are not unquantified. I know you are no stranger to need a -- nepa. So I welcome your thoughts on this.
▶ 1:05:56Mr. Brightbill: Thank you, senator. Thank you for taking the time on monday evening to meet with me prior to the hearing today. As you know, based on our discussions, I agree that nepa reform is a critical need for us to ultimately move forward in our reform of infrastructure and advancement of energy.
▶ 1:06:20Mr. Brightbill: I know a variety of bills have been circulated and proposals circulated, but as someone who has worked in government, litigating a tremendous volume of cases.
▶ 1:06:36Mr. Brightbill: Once you are in the federal government, as well as an individual who has litigated over the years on behalf of private entities and consulted more than I have actually litigated, there's a lot of talk about permitting reform.
▶ 1:06:53Mr. Brightbill: Permitting reform is a euphemism when you actually go and talk to industry players about risks for nepa nepa nepa reform and nepa reform ought to be a euphemism for nepa litigation reform because it is the litigation that creates the risk of undertaking nepa, based on my many years of experience working with federal agencies as well as private sector entities.
▶ 1:07:25Mr. Brightbill: They are happy to try to quantify risks and assess risks, but the real problem is the unknowable back in detail that comes from a judicial review system that has been created by common law rather than by a congressionally designed review apparatus.
▶ 1:07:50Mr. Brightbill: As you and I discussed, I think that is an area where there is a lot of opportunity for reform that could advance all manner of energy infrastructure projects, transmission generation, distribution throughout.
▶ 1:08:06Chair Lee: Great observations. It is more than just permitting. Often people are referring to nepa and the delays they encounter are often the result of litigation rather than the issuance. That is helpful. During the first trump administration, you were chief of staff and senior advisor for arpa-e.
▶ 1:08:34Chair Lee: As I understand it, in the past, arpa-e has funded r&d within the nuclear space. To meet the significant anticipated demand for baseload electric power in the coming decade, innovations in the nuclear sector could play a critical role.
▶ 1:08:57Chair Lee: Can you talk to us about the work of arpa-e and the things that arpa-e funded during the first trump administration, the increased efficiency and attrition in generating resources such as nuclear? >> thank you for the question and time in your office. It was a privilege in the first trump administration to be part of the leadership team of arpa-e .
▶ 1:09:29Chair Lee: We were one of the proudest programs and a project we started was about advanced reactors and understanding and testing some of the moran traditional problems that come with those advanced reactors, but one of the key things we did was we worked with the office of nuclear energy to make sure we were not duplicate efforts within the department and I think one of the things I will look forward to, if confirmed, is because of my knowledge from my time at the department, I worked with every office and
▶ 1:10:00Chair Lee: Every lab at the department of energy. I know the complex to a good degree. And I come into arpa-e with eyes wide open of what arpa-e's capabilities are and how we can help work on the advanced high-risk, high research -- high-risk, high reward items that need to be attacked, whether in nuclear, in fossil energy, in fusion, in small module reactors, geothermal.
▶ 1:10:32Chair Lee: You can go through the list. The portfolio is broad. The authorities are broad and if confirmed I intend to make sure we attack all of those technologies as best as we possibly can.
▶ 1:10:41Chair Lee: We have more questions for the other two. Hopefully I'll be able to get to those in the -- in a subsequent round later in the hearing, but in the interest of time I will handed over to senator heinrich.
▶ 1:11:00Sen. Heinrich: At the legal direction of congress, doe has standards that have saved american families hundred dollars on utility costs. The current administration is set on reversing these cost-saving efforts and announced they will eliminate any of the standards, which will undoubtedly raise energy costs for american families.
▶ 1:11:24Sen. Heinrich: Do you believe the actions announced by the administration are consistent with the federal judge's orders to update those standards? How would you approach enforcing energy efficiency standards if you are confirmed?
