Examining the Department of the Interior's Spending Priorities (Hearing, 2021)
Summary
Record of the oversight hearing "Examining the Department of the Interior's Spending Priorities and the President's Fiscal Year Budget 2022 Proposal" before the Committee on Natural Resources, June 23, 2021, Serial No. 117-7. The witness was Deb Haaland, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Raul M. Grijalva, Chairman of the Committee, noted that the Secretary had been Vice Chair of the Committee and called the Secretary one of the first Native Americans in a cabinet position and the first Native woman in that position. Bruce Westerman also gave a statement, and questions submitted for the record follow the Secretary's prepared statement.
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“Examining the Department of the Interior's Spending Priorities (Hearing, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/house-hearing-117th-congress-oversight-hearing-on-examining-the-depart-657a8a4f46/
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[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
EXAMINING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR'S SPENDING PRIORITIES AND
THE PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR BUDGET
2022 PROPOSAL
=======================================================================
OVERSIGHT HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
__________
Serial No. 117-7
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Natural Resources
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
or
Committee address: http://naturalresources.house.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
45-003 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
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COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
RAUL M. GRIJALVA, AZ, Chair
JESUS G. ``CHUY'' GARCIA, IL, Vice Chair
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, CNMI, Vice Chair, Insular Affairs
BRUCE WESTERMAN, AR, Ranking Member
Grace F. Napolitano, CA Don Young, AK
Jim Costa, CA Louie Gohmert, TX
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Doug Lamborn, CO
CNMI Robert J. Wittman, VA
Jared Huffman, CA Tom McClintock, CA
Alan S. Lowenthal, CA Paul A. Gosar, AZ
Ruben Gallego, AZ Garret Graves, LA
Joe Neguse, CO Jody B. Hice, GA
Mike Levin, CA Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, AS
Katie Porter, CA Daniel Webster, FL
Teresa Leger Fernandez, NM Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, PR
Melanie A. Stansbury, NM Russ Fulcher, ID
Nydia M. Velazquez, NY Pete Stauber, MN
Diana DeGette, CO Thomas P. Tiffany, WI
Julia Brownley, CA Jerry L. Carl, AL
Debbie Dingell, MI Matthew M. Rosendale, Sr., MT
A. Donald McEachin, VA Blake D. Moore, UT
Darren Soto, FL Yvette Herrell, NM
Michael F. Q. San Nicolas, GU Lauren Boebert, CO
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, IL Jay Obernolte, CA
Ed Case, HI Cliff Bentz, OR
Betty McCollum, MN
Steve Cohen, TN
Paul Tonko, NY
Rashida Tlaib, MI
Lori Trahan, MA
David Watkins, Staff Director
Sarah Lim, Chief Counsel
Vivian Moeglein, Republican Staff Director
http://naturalresources.house.gov
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CONTENTS
----------
Page
Hearing held on Wednesday, June 23, 2021......................... 1
Statement of Members:
Grijalva, Hon. Raul M., a Representative in Congress from the
State of Arizona........................................... 2
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
Westerman, Hon. Bruce, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Arkansas.......................................... 4
Statement of Witnesses:
Haaland, Hon. Deb, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior 6
Prepared statement of.................................... 7
Questions submitted for the record....................... 14
OVERSIGHT HEARING ON EXAMINING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR'S
SPENDING PRIORITIES AND THE PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR BUDGET 2022
PROPOSAL
----------
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Natural Resources
Washington, DC
----------
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:04 a.m., in
room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Raul M.
Grijalva [Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Grijalva, Napolitano, Costa,
Sablan, Huffman, Lowenthal, Gallego, Neguse, Levin, Porter,
Leger Fernandez, Stansbury, DeGette, Brownley, Dingell,
McEachin, Soto, San Nicolas, Garcia, Case, McCollum, Cohen,
Tlaib, Trahan; Westerman, Gohmert, Lamborn, McClintock, Gosar,
Graves, Hice, Radewagen, Gonzalez-Colon, Fulcher, Stauber,
Tiffany, Carl, Rosendale, Moore, Herrell, Boebert, Obernolte,
and Bentz.
The Chairman. The Committee on Natural Resources will come
to order. The Committee is meeting today to examine the
Department of the Interior's spending priorities and the
President's Fiscal Year 2022 budget proposal.
Under Committee Rule 4(f), any oral opening statements at
the hearing are limited to the Chair and the Ranking Minority
Member, or their designees. This will allow us to hear from the
witness sooner, and help Members keep to their individual
schedules.
Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that all other Members'
opening statements be made part of the hearing record if they
are submitted to the Clerk by 5 p.m. today, or the close of the
hearing, whichever comes first.
Hearing no objection, so ordered.
Without objection, the Chair may also declare a recess,
subject to the call of the Chair.
As described in the notice, statements, documents, or
motions must be submitted to the electronic repository at
[email protected].
Members physically present should provide a hard copy for
staff to distribute by e-mail.
Additionally, please note that, as always, Members are
responsible for their own microphones. As with the fully in-
person meetings, Members can be muted by staff only to avoid
inadvertent background noise.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 3(l) and the latest guidance
from the Attending Physician, anyone present in the hearing
room today must wear a mask covering their mouth and nose if
they are not fully vaccinated, or if they are uncomfortable
with informing us of their vaccination status. It is my hope
that with everyone's cooperation, we can protect the safety of
Members, staff, and their respective families, as they return
home. The Committee has masks available for any Member who
needs one.
Finally, Members or witnesses who experience technical
problems should inform the Committee staff immediately.
I want to take time to welcome our new Member, Melanie
Stansbury. She comes to Congress and represents District 1 in
New Mexico, retaining the seat formerly held by our guest,
Secretary Haaland. Her background expertise on the Committee is
going to be very useful, and we look forward to her
contributions. I also want to take time to thank Representative
Matsui for her contributions to the Committee, as she released
her position to accommodate our new Member, and we are very
grateful, and want to thank her for her courtesy and her
gesture.
Let me now recognize myself for my opening statement.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ARIZONA
The Chairman. Good morning, Madam Secretary. I am happy to
welcome you to this morning's hearing. I want to thank you for
wasting no time in improving our Nation's conservation and
Native American policies, which I am sure we are going to hear
more about today.
This may feel like a homecoming for you, since you were the
Vice Chair of this Committee, and here you are, on the other
side of this table, as one of the first Native Americans in a
cabinet position, and the first Native woman in that position.
It is a pleasure to see you again, and inviting you to testify.
Knowing the Committee as you do, Madam Secretary, you
realize that the goal is a deliberate and informative hearing,
without too much theatrics. That is the goal. But as you know
this Committee, the process sometimes doesn't quite work out
that way.
And we have a lot to talk about, and I am sure you are well
aware of how many questions we have. But if you will indulge
me, just for a moment, I want to recognize the history that we
are making today.
In 1789, Congress created three executive departments:
Foreign Affairs, Treasury, and War Department. Given our
country's history and its relationship with tribes and
Indigenous people, these issues were initially housed in the
War Department, because the United States viewed tribes and
Indigenous communities as pure adversaries.
In 1849, Congress created the Department of the Interior to
oversee internal affairs such as water, wilderness, regulation
of territories, public lands, and Native Americans. Since then,
the Department of the Interior has made contributions to our
Nation's history, but the intent of placing Indian Affairs in
the Department of the Interior was to dismantle Indigenous
culture, while re-educating Native Americans so they could
become ``respectable citizens.''
Yet, decades later, here we are, inviting the first Native
American woman elected to Congress, and the first Native
American cabinet member, to hear about her plans for the
Department of the Interior. The historic significance of this
moment should not be lost. A Department that was once in charge
of eradicating the Indigenous culture of this country is
finally being led by one. Secretary Haaland sits before us
today, despite the history of this Department, and I welcome
her to this hearing room with the utmost respect and
appreciation for the work she has done and will continue to do
for people.
Today, we will hear about the most significant issues
facing our country, such as climate change, environmental
justice, and polluter accountability. I supported Secretary
Haaland's nomination because we need someone with her
experience, her compassion, her intelligence, and her fair-
mindedness in charge of answering these questions.
As I can say from personal experience, Secretary Haaland
brings a new perspective to her work. The attributes that
qualify her as Secretary of the Interior--compassion,
experience, intelligence, and fair-mindedness--is precisely
what our country needs at this moment in time. And we welcome
her leadership, and look forward to that leadership.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Grijalva follows:]
Prepared Statement of the Hon. Raul M. Grijalva, Chair, Committee on
Natural Resources
Good morning, Madam Secretary. I hope I don't need to say how happy
I am to welcome you to this morning's hearing. I want to thank you for
wasting no time in improving our Nation's conservation policies, which
I'm sure we're going to hear more about today.
You were a leader when you sat on this Committee, you're a leader
now, and I believe you'll continue being a leader for a long time to
come, so it's a pleasure to see you again and invite you to testify.
We have a lot to talk about, and I'm sure you're well aware of how
many questions we have, but if you'll indulge me a moment, I want to
recognize what's happening here today.
It wasn't long ago that Native American children were taken from
their families and sent to schools designed to wipe out their cultures,
their religions and their languages. They were discouraged or prevented
from seeing their families. Their hair was cut short, their clothes
were replaced with uniforms, and in many cases their birth names were
intentionally forgotten. If they expressed themselves in traditional
ways, they were met with violence.
In this country, the United States of America, hundreds of
thousands of Native children were ridiculed and psychologically
tormented for generations until they met totally invented standards of
behavior.
The people who committed these crimes claimed Native people don't
understand the laws of this country. They claimed Native men and women
are inherently lazy. They claimed they needed to be handled this way
before they were ready live in the modern world. This all happened
within living memory.
Secretary Haaland sits before us today despite those crimes. I
salute her.
In this emerging world that seems to have frightened and confused a
lot of people, where Native families and Native history are respected
and treated with dignity, this Committee has made a few small changes
of our own.
As the people here today may have noticed, we've removed the
paintings that once hung in this chamber. Images depicting the artist's
conception of the lives and traditions of Indigenous people in the 19th
century may have once had a home here, but they're inconsistent with
the work of a Committee dedicated to improving the current and future
lives of Indigenous peoples.
Today's hearing, I believe, is another important step in the
modernization of our work and our role. The Interior Department was
once tasked with the subjugation and even extermination of Native
Americans. Now a Native American leads the Department and is here with
us to discuss the most important questions our country faces--questions
about climate change, about environmental justice, about polluter
accountability, about ensuring equity for all Americans.
I supported Secretary Haaland's nomination because we need someone
with her compassion, intelligence, and her fair-mindedness in charge of
answering these questions.
I believe compassion is a value that's being lost in government. I
saw the importance of compassion when I was growing up in southern
Arizona, in a politically very difficult time for immigrants and the
children of immigrants. Compassion, not the pursuit of a quick buck, is
what defines this country at its best. We can be, and sometimes are, a
compassionate nation.
That's why I'm so glad to see Secretary Haaland leading the
Department of the Interior. The threat of climate change calls on us
like never before to think of others as well as ourselves, and to
consider needs larger than our own daily concerns. As I can say from
personal experience, she always brings that perspective to her work.
This country needs her right where she is.
______
The Chairman. With that, I would like once again to welcome
you here, Secretary Haaland, back to this Committee. And I now
recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Westerman, for his opening
comments.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. BRUCE WESTERMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ARKANSAS
Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Chairman Grijalva. It is, indeed,
great to be here today. It is good to see you. Not only to see
you, but to see you in person and in 3D. This is a good day,
when we are finally back in the Committee room. It feels more
like what Congress should be, where we are looking across the
dais at one another, where we are here, in person, to discuss
important issues for the country.
And I am so thankful that we are able to be back here
today, thankful for the great work that our country did in
coming up with vaccines, and getting those vaccines available,
so that everybody has access to it. And hopefully, this is just
the beginning, that all of our hearings, and especially our
markups----
[Audio malfunction.]
Mr. Westerman [continuing]. Committee Republicans are
focused on access, conservation, innovation, and transparency,
all of which should be bipartisan and a priority.
Unfortunately, the Administration's proposed budget, I
believe--and I think we will have a discussion about it today--
falls short of many of these goals.
If there is one thing we should all be united on, that is
access. And it doesn't just mean access to recreational
opportunities, but also access to timber, water, lands for
grazing, energy, minerals, and much more. The Administration
has taken unprecedented steps to cut off access to critical
minerals and vital energy sources, putting Americans out of
work, and jeopardizing our energy security.
The budget request does nothing to reverse this tide and,
instead, includes deeply flawed logical inconsistencies. For
example, this Administration canceled the Keystone XL pipeline
permit, yet it supports foreign pipelines like Nord Stream 2,
making us and our allies more dependent on Russia.
Additionally, the budget focuses heavily on promoting
renewable energy that says virtually nothing about domestically
sourcing the minerals needed to support solar and wind energy.
Finally, the Administration also fully funded the Land
Water Conservation Fund and other conservation programs, while
simultaneously cutting off those revenue sources by halting
fossil fuel development. Instead of a misguided preservationist
land designation, we must promote access through true
conservation. This is more critical than ever, as over 75
percent of our Western lands are currently classified as being
in severe drought or worse, an ominous sign for what will
surely be another catastrophic wildfire season.
Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Last year was yet
another historic wildfire season that burned 10.3 million
acres, and 20 percent of that was on DOI lands. This budget
includes no serious support for long-term water storage, and
does nothing to help us dramatically ramp up the acres in need
of treatment to prevent wildfires, two things that are
desperately needed right now. Drought, wildfire, and the litany
of other crises facing the Department will require innovative
approaches to solve. I have no doubt that America is up for the
challenge. But sadly, instead of incentivizing new ideas, this
budget simply throws money at problems, and uses catchphrases,
oftentimes with little to no meaning.
Finally, I am deeply disappointed with what this
Administration is passing off as transparency. Not only was
this budget released months behind schedule, and on the Friday
before a long weekend--a date I believe was chosen in the hopes
that nobody would really notice the budget's release--but DOI
has also ignored 87 document requests, and failed to provide
two requested policy briefings to the Committee.
Secretary Haaland, as a former member of this very
Committee, I know you understand how important it is to be
responsive to congressional oversight inquiries. So, I hope you
will implore your staff at the Department to take these duties
more seriously, and to respond to all of our outstanding
requests.
I know many of us on both sides of the aisle share the
common goal of wanting to see our environment and our natural
resources thrive for years to come. Unfortunately, I believe we
are just simply paying lip service to conservation, while
actively making it more difficult for us to be good stewards
and to take care of our resources and use them wisely.
Again, I would like to thank Secretary Haaland for being
here today. It means a lot that you would come over and visit
with the Committee.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Westerman, and I want to thank
again our witness today, Secretary of the Interior, Deb
Haaland.
Thank you very much for taking the time, Madam Secretary. I
won't go through the--I think you are pretty familiar with the
5-minute rule and all that. So, rather than repeat that whole
section of what I have to say, the assumption is you know, and
I think that assumption is correct.
Now the Chair recognizes Secretary Haaland to testify.
Madam Secretary, the floor is yours.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. DEB HAALAND, SECRETARY, U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF THE INTERIOR
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Chairman, Ranking
Member. It is an honor to be here, and to see all these
familiar faces. I am really happy to be here with you today.
Very quickly, I want to let you know that I am joined by
Ms. Rachel Taylor, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Policy Management and Budget. She is here with me today to sort
of help make sure that you get the information that you need in
full.
Chairman Grijalva, Ranking Member Westerman, members of the
Committee, it is an honor to be here with you today on behalf
of the Department of the Interior. I was proud to serve on this
Committee, and it is great to be back with so many friends and
colleagues. It is deeply meaningful to me, as the first Native
American cabinet secretary, to be here on the ancestral
homelands of the Anacostan and Piscataway people, speaking
before you.
This Committee plays an important role in the success of
the Department of the Interior and our many programs. The work
that Congress has done on a bipartisan basis to support
priorities such as the Great American Outdoors Act, wildland
fire, and tribal programs has been integral to the ability of
the Interior to meet our mission. And it has had profound
impacts on the lives of Native Americans and Alaska Natives in
communities across our country. And in that spirit, I come
before you today to present the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, and to
talk about how we can work together to ensure the Department is
ready to meet this moment.
The 2022 budget reflects the important role Interior will
play to accomplish the Administration's goals to move our
country forward in this unprecedented time. The President's
budget responds by proposing $17.6 billion in discretionary
investments in Interior, as well as legislative proposals to
implement the American Jobs Plan. The programs you see
reflected in the budget request lift up the President's goals
of addressing the climate crisis, providing much-needed
resources to Tribal Nations, restoring balance on public lands
and waters, advancing equity and environmental justice,
investing in a clean energy future, and creating good-paying
jobs.
I will walk through a few high-level details now, and, of
course, look forward to having a discussion with you later on.
First, the budget supports conservation partnership
programs that will advance the America the Beautiful
Initiative, our Administration's effort to conserve 30 percent
of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through locally led and
voluntary projects.
The request also allocates the full mandatory funding for
the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program I cared deeply
about as a Member of Congress, and am thrilled to help direct
as Secretary. And it includes $86 million for the Civilian
Climate Corps Initiative.
All told, the budget includes unprecedented investments to
address the climate crisis, including more than $1.9 billion in
new funding toward conservation, clean energy, climate science,
and fleet modernization.
There is an increase of $133 million to accelerate and
expand activities that support clean energy deployment across
Federal lands and waters. It includes more than $300 million to
support fuels management activities to reduce the risk of
wildland fire, funds to help prevent wildfires from taking
hold, growing in severity, and threatening communities and
resources.
The budget request prioritizes investments in science,
including $200 million in new funds that will help to
understand climate impacts, and make better decisions about how
to mitigate, adapt, and increase resilience across the
landscape in our communities.
It also provides $300 million to support the President's
Reclamation Jobs Initiative, and clean up legacy pollution by
plugging orphaned oil and gas wells, and cleaning up abandoned
mines.
It includes major investments in Indian Country. The budget
includes $4.2 billion across all Indian Affairs programs, which
is $278 million above Fiscal Year 2021.
We are also focused on strengthening tribal sovereignty,
including a proposal for $150 million to re-establish the
Indian Land Consolidation Program within the Bureau of Indian
Affairs.
This request also includes important increases for tribal
public safety and justice programs, including $16.5 million for
programs like Interior's Missing and Murdered Unit that
addressed the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis.
We want to put the full weight of the Federal Government into
investigating these cases, and martial law enforcement
resources across the cabinet and throughout Indian Country.
Finally, to ensure our Nation's legal obligations to tribes
are fully met, the budget proposes to shift funding for tribal
water settlements, contract support costs, and tribal lease
payments to mandatory spending, starting in Fiscal Year 2023.
These are just some of the highlights of this budget
request. I look forward to working with the Committee to
achieve these important goals.
I commit to you that I will continue to honor and respect
the role this Committee plays with the confident expectation
that, working together, we can accomplish great things on
behalf of the American people.
This concludes my opening remarks. Thank you again for
having me, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Secretary Haaland follows:]
Prepared Statement of Deb Haaland, Secretary, United States Department
of the Interior
Chairman Grijalva, Ranking Member Westerman and Members of the
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of the
Interior Department's Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Proposal.
It is an honor and privilege for me to appear before you today as
Secretary of the Interior to represent the Department and our tens of
thousands of dedicated professionals. I was proud to serve on this
Committee and it is great to be back with so many friends and
colleagues.
It is also deeply meaningful for me, as the first Native American
Cabinet Secretary, to speak to you from the ancestral homelands of the
Anacostan and Piscataway people.
I respect the important role you play in the success of the
Department and our programs, and it is my hope and my goal that we can
work together successfully on behalf the American people.
Interior's 2022 budget request totals $17.6 billion. Our 2022
budget request is a $2.5 billion or a 17 percent increase from the 2021
enacted appropriation. This budget will help implement the President's
ambitious vision to lift up the Nation in this unprecedented time by
addressing the climate crisis, providing much-needed resources to
Tribal nations, restoring balance on public lands and waters, advancing
environmental justice, and investing in a clean energy future.
Interior's wide-ranging programs create economic opportunities and
jobs for the American people. As reflected in the Department's Economic
Contributions Report for Fiscal Year 2019, Interior's mission
activities supported an estimated 1.9 million jobs and $336 billion in
economic output. Interior has an important and unique mission to uphold
and honor the Nation's trust responsibilities and commitments to Native
Americans, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help
them prosper.
The 2022 budget lays out the important role Interior will play to
accomplish the Administration's goals to move our country forward. This
request includes the President's American Jobs Plan, which provides a
longer-term strategy to create millions of good-paying union jobs,
rebuild our country's infrastructure, and position America to out-
compete others on the global stage.
Interior plays an important role in the President's plan to
reinvest in the foundations of the Nation's strength. The 2022 budget
addresses the need to invest in America at this critical time, when the
Nation faces challenges from a pandemic, an economic downturn, climate
change, and a reckoning with racial injustice. As such, Interior's 2022
budget invests in America's future. Programs focus on adaptive
management and increasing resilience to the changing climate; creating
jobs and economic development; using science to inform; strengthening
Tribal nations' self-determination; expanding inclusion of historically
underrepresented communities; promoting environmental justice;
delivering Interior's core services; and providing effective
stewardship of America's national treasures.
A key component of the Administration's investment strategy to
address climate impacts on the ground through land stewardship and
conservation is leveraging the power of Americans across the country.
The Administration recently released a preliminary report to the
National Climate Task Force--Conserving and Restoring America the
Beautiful--recommending a 10-year, locally led campaign to conserve and
restore America's lands and waters.
The report provides an overarching framework to implement the
President's goal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. land and waters by
2030, which will help address the climate crisis and its impacts on
nature, improve equitable access to the outdoors, and strengthen the
economy. The report recognizes and celebrates the voluntary
conservation efforts of farmers, ranchers, and forest owners; the
leadership of sovereign Tribal nations in caring for lands, waters, and
wildlife; the contributions and stewardship traditions of America's
hunters, anglers, and fishing communities; and the vital importance of
investing in playgrounds, trails, and open space in park-deprived
communities.
The America the Beautiful initiative is intended to serve as a call
to action to support locally led conservation and restoration efforts
across public, private, state, and Tribal lands and waters. The
initiative welcomes all communities wishing to steward their lands and
waters, boost the economy, and support jobs. Supporting these
principles, the 2022 budget includes increases across Interior to
support local partnership programs.
Consistent with Congressional direction, the 2022 President's
budget allocates mandatory funding available through the Great American
Outdoors Act (GAOA). That funding includes up to $1.6 billion for
deferred maintenance projects in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM),
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), and
the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).
Thanks to broad bipartisan support of GAOA in 2020, $900.0 million
in mandatory LWCF resources is made available annually for conservation
and recreation activities managed by Interior and the U.S. Forest
Service. In 2021, Interior is providing $420.8 million, which includes
$19.0 million from discretionary funds, to states and other partners
for local conservation and recreation programs through non-federal
grants and $280.7 million for federal programs, including voluntary
land acquisition and easement programs in the BLM, FWS, and NPS.
In May 2021, Interior awarded $150.0 million to local communities
through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant program. Funded
through the LWCF, this competitive program enables urban communities to
create and reinvigorate outdoor recreation spaces and connect people
and the outdoors in economically underserved communities. The LWCF
programs directly support land and resource conservation and increase
access to outdoor recreation across America.
In the 2022 budget, Interior proposes to allocate $700.9 million
for LWCF programs, which includes $19.0 million from discretionary
funds. The 2022 budget estimates an additional $128.3 million will be
available for State LWCF grants as a result of revenue derived from
certain offshore oil and gas sales in the Gulf of Mexico.
The 2022 budget proposal includes new investments for climate-
related investments to conserve and adaptively manage natural
resources, increase understanding of how natural resources are changing
and what that means, build resilience to protect communities and lands
from significant impacts, and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse
gases. The budget proposal also contains funding for wildland fire
management, drought mitigation, and science-based investments that will
help the Department and communities prepare for and address the
aftermath of natural hazard events. These efforts will be supported by
investments for science-driven conservation to align management of the
Nation's natural resources with America's climate, biodiversity, and
clean energy needs.