▶ 1:11:42Mr. Brightbill: At this point, I am not at the apartment of energy and I'm not been advising the secretary and program c1
▶ 1:12:12Mr. Brightbill: There are statutory reforms undertaken. The later part of the early oughts, related to those which enhanced case law on the to somf this point I can commit should I be fortunate to be confirmed that I will work with the
▶ 1:12:46Mr. Brightbill: Existing career staff and advisors to understand their existing legal reviews and then advise the secretary and the program officials responsible for those policy decisions on their obligations under the laws and statutes as well as the authorities that have.
▶ 1:13:14Sen. Heinrich: With electricity demand expected to grow for the next decade, many of us think we can get every electron we can get for the foreseeable future. How will you make sure there is an investment and a complete portfolio of technologies and not picking winners and losers?
▶ 1:13:43Mr. Prochaska: The way apra-e operates is they are forced through a crucible of internal debates and strong review to come out with some of the best projects we can and part of that analysis is how does this make sense in the overall energy portfolio and move the ball forward?
▶ 1:14:11Mr. Prochaska: Please technologies help the world at the end of the day in many cases. One of the reasons is we will take the best projects and I promise that will be a process with which I if I am confirmed will be the best projects and not picking winners and losers necessarily but understanding what makes sense in the portfolio that gets us to the end goal.
▶ 1:14:41Sen. Heinrich: Congress has important oversight responsibilities. Will you commit to responding to members of this committee's request for information regarding doe compliance?
▶ 1:14:59Mr. Brightbill: If I am confirmed yes I can assure you we will comply with the law insofar as the department is required to make responses to requests, we will do so.
▶ 1:15:18Sen. Heinrich: Thank you. That's the right answer. On may 5 I sent secretary write a letter regarding suspension of programs, cancellation of executed awards and contracts as well as mass reductions in staffing and changes to contracting policies. I look forward to receiving a full and complete response.
▶ 1:15:54Sen. Mccormick: Welcome. Good to see you. Our fathers may have served together. We've got a great line appear. The most recent U.S.
▶ 1:16:18Sen. Mccormick: Government assessment, 2019, showcased the effects of technological advancement. In that assessment, government estimated marsalis rose 2 trillion to 84 cho into 97 trillion in 20 years.
▶ 1:16:43Sen. Mccormick: Knowing, suggests is crucial to informing our strategy for energy independence. Usgs government resource assessments can lag behind industry development. What's your plan to ensure updates?
▶ 1:17:03Sen. Mccormick: Do you anticipate need to adapt resource evaluation framework to account for unconventional sources of natural gas like shale?
▶ 1:17:20Mr. Mamula: Technology sweeps through one field after another. Swept through oil. Sweeping through mining and timber. We have to look at another methodology for resource assessments.
▶ 1:17:50Mr. Mamula: Newer technologies allow us to get more of that resource. If confirmed, I want to make sure of the date of these assessments, usgs, what they contain, how they can be improved and do we have a bridge over private sector?
▶ 1:18:18Mr. Mamula: Do we understand technology under our noses? Have scientists gone to fracking fields and looked at these things? Very important. It will inform resource assessment. That is a thing I would do right away.
▶ 1:18:43Sen. Mccormick: Energy demand. Expected to grow radically, ai data center demand. I believe nuclear will help meet that. Pennsylvania is second in the nation for new their production -- nuclear production.
▶ 1:19:14Sen. Mccormick: How do you anticipate supporting development of nuclear energy? Innovations in fuel cycle technologies? How would you think about prioritizing and investing heavily in appropriate technologies?
▶ 1:19:38Mr. Prochaska: Following apra-e chief of staff, expanding authorities of apra-e to address these challenges, particularly waste. As industry develops, this is the tricky part of apra-e -- we want to work with industry partners to understand what they are not doing.
▶ 1:20:09Mr. Prochaska: Engaging industry on the cusp, understand what their pain points are. Build that relationship. That is what I did with the department.
▶ 1:20:27Mr. Prochaska: To make sure we are not doing something, we are not taking something off the plate of private industry but high risk technology to make actionable and efficient technologies, they can utilize and maximize new their fuel, process and industry as a whole.