To address the growing threat of wildfire to public health and
community safety, the FY 2022 request includes a robust increase of
$117.8 million in Interior's wildland fire programs. This features an
increase of $107.4 million for hazardous fuels and burned area
rehabilitation programs. This funding will support efforts to manage
vegetation and reduce the intensity, severity, and negative effects of
wildfire, in line with the Administration's science-based approach to
risk management and complementing our other efforts to improve land
health and resilience to climate change and reduce carbon emissions. As
we head into what is already a challenging wildland fire season due to
historic levels of drought in the West, these important investments in
risk reduction continue to be top of mind.
The 2022 budget proposes to rebuild core functions and capacities
within Interior that have been diminished in recent years with
investments in USGS science and staffing, and the core operations of
parks, wildlife refuges and public lands. The investments in Interior's
budget request also provide a key opportunity for the Administration
and Congress to work together to restore levels of investment in
programs at the Department and across government, and to lay a
foundation for core programs that improve the life of everyday
Americans.
To implement the American Jobs Plan, the 2022 budget includes new
investments to create good-paying jobs with a free and fair chance to
join a union, rebuild the country's infrastructure, address the climate
crisis, and position the United States to out-compete other countries.
The proposal includes an increase of $300.0 million to support efforts
to plug orphan oil and gas wells, clean up abandoned mines, and
decommission offshore oil and gas infrastructure, which will help
create jobs and improve the environmental quality of energy communities
by addressing serious safety hazards and risks from associated air,
water, or other environmental damage.
As part of this proposal, the budget includes $169.2 million for a
new Energy Community Revitalization Program (ERCP), which will help
accelerate this remediation and reclamation work on Interior-managed
lands and support work on non-federal lands through grants to states
and Tribes. The new ECRP will include $75.0 million to address
reclamation and restoration within Interior and also provide $70.0
million for assistance and support to states and $20.0 million for
reclamation on Tribal lands. The program will provide technical
assistance and funding to inventory abandoned mines and oil and gas
wells and to support reclamation projects.
As part of a White House forum with federal agencies, states,
industry, and labor in March 2021, the Administration announced a
commitment by the Departments of the Interior, Energy, and Commerce to
increase renewable energy development on federal waters and set a
target to deploy 30 gigawatts (30,000 megawatts) of offshore wind by
2030, creating nearly 80,000 jobs. Work is already underway to meet
this ambitious goal.
In the first months of the Administration, the Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management (BOEM) approved the first major offshore wind project
in U.S. waters, the 800 MW Vineyard Wind project, which will create
3,600 jobs and generate enough power for 400,000 homes and businesses.
BOEM also issued a lease for the first wave energy research project in
federal waters off the U.S. West coast, identified a new Wind Energy
Area in the New York Bight, and announced intent for environmental
reviews for projects offshore New Jersey, Rhode Island, and
Massachusetts. The budget includes $249.1 million in funding to
increase renewable energy production on public lands and in offshore
waters, which will create jobs and help transition the county to a
clean energy future. The funding primarily supports infrastructure
permitting for onshore and offshore renewable energy projects such as
solar, wind, wave and geothermal.
In anticipation of large-scale development of offshore wind energy
on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is preparing to take on new
responsibilities with respect to renewable energy workplace and process
safety management, environmental protection, and decommissioning and
site restoration. BSEE is also assuming safety and environmental
enforcement operational functions for federal OCS offshore renewable
energy development.
In 2022, the BSEE budget includes $9.8 million, an increase of $9.0
million, to establish a core foundational program to support the
development of a safe, robust, and environmentally responsible offshore
wind industry in the United States. The funding will enable timely and
rigorous industry plan reviews, initiate a robust compliance assurance
program, promote science-based renewable energy research, and
demonstrate BSEE's commitment and leadership in driving safety
performance in the offshore wind industry.
In May 2021, BLM announced final approval of the Crimson Solar
Project on BLM lands in Riverside County, CA. The project has the
potential to deliver enough energy to power roughly 87,500 homes. The
project is located within one of the areas designated for development
in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, identified through a
process of extensive review and coordination. The budget includes $55.6
million, an increase of $25.0 million, for onshore clean energy
programs managed by BLM. This amount includes $44.6 million in the
Renewable Energy program, an increase of $14.0 million from the 2021
enacted level, and a program increase of $11.0 million in the Resource
Management Planning program to support renewable energy project siting.
This funding will support the permitting and rights-of-way work
associated with siting new projects and transmission lines. To ramp up
to meet the Administration's renewable energy goals, BLM is reviewing
policies and resources, working with other agencies to improve
coordination, and reviewing current applications that could be
expedited.
The 2022 budget includes an additional $13.0 million in FWS to
accommodate increased permitting reviews associated with clean energy.
The 2022 budget also includes an increase of $7.0 million to support
clean energy programs and grid infrastructure in the Insular Areas. In
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), program funding for clean energy
deployment programs in Indian Country totals $66.0 million, an increase
of $50.0 million from the 2021 enacted level.
President Biden has challenged federal agencies to leverage the
purchasing power of federal procurements to spur the deployment of
clean energy technologies and supporting infrastructure and the jobs
they create. Interior's fleet includes approximately 30,800 vehicles.
The 2022 budget includes $73.0 million to start transitioning
Interior's fleet to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) as part of a
governmentwide initiative. Funding will support either acquiring ZEVs
within the owned fleet or transitioning to the General Services
Administration's leased fleet, investment in the related charging
infrastructure, and planning and integration to effectively support the
initiative.
To address abandoned coal mine cleanup, the 2022 budget includes
$165.0 million, an increase of $50.0 million, for the Abandoned Mine
Land and Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program in the Office of
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. The program provides grants
to the six Appalachian States with the highest amount of unfunded
Priority 1 and Priority 2 Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) sites and the
three Tribes with AML programs. Grants are awarded for projects that
accelerate the remediation of AML sites and encourage economic and
community development.
Science is valued at Interior, and it guides management decisions.
Science is a cornerstone of the 2022 budget, with strong investments in
science across the Department to better support bureau missions,
address climate change on the ground, and invest in tools to monitor,
measure, and model solutions to important resource challenges. The 2022
budget includes $1.3 billion for research and development programs, and
these investments in mission-specific science provide a new approach to
developing and delivering actionable products and reducing barriers
between science production and user application.
USGS is Interior's primary science organization, with a broad
portfolio related to the earth and biological sciences. The 2022 budget
includes $1.6 billion for USGS, an increase of $326.9 million from the
2021 enacted level. The budget for USGS includes an increase of $205.0
million, to make science the centerpiece of the Biden Administration's
commitment to tackling the climate change crisis, and another $83.0
million increase in other research and development, including support
for conservation programs, such as the America the Beautiful
initiative. The 2022 investments in USGS science span the range of
climate adaptation and land change science, carbon sequestration and
greenhouse gas monitoring, critical minerals, mine waste reclamation
and reuse, hazards monitoring, and water prediction.
The 2022 USGS budget accelerates the development of tools
supporting planning, monitoring, and projection, including the
Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) and the Land
Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) initiative. These
two tools provide solutions to the growing need for conservation
planning and information about the fundamental drivers of land change
and the consequences of human-caused and natural changes. Collectively,
these investments will accelerate discoveries with the potential to
transform America's understanding of the natural world, launch the next
generation of Landsat to study and improve life on Earth, and enable
U.S. independence from adversarial nations for industrial materials
needed for current technologies.
The 2022 budget includes $60.0 million in USGS collaborative
research with the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Climate
(ARPA-C) within the Department of Energy. This high-risk, accelerated
research can achieve transformational advancement in climate adaptation
and resilience in areas in which industry by itself is not likely to
invest due to technical and financial uncertainty. The investment will
focus on work in five areas critically important to Interior's mission
and to tackling the climate crisis: planning tools to support habitat
health and biodiversity, models for drought prediction, predictive
tools for wildfire and post-wildfire risk management, coastal change
and vulnerability forecasts for planning and disaster response and
recovery, and models to assess the potential and risks for geologic
storage of hydrogen created using renewable energy.
The Civilian Climate Corps (CCC) is an important jobs initiative
that draws on America's strength to work together and build back better
to revitalize public lands, infrastructure, and communities--and, in
doing so, create jobs. The idea builds from the Civilian Conservation
Corps, which put hundreds of thousands of young people to work on
public and private lands, providing them with jobs and training to
tackle the crises of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The
President calls for a broad CCC initiative in the American Jobs Plan,
which stretches across federal agencies and non-federal partners
throughout the country.
Complementing this broader effort, Interior's discretionary 2022
budget includes $85.5 million for CCC work on Interior's lands. In
2022, the CCC program will build upon existing programs and
partnerships that share the same objectives--to tackle climate change
on the ground, provide a living wage, provide skills and a pathway to
employment, and reflect the diversity of America.
The Biden-Harris Administration made its commitment to Tribal
nations clear from the start, emphasizing the need to strengthen and
respect the government-to-government relationship with Tribes.
Underscoring that focus on Indian Country, the 2022 budget proposal
includes $4.2 billion, an increase of $727.8 million from the 2021
enacted level, across all Indian Affairs programs. The budget invests
in core Indian Affairs programs and addresses outstanding gaps in areas
such as environmental quality and ensuring Tribal communities are part
of the national priorities to address climate change and move toward
clean energy.
The 2022 budget includes $2.7 billion for BIA programs, an increase
of $614.9 million from the 2021 enacted level. The budget includes
$346.5 million to fully fund estimated Contract Support Costs, an
increase of $61.0 million from the 2021 enacted level, and $36.6
million for Payments for Tribal Leases, $15.0 million above the 2021
enacted level. The budget proposes to reclassify discretionary funding
for Contract Support Costs and Payments for Tribal Leases to mandatory
funding starting in 2023. Doing so will provide Tribal nations with
certainty that these commitments will be met with a dedicated,
predictable funding source.
The BIA request also includes $150.0 million for a new Indian Land
Consolidation Program (ILCP) to enhance the ability of Tribal
governments to plan for and adapt to climate change and to build
stronger Tribal communities. Reducing land fractionation and achieving
Tribal majority ownership in lands enables Tribes to make decisions
about land management, use, and protection that facilitate climate
resilience.
The new program reflects the ongoing need to continue to address
fractionation on Indian lands as the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal
Nations (LBBP), established as part of the Cobell Settlement, ends in
November 2022. The program estimates that by the time the LBBP program
concludes, 60 percent of the unique locations within fractionated land
will not have been visited by the program. Without further efforts, the
program expects the number of fractional interests will likely return
to pre-program levels within approximately 20 years.
The 2022 budget includes $395.8 million for BIA Trust Natural
Resources Management programs, an increase of $136.9 million from the
2021 enacted level. The budget increases funding across the full
spectrum of Tribal natural resource programs, recognizing their
economic importance as well as their contributions to environmental
quality and conservation. Within Trust Natural Resources, the budget
includes $61.0 million for the Tribal Climate Resilience program, an
increase of $44.0 million from the 2021 enacted level. The increase
includes $23.0 million to expand Tribal Climate Adaptation Grants,
$11.0 million in additional funding for Alaska Village Relocation
Grants, and $10.0 million for a Tribal CCC. The budget includes $56.2
million for Minerals and Mining projects, which focus on clean and
alternative energy programs, an increase of $40.1 million from the 2021
enacted level.
BIA's 2022 budget includes $507.1 million for Public Safety
services, an increase of $38.5 million. This increase includes $10.0
million to support the McGirt v. Oklahoma Supreme Court decision, $10.0
million to support a body-worn camera initiative for officers, $8.2
million to continue support for BIA participation in the Federal Opioid
Initiative, and $5.0 million for implementation of the Violence Against
Women Act. The budget includes $116.4 million, an increase of $10.0
million, for detention and correction programs and $43.2 million, an
increase of $4.2 million, for Tribal courts.
The 2022 BIA budget includes a $14.1 million increase to support
Human Services activities, including $3.0 million to expand the Tiwahe
Initiative. The Tiwahe Initiative is a holistic approach to addressing
overall Tribal community needs that support youth, family, community
safety and stability, and cultural awareness. The initiative
facilitates collaboration within Tribal communities--which can help to
leverage resources, share expertise, reduce duplication, and exchange
information about families' needs--to formulate the most responsive
approach to provide service.
The 2022 BIA budget maintains strong support for the Missing and
Murdered Indigenous American Indians and Alaska Natives initiative,
including $16.5 million for the program, an increase of $5.0 million
from the 2021 enacted level. The 2022 budget also includes specific
investments to address environmental quality problems on Tribal lands.
Within BIA Construction, the budget includes $29.9 million specifically
to address water safety and sanitation requirements related to BIA-
owned drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
The 2022 budget includes $270.2 million for Indian water rights
settlement activities, an increase of $71.9 million from the 2021
enacted level. This amount includes $75.2 million within BIA, an
increase of $30.2 million from the 2021 enacted level, and $157.6
million within the Bureau of Reclamation, an increase of $36.8 million,
for settlements. The budget proposes to reclassify discretionary
funding for enacted Indian water settlements, including these two new
settlements, to mandatory funding starting in 2023. Doing so will
provide Tribal nations with certainty that these commitments will be
met with a dedicated, predictable funding source.
The 2022 budget includes $1.3 billion for Indian Education
programs, an increase of $110.6 million from the 2021 enacted level.
The primary focus of funding remains on support for the day-to-day
operations of BIE-funded elementary and secondary schools. Funds will
enable BIE to improve opportunities and outcomes in the classroom,
provide improved instructional services, and support improved teacher
quality, recruitment, and retention. The budget requests $24.7 million
for Early Child and Family Development, an increase of $3.7 million, to
expand preschool opportunities at BIE-funded schools. The budget also
invests in postsecondary programs, including $45.0 million for Tribal
scholarships and adult education, an increase of $10.2 million from the
2021 enacted level, and includes $5.0 million for the Science Post
Graduate Scholarship Fund, an increase of $2.0 million, for a new
initiative providing research internships to highly qualified students
from economically disadvantaged rural communities.
The BIE is working collaboratively with Tribes and communities to
alleviate the strains imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on BIE students
and their families, as well as on teachers, administrators, and staff
across BIE's schools and the Tribal Colleges and Universities. The 2022
budget includes funding to maintain the important investments in
distance learning infrastructure provided during the pandemic.
The budget includes $35.4 million for Education Information
Technology, which is an increase of $20.1 million from the 2021 enacted
level. This increase provides critical funding to support upgraded
broadband access at BIE schools, including recurring operating costs
for network systems, such as annual learning software subscriptions and
licenses. These investments will enable BIE to continue delivering
education during the pandemic as well as substantially improve the
efficiency and quality of education upon return to in-school learning.
To support infrastructure needs, the 2022 budget also includes
$264.3 million in discretionary education construction funds to replace
and repair school facilities and address priority maintenance needs at
183 schools. The budget continues to invest in activities that promote
educational self-determination for Tribal communities and includes
$94.9 million, an increase of $8.0 million, for Tribal Grant Support
Costs to cover the administration costs for Tribes that choose to
operate BIE-funded schools. This level of funding supports 100 percent
of the estimated requirement.
President Biden's EO 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support
for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government clearly
states the Administration's policy: ``The Federal Government should
pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all'' to
include those who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and
adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. The
President's call to agencies to advance equity for all is being put
into action at Interior.
The Department is taking stock of current programs across Interior
that address equal employment opportunity, civil rights, diversity and
inclusion, accessibility, workplace culture transformation, and
discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. As part
of this process, the Department is working with bureaus and offices to
identify gaps, challenges, and best practices and to examine Department
and bureau roles, responsibilities, and governance to ensure that any
necessary changes are implemented. The 2022 budget includes a $12.8
million increase across Interior bureaus and offices to better address
diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in Interior's
workforce.
The Administration's emphasis on equity for all and inclusion is
also a part of how Interior executes its core missions. As part of the
NEPA process, bureaus and offices must consider the impacts on the
natural or physical environment as well as social, cultural, and
economic impacts. The Department is committed to ensuring the federal
government honors the government-to-government relationship with Tribes
and strengthens Tribal sovereignty through meaningful Tribal
consultation.
The FY 2022 budget request promotes racial justice and equity in
underserved communities by embedding environmental justice and racial
equity goals into programs across the Department, with discrete
investments in key areas. The NPS plays a particularly important role
in ensuring cultural diversity in federal programs and connecting
underserved communities to the Department. The NPS is also charged with
preserving and caring for structures and artifacts that tell the story
of all Americans. Providing outdoor recreation opportunities, the
telling of America's story, and preservation of our collective history
are an essential element of Interior's mission.
The NPS 2022 budget includes $15.0 million to expand capacity at
more than 16 national park units and programs that preserve and tell
the story of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups,
including $5.0 million for the African American Civil Rights Network.
The budget includes an additional $5.0 million for competitive historic
preservation grants to increase support to state and local efforts to
preserve sites that document the struggle for equal opportunity for
African Americans. The budget includes $10.0 million for construction
at the Selma Interpretive Center for a voting rights center that honors
the legacy of civil rights leaders, including the late Representative
John Lewis.
The 2022 budget expands ongoing programs working to connect new
audiences to the outdoors and Interior's mission activities. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service budget includes $12.5 million for its Urban
Wildlife Conservation Program, an increase of $7.0 million from the
2021 enacted level. The program features 101 national wildlife refuges
that are within a 25-mile radius of an urban area, such as Bayou Savage
National Wildlife Refuge near New Orleans. With 80 percent of Americans
living in cities, the program is helping people to get outside, engage
with their community, and become part of the next generation of outdoor
enthusiasts.
EO 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,
establishes the Justice40 Initiative that will seek to bring 40 percent
of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to underserved
communities. The initiative will focus on clean energy and energy
efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training
and workforce development, the reduction of legacy pollution, and the
development of critical clean water infrastructure. Interior programs
will play a strong role in this initiative to address racial equity and
environmental justice through inclusive initiatives, such as
Reclamation Jobs and Clean Energy for Tribal Communities, as well as
core mission activities to construct drinking water and irrigation
systems in underserved communities, encourage open areas and recreation
in cities through urban refuges and parks, and increase access to
broadband and power in the hard-to-reach parts of America.
The 2022 budget includes important investments in programs needed
to help build back America to be better and more competitive as the
world continues to change. This includes funding to support a strong,
talented workforce at Interior and strengthen the core infrastructure
needed to continue to deliver Interior's missions. Staffing declined
during the past 4 years by 4,382, or 6.7 percent, from 2017 through
2020. Current staffing is expected to increase so that by the end of
2021, Interior staffing levels will be roughly where they were at the
end of 2018.
With the 2022 budget, staffing is estimated to surpass 2017
staffing levels by 3.2 percent. As the Department works to rebuild its
workforce, Interior will seek to recruit, hire, and train the next
generation of talent that reflects the diversity and strength of the
United States. Complementing our diverse workforce, the Department is
committed to providing the tools critical for success across Interior.
Interior manages an infrastructure portfolio valued at more than
$330 billion, ranging from large dams and canals in the West to iconic
national landmarks across the country. In total, the Department is
responsible for roughly 43,000 buildings, 100,000 miles of road, and
80,000 structures. Operations, maintenance, recapitalization, and
modernization of Interior's infrastructure are a significant part of
annual cost requirements. The 2022 budget includes $2.8 billion for
operations, maintenance, repair, and construction of Interior
facilities, an increase of $241.8 million from the 2021 enacted level.
This amount includes maintenance and construction across the
Department, including water project construction, maintenance, and dam
safety.
Much of Interior's workforce worked remotely during the pandemic,
and bureaus and offices worked quickly to adapt and ensure that staff
had the right equipment and bandwidth to telework effectively. These
efforts increased demand on the Department's networks and heightened
attention to the importance of a strong cybersecurity posture at
Interior. The 2022 budget includes an increase of $25.5 million to
support the post-SolarWinds Department-wide cyber defense capability
and address related gaps identified in specific bureaus.
Interior's central Financial and Business Management System (FBMS)
requires modernization, and the budget requests an increase of $5.0
million for the first year of a 2-year system infrastructure migration
to prevent technical obsolescence. FBMS supports the administrative
systems requirements of all Interior bureaus for core accounting,
budget execution, acquisition, aspects of financial assistance, real
and personal property management, fleet management, travel integration,
enterprise information management, and reporting. The migration will
modernize and transform Interior's administrative operations,
strengthen the cybersecurity of federal networks and critical
infrastructure, and implement security measures. As part of the
modernization of FBMS, the 2022 budget includes an increase of $4.0
million to support migration to improved cloud hosting with sufficient
virtual in-memory servers needed to support the size and complexity of
the Departmentwide FBMS system.
The 2022 budget includes a $17.5 million increase to begin the next
phase of the Office of Natural Resource Revenue's (ONRR's) ongoing IT
Modernization effort of the Minerals Revenue Management Support System.
The modernization is focused on the design, development, and deployment
of the new systems and the eventual decommissioning of the legacy
system. ONRR ensures that revenue from federal and Indian mineral
leases is effectively, efficiently, and accurately collected, accounted
for, analyzed, audited, and disbursed in a timely fashion to
recipients. Revenue distributions, which totaled $8.1 billion in 2020,
benefit states, Tribes, individual Indian mineral royalty owners, and
U.S. Treasury accounts. The modernization will improve the timeliness
and accuracy of payments to fund recipients by reducing the need for
manual processes.
The President believes we must use every lever at our disposal to
meet the moment and make necessary progress. I firmly believe we have
the opportunity of a lifetime to strengthen our country, protect our
environment, and improve our way of life for generations to come.
I look forward to working with you to achieve these goals. Thank
you again for having me. I am pleased to answer any questions you may
have.
______
Questions Submitted for the Record to the Honorable Deb Haaland,
Secretary of the Interior
Questions Submitted by Representative Costa
Question 1. The advancement of the B.F. Sisk Safety of Dams
Modification Project is critical for seismic safety and drought
resiliency in the San Joaquin Valley. Where does the B.F. Sisk project
fall on Reclamation's priority list of Safety of Dams projects?
Answer. The B.F. Sisk Dam represents an immediate, major funding
need of the Dam Safety Program. A key component of the Central Valley
Project, preconstruction and project formulation activities are planned
for FY 2021, with construction activities scheduled to begin in fiscal
year (FY) 2022.
Questions Submitted by Representative Lowenthal
Question 1. Thank you for the extensive work that the
administration is doing to hear directly from both Members of Congress
and communities impacted by oil and gas development. I believe one
critical topic that should receive scrutiny as part of your leasing
review is federal oil and gas bonding. Minimum bond amounts have not
been increased since the Eisenhower administration, and taxpayers are
often on the hook to clean up pollution and infrastructure left behind
after oil and gas companies go bankrupt or simply ignore their
responsibilities.
I know that the review is still being conducted, but I wanted to
ask you if reforming oil and gas bonding and protecting communities
from shouldering the financial burden of paying for clean-up is
something that that Interior is reviewing during this time? Would
Interior consider using its current authority to increase bond amount
where necessary?
Answer. The Report on the Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Program,
prepared in response to Executive Order 14008, was published by the
Department in November 2021. The review includes a discussion of
bonding practices and includes proposals to address deficiencies in
those requirements.
Question 2. Many of the Obama monuments lack management plans and
none of the CA Obama monuments have had management plans completed,
including Mojave Trails National Monument, Sand-to-Snow National
Monument, Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Monument. Does the DOI
budget have line items for the CA plans, as well as the others listed
below, and when does the Department anticipate work starting on the
management plans?
California: Mojave Trails National Monument, Sand-to-Snow
National Monument, Berryessa-Snow Mountain National
Monument
Nevada: Gold Butte National Monument, Basin and Range
National Monument
New Mexico: Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, Organ
Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument
Oregon: Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (expansion)
Utah: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Bears
Ears National Monument, Jurassic National Monument
Answer. The President's Fiscal Year 2022 budget request includes
funding to support National Monuments, National Conservation Areas and
similar designations, but does not have a specific line item for
monument management plans. The Department expects to continue to work
on monument management planning efforts in accordance with their
respective Presidential proclamations.
Questions Submitted by Representative Velazquez
Question 1. Secretary Haaland, your budget justification calls for
$57 million for coastal and marine conservation, representing a $10
million increase from FY21. New York State, particularly New York City,
the country's most densely populated metropolitan area, is
disproportionately susceptible to coastal storm damage--including
Interior assets such as parks and refuges.
Going forward with this renewed investment, how will the
Department, along with other federal agency partners, take a more
active role in preparedness and prevention to protect coastal
communities like New York?
Answer. Climate change is a serious threat to the lands the
Department manages, and to ecosystems, natural and cultural resources,
and infrastructure. Protecting and restoring coastal wetlands and
removing barriers to tidal exchange help mitigate storm flooding.
Coastal features like sand dunes, seagrass beds, and barrier islands
help reduce coastal erosion. It is important that our design and
construction experts, transportation and visitor use planners, and
natural and cultural resource managers have appropriate and relevant
information available to foster the best possible decisions concerning
the future of infrastructure, resources, and visitor experiences of our
bureaus and for coastal assets, and we are working hard to do that.
Over 100 climate change vulnerability assessments are available for
selected resources in our national parks, and sea level rise
projections are available for 118 coastal park units. We are taking a
strategic approach to guide decisions regarding long-term investments
for facility protection, adaptation, restoration following storm
damage, or, when necessary, decommissioning and removal of assets.
In addition, the FWS is working collaboratively with local
communities to provide pathways for habitat migration (e.g., removing
roads, moving buildings and other infrastructure), to identify common
long-term goals, and to define projects that achieve benefits for
human-built environments and our precious natural resources. FWS
voluntary habitat conservation programs, like the Coastal Program,
provide technical and financial assistance to partners and coastal
communities to build coastal resilience as well as provide benefits to
coastal-dependent fish and wildlife populations. The Service is working
to increase the capacity of the Coastal Program to work with partners
to support habit improvement projects, including in urban and rural
coastal communities on Long Island.
Question 2. Secretary Haaland, the Department's budget includes an
increase of $7 million for the Fish and Wildlife Service Urban National
Wildlife Refuges Program. The program connects urban youth to national
wildlife refuges, fosters environmental education and hands-on
conservation, and encourages community-based land stewardship; all
great opportunities that many children in New York City are not often
afforded. As of today, the Urban National Wildlife Refuges Program has
no presence in New York City.
What are your recommendations to improve and expand the services
this program provides to urban youth, especially in New York City?
Answer. In addition to providing habitat in direct support of
wildlife species, the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program allows us to
work with urban communities to foster awareness of nature and develop
an informed and involved citizenry that will support, and benefit from,
fish and wildlife conservation. Our important goals include to know and
relate to the community; connect urban citizens with nature; build
partnerships; be a community asset; ensure adequate long-term
resources; provide equitable access; ensure visitors feel safe and
welcome; and model sustainability.
Currently, the FWS has two successful urban partnerships in the New
York City area in Yonkers, NY, and Elizabeth, NJ. In Yonkers, our
partnership daylighted the Saw Mill River, which was once underground
through downtown Yonkers. This created and restored small nature parks
and trails in neighborhoods, established a sustainable farm and
agriculture center downtown, and provided a ladder of diverse youth
engagements from elementary to high school. Nearly 10 community
partners are invested, and 50 local youth joined the partnership Green
Team.
In Elizabeth, NJ, the partnership aims to connect and engage
community residents through conservation-related events, youth
employment opportunities, facilitation of environmental education in
public schools, and implementation of restoration projects on Great
Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in areas adjacent to the Elizabeth River
and the River Trail, Peterstown Community Center, and Phil Rizzuto
Park. Over 10 partners are invested, and 850 students engaged in
community restoration, education and employment.
Since 2015, FWS with federal and corporate partners have provided
more than $364,000 through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grants
to the Yonkers and Elizabeth Urban Wildlife Refuge Programs. We are
eager to explore other opportunities to work with urban youth.
Question 3. Secretary Haaland, on August 2, 2018, the previous
administration reversed the 2014 ban on the use of Neonicotinoids a
group of toxic pesticides, on National Wildlife Refuges. Studies from
the National Institute of Health, and numerous public health and
environment experts, link neonics to the deterioration of bees,
migratory birds, and various species protected under the Endangered
Species Act. These studies also indicate that neonics exposure to
humans may cause irreversible brain damage.
Given the adverse ecological and health effects of neonics, is your
agency considering reinstating the 2014 DOI Secretarial Order to ban
Neonicotinoids on National Wildlife Refuges? How can we work together
to protect wildlife and public lands from these toxic pesticides?
Answer. Neonicotinoid pesticides have not been used in agricultural
practices on national wildlife refuges since the phase out date,
January 1, 2016. While the phase out requirement was rescinded by the
previous administration in 2018, the FWS has determined that there is
no need for neonicotinoid pesticide applications on refuge system
lands, instead implementing the long-standing principals of integrated
pest management to address pests and invasive species. IPM uses various
approaches, including pest biology, environmental information,
consensus building, and technology to solve pest problems while
minimizing impacts to wildlife, public lands and American communities.
Questions Submitted by Representative Soto
Question 1. Secretary Haaland, last month the Water, Oceans, and
Wildlife Subcommittee held a hearing on my bill, the Restoring
Resilient Reefs Act. That bill re-writes the Coral Reef Conservation
Act and gives the Department of the Interior new authorities to carry
out coral conservation. Can you tell us what types of coral
conservation activities the Department carries out, and why it is
important that the Department has the authority and funding it needs to
do its coral work?
Answer. There are an estimated 8,500 sq. mi. of coral reefs in U.S.
waters, and the Department has jurisdiction over 72 percent of the
nation's coral reefs. Much of that is within the boundaries of the
Pacific Marine National Monuments and within National Wildlife Refuges.
Healthy coral reefs reduce incident wave energy and protect coastal
areas and communities from flooding and erosion, provide important
habitat for marine species, and support tourism and recreational
industries, boosting local economies.
Several bureaus in the Department support coral reef conservation
activities. The Office of Insular Affairs provides funding through the
Coral Reef Initiative and Natural Resources Program to support the
efforts of our insular area government partners to develop strategies
and programs to manage coral reef systems. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service works to manage and conserve coral reef systems under the
authority of the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act.
Other authorities, such as the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act,
allow FWS to work with other agencies to protect reefs and associated
wildlife outside of refuge boundaries. FWS collaborates with other
federal, state, and non-governmental organizations on research and
monitoring and provides funds and technical assistance through the
Coastal Program, Coastal Wetland Grants, and other programs for a
variety of coral reef work like reef restoration, coral
transplantation, sediment reduction, and debris cleanup.
The U.S. Geological Survey maps, monitors, and models coral reefs,
including off the coasts of Puerto Rico, Florida, Hawaii, Guam, and
other Pacific islands. This work is largely undertaken by its Coastal
and Marine Science Centers in St. Petersburg, FL and Santa Cruz, CA.
Recent research has focused on coral reefs' role in coastal hazard
protection, and quantifying coral growth processes to inform
restoration efforts. Finally, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
partners with agencies, such as the Department of Commerce's National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean Exploration
and Research and the USGS to conduct studies on deepwater corals and
ensure these sensitive areas are avoided through science-driven
mitigation and monitoring practices.
Question 2. Secretary Haaland, under the Trump administration, the
West Indian manatee was downlisted from endangered to threatened under
the Endangered Species Act, a decision which I asked then-Secretary
Zinke to overturn. Manatees are suffering from an Unusual Mortality
Event due to seagrass die offs, boat strikes, habitat pollution, and
more, and in the midst of climate change and a biodiversity crisis,
this species needs more protections--not less. Is the Department
planning to review the best available science to reevaluate this down
listing decision?
Answer. The FWS uses the best available science to determine if a
species fits the definition of endangered or threatened under the ESA.
The ESA requires the FWS to review the status of listed species every
five years to ensure that listed species have the appropriate level of
protection under the ESA. The West Indian manatee was included in the
FWS's Notice of Initiation of Status Reviews published on July 14,
2021. The review is ongoing, and the information gathered in that
review will inform next steps on recovery and other actions for the
manatee. It is important to note, however, that while the manatee is
listed as a threatened species, it does not receive any diminished
federal protections compared to those species listed as endangered.
Threatened manatees are afforded all protections of the ESA and MMPA,
including protected areas and conservation activities.
Question 3. Secretary Haaland, under the declared Unusual Mortality
Event (UME), federal funds have been made available to investigate
Manatee mortality, are you able to commit to working with Congress to
ensure an adequate response is mounted to help protect and save the
Manatees?
Answer. Yes. The FWS is actively engaged in an investigation into
the root causes of this unusual mortality event so that we can better
respond in the future. We are working closely with the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and other partners to restore
important habitats and helping to make sure that our partners have the
resources that they need to adequately respond should this problem
arise again next winter. We also are supporting efforts to rescue and
rehabilitate manatees through Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance
Grant Program. While these grants are not in direct response to the
UME, this funding will support our partners in their response to this
event and future events.
Most recently, FWS has worked with the FWC to approve a Temporary
Field Response Station in cooperation with our landowner partner,
Florida Power and Light, that will support UME response operations
already underway in the central Indian River Lagoon, such as manatee
rescues and limited field health assessments. FWC and FWS leadership
also approved staff to conduct a short-term feeding trial.
On December 10, 2021, FWS and FWC hosted a joint briefing for staff
for the Florida delegation and relevant authorizing and appropriations
committees to provide an update on our manatee conservation efforts. We
will continue to keep Congress updated on the response to this ongoing
UME.
Question 4. Secretary Haaland, your Department is asking for a
20.9% increase for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are you able to
ensure an appropriate portion of existing and future funds go to
protecting Florida's waterways, reefs, and coasts?
Answer. The FWS operates 31 National Wildlife Refuges and three
Ecological Services Field Offices in Florida, with many containing
coastal and marine habitats. FWS's Ecological Services program works to
protect and recover many listed and at-risk species, such as manatees,
throughout the state. FWS federal assistance programs provide grants
and cooperative agreements to support conservation of coastal-dependent
fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Funds sought in the FY 2022 request
will support the Service's Coastal Program to implement habitat
protection and restoration projects that benefit coastal dependent fish
and wildlife and communities. Since 2015, the Coastal Program has
implemented 158 conservation projects in Florida.
Questions Submitted by Representative Cohen
Question 1. The Biden administration's budget requests an
additional $37 million for the Wild Horse and Burro Program, a program
that the Interior Department, through the Bureau of Land Management,
has long struggled with. A majority of the program's budget is
currently being used to remove and warehouse horses in holding
facilities, leading both to animal welfare concerns and a fiscal
crisis. Historically, the agency has not prioritized fertility control
as a viable option to manage horses on the range, instead utilizing
removals. However, it has actually been shown that removals were
causing an increase in population growth rates on the range rather than
a decrease. Over the last few years, the BLM has pursued several
attempts to surgically sterilize wild horses as a form of population
control using an ovariectomy procedure that the National Academy of
Sciences (NAS) has advised against due to risks of trauma and
infection. Earlier this year, your Department signaled it would not
move forward with a plan finalized during the Trump administration to
ovariectomize wild horses in Utah. Rather than performing
ovariectomies, the NAS recommended using fertility control vaccines,
such as Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP), to most effectively manage
populations.
You were strongly supportive of reforming the BLM's practices
regarding the Wild Horse and Burro Program during your time in
Congress. I was appreciative that you co-sponsored my amendment to the
Interior appropriations bill that passed the House directing the BLM to
use about 10% of its Wild Horse and Burro Program budget to administer
humane fertility control. That provision was ultimately not included in
the final spending bill last year, but, as Secretary, you have the
authority to make humane fertility control vaccines a priority in order
to reduce population growth in a safe, scientifically proven, and
fiscally responsible way.
(a) What is your vision for how the Bureau of Land Management can
move forward and best deal with its statutory mandate to manage and
protect wild horses and burros, especially if Congress supplies an
additional $37 million toward this program?
(b) Can we count on the Interior Department to implement robust
fertility control vaccine program to address this issue effectively and
protect the health and well-being of America's wild horses and burros?
Answer. With herds doubling in size about every 4 years, we are
committed to addressing the growing populations of wild horses and
burros, keeping the animals healthy and humanely treated, and ensuring
the lands are not degraded and left susceptible to increased fire risk.
It is also important that we use the best husbandry and handling
practices, as well as the best available science, in implementing a
program. The increases requested in the President's Budget will allow
the Department, through the BLM, to better constrain the growth of
animals on the range, including through the use of removals and humane
fertility control treatments.
Question 2. A New York Times expose revealed that wild horses and
burros are ending up at auctions and kill pens where they are destined
for slaughter. These animals, which are federally protected from
slaughter, were pulled from the range and adopted out through the
Bureau of Land Management's ``Adoption Incentive Program'' where people
are paid $1,000 by the Federal Government to take a wild horse or
burro. This is not the first time that BLM wild horses have been found
at slaughter, yet the agency to date has not taken responsibility for
these animals.
President Biden has a history of being against slaughtering horses
in the past. And during your time in Congress, you were supportive of
reforming the BLM's practices and approach to wild horse management.
(a) Would you be open to suspending the Adoption Incentive
Program--pending a thorough investigation by the OIG--so that we can
reassure the American public that we are not using taxpayer money to
funnel these federally protected animals to an illegal slaughter?
(b) Would you be open to working with me to find long-term
solutions--such as implementing robust fertility control--to address
the root problem of roundups and removals that continue to plague the
agency and is the reason why we have so many wild horses and burros in
holding facilities and in need of adoption in the first place?
Answer. The BLM is committed to the health and safety of adopted
wild horses and burros. Recently the BLM announced additional steps it
is taking to secure the health and safety of adopted animals. These
steps include additional compliance visits post-adoption, application
of more scrutiny to potential adopters, increasing warnings to sale
barns about the risks of illegally selling wild horses and burros, and
certification by independent veterinarians of all title applications
for wild horses and burros adopted through the Adoption Incentive
Program.
The BLM continues to work with partners and other stakeholders to
evaluate potential improvements to the Adoption Incentive Program and
welcomes the opportunity to work with Congress to find long-term
solutions.
Question 3. It has now been a little over a year since the U.S.
Park Police and other law enforcement agencies violently cleared
peaceful protesters from the area around Lafayette Square, right before
President Trump strolled through the Square for a photo op at St.
John's Church. Two weeks ago, on June 9, the Department of the Interior
released a review of the actions of U.S. Park Police in and around
Lafayette Square from May 29 through June 3 of 2020, leading up to and
including the use of tear gas to clear protesters from Lafayette Square
prior to President Trump's photo-op in St. John's Church.
The police use of force at Lafayette Square has been examined at
several Congressional Committee hearings, including by this Committee
last term. However, despite these hearings and the recent report, many
unanswered questions remain, including one of the most important
questions:
Who ordered the clearing to be so violent and why did they give
that order?
Answer. The decision to clear Lafayette Square Park was a joint
Secret Service/U.S. Park Police operational decision. The independent
assessment conducted by the Department's Office of Inspector General
found that the USPP had the authority and discretion to clear Lafayette
Park and the surrounding areas on June 1, 2020. The evidence obtained
did not support a finding that the USPP cleared the park to allow the
President to survey the damage and walk to St. John's Church. Instead,
the evidence showed that the USPP cleared the park to allow the
contractor to safely install the anti-scale fencing in response to
destruction of property and escalating violence occurring on May 30 and
31, 2020.
Question 4. You noted in your response to the OIG report that you
are establishing a task force ``to review and identify opportunities
for improvement in our Bureaus' law enforcement programs.'' You also
mention that Interior will ``look comprehensively'' at its body-worn
cameras and use-of-force policies.
This Committee took a hard look at the body worn camera policies of
Interior's law enforcement units and found them to be severely lacking.
In particular, protections for basic civil rights are practically
absent when compared to model policies.
(a) Is the task force working on improving the polices with an eye
to accountability and civil rights?
Answer. The task force will work hard to identify meaningful paths
to ensure appropriate policy and oversight are implemented and will do
so through a lens focused on equity and utilizing evidence-based
decision making. Along with members across the Department's law
enforcement components, the task force includes experts from the Office
of Diversity, Inclusion, and Civil Rights, the Office of Human Capital,
and other relevant stakeholders. The Department will also seek diverse
and objective perspectives on solutions for improvement and leverage
opportunities to strengthen trust in our law enforcement programs.
(b) Is the task force looking at the use of force policies through
the same lens?
Answer. Yes. The Department is committed to carrying out its
mission with honor and integrity, and to fostering a culture of
accountability.
Question 5. The June 9 report also let the Park Police off on a
technicality. When officers announced a warning to protesters telling
them to leave the Square that day, several officers interviewed for the
report either did not hear or could not understand the messages. It
stands to reason that many protestors in the 7-acre park also could not
hear or understand them. It is pretty obvious why it should be policy
that a crowd of that size receives clear, audible warnings so that
everyone can leave calmly and safely. However, the report found that
the Park Police's policy oddly only applies that rule to mass arrest
situations. So, per the policy, Park Police were not in the wrong that
day since there were not mass arrests. Fortunately, the NPS responded
to the report by committing to rewrite the policy to correct this
loophole. NPS provided a target date of September 1, 2021, to implement
this new policy.
Can you please provide a status update of this policy?
Answer. Based upon the OIG report's recommendation, the United
States Park Police are updating relevant policies, which are currently
in their policy planning process. This process includes input and
review of subject matter experts, comparison with contemporary policies
throughout the profession, legal review, and in accordance with the
collective bargaining agreement.
Question 6. During the events on June 1, 2020, the U.S. Park
Police's authorized use of force was described to allow non-lethal use
of force up to pepper balls, which should only be used ``if protestors
attempted to breach the bike-rack fencing and enter the park'' and that
tear gas would not be used. That meant that the U.S. Park Police were
not equipped with gas masks. However, pepper balls were fired by BOP
officers despite protestors not reaching the bike-rack fencing, perhaps
due to a misinterpretation of events in the park and inability to
communicate in live time with the U.S. Park Police. Additionally, the
Metropolitan Police Department did decide to use tear gas on the crowd,
causing not only protestors to be affected, but also officers from the
U.S. Park Police.
What actions are being taken by the National Park Service to ensure
that better live-time communication between multiple law enforcement
entities can take place during planned operations such as this?
Answer. USPP is working toward improving its field communication
procedures to better manage multiagency operations and to promote
operational consistency among law enforcement organizations working
jointly with the USPP.
Questions Submitted by Representative Trahan
Question 1. The Merrimack River flows through city after city in
New Hampshire and Massachusetts--including diverse ``Gateway Cities''
like Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill. It's an incredibly important
natural and historic treasure. It powered America's industrial
revolution; it's a drinking water source; and it's a recreational
asset. However, accessing the Merrimack River--this incredibly historic
urban riverway--still remains a challenge in sections. I'd like to work
with the Department on a strategy for connecting trails along the
Merrimack--from Nashua to Newburyport. Is that something we can work
together on?
Answer. I share your appreciation of the Merrimack River's natural
and cultures resources and our commitment to provide recreation
opportunities and engagement in river stewardship through the corridor
and Interior sites at Lowell National Historical Park and the Parker
River National Wildlife Refuge. We look forward to the opportunity to
collaborate with you other Members of Congress to ensure that important
assets like the Merrimack River are appropriately managed to meet
conservation and recreation needs.
Question 2. I'd like to thank the Department for including $27
million in the Park Service's budget request--under the Legacy
Restoration Fund--for Minute Man National Historical Park as well as $1
million for the Park in the LWCF account.
In 2025, we will mark the 250th anniversary of the ``shot heard
round the world.'' But before we get there, it is vital for the Park to
have the resources it needs to address its deferred maintenance
backlog--from improvements to the Battle Road and North Bridge trails
to the numerous needs of 18th century structures facing Battle Road.
So, I greatly appreciate Minute Man's inclusion in the budget request.
Is the Department able to provide a fact sheet on the LWCF project at
the Park?
Answer. The FY 2022 budget requests $250,000 for an acquisition
project at Minute Man National Historical Park. The project list and
project data sheets are public documents and can be found here: DOI
Great American Outdoors Act landing page: https://www.doi.gov/budget/
gaoa.
Question 3. Please consider this an open invitation to come up to
the Third Congressional District of Massachusetts and visit some of our
public land treasures: Minute Man and Lowell National Historical Park;
Great Meadows, Assabet and Oxbow national wildlife refuges; or our
Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers--the SuAsCo and the recently
designated Nashua.
Answer. Your invitation is noted and appreciated.
Questions Submitted by Representative McClintock
Question 1. After considering some 6,500 public comments, the Trump
administration issued a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement to raise Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet. This long overdue proposal
would store enough water to support more than 3 million Californians
annually, allowing for storage in wet years to be used in dry years
such as the one we're currently suffering. Will you commit to moving
forward with a Shasta Dam raise?
Answer. The Administration is committed to looking at all of the
tools available to address drought resiliency in western states,
including opportunities to address storage issues, where appropriate.
Addressing infrastructure needs is important to this effort. It is
critical that we develop additional tools that will ensure local
communities are able to meet the challenges associated with a variable
water supply.
Question 2. The budget request includes no funding for new water
storage capacity despite the West's severe drought conditions. How can
the Administration expect to address the Western water crisis without
proposing any funding for long-term water storage?
Answer. The Administration is committed to looking at all of the
tools available to address drought resiliency in western states,
including opportunities to address storage issues, where appropriate.
Reclamation is continuing to work on all enacted storage projects and
is committed to supporting projects with state and Tribal partners and
stakeholders. It is critically important that we develop additional
tools that will ensure local communities are able to meet the
challenges associated with a variable water supply.
Question 3. Will the Administration support full reauthorization of
the WIIN Act?
Answer. We are looking at all of the authorities that we have,
including the expiring WIIN Act authorities, in order to maximize our
response to the ongoing effects of drought. We look forward to a
continuing discussion with Congress on this issue.
Question 4. I've heard from a number of constituents upset with the
reservation system for Yosemite National Park. The National Park
Service is requiring reservations to enter the park through September
30, citing COVID, despite the fact that California is now fully
reopened and the science that demonstrates that COVID does not spread
outdoors. Will you commit to ending the reservation system and
restoring full public access to the park?
Answer. The day-use reservation system was a temporary system
created to address safety and public health concerns resulting from the
COVID pandemic and are no longer required to drive into the park.
Question 5. The proposed budget claims to prioritize wildland fire
risk reduction. However, earlier this year the Biden administration
endorsed the ``Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act,''
which would add 1.5 million new acres of wilderness. Over the past 10
years, nearly 7 million acres of wilderness and wilderness study areas
have burned in catastrophic wildfires and many jump over onto other
federal, state, and private lands where they cause even more
destruction.
How can this Administration claim to be serious about wildland fire
management when you are endorsing policies that tie the hands of
federal land managers and prevent the necessary treatments our public
lands so desperately need?
Answer. The Administration's FY 2022 budget request makes a
significant down payment on increasing science-based forest and
wildland restoration, including hazardous-fuels reduction and burned-
area restoration. It is increasingly clear that climate change and
drought are driving more severe fires all year long. While wildland
fire suppression remains a core function, it is important that we
create greater resiliency in our forests through restoration and
management of our forests, rangelands, and other lands.
Question 6. Does the Administration intend to reverse the Council
on Environmental Quality's 2020 National Environmental Protection Act
(NEPA) reforms? NEPA has for decades stifled the ability of our federal
agencies to proactively manage their lands. With expedited authority,
land managers can carry out management projects before a catastrophic
wildfire breaks out, and those fires emit so much carbon dioxide and
pollution so as to make a complete mockery of our environmental laws.
If the goal of the Administration is to address climate change, I would
think that it would want to streamline the regulatory burdens caused by
NEPA.
Answer. The Council on Environmental Quality is the lead for all
matters related to NEPA, and we defer to CEQ for a response to
questions related to that authority.
Question 7. Last year, my home state of California experienced our
most catastrophic fire season on record. Of the over 10 million acres
that burned nationwide, 40 percent of those lands were in California
and we had 1 million acres burn in just a single day. These fires
killed 33 people and destroyed more than 10,000 structures. Despite
this unprecedented scale of devastation, DOI's budget proposes
increasing the amount of land you treat annually by only 360,000 acres.