▶ 1:21:06Sen. Hickenlooper: Thank you. On the strong proponent of bipartisan permitting reform.
▶ 1:21:31Sen. Hickenlooper: The house bill has proposed a radical overhaul of our judicial review system by proposing a pay for play scheme. If someone pays 125% of the estimated cost of your environmental review, the idea is the judicial review would no longer apply.
▶ 1:21:59Sen. Hickenlooper: Allowing companies to pay for the right to avoid judicial scrutiny gives communities and tribes ability to amend or challenge or change specific projects.
▶ 1:22:25Mr. Brightbill: I could geek out about this for a long time. As to the specific will, I have not seen the provision you are referring to and based on what you are describing, I am not able to respond. I'm not aware --
▶ 1:22:50Sen. Hickenlooper: If you pay a higher rate, you are exempt from judicial oversight. The courts have no role in approving.
▶ 1:23:00Mr. Brightbill: I candidly want to look at the entirety of the bill.
▶ 1:23:17Sen. Hickenlooper: I am a big fan of apra-e. You have the opportunity to catalyze transformational energy technologies and accelerate commercialization. That's a part of our future here and hopefully will involve colorado companies.
▶ 1:23:42Sen. Hickenlooper: How can you ensure apra-e continues to serve as a springboard for impact startups?
▶ 1:24:02Mr. Prochaska: I have no doubt colorado will play an important role. The major research institutions are well coordinated. Energy and quantum in the state are fascinating.
▶ 1:24:27Mr. Prochaska: The crucible of becoming apra-e is the review project. Once you are apra-e, active project management. Continuous evaluation. It is high risk high reward. How do we make sure some of these products become companies?
▶ 1:24:55Mr. Prochaska: In between the high-risk and the high reward, a lot of things fall off. That is part of the apra-e e thos. We will continue to look at it with a fresh point of view.
▶ 1:25:09Mr. Prochaska: To make sure it is not on a long-term federal pipeline of funding to continue for eternity, we want to engage with vc, investors, that we are communicating with them and educating them.
▶ 1:25:27Sen. Hickenlooper: Idle curiosity. You went to penn state? Did you do field geology camp? Which one? [indiscernible] ybra?
▶ 1:25:48Mr. Mamula: I have been there and I have been to the other one across the appalachians.
▶ 1:25:56Sen. Hickenlooper: There can be no closer tie than the same field geology camp. Usgs, critical for so much we are working on. Water focused science is key for colorado and the drought prone west. If you cannot measure something, you cannot manage it.
▶ 1:26:20Sen. Hickenlooper: We have seen severe cuts that usgs threatened essential work and integrity of long-term data resources. Keeping that data is critical. Are you willing to make that a priority, to maintain those systems of measurement and expand those datasets?
▶ 1:26:42Mr. Mamula: Absolutely. [indiscernible] this has to be a priority. If confirmed, I will make it my business. The dataset integrity --
▶ 1:26:58Sen. Hickenlooper: They have cut almost a third of the budget. They are talking about, we don't need to save this data because it does not seem relevant now. In science, mostly data that does not seem relevant today, five years from now will seem really relevant.
▶ 1:27:21Mr. Mamula: With capacity of data storage today, there is no need to dispose of data. We can hang onto data as long as we need. There is plenty of data that can be digitized and put to work again years after it was published. Usgs is a data factory. What is produced there should be also saved.
▶ 1:27:50Sen. Hickenlooper: You'll back.
▶ 1:27:54Chair Lee: Senator hoeven, who twice in the last couple weeks has been my stunt double.
▶ 1:28:09Sen. Hoeven: Thanks to our witnesses. Thanks for coming to visit me yesterday. Before hickenlooper gets out of the room, you have to be careful with him. He's a geologist. You cannot spoff him like you do the rest of us. He knows his stuff.