Secretary Haaland, with all due respect, this is a matter of life
and death in my district and DOI needs to increase its preventative
work 10-fold, not by the current amount you propose. Will you commit to
providing the Committee with a new, more aggressive plan to ramp up the
treatments your agency is doing on our public lands in the next 30
days?
Answer. The Biden administration recognizes the urgency of the
situation and is moving quickly to address it. The Administration's FY
2022 budget request makes a significant down payment on increasing
science-based forest and wildland restoration, including hazardous-
fuels reduction and burned-area restoration. It is increasingly clear
that climate change and drought are driving more severe fires all year
long. While wildland fire suppression remains a core function, it is
important that we create greater resiliency in our forests through
restoration and management of our forests, rangelands, and other lands.
Questions Submitted by Representative Gonzalez-Colon
Question 1. The Department of the Interior plays a crucial role in
Puerto Rico's tourism and recreation economy. The National Park Service
administers the San Juan National Historic Site, which consists of the
oldest Spanish fortification system in the United States and is among
our most iconic and visited destinations on the Island. In 2019, the
park was visited by almost 1.2 million people, who spent an estimated
$71.2 million in our local economy. However, as you may imagine, these
numbers took a substantial hit last year due to the pandemic.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also administers five National
Wildlife Refuges across Puerto Rico: the Desecheo, Laguna Cartagena,
Cabo Rojo, Culebra, and Vieques National Wildlife Refuges. In 2018,
they hosted nearly 338,000 visitors. Before the impact of Hurricane
Maria in 2017, visitation at these refuges exceeded a half million.
What strategies does the Department of the Interior's proposed
budget include to recover and improve visitation levels at national
parks and public lands across the country, and thus help promote and
support tourism and the local economies of gateway communities?
Answer. The National Park Service has implemented a number of
initiatives to help park visitors thoughtfully plan their visits to
parks based on their desired experiences and activities, including
sharing information via park websites, Recreation.gov, and the new NPS
mobile app. The agency promotes sites that may not be as well-known
through campaigns and programs such as Plan Like a Park Ranger, Every
Kid Outdoors, the National Scenic Byways Program, and the National
Heritage Areas Program. The NPS works with partners to promote parks
and facilitate visitation to its units and affiliated areas; many local
and state tourism offices have been featuring parks extensively in
their marketing and promotion, and we work with them to include
messaging that encourages stewardship, such as Leave No Trace and
Recreate Responsibly. The tourism sector is a key partner in the
promotion of national parks due to the expertise tourism offices and
private companies have in identifying likely market segments and
delivering promotional messaging that encourages travelers to choose to
visit parks.
Question 2. I believe that addressing the deferred maintenance
backlog at our national parks and public lands should be part of any
strategy to improve visitor access and support communities across the
country that rely on park tourism.
In Fiscal Year 2018, the San Juan National Historic had a deferred
maintenance backlog of over $40.1 million--and I fear it may have
gotten substantially higher since then. Our five National Wildlife
Refuges had a combined backlog of over $5.5 million as of February of
last year.
Yet, despite these numbers, the Department of the Interior has so
far only selected one deferred maintenance project in Puerto Rico to
receive funding under the Great American Outdoors Act, and that was for
Fiscal Year 2021. The Department did not include any projects on the
Island for Fiscal Year 2022.
I am concerned that Puerto Rico will not get its fair share of
funding available to address the deferred maintenance backlog at the
San Juan National Historic Site and our National Wildlife Refuges.
(a) Can I get your commitment that this will not be the case and
that the Department will properly consider and review its deferred
maintenance needs in Puerto Rico when making future selections?
Answer. Yes, the effective implementation of the Great American
Outdoors Act is one of the Department's highest priorities. It is
important that each bureau work from established criteria, consistent
with the Act, to identify needs and prioritize use of these funds and
that DOI bureaus are making strategic investments utilizing all
available sources of infrastructure funding at their disposal. We are
committed to ensuring that the process for prioritizing these actions
is carried out in an objective way.
(b) What efforts will the Department pursue to ensure funding under
the Great American Outdoors is not just concentrated on a few projects
across a few states? What are the criteria the Department takes into
consideration when selecting projects?
Answer. We are prioritizing GAOA funds for larger projects that
generally exceed the capabilities of other fund sources, with the goal
of making the largest impact in areas with the highest priority
deferred maintenance while also considering geographic distribution
relative to the NPS backlog. Within the National Park Service alone, we
have obligated over $600 million in GAOA funds since March 2021.
Projects proposed for 2022 funding have been sent to Congress as part
of the regular budget process and will be included in the Department's
budget request.
Question 3. The FY 2022 budget for the National Park Service
includes $3 billion for the Operation of the National Park System, an
increase of approximately $289 million from the enacted level. While
most System units would see an increase in funding, I am concerned that
the San Juan National Historic Site is one of the few that would
essentially receive flat funding, despite the obvious needs at the
site.
Can the Department provide an explanation as to why the San Juan
National Historic Site would not receive an increase under the proposed
budget?
Answer. The FY 2022 request for San Juan NHS is $3,738,000, which
includes an increase of $93,000 for fixed costs. Additionally, the
overall FY 2022 requested increase includes additional funding for
natural resource projects and climate vulnerability assessments, which
would be eligible to address issues at parks like San Juan NHS.
Question 4. The Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge headquarters
were damaged by the 2017 hurricanes and last year's earthquakes in
southwestern Puerto Rico. It is my understanding that the building will
need to be demolished.
Can the Department provide the Committee an update on the status of
these efforts, including how much funding is needed to rebuild the site
and any efforts the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pursuing to
identify the necessary resources to cover these costs?
Answer. The FWS is currently working to modify an existing contract
for the demolition and site cleanup of the existing visitor center and
office at Caho Rojo NWR. We expect the existing building will be
removed in FY 2022. Construction of the visitor center and office is
the number one priority in the FWS's Southeast Region. FWS estimates
that the design and construction of the new facilities to be around $8
million. Potential funding sources include the Great American Outdoors
Act and the agency's annual Construction and Deferred Maintenance
appropriations.
Question 5. In Fiscal Year 2021, the National Park Service selected
the stabilization of the San Fernando Bastion at the San Juan National
Historic Site as one of the priority deferred maintenance projects to
receive funding under the National Parks and Public Land Legacy
Restoration Fund established by the Great American Outdoors Act.
Planned funding for the project was estimated at $8,211,934.
Can you provide the Committee the latest status of this project,
including the estimated completion date?
Answer. The NPS entered an Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) with the
Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) to
update the construction documents, solicit and award the construction
contract, and provide construction oversight. The COE requested
additional time to revise construction documents originally completed
in 2017 to validate the accuracy after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and to
meet COE standards before going to solicitation. The proposed schedule
submitted by the COE shifts the COE construction award from third
quarter award in fiscal year 2022 to third quarter of 2023 with project
completion in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024.
Question 6. In 2016, the San Juan National Historic Site was
visited by 1,456,553 people. That number dropped to 1,188,780 in 2017
and 910,405 in 2018, undoubtedly due to the impact of the 2017
hurricane season. Visitation numbers somewhat recovered in 2019, with
1,197,345 visiting the site. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and
the ensuing lockdown in Puerto Rico, the number of visitors at the San
Juan National Historic Site dropped to a historic low of 357,100 in
2020.
(a) What efforts or strategies does the National Park Service plan
to pursue to increase the number of visitors at the San Juan National
Historic Site, to both pre-COVID and pre-hurricane levels, and thus
support Puerto Rico's tourism and outdoor recreation economy?
Answer. Park visitation has gradually increased in 2021. The NPS is
currently supporting Puerto Rico's tourism and outdoor recreation
economy by providing extensions to commercial operators in the park at
no additional expense through the end of 2021, providing alternative
space for the farmers market and outdoor exercise classes to continue
operations, and implementing a temporary art exhibition to allow local
artists to showcase their art inside the forts. We will continue to
support the local economy and partner with others to promote
responsible recreation and education of this national park and UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
(b) Have the Department of the Interior and the National Park
Service been in touch with tourism authorities in Puerto Rico and the
Municipality of San Juan to promote visitation at the site?
Answer. Yes. The park enjoys ongoing, productive relationships with
the office of Tourism and the Office of the Mayor of San Juan. The park
is in constant communication with the Office of the First Lady of the
Municipality of San Juan; Architect Kirsten Gonzalez, the Director of
the Historic Urban Development Center of Old San Juan; the
Administrator of La Fortaleza; the Governor's Mansion; and Mrs. Carmen
Salgado, ensuring we move forward as a unified front. In July, San Juan
National Historic Site officials met with Alejandro Caicedo-Chief
Development Officer-Air, Maritime and Hospitality Development at Puerto
Rico Tourism Company and Mrs. Tamara Bird, consultant, regarding the
protocols and availability of providing tours and accommodation for
tour operators and passengers arriving to the historic site by a cruise
ship that this month began bi-weekly visits to the island. The forts,
specifically Fort San Felipe del Morro, continue to be the most
profiled tourism attractions on the island.
Question 7. How much funding does Puerto Rico currently have
available under the State side of the Land and Water Conservation
(LWCF) Program? How much projects have been funded on the Island since
the program's authorization? How many grant projects has Puerto Rico
submitted under the State side of the LWCF Program since 2014, and how
much of those have been completed?
Answer. Approximately $8 million is currently allocated and
available to Puerto Rico for the Stateside LWCF Grant Program. States
have three years to put forward a complete application and project once
they are allocated funding. The total number of projects allocated
Stateside funding for Puerto Rico is 177. It would take additional time
to research the total number of projects completed or current status.
Due to the impacts of recent storms, hurricanes, and earthquakes,
Puerto Rico has been unable to provide full updates. Since 2014, Puerto
Rico has submitted four LWCF Stateside Grant projects. Those grants,
which were awarded, plus three others, have now lapsed with no funds
drawn to implement projects. Some of these projects were provided
extensions, as requested. NPS has been unable to ascertain from Puerto
Rico what work was completed or the status of the recreation park sites
themselves, due to storm and earthquake impacts.
Question 8. What is the current cost of the deferred maintenance
backlog at the San Juan National Historic Site? What efforts is the
National Park Service pursuing to address it?
Answer. The park's deferred maintenance backlog is $40 million. Due
to the location, age, and variety of assets entrusted to the
Department, as well as the nature of deferred maintenance and repair,
precise cost estimates cannot be determined prior to developing the
final design and specifications for any work. The vast majority of the
park's deferred maintenance is in its historic fortification walls and
masonry. The park is actively engaged in the continued development of a
masonry preservation program through a mix of youth crews, contract
labor, and professional conservation trade craft. The park has advanced
various proposals to address the needs of San Juan National Historic
Site across a variety of funding sources.
Question 9. The five National Wildlife Refuges are crucial to
Puerto Rico's economy. This is especially true in Vieques and Culebra,
where the National Wildlife Refuges cover a large portion of the
island-municipalities and support tourism.
(a) What efforts has the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge pursued to
strengthen community relations in Vieques and Culebra and support their
economies?
Answer. Both refuges are working to maintain and strengthen
relationships with the communities and governments of each island
municipality. Vieques NWR participates actively in municipal committees
and efforts, including Disaster Relief Operations, the Covid-19 Task
Force, and the Composting Program. Over 35 special use permits have
been issued to operators of wildlife-related small businesses on and
adjacent to the Vieques refuge for birdwatching, snorkeling,
paddleboarding, and other activities. This, together with operators of
transport companies, have resulted in the creation of an estimated 250
jobs on Vieques.
The FWS recently hired a new employee stationed at Culebra NWR that
will help to enhance relationships with the community. That refuge is
also working closely with Para La Naturaleza and the municipality in
developing plans for the restoration of the Culebrita lighthouse, as
well as collaborating to improve access, including with trails and the
potential for future boat access. These efforts will provide additional
tourism opportunities on Culebra. Culebra NWR has a number of ongoing
biological studies through cooperative agreements with nongovernmental
organizations.
In addition, Culebra and Vieques NWRs have a long history of active
participation in the Youth Conservation Corps program, employing 5-10
community youth annually for the past 15-20 years.
(b) What actions does the Department intend to take to help DOD and
local authorities expedite the cleanup process in the Vieques and
Culebra National Wildlife Refuges?
Answer. FWS participates in the Vieques Federal Facilities Team and
the Culebra Technical Project Committee, which includes the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Navy, and the Commonwealth. We
actively review documents related to the cleanup, participate in Team
meetings, and participate in community Restoration Advisory Board
meetings. For both refuges, FWS prioritizes areas for cleanup, based on
public interest in the areas and the natural resources present. Vieques
NWR has assisted the Navy with equipment and personnel upon request and
cooperates in providing sites needed for locating equipment used to
accelerate the cleanup.
(c) Please describe any efforts the Department is pursuing, or
intends to pursue, to increase the number of visitations and promote
outdoor recreation at the National Wildlife Refuges in Puerto Rico,
including any efforts or collaborations with tourism authorities and
the surrounding municipalities.
Answer. Funding has been obtained for projects to improve access
and promote outdoor activities at Puerto Rico's refuges. Projects
include repair of the Caho Rojo bike trail; constructing a boardwalk
for wildlife observation at Laguna Cartagena NWR; building an
observation platform at the Vieques NWR, which is being completed in
collaboration with a local nonprofit organization; and repairing roads
on Vieques NWR that have improved access to refuge beaches and gazebos/
kiosks on popular refuge beaches. Moreover, FWS routinely collaborates
with municipal and Commonwealth agencies and tourism entities. Pre-
pandemic involvement included providing guided tours and talks,
participating in educational fairs and activities, and visiting schools
and other organized groups. Many of these activities have continued
virtually during the pandemic. We these types of activities will occur
more frequently as conditions allow.
Question 10. What is the current cost of the deferred maintenance
backlog at each of the five National Wildlife Refuges in Puerto Rico,
and at any other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site or facility on the
Island? What efforts is the Department pursuing to address it?
Answer. The deferred maintenance backlog for national wildlife
refuges in Puerto Rico totals more than $4.8 million. The FWS is
updating its deferred maintenance assessment for these facilities.
Deferred maintenance projects at these facilities will be considered
for funding through the annual budgeting process.
Question 11. Does the Department carry out any programs or
engagement efforts with Minority-serving Institutions in Puerto Rico to
train or recruit new employees for the Department, particularly for the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service?
Answer. San Juan NHS implements recruitment efforts and strategies
that provide the opportunity for local hiring, which increase trust and
financial acuity. Currently, 99% of the park staff is from Puerto Rico,
including the park's superintendent. In addition, the park has
competitive recruitment programs in place that are available to the
residents of Puerto Rico through partners such as the American
Conservation Experience Youth Corp for its Mason Apprentice Program,
the Youth Conservation Corps, the Franklin's Promise Coalition, and a
student development program with the Universidad Politecnica de Puerto
Rico for students in the Master Masons in Historic Preservation
program.
FWS has participated in outreach events that serve Hispanic
communities to share information on the bureau's mission, programs, and
its opportunities. Recent events included participation at the Hispanic
Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Conference and the
Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in
Science (SACNAS) Conference. FWS routinely communicates with
representatives of 17 colleges and universities in Puerto Rico to share
information on all open FWS vacancies on USAJOBS and tips on applying
for these opportunities. Additionally, FWS is collaborating with
several conservation organizations to recruit undergraduate rising
seniors and graduate students for more than 100 Directorate Fellowship
Program (DFP) opportunities nationwide. FWS expects three projects for
the 2022 DFP cohort to be in Puerto Rico. One project will focus on the
recovery of listed species, including the Puerto Rican parrot, and two
other fellowships will be in Culebra and Vieques.
Finally, the FWS South Atlantic-Gulf Region's Gateway Initiative
fosters a welcoming culture and connectedness for students and new
employees through mentorships and exposure to a wide array of FWS
programs and people. The Initiative also is developing innovative tools
to connecting students who have successfully completed FWS internship
programs with hiring officials to capitalize on the direct hiring
authority afforded by the DFP and Pathways Program.
Question 12. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was a pioneer in
establishing the first official program to restore native shade coffee
plantations in Puerto Rico, helping rural communities, wildlife
species, and the Island's economy.
(a) Can you provide us with a report on the history,
accomplishments, and challenges of this effort?
Answer. Shade-grown coffee plantations are stable agro-ecosystems
that provide habitat, nesting, and feeding for many native, endemic,
threatened, endangered and migratory species. They serve as ecological
corridors that create buffer zones around natural reserves and provide
a smooth transition between urban and natural areas. Shade-grown coffee
practices also produce better-quality coffee beans, use fewer
herbicides and lesser amounts of fertilizers, increase the life span
for the coffee trees, and result in cooler field temperature that helps
when collecting coffee.
In 1999, FWS, in collaboration with local nongovernmental
organizations, began working through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife
Program to restore shade-grown coffee plantations in the northcentral
coffee region of Puerto Rico. In 2009, FWS formalized a partnership
with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and private
landowners to expand the initiative throughout the island. Throughout
this partnership, FWS has provided technical assistance to private
landowners, coordinated tree delivery, demonstrated practices in the
field, evaluated the implemented practices through research, and
promoted education and outreach.
Since its inception, the initiative has restored more than 5,000
acres, planted more than 150,000 shade trees, and benefited
approximately 800 properties and landowners in Puerto Rico. The efforts
continue to thrive across the island as a result of the commitment of
the partners and despite several challenges, including the funding
constraints, lack of involvement of the Puerto Rico Department of
Agriculture, and the need of local regulations to institutionally
promote shade-grown coffee plantations over sun-cultivated coffee.
(b) Does the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intend to continue
funding shade coffee restoration projects in Puerto Rico through the
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program? If so, what are the needs to
fully implement this?
Answer. FWS plans to continue funding these projects since they are
important restoration initiatives benefiting trust species, sustainable
agriculture, and private landowners. We recognize the importance of
maintaining a strong partnership with the NRCS and local NGOs as the
initiative continues, as well as increasing the support from
Commonwealth agencies to develop or modify regulations for promoting
shade-grown coffee. It is also important to work with partners that may
promote shade-grown coffee brands and special eco-friendly and quality
certifications to increase its market value and export potential.
Question 13. One of the marine mammal species that falls under the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's jurisdiction is the West Indian
manatee. We've recently seen an increase in the number of manatee
deaths in Florida. Moreover, in Puerto Rico, so far this year seven
manatees have been killed due to vessel impacts. In fact, it is
estimated that 20% of all manatee deaths reported on the Island may be
due to watercraft collisions.
Can you discuss some of the efforts the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is currently pursuing to address these trends and protect the
West Indian manatee population, particularly in Puerto Rico and
Florida? Does the Service believe its current authorities are
sufficient to carry out this work, or would you need additional
legislation or tools to strengthen these efforts?
Answer. In Puerto Rico, like in Florida, boat strikes are the
leading human-related cause of death to manatees. In Florida, key tools
to address boat strikes are manatee protection areas, speed zones, and
enforcement. We are looking for ways to use such tools with our
partners in Puerto Rico, where there is a lack of adequate in-water
speed zone regulations and enforcement. The Service is currently
working to increase boater awareness of manatees and the dangers
presented by boats through signs placed in waterways.
We are also supporting efforts to rescue and rehabilitate manatees
injured by watercraft collisions through our Prescott Grant program.
Over the past two years, the Service provided nearly $300,000 under the
Prescott Grant program to the Caribbean Stranding Network to support
their work with sick and injured Antillean manatees.
As for the Unusual Mortality Event (UME) in Florida, the Service is
actively engaged in an investigation into the root causes of these
mortalities so that we can better respond in the future. We also are
working closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission and other partners to restore important habitats and helping
to make sure that our partners have the resources that they need to
adequately respond this winter.
Question 14. Last year, Congress included in the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260) my legislation to make
Puerto Rico an eligible applicant location for the Bureau of
Reclamation's WaterSMART Grants and Drought Resiliency Project Grants.
What outreach efforts, if any, has the Bureau of Reclamation
carried out to date to inform appropriate stakeholders in Puerto Rico
about WaterSMART Grants and any other Reclamation funding opportunities
under 42 U.S.C. 10364 that are now available to eligible applicants on
the Island? If no outreach has been conducted yet, does the Bureau of
Reclamation plan to engage with stakeholders in Puerto Rico to inform
them about these funding opportunities?
Answer. As a first step, Reclamation revised WaterSMART funding
opportunities to ensure that the documents clearly state that entities
located in Puerto Rico are eligible to apply for funding. Reclamation
has also planned a series of webinars to explain each funding
opportunity to applicants. Information on the WaterSMART program is
available at: https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/weeg/#.
Questions Submitted by Representative Stauber
Question 1. When serving in the House, you co-sponsored H.R. 5598,
which arbitrarily withdraws more than 234,000 acres of the Superior
National Forest from mining. This targets a project that has signed a
project-labor agreement with the Iron Range Building Trades, has
committed to 21st-century mining practices that are lauded by
environmental groups such as dry-stack tailing, and is a $1.7 billion
private investment in an area desperate for economic development. Can
you commit to not prejudging any project, even if you co-sponsored
legislation that would prejudge a project when serving in the House?
Answer. Yes.
Questions Submitted by Representative Moore
Question 1. There have been long-standing concerns that the
Antiquities Act allows land management decisions to be made behind
closed doors without sufficient input or consultation. To combat this
narrative, will you release your monument report to the public?
Answer. Actions carried out pursuant to the Antiquities Act are the
prerogative of the President. President Biden restored the protections
for three monuments that were significantly cut back in the previous
administration in October 2021. As part of the review carried out by
Secretary Haaland, Biden administration leaders met with Members of
Congress, state and local government officials, representatives of
Tribal Nations, and a wide range of stakeholders. The Secretary visited
Utah to directly meet with local residents and tour the area.
Question 2. The Department's FY22 Great American Outdoors Act
project list earmarks nearly $220 million of the roughly $1.3 billion
for program administration. This is the exact same amount of the total
backlog for National Park units in the entire state of Utah. Why is the
Department spending as much as my entire state's backlog on
administrative overhead instead of directing these precious funds
toward actual maintenance?
Answer. As noted in the NPS budget justification, an estimated 3
percent of the NPS allocation of Legacy Restoration Fund dollars
received in FY 2021 through FY 2025 will be requested to fund program
administration through the life of the program until the last project
is closed out. Any excess funds will be reallocated to projects in the
outyears of the program. In FY 2022, $138 million will be used to
complete planning and compliance activities for current and future LRF
projects, $38 million will be used to support and oversee planning and
execution, and $44 million will be used to provide professional NPS
project management and contracting services for current and future
projects throughout the typical three to five-year construction cycle.
Question 3. The budget only proposes a paltry $11 million in GAOA
funding throughout the entire state of Utah, despite the fact that our
state contributed nearly $93 million in energy revenues last year. What
will you do to ensure that, moving forward, funds are divided more
proportionally to states that actually contribute into the National
Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund and have significant
backlogs?
Answer. Within the NPS, which is allocated 70 percent of the annual
funding from the Act, projects address significant deferred maintenance
by targeting NPS's priority assets. Deferred maintenance needs are not
spread evenly across park units. Priority projects generally are those
that would address a high percentage of deferred maintenance needs and
are large scale, generally exceeding the capacity of other fund
sources. Over the next 5 years, the NPS plans to invest over $60
million from existing fund sources into parks throughout the State of
Utah for critical infrastructure needs, and we are evaluating our
remaining larger infrastructure needs in Utah park units for funding
through the LRF or other fund sources. Funding from GAOA-LRF also frees
up money from other fund sources like Line Item Construction and Cyclic
Maintenance funds to address infrastructure needs and other projects in
Utah parks.
Question 4. Arches National Park in my state is on track to have
its busiest year ever. The increase in visitation has caused the park
to close its gates over 80 times so far in 2021. But Arches has not
received any Great American Outdoors Act funding, despite its enormous
popularity and roughly $24 million in deferred maintenance. How is it
possible that one of the busiest National Parks in the country received
$0 out of $1.3 billion? What is your Administration's plan to keep
parks like Arches open to the public if you won't devote any money to
recreational asset maintenance in these iconic places?
Answer. As noted in the previous response, within the NPS, projects
address significant deferred maintenance by targeting NPS's priority
assets. Deferred maintenance needs are not spread evenly across park
units. Priority projects generally are those that would address a high
percentage of deferred maintenance needs and are large scale, generally
exceeding the capacity of other fund sources. Over the next 5 years,
the NPS plans to invest over $60 million from existing fund sources
into parks throughout the State of Utah for critical infrastructure
needs, and we are evaluating our remaining larger infrastructure needs
in Utah park units for funding through the LRF or other fund sources.
Funding from GAOA-LRF also frees up money from other fund sources like
Line Item Construction and Cyclic Maintenance funds to address
infrastructure needs and other projects in Utah parks.
Question 5. When President Trump ordered his review of national
monuments, he outlined specific criteria for Secretary Zinke to
evaluate, including the legality of the original designation under the
Antiquities Act of 1906. To what extent did you evaluate whether Bears
Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante are consistent with the Antiquities
Act's requirements that national monuments be ``confined to the
smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects
to be protected''?
Answer. Actions carried out pursuant to the Antiquities Act are the
prerogative of the President. President Biden issued his proclamation
restoring the boundaries and protections for the three monuments that
were significantly cut back by the previous administration in October
2021.
Question 6. In an article in the Salt Lake Tribune earlier this
year, Clark Tenakhongva, co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal
Council, was quoted as stating: ``My real concern is the continual
destruction of the sites, vandalism at the sites. Over the past five
years, I would say, it seems like there's more people coming once it
was exposed as a national monument, particularly people from Utah. The
federal dollars just haven't come down to really secure the area the
way it should be protected, with resources that should be handed down
by the federal government.'' Why should Bears Ears be enlarged when
resources are already stretched so thin and the designation as a
monument has increased foot traffic and vandalism in the area?
Answer. Actions carried out pursuant to the Antiquities Act are the
prerogative of the President. President Biden issued his proclamation
restoring the boundaries and protections for the three monuments that
were significantly cut back by the previous administration in October
2021. The Department's budget included significant funding increases to
support national monument and conservation area management and
operations.
Question 7. Seventy percent of all GAOA money, or roughly $6.5
billion, will be provided to the National Park Service to reduce its
deferred maintenance backlog over a 5-year period. What percentage of
the backlog should we expect to be completed by the end of FY 22? How
much deferred maintenance do you estimate the National Park Service
will have at the end of this 5-year special funding period?
Answer. In the first two years of the LRF program, an estimated
$1.6 billion in LRF funding will be directed toward deferred
maintenance needs, a significant portion of the bureau's backlog. NPS
is committed to making sustainable investments through the LRF in order
to avoid cycles of rehabilitation, deterioration, and disrepair.
Projects that offer NPS an opportunity to reduce long range life-cycle
costs receive special consideration in the project selection process.
Questions Submitted by Representative Herrell
Question 1. Lesser prairie chicken numbers have increased from
roughly 15,000 birds in 2013 to over 34,000 birds in 2020. This rebound
has largely been due to proactive voluntary conservation efforts that
have raised over $60 million to conserve the bird. Last month, the Fish
and Wildlife Service announced that it is proposing to list the bird as
endangered in Texas and New Mexico despite these strong efforts. I am
concerned that this listing will cause undue economic harm on those who
are doing the most to save the bird and will dissuade private
investment in conservation.
(a) Please explain your rationale in moving to list this species
when population numbers are increasing, and conservation efforts and
funding are robust?
Answer. FWS considered both population trends and conservation
efforts in making its listing determination. The voluntary efforts that
are being carried out are significant and this work by the states and
our partners is important in the conservation of the bird. But the
scientific review carried out by the FWS indicates that challenges
remain and that these efforts have not fully kept pace with the threats
facing the lesser prairie-chicken. A detailed summary of these analyses
and FWS's rationale is available in the June 1, 2021, proposed rule
that published in the Federal Register: https://
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/06/01/2021-11442/endangered-and-
threatened-wildlife-and-plants-lesser-prairie-chicken-threatened-
status-with-section.
(b) Do you plan to do a full economic analysis before listing the
species and before designating critical habitat?
Answer. The statutory provisions of the ESA do not allow the FWS to
consider economics when analyzing the status of a species and the
threats it faces. While economics are considered when critical habitat
designations are developed, the FWS did not propose critical habitat
concurrent with the proposed listing of the two Distinct Population
Segments. We will always follow the laws enacted by Congress as
implement the ESA.
Question 2. In addition to the leasing moratorium, the Department
also issued Secretarial Order 3395, which suspended the delegated
authority provided to Bureau offices to approve permits and other
authorization for energy and mineral development on federal lands. The
Committee has received feedback from stakeholders indicating that this
has resulted in delays in the permitting process, causing uncertainty
for operators in my District. Although the Department rescinded this
Order, the Secretary sent a subsequent memorandum to Bureau offices
indicating they should continue to send APDs and other authorizations
to DC for final approval. This raises concerns about future delays in
permitting operators on federal lands.
(a) The APD reports on the BLM website show APD approvals for
February and March combined, and separate reports for April and May.
January appears to be missing and the combined February and March
report covers the time period during which the suspension was in place.
This lack of data and transparency prevents the Committee from being
able to properly evaluate the backlog created by the suspension policy.
Will the Department release this missing data and monthly APD reports
going forward?
(b) The backlog of pending permits is severe. According to the
Department, 3,666 permits were pending in the State of New Mexico at
the end of May. While this is a slight improvement from the 4,200
pending permits at the end of March, it appears that the suspension
policy likely contributed to this backlog. Is the Department still
requiring BLM state offices to send APDs and other authorizations
typically handled by BLM State offices to DC for approval? Can you
commit to addressing this backlog in the coming months?
Answer. The BLM is committed to providing transparent and
accessible APO data. In February 2021, the BLM announced it would
update its Oil and Gas Statistics webpage to feature information on
APDs. Because the BLM was completing its long-planned transition to the
AFMSS II database, the monthly APDs updates were delayed and published
to the website beginning in April. The BLM approved 362 APDs in January
2021, 83 in February, and 441 in March. The Secretarial Order that
temporarily elevated review of permitting activities expired on March
21, 2021. The BLM's career officials continue to process APDs and
related sundry activities on valid, existing leases in a timely manner.
Questions Submitted by Representative Bentz
Question 1. In January, the last administration published a rule to
right size the critical habitat designated for the Northern Spotted Owl
in 2012. The 2012 Critical Habitat designation was devastating for
local economies resulting in the annual loss of an estimated $100
million in Gross Domestic Product, $66 million in worker earnings, and
more than 1,200 jobs. In April, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced
that it would be rescinding the January 2021 rule. I strongly urge you
to support the January 2021 rule and give it time to work.
Additionally, the 2018 Supreme Court decision in Weyerhauser Co. v.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service clearly stated that critical habitat
must be actual habitat for a species. The 2012 critical habitat
designation included over 1.7 million acres of critical habitat that
wasn't actual habitat.
(a) What steps will you take to ensure that the Fish and Wildlife
Service follows the ruling of the Supreme Court?
(b) Will this acreage that is not current habitat be designated as
critical habitat again?
Answer. The final rule withdrawing the January 2021 rule and
revising the designation of critical habitat for the northern spotted
owl published in the Federal Register on November 10, 2021. It became
effective December 10, 2021. All the areas designated as critical
habitat meet FWS's regulatory definition of ``habitat'' at 50 CFR
424.02. Since the court ruling in Weyerhauser Co. v. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS), FWS has ensured that every critical habitat
designation, including the revised designation for the northern spotted
owl aligns with the Supreme Court's decision.
Question 2. A 2020 Species Status Assessment, issued by the Fish
and Wildlife Service, highlighted that the most pressing threats to the
Northern Spotted Owl are invasive barred owls and wildland fire. A
decade has passed since the USFWS issued a revised recovery plan for
the Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) that identified competition from the
Barred Owl as a primary threat to the NSO. Despite this, the USFWS
continues conducting a ``Barred Owl Removal Experiment'' but has yet to
develop and implement an actual strategy for barred owl removals and
population management. In the absence a barred owl removal strategy NSO
populations continue to decline. The BLM has also been required to
comply with restrictions on timber harvests under the 2016 Resource
Management Plans for Western Oregon until the USFWS completes the
barred owl removal strategy.
(a) What steps are you going to take to ensure FWS follows the
science?
Answer. The barred owl removal experiment is a significant
scientific achievement, and it has withstood three legal challenges
from concerned organizations. The FWS is applying the best available
science to developing a potential barred owl management strategy, in
concert with other involved state, federal, and private stakeholders.
(b) What is the Service doing to manage the main threats to the owl
which are wildfire and predation from the barred owl?
Answer. The next steps, which are currently underway, are to
develop potential management alternatives that are cost effective,
likely to succeed, and that meet all federal and state legal
requirements. FWS is actively engaged in multiple efforts to support
private, state and federal land managers to mitigate undesirable
wildfire risk in spotted owl habitat, including with active
intervention. Staff are participating in state-led wildfire task
forces, consulting with land managers in fuels reduction projects, and
publishing scientific papers recommending active management to reduce
wildfire threats and restore healthier forests.
We are also working collaboratively with an interagency team of
biologists from multiple agencies, including the USDA-Forest Service,
Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park
Service, and state wildlife agencies across the range of the northern
spotted owl to develop a barred owl management strategy, as well as
private-sector scientists. We anticipate a plan will be completed
within two years.
(c) Given the existential threat to the NSO, why hasn't the USFWS
completed a barred owl removal strategy?
Answer. The best science concludes that managing the barred owl
threat is the most pressing near-term conservation need for spotted
owls, while long-term habitat conservation remains fundamental to
preventing the species' extinction. As noted in a previous response,
FWS is working collaboratively with scientists from federal and state
agencies and the private sector on a barred owl management strategy and
anticipates a plan will be completed within two years.
Question 3. The USFWS has also identified catastrophic wildfire as
a serious threat to the NSO.
(a) Will the USFWS be working with land managers at the U.S. Forest
Service and BLM to determine what impact the 2012 Critical Habitat
designation has had on efforts to reduce wildfire risks in the forests
of the Pacific Northwest?
Answer. Other than the need for the land managers to comply with
the ESA consultation requirement, there should be no impact or effect
on wildfire management efforts. The FWS works proactively and
collaboratively with the USFS and BLM to reduce undesirable wildfire
threats, both through proactive planning and through consultation on
proposed actions.
(b) To that end, since 2012 how many acres of forest health
treatments have been implemented by the US Forest Service and BLM in
designated NSO critical habitat?
(c) How many acres of NSO critical habitat have been burned by
wildland fire in California, Oregon, and Washington since the current
NSO critical designation was made in 2012?
(d) How many spotted owl nesting sites and acres of spotted owl
suitable habitat have been burned by wildfire since the 2012
designation?
Answer. While the Department defers to the USDA Forest Service for
information related to that agency's land management actions, since
2012 the BLM has conducted roughly 149,500 acres of forest health
treatments in Oregon and Washington and 3,300 acres of hazardous fuels
reduction treatments in California within northern spotted owl critical
habitat. The BLM estimates the total area of northern spotted owl
critical habitat burned within the perimeter of large wildland fires
since 2012 is approximately 1.6 million acres, including 933,000 acres
in California, 553,000 acres in Oregon, and 172,000 acres in
Washington.
The BLM estimates 300 northern spotted owl nesting sites were
within the perimeter of large wildland fires since 2012. Based on the
relative suitability model from the 2013 Western Oregon Resource
Management Plans, 1.9 million acres of nesting and roosting habitat and
3.5 million acres of dispersal habitat have been burned by large
wildland fires.
Question 4. Will you go through a full rulemaking process should
you decide to continue your rescission of the January 2021 rule?
Answer. The final rule withdrawing the January 2021 rule and
revising the designation of critical habitat for the Northern Spotted
Owl published in the Federal Register on November 10, 2021. It became
effective December 10, 2021. Comments and materials received from the
public rulemaking process are available on Regulations.gov under docket
number FWS-R1-ES-2020-0050.
Question 5. Will you commit to strong public input where the
Service actually listens to folks on the ground? Could you follow up
with the Committee with the dates and times of these engagements?
Answer. As indicated in the response to the previous question, the
final rule withdrawing the January 2021 rule and revising the
designation of critical habitat for the Northern Spotted Owl published
in the Federal Register on November 10, 2021. It became effective
December 10, 2021. Comments and materials received from the public
rulemaking process are available for inspection on Regulations.gov.
Question 6. Our farmers and ranchers provide some of the most
pristine migratory bird habitat across the country, but especially in
the west and Great Plains. Ranchers play a critical role in sustaining
habitat that is essential in recovering grassland and sagebrush-
dependent species. Likewise, farmers are key to sustaining wetland
habitat across key breeding, migration, and wintering areas for
migratory birds. To ensure that migratory bird habitat is conserved
adequately, the Department must work with farmers and ranchers instead
of against them through overly burdensome regulations.
(a) Have you been coordinating with farmers and ranchers on
conservation for migratory birds?
Answer. Private landowners are among the greatest stewards of the
land and are important conservation partners for the Department. FWS
works closely with private landowners to conserve migratory birds and
their habitat, particularly through the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures,
which are regional partnerships between federal, state, local, and
private partners to support migratory bird conservation. JV
conservation activities are collaborative by design involving
landowners to implement conservation practices that sustain working
lands and resilient local communities. JVs are guided by Management
Boards comprised of partner representatives, many of which include
private landowners as permanent members. Examples of this coordination
and collaboration include:
The Rainwater Basin JV and Nebraska Cattlemen are working
in partnership on a private lands grazing project in
Nebraska's Rainwater Basin, a region that is valuable for
farming and cattle production and as key stopover habitat
for migratory waterfowl. This project is designed to
promote cattle production on lands with limited row crop
potential, while also enhancing wetland habitat.
In 2016, the Intermountain West JV and BLM established the
Partnering to Conserve Sagebrush Rangelands Initiative with
a goal to catalyze proactive, voluntary, and community-led
sagebrush rangelands conservation across public and private
lands for future generations.
In the Northern Great Plains JV there are many unique
technical and financial programs available for landowners.
The JV encourages producers to work with members of the
JV's Conservation Delivery Network to develop a
personalized project on their land that best leverages
available program resources.
Over the past 3 years the Central Valley JV and its
partners have enhanced over 60,000 acres of privately-owned
wetlands and wildlife-friendly agricultural lands across
175 properties in California's Central Valley. These
incentive-based programs increase the abundance and quality
of habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wetland-
dependent species by working hand-in-hand with rice growers
and private wetlandowners to implement cooperatively
developed management plans for their properties that are
designed to enhance their lands for wildlife using this
region.
Additionally, our Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides
technical and financial assistance to landowners interested in
restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat, including for migratory
birds, on their land. Through the Partners Program we annually achieve
over 1,200 voluntary restoration and enhancement projects on nearly a
quarter of a million acres.
(b) Please provide examples of recent engagements including the
dates of the engagements as well as the attendees.
Answer. In addition to the ongoing partnerships discussed above,
during this past year and a half the FWS through Joint Ventures has
engaged with private landowners in the Northern Great Plains, with the
Winnett Agricultural and Community Enhancement and Sustainability, a
locally-led producer group in Montana; attended the Oklahoma Black
Historical Research Project's Annual Small Farms Conference co-
sponsored by the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts in mid-
July of this year; and worked through Soil and Water Conservation
Districts in Curry and Quay counties NM to promote playa and grassland
conservation to over 250 landowners over the past 7 months, among many
other engagements with agricultural producers.
(c) Did these engagements occur before you announced that you would
repeal the last administration's actions?
Answer. FWS engagements with landowners occur on an ongoing basis.
(d) Will you commit to working with this Committee to find
reasonable approaches to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to ensure
farmers and ranchers aren't unjustly punished for their conservation
efforts?
Answer. The Department and FWS are committed to working with all
stakeholders and partners as we reconsider the interpretation of the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This collaboration is instrumental to
developing common sense standards that can protect migratory birds and
provide certainty to landowners and project proponents.
(e) Will you commit to emphasizing and scaling up working with
farmers and ranchers on conservation?
Answer. Farmers and ranchers are important conservation partners.
As noted in the response to the previous question, the Department and
FWS are committed to working with all stakeholders and partners as we
reconsider the interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This
collaboration is instrumental to developing common sense standards that
can protect migratory birds and provide certainty to landowners and
project proponents.
(f) What conservation actions will the Department take to
strategically invest in and encourage voluntary, incentive-based
programs to conserve habitat on working farms and ranches?
Answer. The Department is committed to working with all of our
partners and stakeholders, including farmers and ranchers, to conserve
wildlife and habitat. That commitment is reflected in the President's
Fiscal Year 2022 budget request, which supports diverse programs that
collaborate with partners and stakeholders to conserve species and
restore habitat and provide both financial support and technical
expertise, such as the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program, the
Fish and Aquatic Programs, as well as the Migratory Bird Program.
Question 7. In 2015, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers
finalized the Waters of the US, more commonly referred to as WOTUS,
rule. This rollout was met with severe backlash from rural communities
and countless stakeholders, but it particularly impacted farmers and
ranchers across the country. The last administration finalized the
Navigable Waters Protection Rule last year to provide regulatory
certainty for communities and stakeholders across the country, but now,
this administration has announced that it will develop ``a new rule
that defines WOTUS'' to ``protect water resources.''
(a) Is DOI working with the EPA to do a cost/benefit impact
analysis of how it would impact BOR projects, BOR supported groundwater
replenishment projects and other critical water infrastructure?
Answer. The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers are, and have been, the lead agencies on matters
associated with the Clean Water Act, including any potential changes to
the definition of ``waters of the United States.'' We understand that
those agencies are currently involved in litigation regarding that
definition, and the outcome of that matter will determine the path
forward.
Question 8. In April, the administration announced the creation of
``an Interagency Working Group to address worsening drought conditions
in the West and support farmers, Tribes, and communities impacted by
ongoing water shortages.''
(a) Has the working group met with farmers, tribes and communities
on potential solutions?
(b) If so, please provide us the dates of the engagements as well
as a list of attendees.
(c) If not, will you commit to meet with stakeholders on this
important issue?
Answer. The Interagency Drought Relief Working Group is one of
several groups seeking to optimize the way the federal government can
respond to the ongoing drought. The Working Group is co-chaired by the
Department and the USDA and is working across the government to
identify and disburse financial resources and technical assistance for
irrigators and tribes impacted by the drought. This effort, among
others, was discussed at a stakeholder forum on July 20, 2021, which
provided an opportunity to hear from sectors and communities being
impacted by the ongoing severe drought conditions. The Working Group
will continue to seek input from affected communities and review the
status of existing tools and make recommendations on what authorities
are needed to address the imminent community needs facing us with
drought.
Question 9. Earlier this month, the Fish and Wildlife Service
announced it will be rolling back a significant portion of Endangered
Species Act reforms put in place by the last administration. These
proposed changes will complicate the federal permitting process and
reduce incentives for proactive conservation work to help save species.
(a) The Department of the Interior press release states that these
ESA regulations were going to be rescinded because they conflicted with
climate change objectives. How do the regulatory changes enacted for
the ``blanket 4(d) rule'' conflict with climate change objectives,
particularly since NOAA-Fisheries has long completed 4(d) rules for
threatened species. Do you intend to require a default prohibition of
take for NOAA-Fisheries as well?
Answer. These regulatory changes made by the previous
administration were reviewed pursuant to the direction provided in
Executive Order 13990. That order noted that federal government actions
must be guided by the best science and be protected by processes that
ensure the integrity of its decision-making. The Administration's
actions are intended to improve and strengthen implementation of the
ESA. To date, the Department has not published a proposal related to
implementation of section 4(d) of the ESA. The Department defers to
NOAA-Fisheries for questions related to its implementation of the ESA.
(b) Will you commit to notifying Congress (or this subcommittee)
prior publishing any of the substantive changes proposed by the Press
Release before you publish them in the Federal Register?
Answer. Yes; our goal is to always provide Congress with notice of
significant regulatory and other actions when they are made.
(c) Several of the regulations described in the press release state
that there are ``other potential revisions also under consideration.''
(c)(i) What are those other potential revisions?
(c)(ii) When is your timeline for providing clarity on these
revisions?
(c)(iii) Will you commit to notifying this subcommittee on what
those revisions will be?
Answer. The FWS and National Marine Fisheries Service are working
together to review the regulations and determine what proposed
revisions to the regulations are appropriate. On October 27, 2021, the
Administration published in the Federal Register proposals to rescind
the December 2020 final rule establishing a regulatory definition of
``habitat'' and the final rule that clarified how FWS would consider
and evaluate areas for exclusion from a critical habitat designation.
We anticipate that additional proposals will be published for public
review and comment as they are developed. The Department's goal is
always to provide Congress with notice of significant regulatory and
other actions when they are made.
(d) The press release states that DOI intends to coordinate with
federally recognized tribes before any regulations are finalized. Will
you make that commitment to states, since they are charged with the
management and protection of all non-ESA listed species?
Answer. It is the FWS's practice to coordinate with states before
regulations are finalized, and we will do so here.
(e) Does the DOI support and will you commit to provide funding for
the development of candidate conservation agreements on federal lands?
Answer. The Department supports the FWS's long-standing engagement
with other federal agencies to help develop Candidate Conservation
Agreements (CCAs) covering federal lands. While federal land management
agencies are responsible for funding their share of the cost of CCAs on
their lands, funding has long been in the FWS's budget for providing
technical assistance to interested landowners, and the FY 2022 budget
request seeks additional funding to increase capability for such
assistance.
(f) Does the DOI support and will you commit to provide funding for
candidate conservation agreements with assurances on private lands?
Answer. The Department supports the FWS's long-standing engagement
with non-federal landowners to develop candidate conservation
agreements with assurances (CCAAs) on private lands. As noted above,
the FY 2022 budget request seeks additional funding to increase
capability for such assistance to interested non-federal landowners. In
addition, through the use of the Cooperative Endangered Species
Conservation Fund Conservation Planning Assistance Grant program, the
FWS now provides funding to states to help landowners who need
financial assistance for developing CCAAs on private lands.
(g) Will you commit that DOI will consider all four representative
concentration pathway models when making a determination about the
``foreseeable future'' in listing or critical habitat decisions? If
not, what is your scientific basis for selecting one model over
another.
Answer. When making a determination under the ESA about the
foreseeable future, the FWS must be able to reasonably determine that
both the future threat and the species response to the threat are
likely. The ESA requires that the FWS use the best available scientific
and commercial information when making listing decisions. The
Department will always follow the law and the science in its decision-
making.
(h) Please describe the language in the 2018 listing regulations
that state that economics will be considered for listing decisions.
Answer. The ESA is clear that listing determinations must be made
solely on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data
available. The Service has never considered the economic impacts of a
listing decision.
Question 10. In May, the Fish and Wildlife Department announced
that it would begin a review of the land management plans for the Sage
Grouse. As you know, the 2019 plans developed by the last
administration were supported by all of the western Governors involved
including Democrats. In a call with Fish and Wildlife Service staff
after your announcement, Service staff committed to including these
2019 plans as a part of the review.
(a) Can you confirm that the 2019 Plans are a part of the review?
(b) When do you anticipate the review will conclude?
(c) Have you had any roundtables or meetings with stakeholders who
are leading the way in conservation as a part of the review?
(d) If yes, could you send us information on those meetings
including dates and participants?
(e) If not, will you commit to holding engagement sessions with
states and stakeholders throughout this process?
Answer. Coordination is critical for success in greater sage-grouse
conservation, and the Bureau of Land Management is committed to working
with our stakeholders, including states, Tribes, stakeholders, and the
public throughout the planning process. BLM is working in cooperation
with the FWS, U.S. Geological Survey, USDA's Natural Resource
Conservation Service, the USDA Forest Service, states, Tribes, and
stakeholders, to review the 2015, 2019, and 2020 land use plans and
supporting analyses to assess what further actions may be needed to
support sagebrush habitat conservation and restoration.
Question 11. In recent conversations between the Fish and Wildlife
Service and stakeholders, Service employees have expressed that they
would not be using single species management and they would instead
favor a multiple species approach to conservation. This is welcome news
to hear as we have seen the devastating effects of single species
management. We are aware that some groups of species are in decline and
working lands are essential to sustaining these species. We believe it
is important to work through existing partnerships in a proactive, non-
regulatory to conserve habitat the meets the needs of multiple species.