▶ 1:28:37Sen. Hoeven: And he was a governor, so we like him a lot. You know the story in my state. 2000, there wasn't horizontal drilling. You could get oil out of jail but you couldn't do it commercially viable.
▶ 1:29:05Sen. Hoeven: We started with our state geological survey to do that. It was done off work price had done in colorado. We followed up at state level and started making inroads. They tried in montana. They thought the geology was better. It wasn't. There was more regulatory burden. We created an environment with incentives.
▶ 1:29:46Sen. Hoeven: The analysis was critical. When usgs engaged, companies came in about 2006. It shows the importance of what you do. It was critical.
▶ 1:30:07Sen. Hoeven: Now in shale, we have to put legs in the unconventional areas. Will you work with us to go in with tertiary recovery methods? Co2 off coal plants, putting it down for a co2 flood.
▶ 1:30:35Sen. Hoeven: This is a big deal if we are going to sustain energy dominance.
▶ 1:30:40Mr. Mamula: Great question. Add the north dakota geological survey and the schools, texas a&m and penn state, we are ready to rock.
▶ 1:30:58Sen. Hoeven: No pun intended.
▶ 1:31:01Mr. Mamula: Usgs, the more it is engaged with industry, the better for both sides. Usgs has a great ability to look at a map, produce cross-section and give us 3d block view of that piece. The minerals and oil, gas in that.
▶ 1:31:27Mr. Mamula: North dakota, if there was hesitation, perhaps was not federal an federal aland. Absolutely. That is the usgs organic act. If confirmed, it's going to be all hands on deck. There's no reason to strand resources.
▶ 1:31:59Mr. Mamula: On tertiary recovery, if we have access co2 here and the need for it here, we get a two-fer. We don't want to waste resources. Things that don't come out of the ground, their value is essentially zero.
▶ 1:32:22Sen. Hoeven: Would you come to north dakota? We have a lot of private. I know that is a frustration for the chairman. They have so much public. We have native american and a lot of federal. It is all intertwined. One can impede the other if we don't work together.
▶ 1:32:47Mr. Mamula: If confirmed, I commit to you to look at it. I commit to the survey that we re-examine land ownership and may be dispatch with the boundaries, as far as geology they are artificial any way. A deposit doesn't care if it is on public or private.
▶ 1:33:16Sen. Hoeven: Geothermal. Any synergy between oil and gas and geothermal?
▶ 1:33:33Mr. Mamula: Sometimes if you have an abandoned well, it may be serves a dual purpose. Maybe it has another life. Deepened into the geothermal pool available. In north dakota, we will look at your resources. If we can get this amount, then you have geothermal reserves.
▶ 1:34:04Mr. Mamula: The easiest way to get to it is you something in place. It's kind of like metal mind dumps laying underground. It is the same with geothermal resources, if we can get at it easier, we should take advantage of it.
▶ 1:34:26Sen. Hoeven: Some of our wells are two miles deep and then we go out vertically for three miles more. It might create some opportunities.
▶ 1:34:39Mr. Mamula: That is setting a stage for another energy play in north dakota.
▶ 1:34:46Chair Lee: Senator cortez masto.
▶ 1:34:51Sen. Cortez Masto: Do you support in all of the above energy approach?
▶ 1:35:00Mr. Prochaska: If it is reliable, affordable and sick? -- and secure.
▶ 1:35:11Sen. Cortez Masto: Solar and wind?
▶ 1:35:15Mr. Prochaska: That is part of the opportunity ahead of us to make sure.
▶ 1:35:24Sen. Cortez Masto: Specific research you believe apra-e needs to prioritize to remain competitive?
▶ 1:35:33Mr. Prochaska: I would look at the portfolio.
▶ 1:35:45Sen. Cortez Masto: You acknowledge critical technologies are at an inflection point. Nevada entities leveraged apra-e funding to uncover innovative research with nevada gold mines, university of nevada. The separation of rare earth elements from ores.