(a) Will you support your employees in this approach to ensure we
aren't robbing Peter to pay Paul with species conservation?
Answer. Collaboration with our partners and stakeholders and
efficient implementation of actions is critical to the recovery of
species. It is also important that the actions we take comply with the
law and are supported by the best available science. The Department
will always support its employees with these goals in mind.
(b) Will you take steps to support existing partnerships that can
deliver proactive conservation at scale?
Answer. Yes, the FWS' FY 2022 budget request includes an $18.1 M
increase in Recovery funding in order to fund projects that will meet
our highest priority actions to prevent extinction and achieve recovery
for listed species. Many of these projects will utilize existing
partnerships to undertake these strategic priorities.
Question 12. In your Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Mike Lee (R-
UT) asked you about input from ``stakeholders . . . who have some sort
of economic interest'' in the national monument designation process.
You answered that ``everybody deserves a say'' in it. Concerning the
Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, have you met
with fishermen, seafood processors or any other representatives of
coastal communities that would be most affected by a reinstatement of a
ban on commercial fishing? If so, who?
Answer. President Biden issued a proclamation on October 8, 2021,
restoring the protections and boundaries for this important marine
monument. Prior to that action by the President, staff at the
Department and at the Department of Commerce engaged with stakeholders,
including with indigenous organizations, fishing industry
representatives, New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Councils, the Atlantic States and Marine Fishery Commissions, and a
variety of businesses, scientific, nonprofit, and conservation
organizations.
Question 13. I understand that Department staff had a brief phone
call with concerned fishing industry leaders in March. Each participant
was only allotted five minutes to defend their livelihood. Can you
commit to meeting with commercial fishermen for more than five minutes
before making a recommendation to the President on reinstating the
commercial fishing ban?
Answer. As noted in the previous response, President Biden issued a
proclamation on October 8, 2021, restoring the protections and
boundaries for this important marine monument.
Question 14. According to a recent report from the Washington Post,
the Department is advocating for President Biden to reinstate the
commercial fishing ban in the marine monument. What scientific studies
did your staff base this assessment on, if any? Can you please turn
those over to us? Or is this just a rebuke of President Trump's actions
last June?
Answer. As noted in the previous responses, President Biden issued
a proclamation on October 8, 2021, restoring the protections and
boundaries for this important marine monument that were put in place
during the Obama Administration and removed during the previous
Administration.
Question 15. Do you believe that former President Obama's original
proclamation designating the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine
National Monument should have also banned recreational fishing?
Answer. As noted in the previous responses, President Biden issued
a proclamation on October 8, 2021, restoring the protections and
boundaries for this important marine monument.
Question 16. Have you had any conversations with recreational
fishing groups or environmental groups concerning the marine monument?
If so, who, and when?
Answer. As noted in a previous response, prior to the issuance of
the proclamation by President Biden, staff at the Department and at the
Department of Commerce engaged with stakeholders, including with
indigenous organizations, fishing industry representatives, New England
and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, the Atlantic States and
Marine Fishery Commissions, and a variety of businesses, scientific,
nonprofit, and conservation organizations.
Question 17. Are you aware that all eight of the regional councils
created under the Magnuson- Stevens Act and charged with managing our
nation's fisheries have spoken out against a commercial fishing ban in
the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Monument?
(a) If so, why haven't you taken their unanimous opinion into
account?
(b) In your confirmation hearing and in responses to QFRs you
repeatedly stated that a top-down approach to conservation was not the
best option, so why are you advocating for it here?
(c) Does the Magnuson-Stevens Act even matter anymore if you won't
heed or even take into consideration the advice of the experts who
manage our nation's fisheries?
Answer. As noted in a previous response, President Biden issued his
proclamation on October 8, 2021, restoring the protections and
boundaries for this important marine monument that were put in place
during the Obama Administration and removed during the previous
Administration. Prior to that action by the President, staff at the
Department and at the Department of Commerce engaged with stakeholders,
including with indigenous organizations, fishing industry
representatives, New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Councils, the Atlantic States and Marine Fishery Commissions, and a
variety of businesses, scientific, nonprofit, and conservation
organizations.
______
The Chairman. I want to thank you again, Madam Secretary,
and now the Members will have an opportunity to ask questions.
I am going to begin by recognizing, in order of seniority.
Mrs. Napolitano, if she is available and has any questions,
you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Napolitano. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Secretary, it is great to see you, and
congratulations, again. My whole premise of recycled water is,
unfortunately, we see far too little in Title XVI water
recycling projects. You go from 63 million to 4.5 million, and
in the WaterSMART, 55 million to 15 million. I understand we
have over 400--almost 500 million--in line, already-approved
projects to be approved, to be funded.
Somehow we are not looking at recycling as a way of
combating drought. But in the West, even Arizona, New Mexico,
California, and Nevada are sadly in need of funds to be able to
increase their water supply by recycling.
Increased investment in Title XVI would have advanced
dozens of water recycling projects. Like I said, they are
already approved, feasibility studies, simply waiting for
Federal funding for the share. And how much demand are you
seeing from water districts from Title XVI grants, currently?
And are the current funding levels sufficient to meet the
current demand?
As you know, the Colorado River Basin has been in drought
for more than two decades, with no end in sight. The
stakeholders are working to advance new drought-proof water
supply to help respond to the challenges. It includes a
proposal for a regional recycled water project led by
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, in
collaboration with other states that would generate enough
water for a half million families.
Can you tell the Committee whether the Department will help
advance regional drought projects like these to help bolster
water security for communities across the Colorado River?
I don't understand why the drop. It should be increased. I
requested $500 million to be added to Title XVI. I understand
Mr. Huffman and Chairman Grijalva looked more at $750 million,
because there is such demand, and there is a new move to----
[Audio malfunction.]
Mrs. Napolitano [continuing]. I don't know whether you can
answer that right offhand, but I would like to be in touch with
you to see how we can work this out. It is just not enough. And
the diminishing of the budget for that really is hardest on the
17 Western states' ability to combat drought.
Could you answer any questions?
Secretary Haaland. Congresswoman, thank you so much for the
question, and I want you to know that we understand how severe
the drought is in the West. We care about it deeply. We work on
it every single day. And the programs that we have in place we
absolutely want to support. We feel that there are many tools
we can use, and we are going to do our best to use every single
tool.
I would love to give Rachel an opportunity to go into a few
more details about Title XVI and the WaterSMART program.
Mrs. Napolitano. Thank you.
Ms. Taylor. Thank you, Madam Secretary, and thank you,
Congresswoman, for the question on this.
As the Secretary said, we are mindful, especially in the
grip of such a historic drought, that all tools need to be used
in the toolbox.
With respect to your question on the Title XVI funding, we
would be happy to follow up with your office regarding the
demand for applications, and have a longer conversation with
that.
I would note that the President's budget request includes,
as part of the Jobs Plan, $2.5 billion for Western water
resilience. And water recycling and reuse projects have been
called out, specifically. I know that that plan--the details
are still being worked out, and that is something that I fully
intend to work with the Committee, and work with you all on.
Mrs. Napolitano. That is just minimal funding. The funding
that is required because of what is already approved, it is way
beyond that. And I would like to have a conversation with you
on that, because it affects not only California, Nevada, New
Mexico, and Arizona--and the Colorado River is at an all-time
drought, and it is getting worse. It is critical. It is very
imperative that we take steps to be able to fund programs that
will help with the water resiliency in many of those areas, and
I look forward to it, to work with you, Ms. Secretary.
Thank you very much, and I yield back.
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields. Let me recognize the
Ranking Member, Mr. Westerman.
You are recognized, sir.
Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Secretary Haaland, probably a little-known fact by most
Americans is that 40 percent of the land along the Southern
border is Federal land that falls under the management of DOI.
This year, already, there have been 105,000 pounds of
methamphetamine seized, and an astonishing nearly 6,500 pounds
of fentanyl. That is enough lethal doses of fentanyl to kill
1.4 billion people, four times the population of the United
States.
My first question is, what is the Administration's plan to
ensure that DOI's lands on our Southern border are protected?
And why didn't the Department budget request any money
specifically for this purpose?
Secretary Haaland. Ranking Member, thank you so much for
the question.
And with respect to any of those budget requests, of
course, we are always going to be happy to meet with you and
give you any details that you like. But if Rachel has something
to add there, I would appreciate it.
Ms. Taylor. Yes, I would be happy to follow up on the
numbers. I mean, I think we are taking a look at the manpower
issues, and also the environmental issues that are related to
the border. So, I would be happy to follow up with you on that
one.
Mr. Westerman. Yes, I would be interested in following up,
and especially talking about the environmental issues on public
lands, where illegal traffic is going across.
Just as another part of that, according to the DEA, Mexican
traffickers are the principal suppliers of most illicit drugs
on reservations in Indian Country. A few weeks ago I had the
opportunity to travel in the Southwest and visit with a lot of
tribal leaders. And unprompted, every place I stopped, they
talked about the problem with illegal drugs on their tribal
lands.
So, as this border crisis allows for more dangerous drugs
to flow into our country, how will you work specifically to
combat the flow of illicit drugs on tribal lands?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you very much, Ranking Member.
One thing I can say is that the President, essentially,
wants to use an all-of-government approach for many of the
issues that cross our departments. And, of course, the
Department of the Interior is one department that might deal
with issues of that nature, but there are others, as well.
I would like to, honestly, get together with other members
of the cabinet to discuss the issue, and we would be happy to
revisit this issue with you.
Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Secretary. The Administration's
budget supports the 30x30, which is based on a similar global
initiative. In April of this year, 245 non-governmental
organizations signed a letter criticizing the Global 30x30
initiative over concerns that it could displace up to 300
million Indigenous peoples, and lead to serious human rights
abuses by conservation organizations and enforcement agencies.
How can this Administration claim to support Indigenous
peoples at home, when one of your main priorities is based on a
global initiative that has sparked serious human rights issues
and concerns over Indigenous peoples around the world?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Ranking Member. The
America the Beautiful Initiative--we are looking at it as a
collaborative effort. We feel it is one that can bring our
country together, that can unite us in a conservation effort
that would, actually, invite tribes. President Biden has made
it a priority of his administration to ensure that we have
robust tribal consultation across the government. We intend to
make sure that we carry that out. We have already spoken with
many tribes and stakeholders regarding the America the
Beautiful Initiative, and in that spirit, the collaborative
spirit, we will move forward with it.
I thank you for your concerns. And, of course, we will look
at all the issues with respect to this initiative, and make
sure we are informed as we move forward.
Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Secretary. I know from previous
service with you on this Committee that justice for Indigenous
people is very important to you.
We are currently investigating the World Wildlife Fund for
potentially using Federal grants for eco-guards who raped,
murdered, and forced Indigenous peoples from their homes in the
name of conservation efforts like 30x30. DOI's budget provides
an additional $6 million for the Fish and Wildlife Services
International Affairs Division, which has been at the center of
this controversy.
Why are we using taxpayer money to fund organizations with
serious human rights abuses?
And will you commit to continuing the Trump
administration's freeze on that grant funding to organizations
like WWF with histories of such abuse?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Ranking Member. I can
guarantee you that all of these grants and so forth, they
undergo very stringent reviews. And I will take your comment
and your concern back to the Department, and make sure that
they will look at that.
Mr. Westerman. Thank you again, Madam Secretary. I am out
of time. I have more questions I will submit in writing.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields. Let me recognize
Congressman Costa for his questions.
Sir, you are recognized.
Mr. Costa. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, members of
the Committee.
Madam Secretary, we are so proud that one of our own
members from this Committee would be chosen to be the Secretary
of the Department of the Interior. And the President--it is
fitting and appropriate for the first Native American to serve
in this very important position. And I, for one, I know we will
be looking forward to continuing to work with you in this
important partnership.
I want to talk about drought in California and the Western
states, and also a bit about the fire issues with our parks and
forests, and coordination between your efforts and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture that has a large responsibility on
forest management.
I don't have to tell you we have extreme drought conditions
in the West. In California, with climate change, obviously,
they are increasing with the intensity. This may be the worst
drought since 1977, 1978, yet there are more demands on
California's water system--and, I would say, for the West, the
Colorado River and others--than ever before in our history.
Therefore, we have to work together. The governor has
proposed a $5.2 billion drought resistance plan to help the
state in a host of different areas. I know this budget that you
are talking about here today was proposed earlier. Things have
only gotten worse since this budget. I would urge you to take
another look at it.
Frankly, I agree with my colleague, Grace Napolitano, on
WaterSMART and a host of these areas. We need to plus them up.
In Congress, I am going to do everything I can to do just that
in some of our infrastructure packages.
One of the areas that is very important in this funding
effort is also trying to balance transfers when they can in our
water system. We are looking at some opportunities in July. We
just had an important water workshop--bipartisan state and
federal officials--Ernest Conant was representing the
Department.
I asked you earlier, but I want you to urge every bit of
creativity and thinking out of the box when we have windows of
opportunities to transfer molecules of water that are so much
needed. We have some of our farm communities that we are going
to have, literally, hundreds and thousands of acres of land
fallowed, maybe a million or more. That results in unemployment
to farm communities, and campesinos and farm workers of 40 to
50 percent in the last severe drought we had in 2008 and 2010.
Those are communities and people hurting.
Do you care to respond?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Congressman, and I
share a deep concern with you about the drought. It is an issue
that we work on every single day. There are members of my
senior staff who are on this issue day in----
Mr. Costa. By the way, I am glad that Tonya and Camille,
you have working relationships with all of us, now are part of
your team, or will be.
Secretary Haaland. Yes. So, I just want you to know that it
is important to us, and we are taking, there again, an all-of-
government approach to this issue. As we mentioned, the $2.5
billion for Western water resilience, we are happy to work with
you on that number, and would, of course, welcome anything----
Mr. Costa. Right. On that point, we have an effort that--I
think we have bipartisan support for the restoration of the
Friant-Kern Canal, the Delta-Mendota Canal, and the California
Aqueduct. The governor has money in his budget, and we are
looking at that as a part of our effort.
Dam safety is also a critical area. And I want to revisit
that with you. Let me move quickly, because time has elapsed
here.
I toured Yosemite National Park. I know you are plussing up
our National Park System, and I understand you have had
conversations with Secretary Vilsack. But the horrific fires we
have had in the West, are so, so devastating in all of our
districts.
I suggested that there is a joint role and responsibility
between Interior and USDA with the Forest Service. Are you
working together to update the forest management plan? Because
it not only affects our forests, but our national parks, as
well.
And the maintenance is needed. The superintendent, Cicely
Muldoon, great superintendent, gave me a 3-hour tour of all the
updates that are needed in Yosemite, and that is just one of
our crown jewels of our national parks.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much. Yes, Secretary
Vilsack and I meet regularly regarding this issue. And I am
happy to ensure that I take your concerns back to him.
Mr. Costa. More to be continued. I have run out of time,
not questions. But we need to work together, and I look forward
to doing just that. Thank you.
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, thank you.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields, and I believe Mr.
Gohmert is recognized for his time.
[Pause.]
The Chairman. Going to Lamborn? OK.
Mr. Lamborn, sir, you are recognized.
Mr. Lamborn. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And, Madam Secretary, it is good to see you. I remember you
used to sit right over there not that long ago. Now you have a
different seat, a little more power, perhaps, but I am going to
just jump right in, because of limited time.
There is this comprehensive review that is going on for oil
and gas leasing on Federal lands. Thank goodness a Federal
judge has issued a temporary restraining order against that
because of all the jobs and energy that would be hurt because
of that ban. But is this going to result in a permanent ban on
Federal lands of oil and gas production when this review is
completed?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Congressman. And it
is nice to see you, as well. Thank you for welcoming me here.
The pause on oil leases, as you know, was for new leases.
There are still millions of acres that are open, and thousands
and thousands of permits that are actually working right now.
The decision of the court is under review in the Solicitor's
Office. They are working with the Department of Justice, as
well, to review that decision. Of course, we will abide by any
decision that we are ordered to, and we will be happy to be in
touch with you as to next steps.
But I just want to make sure you know that the pause is on
new leases, not existing leases or permits.
Mr. Lamborn. But do you anticipate a permanent ban of
production for new leases when the review is done?
Secretary Haaland. As I have said many times, gas and oil
production will continue well into the future. And we believe
that that is the reality of our economy and the world we are
living in.
Mr. Lamborn. Does that mean you would favor new production
in the future?
Secretary Haaland. I have always said that I am going to
absolutely follow the law. The reason for the review, of
course, we want to make sure that taxpayers, the American
taxpayers, are getting a good return on, essentially, their
investment.
Mr. Lamborn. With that in mind, about $10 billion comes in
to the Federal Government from oil and gas leases, currently.
And a lot of that is used for the national park backlog, and
conservation efforts, and other really good incentives, and the
rest goes into the Treasury.
How are we going to replace $10 billion if there is a
permanent ban, which you are sort of in doubt about?
Secretary Haaland. No, I don't think there is a plan right
now for a permanent ban, Congressman. But as I said, the review
will come out early summer, and we will assess the gas and the
fossil fuel programs at that time.
And, of course, we are happy to talk with you further. If
you have any questions, you are welcome to give us a call, and
we are happy to make sure that we are approaching it in a
transparent manner.
Mr. Lamborn. When it comes to mining, I am really
concerned, because we need to have continued production of
lithium and rare minerals in the future, if nothing else, for
electric vehicles, plus computers, cell phones, and everything
else that we use these important substances for. Yet, mining
has such a hard time getting established in the United States
under current environmental and the Department of the Interior
regulations. It takes 10 or 12 years to open a mine.
So, how can we meet the need for lithium and critical and
rare earth minerals, when it takes so long to do mining in the
United States?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for the question, Congressman.
And, yes, we understand that critical minerals are important to
the future of our technology. And President Biden, of course,
believes in energy independence.
I think that the United States and the Department of the
Interior want to make sure that any mining that is done takes
into consideration the environment. We have to make sure that
we are doing things with respect to the environment, that
workers are protected in mines, and so forth.
And I am fortunate to work alongside a tremendous number of
USGS scientists who understand this issue very well.
Mr. Lamborn. OK, thank you for your answer. Let me just
conclude by saying I hope we don't have to rely on other
countries like China that have horrible environmental policies.
They are dirty, they pollute. Let's have some U.S. production.
And we can't just rely on recycling.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields. Let me recognize
Representative Sablan.
Sir, you are recognized.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Secretary, welcome back to the House, and
congratulations on your being selected and confirmed as
Secretary of the Interior. Thank you also for your public
support of the UNDRIP, the United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous People. That was awesome. And also, Madam
Secretary, I would like to work with you, since your
Department, your Office of Insular Affairs, is supposed to be
our greatest advocacy in the Administration for the insular
areas, the territories like my district, the Northern Marianas.
And, Madam Secretary, as you know, responding to climate
change is a priority of this Committee. And it is especially
important to my constituents in the Northern Mariana Islands,
who are on the front line of the negative impacts of climate
change. So, I congratulate the President and your Department
for almost doubling to $15 million funding for the Energizing
Insular Communities Program in your Department's budget.
Congress has been plussing up this line item for the last
several years. I am not convinced the Department has been using
this money as effectively as it could, however. In 2014, former
Congressman Donna Christensen's legislation mandating that
Interior create energy action plans for all the insular areas
was enacted, Public Law 113-235. But the Department has not
used the Energizing Insular Communities funding to implement
that law.
There are supposed to be energy action plans for each
insular area, to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels,
develop domestic sources like wind and solar, which we have in
abundance, and to improve the efficiency of the infrastructure.
The plans are supposed to include both engineering and
financing guidelines for implementing and sustaining these
improvements, and a timeline for putting the plans to work with
specific project milestones.
And lastly, and this is particularly important, Madam
Secretary, this is not work that the Interior Department throws
to the insular governments and says, ``Good luck, it is up to
you.'' No, this is work that the Interior Department is
supposed to lead Federal agencies in getting done. Obviously,
we will have to work with each insular government, but the law
puts the burden on the Department of the Interior.
I am very heartened to see that President Biden seems
serious about the Energizing Insular Communities Program, and
is doubling funding for that.
Madam Secretary, if I may ask, may I have your commitment
to implement Public Law 113-235, and create these energy action
plans for each insular area?
Secretary Haaland. Mr. Sablan, thank you so much for the
question, and I want you to know that your community is
extremely important to me, and to all of us, and I am
absolutely going to take all of your concerns and comments back
to the office.
You must know Nik Pula quite well. I will make sure that he
knows and understands. We are going to make sure that we are
moving this forward. And I thank you for the question.
Mr. Sablan. Yes, thank you. And, yes, I do know Mr. Pula,
and we have been encouraging the office to comply with the law.
And the law also requires that the Department provide annual
reports to Congress on the implementations of the law. So,
Madam Secretary, respectfully, I also ask--could we have your
commitment that you will be making those annual reports to
Congress on the implementation of that law?
Secretary Haaland. Yes. Thank you, Congressman.
Mr. Sablan. All right, thank you.
And the law also requires you to create teams of technical,
policy, and financial experts to assist each of the insular
areas in developing and implementing their respective plans.
May I also have your commitment, Madam Secretary, that you
provide this Committee with the names of the experts for the
team for each insular area, so we can be assured that the
planning and implementation is in good hands?
Secretary Haaland. We will follow the law, we will follow
the policies, we will make sure you get what you need,
Congressman.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you. And if I may, Madam Secretary, I
would like for you to know that you have an open standing
invitation to come visit the Northern Marianas.
And finally, Madam Secretary, I know it is not the
jurisdiction of this Committee, but I was sort of heartened to
see that there is some money that is indicated or identified in
the President's budget that is meant to maintain and improve
the conditions of Bureau of Indian Education schools in Indian
Country, which is really sorely needed. But thank you for that
also.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Costa. Would the gentleman yield for a question?
Mr. Sablan. Yes.
Mr. Costa. When was the last time a Secretary of the
Interior visited the Northern Mariana Islands, Mr. Sablan?
Mr. Sablan. Not in the 13 years I have been here, but it
has been a while.
It has been a while, Madam Secretary.
The Chairman. With that, the gentleman yields.
And I believe Mr. McClintock is--sir, you are recognized.
Mr. McClintock. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Secretary, after considering some 6,500 public
comments, the Trump administration issued a final supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement to raise Shasta Dam by 18\1/2\
feet. This long-overdue proposal would store enough water to
support more than 3 million Californians annually, allowing for
storage in wet years so that we have it in dry ones, like the
one we are currently suffering. Would you commit to moving
forward with the Shasta Dam raise?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you very much. I will have to take
that question back to the Department, and my staff will be in
touch with you and your office, sir.
Mr. McClintock. As you know, it is desperately needed. We
had record rainfall a few years ago, and we had to open the
dams and release that water, because we had no place to store
it.
The Shasta was designed to be 800 feet of elevation. It is
currently 600 feet. So, this raise is about 700,00 acre-feet of
water, and it has been languishing for many, many decades now.
And if, in fact, your budget request includes no funding for
new water storage capacity, despite the severe drought
conditions that we are suffering in the West, I wonder, how can
the Administration expect to address our Western water crisis
without proposing any funding for long-term water storage?
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, thank you so much. Water
storage is, absolutely, one of the tools that we are looking
at, with respect to water conditions and drought in the West.
And I appreciate you raising that, and will be very happy to
follow up with you on that specific issue.
Mr. McClintock. I have just raised two critical questions
for the people of the Western United States, and I have gotten
answers to neither of those questions. And they are simple and
fundamental to the responsibilities of this government.
Let me try a third time. Earlier this year, more than 200
Western water, agriculture, and urban organizations sent a
letter to Congress and to the White House requesting an all-of-
the-above approach to funding Western water infrastructure to
be included in any infrastructure stimulus package.
The reclamation provisions of the WIIN Act expire this
year. Do you support WIIN Act reauthorization?
Secretary Haaland. Yes, the WIIN Act has been very helpful
to many communities.
Mr. McClintock. So, the Administration will support its
full reauthorization?
Secretary Haaland. Let's see. We are working to send
recommendations to the Energy and Water Subcommittee, pursuant
to the 2016 WIIN Act to allocate funding for water storage,
desalinization, and water recycling.
Mr. McClintock. All right, thank you.
I have heard from a number of constituents who are upset
with the reservation system for Yosemite National Park. The
National Park Service is requiring reservations to enter the
park through September 30, citing COVID, despite the fact that
California has now fully reopened, and the science demonstrates
that COVID does not spread outdoors.
Will you commit to ending the reservation system, and
restoring full public access to the park?
Secretary Haaland. I appreciate the question. Of course, I
feel it is my duty to make sure we are consulting with folks on
the ground. And, certainly, we would talk to the superintendent
of that park, and be happy to have the conversation with NPS--
--
Mr. McClintock. Well, these restrictions continue to have a
devastating impact on the gateway communities that depend upon
tourist travel to Yosemite for their very economic existence.
Secretary Haaland. Yes. Thank you, and----
Mr. McClintock. One of the goals that we set in the
Majority was to restore the Federal Government as a good
neighbor to the communities that are directly impacted by the
Federal lands. Consulting the superintendent is not consulting
the communities. I will assure you the communities are in
desperate need of lifting these restrictions, which have no
foundation at all in science.
Secretary Haaland. Well, Congressman, if I may, I am
pleased, overall, with President Biden's work to help make sure
that our country is getting vaccinated. And I know that things
are definitely----
Mr. McClintock. But that has nothing to do with the
science, that has clearly shown that COVID very, very rarely
spreads outdoors. And in fact, by ordering people indoors, I
think that the government made a huge mistake. But we can
discuss that later.
One more question. You claimed to prioritize wildland fire
risk, but earlier this year the Administration endorsed the
Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act, which
would add 1\1/2\ million new acres of wilderness. Over the past
10 years, nearly 7 million acres of wilderness and wilderness
study areas have burned in catastrophic wildfires, and may jump
into other federal, state, and private lands, where they cause
even more destruction.
I wonder, how can this Administration claim to be serious
about wildland fire management, when you are endorsing policies
that tie the hands of Federal land managers, and prevent
necessary treatments of our public lands that are so
desperately needed?
The Chairman. Madam Secretary, Mr. McClintock's last
question. The time is up. If you wish to answer it, or send the
question to the Committee in a response in writing, that would
be appropriate, as well.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much. I appreciate very
much your questions, and we will absolutely respond in writing.
Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you. The gentleman yields.
Mr. Huffman, sir, you are recognized.
Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And, Madam Secretary, it is a great honor and a pleasure to
address you as our new Secretary of the Interior. Thank you,
and welcome back.
One of the most important things I think that you and your
colleagues in this Administration have done is to thoughtfully
reconsider, and in some cases reverse, ill-conceived policies
of the last administration. And this certainly includes the
decision to suspend the oil leases in the Arctic Refuge, which
were rushed through during the waning days of the last
administration.
These leases were announced just minutes before the mob of
Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6. They are of
dubious legality. They are a terrible idea, policy-wise. They
are deeply unpopular, and I applaud you for suspending them. I
urge the Department to take the next step, and to throw them
out entirely, so that we can keep working on permanent
protection of that very unique and pristine place, the Coastal
Plain of the Arctic Refuge.
We have already talked a bit about climate impacts here
this morning. And in my district and in California, of course,
we are feeling some of the worst of these impacts, with
wildfires and drought. The concerns that my colleague, Jim
Costa, raised about the very real hardship that farmers are
feeling in the Central Valley are real. But there are also
other interests at stake with this drought, and I thank you for
engaging with me on the critical conditions in the Klamath
Basin, because we have tribes, we have fishermen, we have
ecosystems. All of them are suffering.
But you wouldn't necessarily know that there are all these
other stakeholders and interests by looking at the previous
administration, because your predecessor always had his thumb
on the scale for his former lobbying clients. And I am so glad
that, after a century of giving a free pass to the fossil fuel
industry and others, and a revolving door of special interests,
that this Administration is taking a new approach.
One thing I want to suggest is, in agreement with what a
couple of my colleagues have already suggested, this drought, I
think, does merit reconsideration of some of the budget amounts
for Title XVI, and WaterSMART. Given the severity of this
drought--WaterSMART, in particular--water conservation is the
fastest way we can bring better water management online. It is
decades faster than any type of new dam someone might propose
to build. It is cost effective, it has local matching funds,
and it really makes a difference quite quickly in drought-
stricken communities. So, to see that line item actually
decrease in the budget was troubling for many of us. And I hope
you will continue to work with Congress to find an appropriate
level of support for that critical program.
I am also glad that we are talking about more than just the
band-aids, the triage from these various climate impacts, that
you and your colleagues in this Administration are looking
upstream at the drivers of these climate impacts. And in that
regard, I want to thank you for something that you have already
been criticized about this morning by my colleagues across the
aisle. This is a moment that, of course, compels us to
reconsider the century of impunity that the fossil fuel
industry has had with respect to our public lands. And the fact
that you have put a pause on Federal oil and gas leasing is
entirely appropriate.
But a lot of the sky-is-falling doom and gloom that we are
hearing from fossil fuel interests about this, I think, is
misplaced. So, I want to ask you about all of the stockpiled
permits and leases that are out there, even in the face of this
pause, that are going to continue potentially to move forward.
This is not as if someone just flipped a switch, and shut off
oil and gas development on public lands.
Could you speak to that, and the fact that, as I understand
it, companies already have access to over 26 million acres of
land, and the current leasing pause does not affect existing
oil and gas production, or all of those stockpiled leases and
permits?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congressman. And, yes, there
are millions of acres of leased land. Also, over 8,000 approved
drilling permits currently that are waiting to be used. So, we
recognize that the oil and gas production continues, even in
the face of the pause on new leases.
Mr. Huffman. I appreciate that. I understand that a judge
has put a temporary pause on that moratorium. And in light of
that, and just the disruption that nationwide injunctions have
when people do this kind of forum-shopping and manage to secure
a nationwide injunction, I want to urge you to communicate to
President Biden the necessity of declaring a climate emergency,
which would bolster his authority in the face of those type of
legal challenges, and I think it is entirely appropriate, if we
are serious about this crisis.
And, of course, I invite you to come and visit my district,
where we need to talk about many natural resource issues.
I also am glad that you brought up the issue of missing and
murdered Indigenous women, because it is an acute issue in my
district. And we would love the chance to host you, and talk
about that. Thank you, Madam Secretary.
I yield back.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you.
The Chairman. I believe that Mr. Gosar is recognized.
Sir.
Dr. Gosar. Yes, can you hear me?
The Chairman. Yes, you are heard.
Dr. Gosar. OK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Madam Secretary.
Welcome back to the Committee.
In your budget, you have a significant amount of money for
tribal water settlements, which I think is important for us to
settle many of these outstanding water commitments,
particularly as the West faces what could be an epic shortfall
of water.
The tragic closing of a Navajo generating station in
northern Arizona has deeply hurt the region and the people that
depended on the revenues on this decision. One challenging
decision we will have to have from this event is the
redesignation of water left behind with the closure of NGS. The
NGS closure leaves behind the potential redesignation of 34,100
acre-feet of water, more than 11 billion gallons, for other
uses each year from the Colorado River. This water is an
opportunity for the region to settle old tribal water
agreements, but also create new opportunities in the region.
While Arizona is entitled to use this portion of the
Colorado River's flow, it is important that we work to keep the
water in the region to ensure that we have job creation and
settle other challenges to the river. It is unfortunate that
this decision will have to come at a time when the Colorado
River is in such deep drought conditions. However, you are
still facing this challenge.
While I know that you will receive significant pressure
from the environmental groups to return the water to the river
flow, or for other entities who think they can take this water
from Arizona, or for their own use, I hope that you will work
with me and the delegation to ensure that the water stays in
Arizona and in the region to solve the problems, and coordinate
with the EPA to solve the subsurface cleaning up of the area.
Madam Secretary, would you commit to working with us to
keep the water from NGS in the northern Arizona region to solve
local community and regional problems, settle historic tribal
water needs, and to ensure that the damage done by the close of
NGS is mitigated by keeping the water in the region?
Secretary Haaland. I appreciate the question very much,
Congressman, and it is nice to see you, as well.
We are happy to work with you, and happy to have our office
reach out to your office, and make sure that we are speaking on
this issue. And I appreciate knowing your position on it.
Dr. Gosar. Thank you, ma'am. I would now like to turn to
another issue facing the Navajo Nation.
As we heard at our hearing last week, the Navajo Nation is
in the process of moving to advance the development of
significant helium resources on the Navajo Nation. As you know,
the Bureau of Land Management, as directed by Congress, is
closing the National Helium Reserve this year, and preparing to
sell off that asset. This closure means our Nation will need
more helium resources, especially considering that our helium
is on our national critical minerals list.
One area that is a critical challenge is the importance of
the Nation being able to move forward with their development in
a timely fashion. As you know, drilling permits processed by
the BLM and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are not often
processed in a timely fashion, and often can create conflicts
between the two agencies. However, this development by the
Nation will be more successful if they can proceed in a timely
manner to correspond with the new market opportunities created
by the closure of the BLM reserve, and to get that project up
and running effectively.
Finally, we know that the Russian Federation is working to
develop their own helium resources to compete, and we cannot
delay our domestic development, then watch Russia speed their
own development up and harm our efforts.
Therefore, would you work with me and the Navajo Nation,
when they come, to ensure that the permits that they will need
will be processed in a timely fashion, and that the historic
bickering between the agencies that has slowed permitting in
the past is limited to ensure that the Navajo Nation can
develop their own resources, create jobs, and provide a
critical resource to the Arizona and American economy?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congressman, for the
question.
First I will say what I mentioned before. President Biden
believes in energy independence, of course. We are working
toward that.
And also, tribal consultation is a priority of this
Administration. So, we will absolutely ensure that we are
consulting with the Navajo Nation on any of the issues that
they would like to consult on. And, of course, we are happy to
continue to reach out to your office, as well.
Dr. Gosar. Yes, it is very important to the coordination to
be streamlined. I know that on the west side, the Colorado
Indian Tribe had problems with water mitigation, and even
wanted to leave the Indian Services and go to the Bureau of
Reclamation. So, if it all could be established to streamlining
that process, it would be worked out fabulously.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Congressman.
Dr. Gosar. Thank you very much.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you.
I believe that Mr. Lowenthal--Congressman, you are
recognized for 5 minutes, sir.
Dr. Lowenthal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Secretary Haaland, thank you for being here with us today.
We miss you in the House of Representatives. Even though you
see this background, I am not really at the beach. And we all
miss you here on the Committee, and I will always treasure when
our Committee took our field trip to Chaco Canyon with you.
But I would like to talk about a couple of issues. One is
offshore wind, and the second one is the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act.
As far as offshore wind, I would like to ask about offshore
wind development off the coast of California. The Department of
the Interior has made significant progress in the past few
months on offshore wind, including some important breakthroughs
on the West Coast. What are some of the unique challenges on
the West Coast, and how is the Department working with
stakeholders to overcome them?
I know you are working closely with the Department of
Defense, for example, but I know that there are other areas
where you are also engaging. What are the next steps for
offshore wind development on the West Coast?
And how do you plan to hear from stakeholders like tribes,
fisheries, and the maritime industry?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Mr. Lowenthal. I
didn't think you were at the beach, but thank you for
clarifying that.
Of course, we are very proud of the work that we have been
able to advance on offshore wind. You have heard about several
of our projects getting off the ground. And it was a pleasure
to meet with Governor Newsom recently to announce the two areas
in the Pacific that could support 4.6 gigawatts of clean energy
to power 1.6 million homes. That is an exciting opportunity,
and it is wonderful to think about and to work on.
We are always committed to active engagement with
stakeholders. We have done that, and we will continue to do it.
We want to make sure that everybody has a voice in how these
projects move forward. And, of course, we are happy to also
consult with you, as well. So, if you want us to contact anyone
in particular, we are happy to do it. But we feel very
confident that we try to do an excellent job at ensuring that
voices have a seat at the table.
Dr. Lowenthal. Thank you, and we will contact you.
Secretary Haaland, thank you for your Department's work to
undo the damage that the last administration did to the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The reality is, the whiplash of how
MBTA is interpreted is bad for everyone. Companies don't have
certainty about how the government will view the impacts of
their 30- to 50-year projects on birds. Birds themselves get
unnecessarily killed.
I know your Department is leading the way on the deployment
of renewable energy, as we just spoke about, to address the
climate crisis. And I think we have a real opportunity to get
both bird conservation and wind energy right, right from the
start. The budget request for the Fish and Wildlife Service
includes an extra $18.2 million for migratory bird management.
How will those funds help with the responsible deployment
of clean energy, and the necessary update to MBTA
implementation?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Congressman. I will
talk briefly, and then I will hand it to Rachel, in case she
has anything to add.
But, right now, the Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing
public comments on the proposed rule, so we will consider
appropriate next steps. We will move forward on that.
And if Rachel has anything to add, I would invite her to.
Ms. Taylor. Thanks so much for the question, just a couple
of points.
Obviously, migratory bird management is going to include
habitat, it is going to include data collection. You are going
to have to have a good handle on the health of species, moving
forward.
The budget does include additional planning activities for
the Fish and Wildlife Service, as well, which will help
resolve, potentially, and advance some of the conflicts related
to clean energy projects. And we want to make sure that we are
in full compliance with the ESA, as we move forward with the
President's agenda for clean energy. Thank you.
Dr. Lowenthal. Thank you, and I look forward to continuing
to work with you and the Administration on this issue. I yield
back.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields. Thank you, Mr.
Lowenthal. And let me recognize Representative Graves.
Sir, you are recognized.
Mr. Graves. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Secretary, congratulations. Good to see you again. I
don't know why you would take that demotion from your previous
perch, but congratulations to you.
Madam Secretary, do you know how much oil was imported from
Russia in May or June of last year to the United States?
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, I don't have that figure at
the top of my head.
Mr. Graves. All right, let me make sure--it came out of my
mouth incorrectly--imported to the United States from Russia.
So, last May and June, it was none. It was zero. And this was
during the Trump administration. Do you know how much has been
imported for May, and projected to be imported for June, from
Russia?
Secretary Haaland. I don't have that figure on the top of--
--
Mr. Graves. It was nearly 6 million barrels for the month
of May, and it is projected to be in excess of 7 million
barrels for the month of June, Russian oil imported to the
United States. And this is under the Biden administration,
compared to the Trump administration.
It is very baffling to me to see how we are seeing
shutdowns, moratoriums, pauses, or whatever term you want to
use, for production in the United States, whenever it does have
a big impact on jobs, economy, and we are increasing our
reliance upon economies that I wouldn't consider to be
friendly.
We are also, effectively, facilitating the construction of
the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, expanding markets for Russian oil
by withdrawing the sanctions, President Biden's withdrawal of
sanctions on Russian intelligence operatives that are building
the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Very concerning.
But I think you probably know where I am going to go with
my question now, and I want to follow up on Mr. Lamborn's
question, as well as Mr. Huffman's. As you know, there was a
court case, and I believe it was June 15. The judge effectively
withdrew the pause, or the moratorium, on oil and gas
production. I want to understand. Today is June 23. This was a
44-page decision that was issued on June 15. I heard you say in
response to Mr. Lambert, as well as verifying Mr. Huffman's
comment, that there still is a pause in place. But to me, that
seems inconsistent with what the judge ordered.
So, I just want to better understand the current status
within the Department of the Interior. Is there a pause right
now, or is there not?
Secretary Haaland. We are going to follow the decision of
the court. And, currently, the decision is being reviewed by
our Solicitor's Office, our Department, and the Department of
Justice, and we are going to abide by that decision.
Mr. Graves. Has anything changed within the Department from
when that judge issued the decision to today?
Are you beginning to move forward on, what is it, Lease
Sale 257? Have you published in the Federal Register?
Secretary Haaland. No, we have not, to my knowledge,
published in the Federal Register.
Mr. Graves. So, what has changed since the decision was
made?
Secretary Haaland. What has changed? Well, we are reviewing
the decision, we are reviewing the judge's----
Mr. Graves. But it is 44 pages. I mean, you have a whole
legal team, you have a Solicitor's Office, you have some very
talented people. And it is 44 pages. So, I want to understand
what has changed.
The judge said you can't do that, that it is illegal, so I
am just trying to understand how things have changed.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congressman. I will be happy
to make sure that I get you a detailed answer on your question.
And we will be happy to revisit that.
Mr. Graves. I would really appreciate that. This is very
important to me, and I know you know that. Every time this
issue would come up when you served on this Committee, it is
very important.
And the last question I have for you, last year, in my home
state, depending on how you want to count, we had somewhere
between five and seven storms that pounded coastal Louisiana,
resulting in the loss of life, devastation of communities, the
economy, wiping out areas, and ecological damages, substantial
economic damages to one of the most productive, ecologically
productive areas in the coast of the United States.
When you stop energy production, you stop the revenue
sharing that, under our Constitution in Louisiana, is committed
to hurricane protection, to flood control, and restoring the
coastal ecosystem. What would you say to those people at home
that are going to suffer as a result of this decision to stop
energy production, and stop the investment in the resiliency of
those communities?
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, first, I would like to just
say how sorry I am. I know there was loss, the losses that your
community has suffered. And I am extremely sorry for the losses
that they have suffered in these terrible weather patterns that
are happening because of climate change.
So, I just want you to know that production on existing
leases continues. As I have mentioned before, there are
millions of acres of leases currently that are moving forward.
There are over 8,000 permits to drill that aren't being used as
of yet. So, we want to make sure that you know that there is
production still happening in this country.
Mr. Graves. Thank you. And I do want to follow up with you,
please.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you.
Mr. Graves. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you. The gentleman yields. Let me
recognize the gentleman from Arizona, Representative Gallego.
Sir, you are recognized.
Mr. Gallego. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Secretary. What was happening in the
economy last year, around May and June 2020 that may have
affected oil demand? Can you think off the top of your head?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for that question, and I
believe it was the pandemic.
Mr. Gallego. Yes, yes. I believe the total----
Mr. Graves. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. Gallego. No.
Mr. Graves. I am happy to choose another month.
Mr. Gallego. No, I do not.
So, just to be clear, that probably affected our demand for
foreign oil, since we essentially shut down the economy, so
people weren't going to work, factories weren't going. So, I
just want to be clear about that.
Madam Secretary, thank you, and it is good to see you
again. I am also very grateful that your Department has made it
a priority to review President Trump's illegal shrinking of
Bears Ears National Monument, and I was glad to see that your
Department recommended a full restoration of the monument to
President Biden.
As you know, Bears Ears is a sacred place for Indigenous
people in the region. And the longer it goes without full
protection, the more the land is vulnerable to vandalism,
destruction, and extraction. Given the urgency of restoring
protection of Bears Ears, can you provide any update on when a
decision on this matter will be announced?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question, Mr.
Gallego. And, of course, that is entirely up to the President.
It is under the prerogative of the President. The Antiquities
Act is something that the President exercises. So, that, of
course, would be a question for President Biden. And we will
await his decision, as well.
Mr. Gallego. Can you describe the tribal consultation your
Department did during the review process, and whether your
Department has taken into account the tribe's request to expand
the monument to their full 4.9 million-acre request?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you very much for the question.
And yes, we did--I traveled to Utah, and I met with the Bears
Ears Intertribal Coalition. We did speak with tribal leaders
separately. There were tribal leaders who attended several of
our town halls that we had during the time I was in Utah. So,
we took the tribal consultation issue very, very seriously. And
I appreciate the question.
Mr. Gallego. Thank you, Madam Secretary.
And we have heard repeated complaints from my colleagues
across the aisle about lack of local input into this Bears Ears
National Monument. Secretary Haaland, can you confirm that you
have met with local Utah stakeholders--obviously, the tribes
involved--but actual local Utah stakeholders, the county
governments, local governments also, while going through this
process?
Secretary Haaland. I absolutely did, yes. I think we had
six town halls, where a number of those elected officials
participated. And we welcomed farmers, ranchers, outdoor
business owners, folks who owned stores and retail operations.
And we even met with some children who came in. So, we felt we
had a good overall sense of what the community--what was on
their minds.
Mr. Gallego. And then, as the former Chair of the
Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples, I am glad to see your
budget includes a 28 percent increase in funding for the Bureau
of Indian Affairs. Can you highlight the importance of this
increase in addressing some of Indian Country's dire
infrastructure needs?
What else do you need from Congress to begin to meet these
needs?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much. I would love to give
the floor to Rachel for specific needs, but thank you for
raising the issue of infrastructure. That is something that is
absolutely important.
Ms. Taylor. Thank you, Madam Secretary, and thank you so
much for the question.
I think this budget, overall, is very strong for tribal
programs. And I think we include both infrastructure and
programmatic increases.
A few things that are worth mentioning within the Bureau of
Indian Affairs are the additional commitments to trust natural
resource management programs. There is a significant investment
for climate resilience and work that would be done with tribes
on the ground that are addressing climate needs, including
potentially relocation issues.
And then we have public safety and justice programs that
are also highlighted, which we all know are of need of
additional resources. And that includes a 13 percent increase,
including the Missing and Murdered investments that the
Secretary mentioned earlier.
It is important to note that the budget maintains
investments in public safety construction, in Bureau of Indian
Education construction. We are very grateful for the additional
resources for BIE schools through the Great American Outdoors
Act.
So, I think that, overall, the budget includes some
balanced investments for Indian Country that are well deserved.
Thank you.
Mr. Gallego. Thank you, and thank you, Madam Secretary.
I yield back.
The Chairman. The Chair recognizes Representative Hice.
Dr. Hice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And Secretary Haaland, again, as you have heard many times
today, welcome back, and congratulations on your new position.
You may remember, from the time when you were here, that my
particular district is rich in history in this country. And one
of the Revolutionary War sites was the Kettle Creek Battlefield
site. And we are pleased that this past year, Kettle Creek was
given the status of a National Park Service affiliated site.
And I want to thank everyone on this Committee, both sides of
the aisle, for participating in that action. That is very
appropriate, and it was very much welcome in our district, and
also for the Department of the Interior for the role in that,
particularly under the Trump administration, while we were
working through all those details.
I would like to say that, since this current
Administration, our office has reached out a number of times to
the Department of the Interior to try to finalize the events
for Kettle Creek, and the presentation of the NPS arrowhead to
the site. Unfortunately, to this point we have had little to no
communication with them. And I would like to know if you have
any updates, if you have any information on the event, or the
awarding of the arrowhead for Kettle Creek.
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, on the top of my head I do
not, but I will make sure that I go back this afternoon and
ensure that somebody contacts your office and lets you know
what the status is on that. Thank you for bringing that up to
me today.
Dr. Hice. Thank you. We really would appreciate that.
Secretary Haaland. Yes, of course.
Dr. Hice. As you can imagine, that is a big deal for our
district, and particularly those that have worked tirelessly,
literally for decades, to get recognition of Kettle Creek. I
welcome working with your Department, and would, in advance,
invite you to be a part of that ceremony when it takes place.
We would be honored to have you.
With that, if I could transition, looking at the budgetary
proposal here, the increase is pretty staggering, 17 percent. I
think that is a significant amount. How in the world are we
going to pay for these increases?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you very much for the question,
Congressman. And that is a question that I could actually turn
over to Rachel.
If you can, answer that, Rachel.
Ms. Taylor. Certainly. I think the President's budget
includes more than the Interior Department, and so there are
some assumptions for revenues and tax policy that are
associated with it.
The President has made clear that he views this as a
balanced budget--balanced, in the sense of a budget that
reflects the priorities of the Nation, and is going to produce
the kind of economic growth that is necessary, that will help
address some of the needs.
So, I would reflect you back to the bigger budget picture,
and realize that Interior is just a piece of that, and that we
feel that these investments that the President has given us in
his budget request are very vital to fulfilling the
Department's mission.
Dr. Hice. Well, I understand that, but that doesn't really
answer the question of how are we going to pay for any of this,
be it the Department of the Interior or the broader budget, as
a whole.