▶ 1:36:18Sen. Cortez Masto: President trump fy26 budget, he calls for 57% cut to apra-e. If confirmed, how would you manage? What actions would you take to stand up for your agency? You would have to make priorities on which areas of research you would support.
▶ 1:36:45Mr. Prochaska: I would not dare sit here today and say I know. Something like apra-e advanced agency, the most dangerous think that --.
▶ 1:37:08Sen. Cortez Masto: What is high risk high reward?
▶ 1:37:13Mr. Prochaska: The ability to put dollars for a next financial return to impact on united states taxpayer and ensure we are making the biggest bang for the buck and shooting moonshot technologies. We will maximize resources at apra-e to make sure we are efficiently accomplishing the mission.
▶ 1:37:47Sen. Cortez Masto: I apologize I cannot ask you all questions. We will submit it for the record. I know you are patiently waiting. Nevada is at the forefront of developing critical minerals and reducing dependence on china.
▶ 1:38:23Sen. Cortez Masto: The mackie school of mines at university of nevada reno. Through grants, our universities create publicly available data regarding location of critical mineral resources, to archive mineral compositions of regions and accelerate mine permitting by providing data.
▶ 1:38:54Sen. Cortez Masto: I fear without this research, nevada and the U.S. may fall further behind in the race to develop reliable critical mineral supply chains. In the budget the president proposes to cut funding to universities yet says the agency will focus on achieving dominance. I understand you are not currently at the agency.
▶ 1:39:26Sen. Cortez Masto: Can you explain how cutting critical research like this will help the U.S. achieve dominance? How would you manage that cut?
▶ 1:39:39Mr. Mamula: Thank you. Nevada is a great geology state. I go there every year. The federal funds from usgs flow to the state geological survey's. One of the great and one of the great aest partnerships. We have state and federal working together.
▶ 1:40:11Mr. Mamula: I don't understand the nuance of the president's budget because I am not in yet but I will make it a number one priority to look at that budget and make sure we have money to drive the program forward which is the president's priority, which is to make critical minerals and technology metals a national priority because it is national security
▶ 1:40:44Mr. Mamula: Priority. That would be my focus from day one, minute one.
▶ 1:40:49Sen. Cortez Masto: The cuts will be significant including cuts to grant funding, will you promise that whatever funds you have, that you do not make a decision you will pick blue states over red states?
▶ 1:41:10Mr. Mamula: I cannot envision when we do geology and funding and cooperation between state and federal, that there is a blue state red state. Let me go on the record. Critical minerals, secretly I pray that this is the greatest nonpartisan issue before us in our time.
▶ 1:41:38Sen. Cortez Masto: You would commit to keeping it nonpartisan?
▶ 1:41:42Mr. Mamula: We are scientists. If we get into the weeds of politics, it spoils our credibility. I would never do that to usgs. >> ralph waldo emerson says what you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you're saying.
▶ 1:42:13Mr. Mamula: I've never been at a hearing where what is being done is at such variance with what is being said. You wax eloquent about the talented, dedicated staff of apra-e and the great work they have done. Their budget is being cut by 57%. How do you justify this nice talk about what you are going to do when your agency is being cut in half?
▶ 1:42:42Mr. Mamula: You can talk until you are blue in the face but what speaks here is a $.57 cut. You went through your testimony. You never once mentioned renewables. The fastest-growing cheapest source of electricity in the U.S. today. Let me read from the budget document. Green new scam technologies are not supported. That is in the apra-e budget document.
▶ 1:43:12Mr. Mamula: That means no renewables. You have an order from the president. No renewables?
▶ 1:43:17Mr. Prochaska: That is not correct.
▶ 1:43:19Sen. King: What does he mean? Green new scam technologies? He is talking about solar and wind. Everyone knows that.
▶ 1:43:28Mr. Prochaska: I cannot opine on what the definition of that language is. If confirmed, I can commit that the apra-e and the portfolio we investigate will include all technologies.
▶ 1:43:43Sen. King: When you listed the technologies, the nearest you got to renewables was geothermal. You used the code word reliable which is code for we don't like solar and wind because they are intermittent. As you indicated to senator cortez masto, when you have batteries for solar and wind, it is baseload.
▶ 1:44:08Mr. Prochaska: It could be. It depends on the situation. The portfolio we will investigate will include all technologies and reliable it is important to the energy we need for the future.
▶ 1:44:26Sen. King: I appreciate what you're saying. What I will watch is what you do. This budget, the policy is a drastic cut, more than half in apra-e, I think one of the most important agencies in the U.S. government. It's where the shale revolution started, with research funds from the department of energy. We're talking about more than half cut.
▶ 1:44:54Sen. King: I will watch what you do, not what you say. You talked about the importance of data and science. Reports the last few weeks that biological research in usgs is being cut entirely and 25, stream gages, measuring storms, I get the feeling this is like if we don't measure anything on
▶ 1:45:24Sen. King: Climate change, it will go away? Is that what is going on here?
▶ 1:45:28Mr. Mamula: I don't think so. I am not at the survey. If confirmed I want to look at every single program, fits budget and cuts proposed.
▶ 1:45:40Sen. King: Someone has already done that and cut your budget 37% for four you walk in the door/ that's done. Assuming congress agrees which I hope they won't.
▶ 1:45:51Mr. Mamula: The program, the contents of the program that has a cut associated, I am not familiar. I don't know what is being cut.
▶ 1:46:03Sen. King: I thought you were familiar with usgs? Do you believe it is appropriate to cut their biological research programs?
▶ 1:46:11Mr. Mamula: I have to see what they are talking about.
▶ 1:46:14Sen. King: All means all.
▶ 1:46:18Mr. Mamula: I would be more comfortable looking at that and saying ok, does this cut deserve --.
▶ 1:46:27Sen. King: How about eliminating 25 research centers? Is that a good idea? You talked rhapsodic lee about data. This is critically important data that it appears we are not going to collect.
▶ 1:46:41Mr. Mamula: I will see what cuts they are talking about. That will tell me whether the data is being cut or not and what is left on the table, we say yes we can still do our mission.
▶ 1:46:53Sen. King: It seems to me like what is being cut is data that will be produced to demonstrate the danger of climate change to our economy, our people, our country, our environment. Not collecting data doesn't mean the problem will not be there. Collecting the data can alert us to where there are problems and we can deal with it. You say you are going to look at this. The problem is you are walking into a shop already cut by more than a third.
▶ 1:47:28Sen. King: This is a personal free people. I don't know you. I am sure you want to do the right thing. Let's try to face the reality. Talk about how wonderful usgs is and apra-e. At the same time it is being cut, in one case by over 50%, and the other by more than a third. It does not pass the straightfaced test.
▶ 1:47:59Chair Lee: Any additional questions submitted in writing.
▶ 1:48:10Sen. Heinrich: I have a number of questions I will submit to the record. I think what you're hearing from senator king is the fact that budgets are reflections of our values and what we see in this budget is a disregard for science.
▶ 1:48:30Sen. Heinrich: When you are saying two of the most preeminent institutions in science that have benefited our economy over and over again should get an almost 40% and almost 60% cut, you're saying we don't value science. I hope this congress will send a different message.
▶ 1:48:54Chair Lee: I want to thank the witnesses. Each of you comes with a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for your cooperation. I want to thank the senators for taking the time to cast the votes. Questions for the record will be due by 6 p.m. This evening.
▶ 1:49:22Chair Lee: The record for the hearing will remain open for statements until 6 p.m. Thursday, may 15. Thanks again. Congratulations to the nominees. Including those recommended favorably to the floor today.
▶ 1:49:47Chair Lee: I look forward to working with all the senators on the committee as we continue to consider each of the president's nominees within the jurisdiction of the committee in such a productive manner. I hope every senator will help persuade to bring these to the floor as soon as possible. The meeting stands adjourned.