And I know there have been proposed tax increases, which
will weigh heavily on the American citizens. And I think it is
only fair that the American people know what is coming, and how
these types of increases, be it with Interior or any other
department, raising such budgets--what is being proposed, it is
going to fall on the taxpayer, and we need an honest assessment
of that.
I would also bring up, regarding the Interior portion here,
it seems to me that the National Park Service maintenance
backlog is not addressed at all in this. I can't find it or
forest management, as has already been brought up. What are the
plans to address those issues?
Ms. Taylor. Thanks for the question. I can take on two
pieces of that.
With respect to the forest management and the fuels
reduction budget, the budget actually does include some
increased funding. We have between--with the Interior bureaus,
we have a $100 million investment that includes forest health
programs, fuels management, and burned area restoration that
would address some of the treatments that you are describing.
Then, with respect to the maintenance backlog, the budget
does include a 13 percent increase for the National Park
Service, overall. We are sustaining investments, and drawing on
the Great American Outdoors Act that this Committee supported--
which has become vital for the Department. We have about $1.6
billion across the Department that is going to address the
deferred maintenance backlog that you mentioned, and is going
to make the investments that are going to help us get ahead of
that issue in a better way. Thank you.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields. Let me recognize
Representative Neguse.
Sir, you are recognized.
Mr. Neguse. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Secretary Haaland, for being here today. It is
wonderful to see you again. We all appreciate your excellent
leadership at the Department of the Interior the past few
months.
As you know, my state of Colorado is home to many beautiful
public spaces, including millions of acres that are under the
management of your Department. I also appreciate you
considering the valuable contributions that Coloradans bring to
the Bureau of Land Management, as you consider the location of
the agency's headquarters.
As Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests,
and Public Lands, and as a proud Coloradan, I look forward to
continuing to work with you. And, again, I am very grateful for
your leadership.
As you know, Secretary Haaland--and we have discussed this
privately--Colorado has experienced record-setting wildfires in
the last year. The East Troublesome and Cameron Peak fires both
occurred in my district last year. They are now the first and
second largest fires in the entire history of Colorado. The
East Troublesome fire resulted in the closure of Rocky Mountain
National Park, and at one point even jumped the Continental
Divide before finally being contained.
Wildfire management requires coordination between Federal
agencies and state and local governments. But the Department of
the Interior is primarily responsible for the management of
more than 8--or, excuse me--9.6 million acres in Colorado.
Department-wide, the Fiscal Year 2022 budget for wildland fire
management programs requests $1.44 billion, which includes
preparedness, suppression, operations, reserve fund
investments, fuels, rehabilitation, and other important
programs.
I was proud to lead a bipartisan appropriations letter with
Representative John Curtis and the Wildfire Caucus, urging
increased funding for these programs in this year's budget. And
I wonder if you could expound a bit on how the Department of
the Interior is working with states, tribes, and other partners
to leverage these resources, and ensure better wildland fire
outcomes and post-fire recovery for federally managed lands in
Colorado and across the country.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, and I appreciate the
question, Congressman.
Yes, I mean, now we are not thinking of fire seasons any
longer, we are thinking of fire years, because one season just
melts right into the other. And if it is anything like it was
last year, then we definitely have a lot to prepare for.
I want you to know that I am in frequent communication with
Secretary Vilsack. We are working together on these issues. We
have done joint briefings with the Interagency Fire Center in
Boise, and we are working very closely with the Forest Service,
with states, with tribes, with local communities. We are making
sure that we are all working together. It is the folks on the
ground in those states that know their communities far better
than we do.
We are also working hard to ensure that we are hiring more
folks who can be on the front lines. We are actively supporting
wildfire incidents management teams across several geographic
areas. We are doing what we think is everything we should be
doing. Of course, we always welcome, are open to conversation
and input from this Committee. And we would welcome anything,
any ideas or anything you would like us to pay particular
attention to.
But we feel very good about the communications that we are
having across the board with those communities.
Mr. Neguse. That is wonderful to hear, Secretary Haaland.
And you certainly have a partner in me, and in the bipartisan
Wildfire Caucus, and we remain willing and able to help in any
way that we can. We have been in touch with Secretary Vilsack,
as well.
In the final minute that I have, I wanted to just briefly
touch on another topic that I know you care deeply about, as
does President Biden, which is the Climate Conservation Corps,
the proposal that he has announced within the American Jobs
Act, which, of course, we are very excited about here on
Capitol Hill. There is momentum building regarding his plan.
We have proposed a similar plan, a Civilian Climate Corps
proposal for $10 billion of investment to do reforestation and
other important critical work on our public lands. And I just
wonder if you might, consistent with the broader subject matter
that we have been discussing, touch on whether or not restoring
natural fire regimes and conditions, as well as post-fire
recovery, could be the type of activities that the CCC would
participate in, if we can get this fully funded here on Capitol
Hill.
Secretary Haaland. I appreciate that. And, yes, that is one
of the initiatives that I am super excited about. I think it
would be a wonderful opportunity to bring folks in as their
opportunity to perhaps start a career in conservation. And, as
I said, we are open to ideas, and certainly want to keep these
conversations going. I know you are extremely passionate about
this issue, so we would welcome your input into the ideas that
you have.
But, of course, we are thinking these folks are going to
restore our wetlands on our coastal areas, they are going to
remove invasive species, fuel reduction in forests, and so
forth. But, of course, I think the list can go on.
Mr. Neguse. Thank you, Madam Secretary. We look forward to
welcoming you to Colorado.
With that, I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields.
Representative Radewagen, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Radewagen. Thank you, Chairman Grijalva and Ranking
Member Westerman, for holding this hearing today, and thank
you, Secretary Haaland, for your testimony. It is good to see
you all again in person, and I thank the Chairman and Ranking
Member for working to get us back here on the dais safely. We
aren't at 100 percent yet, but we can see the light at the end
of the tunnel, and I encourage the American people to take note
of their example. If you haven't yet, please get vaccinated,
and encourage those around you to do the same, so we can all
enjoy each other's company once again.
Before I get into my questions, I also want to thank
Secretary Haaland and the Administration for including a level
funding request for the American Samoa operations account with
OIA. There has been a knee-jerk tendency for the budgeters over
the years to include the account in across-the-board cuts, and
it remained stagnant through decades of inflation, until
recently. So, I appreciate that you acknowledged the importance
of this account by not touching it.
That said, the recent pandemic has highlighted weaknesses
in our health infrastructure. And I have a request with the
appropriations to not just maintain funding, but to increase
the account for development and planning for a desperately
needed new hospital.
At an Indigenous Peoples Subcommittee hearing last week, we
received testimony from several witnesses, including Chairman
Ned Norris of the Tohono O'odham Nation, about the state of
their healthcare infrastructure. And their descriptions could
just as easily apply to the territories as to Indian Country.
Madam Secretary, I sincerely appreciate your dedication to
Indian and insular healthcare issues, and I will continue to
rely on you to help address this problem. Both Congress and the
Administration need to approach this for both sides. And I look
forward to working with you.
Shifting gears a bit, not all tribal fee-to-trust
applications are the same. Madam Secretary, how will you and
your team prioritize and process discretionary fee-to-trust
applications?
And with what local consultation process will you conduct,
if there is neighboring tribe or local jurisdiction opposition?
And for discretionary off-reservation fee-to-trust
applications, will you commit to keeping the Indian Affairs
manual update signed by Assistant Secretary Sweeney last
August, which memorialized multiple years of national policy
memoranda?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question, Mrs.
Radewagen. I appreciate the question.
I want to let you know that I had a very nice conversation
with Governor Lemanu just last week. So, we are in close touch
with the folks in your community, and just appreciate the
opportunity to support you and their mission.
The fee-to-trust applications, I would really appreciate an
opportunity--if I can get our Assistant Secretary to make sure
that we can get a briefing, or have a conversation with your
staff on this issue, just so you can have all the details you
need. It is important to us. And, of course, as I mentioned,
tribal consultation is an absolute priority of President
Biden's administration, and we are committed to that.
Mrs. Radewagen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields. Let me recognize
Representative Levin.
Sir.
Mr. Levin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. You are recognized.
Mr. Levin. Secretary Haaland, it is wonderful to see you.
Just know that you are missed here, in the House of
Representatives. I miss sitting with you and, hopefully, you
are very proud of the two new great Representatives from New
Mexico, who are sitting up here where you used to sit. But it
is just great to see you in such a position of influence now.
And I want to thank you also for conducting a comprehensive
review of the Federal oil and gas leasing system, and for
appearing before members of this Committee, so we could provide
direct feedback on the Administration's ongoing review.
I think you know that preventing new offshore oil and gas
leasing in my state of California is extremely important to me
and to the constituents that I represent. The local tourism,
recreation, and coastal economies that employ so many of my
constituents rely on clean beaches and healthy oceans, and that
is why we have co-sponsored the American Coast and Ocean
Protections Act.
Under the last administration, as I think you may remember,
your predecessor, Secretary Bernhardt, when I asked him, ``What
comfort can you provide me that you will not pursue drilling
off the California coast,'' let's just say he provided no such
comfort. And really, it was very clear that fossil fuel
interests came first. And it is why we need Congress to
permanently protect the Pacific from the dangers of new oil
drilling.
Secretary, I understand that the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management needs to develop a new, 5-year leasing program by
2022. So, I will ask you a similar question to what I asked
your predecessor: Can you commit here today that you will
listen to my constituents in coastal Southern California before
making any final decisions about new offshore drilling?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for the question, Congressman.
And, of course, as I mentioned earlier, I feel very confident
about our team's ability to make sure we are reaching out to
stakeholders. It is one thing that we are very committed to.
So, yes, I make that commitment to you, that we will ensure
that we are reaching out to stakeholders for these issues.
Mr. Levin. Thank you. Incredibly refreshing to hear that.
And can you commit to working with us in Congress, as we
work to permanently prevent new drilling off California's
coast?
Secretary Haaland. I am always ready and willing to work
with you, Congressman.
Mr. Levin. Thank you so much. I want to turn to smart,
renewable energy development on public lands.
I applaud the Administration's desire to achieve 100
percent carbon pollution-free power on our grid by 2035, and,
certainly, our public lands should be part of that solution.
As I talk to some of those who are working on these
projects for renewable energy generation on public lands, I
have heard that costs like acreage rents often don't reflect
fair market value. BLM in California recently adjusted rents in
Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. But I want
to be sure that you are looking at this comprehensively.
What action does the Department plan to take to address the
high costs of rents and fees for wind and solar projects on
public lands?
Secretary Haaland. I would love to see if Rachel can answer
that question. And, of course, we are ready to provide any
details on the record too.
Mr. Levin. Thank you so much. We look forward to following
up.
Finally, drought-prone communities that rely heavily on
water imported from basins hundreds of miles away are working
to enhance local supplies, including by investing in ocean
desalination. I have the biggest de-sal plant in the Western
Hemisphere in my district.
The American Jobs Plan recognizes the Western drought
crisis and the need to maximize the resilience of our land and
water resources. Do you think that an infrastructure package
should support a broad portfolio of water supply infrastructure
projects, including local solutions like desalination, where
appropriate?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for the question, Congressman.
And, of course, I understand that that is an option. It is one
of the tools, as I mentioned, and know that that could be a
source of water for coastal communities.
And I also want to just mention that the American Jobs Plan
includes Western water resiliency, and desalination is one of
those tools in the tool box.
Mr. Levin. Well, thank you so much, Madam Secretary. I look
forward to working with you on all of the items we just
discussed. And congrats again, and we are so excited for the
next few years. Thank you so much.
I yield back.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields.
Representative Fulcher, you are recognized for 5 minutes,
sir.
Mr. Fulcher. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Secretary, just let me add my name to the
congratulation list to you, and also thank you for your
demeanor and attitude in interacting with us, and just how you
conduct yourself. I am thankful for that.
Madam Secretary, Representative Lamborn and Gosar already
brought up this topic, but I want to just explore it a little
bit further. It has to do with critical minerals and rare earth
elements. As you know, there are many of those that are needed
for homeland security purposes, many of those that are needed
just for common consumer use, just to keep our daily lives
coherent, if you will.
According to the USGS, China currently provides 85 to 95
percent of our rare earth elements, and that is problematic for
a whole host of reasons. They are our enemy, and I know
firsthand, because I have done business there for years. This
is not an entity that generally wants to see the United States
succeed and prosper. Also, they harvest in a very non-
environmentally friendly way when they do that.
Now, we have those critical minerals in the United States,
but many of those are on public lands. In my own state, those
public lands comprise nearly two-thirds of land mass, and in
our Nation, nearly a third. But harvesting is prevented, for
the most part, by a preservation type of policy. And that
policy just simply doesn't allow it, due to regulation, or law,
or lawsuit, et cetera. And therein lies the conflict I want to
talk with you about.
Recently, the Administration put out the 30x30 initiative,
30x30 report, and it focuses specifically on a conservation
policy which, theoretically, would allow for some responsible
harvesting of things that we need so badly. But in your
articulation with the America the Beautiful report, your
recommendations focus on a preservation-type language, which
recommends even more wilderness designations, monuments, and so
on and so forth, which simply just would not allow for any of
that.
Please talk to me about that. Are we going to proceed with,
in the future, looking at a conservation-type approach, where
you can, theoretically, responsibly do some of this harvesting?
Or are we going to go all out and just say, no, this is
preservation, we can't touch it at all?
Which will it be in your Administration, Madam Secretary?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question. I
believe the America the Beautiful Initiative has emphasized a
conservation model, and that conservation model is meant to
ensure that we are collaborating with folks, that we are
bringing in, keep us voluntary. We want private landowners, we
want Tribal Nations to be a part of the initiative. It is not
meant to be any other way.
So, I want to assure you that conservation is the word that
we use when referring to America the Beautiful. And that
includes--during the time we were writing this review, that my
team was writing the review, we consulted with many
stakeholders: farmers, ranchers, folks in the outdoor economy.
Those voices were all a part of the conversations that we had.
And it is truly meant to be a voluntary and collaborative
effort.
Mr. Fulcher. In that sense, will you commit within your
Administration to support a policy that would allow responsible
harvesting of the critical minerals and rare earths that we
need in this Nation?
Secretary Haaland. With respect to critical minerals, of
course, we understand that it is important to an innovative
economy. And President Biden recognizes the importance of
critical minerals for the future of our country. And, of
course, we want it to be done in an environmentally responsible
way, with attention paid to ensure that workers are safe, and
so forth.
We believe very strongly we can support our economy and the
environment at the same time.
Mr. Fulcher. And I want to try to get one more very quick
question in. But let me just close it up by just commenting.
Madam Secretary, we only have two options: we either get it
from someone else, or we do it ourselves, responsibly. And the
someone else is not our friend. So, please just contemplate
that.
Lastly, before I run out of time, 58,000 acres burned last
year, many of that on our public lands, Department of the
Interior lands. Do you have any idea what type of upscale will
be needed in order to prevent such things from continuing to
grow?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question.
Perhaps that is one that Rachel might be able to give some
details on.
Ms. Taylor. Thank you for the question. I think you have
touched on a really important question. And we go back to the
cohesive wildfire strategy, which talks about fire-resilient
communities, and supporting response efforts. And one of the
pieces of that is making sure that the land is healthy, and
that we have the appropriate resources. So, I would----
Mr. Fulcher. Rachel, I apologize, but I am out of time. Any
of that data that you would be willing to share in writing,
that would be great.
Ms. Taylor. I would be happy to do that, yes, sir.
Mr. Fulcher. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, sir. The gentleman yields. The
Chair recognizes Representative Porter.
You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. Porter. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Secretary Haaland, as the Chair of the Committee's
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I take my
responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability very
seriously. The American people have a right to know how their
country's top officials and industry leaders are making
policies and decisions that will affect all of our lives.
During the last administration, getting answers, much less
clear answers, from our government leaders, including, and
maybe especially, those at the Department of the Interior, was
no easy task. And of the Committee's more than 40 requests made
by Chair Grijalva, Interior adequately responded to less than a
quarter of them by the end of the administration, and the vast
majority of requests got no response at all, or were filled
with useless, irrelevant information, often publicly available,
hundreds of pages of wingdings, and even a 12,000-page printout
of an Excel chart that was completely unreadable. That was a
new low, and an attack, really, on Congress' obligation to
perform oversight.
Can you commit to being more responsive to Congress than
your predecessors under the Trump administration?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congresswoman. We will be as
responsive as we possibly can.
I do want you to know that, currently, we are processing
oversight requests from the last administration, requests from
the Chairman that came and that were unfulfilled in the
previous Congress. So, those are still ongoing.
And very quickly, I want you to know that seven full
committee chairs in the House have written to our Department
requesting documents pertinent to January 6. So, those are all
requests that we have currently that we are working on. And, of
course, we will continue to keep pursuing opportunities to
fulfill every single request that we get.
Ms. Porter. So, you are working to clear the backlog, which
was significant, the January 6-related requests.
And then, from my impression, seeing what is going on, the
document requests, are you committed to cooperating in good
faith with both parties' requests for information, including
requests from the Minority party?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question. And
I understand that when the Chairman will send a request, it is
a request for the Full Committee, as far as I understand. And
we really want to be responsive, as responsive as we possibly
can, to this Committee. And we will work to, hopefully, achieve
that.
Ms. Porter. I appreciate you taking those in order, trying
to get us information that we have been waiting years for, and
proceeding in a good faith manner.
I wanted to ask you briefly, Secretary Haaland--you know I
have three kids, and you too have been a single parent. I
wanted to ask you a little bit about the Every Kid Outdoors
program. Are you familiar with that?
Secretary Haaland. Yes, Congresswoman.
Ms. Porter. I noticed that this program doesn't have a
specific line item appropriation. Do you know about how much
money will be spent administering this program in the proposed
2020 budget?
Secretary Haaland. I will ask Rachel to fill you in on
that, but want you to know that one of my deep priorities is
making sure that children have access to the outdoors.
Ms. Porter. The Every Kid Outdoors program, for people who
don't know, provides access to public lands for every fourth
grader in this country. And the President has supported this.
But I think there is a way in his budget that we can go
further, and do more to make sure that this program is not just
a website, is not just a gimmick, but that we actually are
providing the resources for things like transportation and
program planning, to make sure that kids who live far, far away
from national parks, kids in urban areas, are able.
So, I would just like a commitment that you will continue
to look into how you can support Every Kid Outdoors.
Secretary Haaland. Yes, yes.
Ms. Porter. All right, thank you.
My last and final question: You know that there are lots of
diverse opinions about fossil fuels, and the future of fossil
fuels. But one area where I hope we can all agree is the
importance of protecting taxpayer money. Would you say that you
have an obligation, as Secretary, to identify and address
waste, fraud, and abuse?
Secretary Haaland. Congresswoman, with respect to our
public lands, it is the truth that our public lands belong to
every single American. And in that regard, I feel committed to
protecting those lands for every single American, even with
regard to funding issues, money issues.
Ms. Porter. And I know earlier this year you launched a
review of onshore oil and gas leasing. Do you know how long
onshore oil and gas leasing has been on the high risk list by
the non-partisan Government Accountability Office?
Secretary Haaland. Rachel, can you answer that? I am sorry.
Ms. Taylor. No, it is fine. I think the answer is too long,
however long it is.
Ms. Porter. The answer is--she is a very good student. That
would be an A-plus answer.
The answer is 10 years. So, I really support you doing this
review, and for 10 years we have lost tens of billions of
dollars because we have undervalued oil and gas leases.
Do you believe that reviewing this non-partisan
recommendation to get fair value for taxpayers is partisan?
Secretary Haaland. No, I don't think it is partisan. I
think that every single American has a stake in our public
lands, and we should protect that right for every single
American. So, no, it is not partisan at all.
Ms. Porter. Thank you very much.
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields.
Mr. Stauber, sir, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Stauber. Thank you, Mr. Chair and Ranking Member
Westerman, for holding this.
Secretary Haaland, thank you for joining us today. I would
like to especially thank you for appearing in person. It is
well past the time we restore the norm of appearing in person
to conduct business in this Committee.
The Interior Department's budget request includes an
increase of just over $26 million for the Mineral Resources
Program. This program is crucial to mapping unknown deposits of
critical minerals, which is important because, as your request
acknowledges, we are over 95 percent import-reliant for 20 of
the 35 critical minerals.
However, in my district, the Duluth Complex features 95
percent of America's nickel, 88 percent of America's cobalt,
and about one-third of America's copper, not to mention the
rare earths, or the platinum group elements, and others. We
know where these minerals are; we don't need to map them. In
fact, the USGS has more than 55 entries for the Duluth Complex,
alone.
And during the campaign, then-candidate Biden seemed to
acknowledge this issue, as well.
[Slide]
Mr. Stauber. In fact, as you can see in this Reuters
headline from October 2020, then-candidate Biden pledged to use
domestic union miners, including those in my district, to help
source these minerals. Fast forward to May 2021, about 2 months
after your confirmation.
[Slide]
Mr. Stauber. You can see in this Reuters headline that now
President Biden's administration plans to look abroad to
foreign countries for minerals, and no longer use domestic,
union members in northern Minnesota.
Secretary Haaland, what changed from October 2020 to May
2021, and why does the Administration no longer plan to use
domestic miners to source these critical minerals that follow
the best environmental standards, and the best labor standards
in the world?
And we are talking about the Duluth Complex, the biggest
copper nickel find in North America.
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, thank you so much for the
question. And what I can say is that President Biden does
support energy independence in our country.
We agree that ensuring the availability of critical
minerals to the future of our energy needs is very important to
America's competitiveness and new technologies----
Mr. Stauber. Madam Secretary, would you rather source these
minerals in our country, where we have mapped them, we follow
the best EPA, the best labor standards? Wouldn't we want to
mine these minerals in the United States, rather than source it
out to foreign nations?
Secretary Haaland. I truly appreciate your question and
your information, Congressman. And, of course, we are happy to
continue to speak with you about this issue.
Mr. Stauber. We talked about permitting earlier, Madam
Secretary. We have one copper nickel mine in its 19th year. The
other one is going on 10 years. Yet, just in northern Ontario--
correction, southern Ontario--there is a gold mine that they
put together in 4 years. Same watershed.
We can do better, so I support mapping our minerals. We
need to know exactly what we are blessed with in this country,
nationwide, and how can we secure our domestic supply chains.
We need to extract these critical minerals from where they are.
We need to limit our foreign reliance on child labor and
foreign adversaries that don't have our best interests at
heart. It does not make sense to transition to alternative
sources of energy, depending on foreign nations for these
critical minerals that we use in our everyday life, that are a
part of our everyday life now. And as we transition, it is
important we mine the minerals here, in our country.
So, I would say, by catering to activists' anti-jobs, anti-
mining crowd, with only 16 days remaining in office, the Obama-
Biden administration pulled long-standing mineral leases for
Twin Metals, the project in northern Minnesota, to the dismay
of a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of Minnesota Members of
Congress and the Iron Range. In May 2019, the Trump
administration rightfully reinstated these leases, providing
certainty to a region, and its union workers, and our Nation.
Once again, removing these leases would thrust the Iron
Range, my constituents, in desperate economic need of jobs. Can
you today commit to supporting union jobs, and revitalizing
northern Minnesota by keeping these long-standing mineral
leases in place, and not prejudging any outcomes before the
environmental review is completed?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for the question, Congressman.
And I don't make a practice of prejudging anything, and we do
feel that we have a review process in place that will make
sure----
Mr. Stauber. Although you did sign on to removing 234,000
acres, prejudging.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congressman.
The Chairman. Time is up. The gentleman yields.
Mr. Stauber. Thank you. I yield back.
The Chairman. I recognize Representative Leger Fernandez.
You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. Leger Fernandez. Thank you so much, Chair Grijalva.
And Secretary Haaland, I am so grateful to have you here
today. You know how proud the entire state of New Mexico is,
and how thankful we are for your leadership, your guidance, and
your wisdom. And, you know, also as a New Mexican, that we are
in the ground zero of the climate crisis, and must act to
prevent the never-ending drought in the beautiful place we call
home.
My colleague from Louisiana pointed out earlier that bigger
hurricanes and storms are hitting his district. And we know
that climate change is making those storms stronger and more
frequent.
States like our beloved New Mexico also rely on fossil fuel
production for significant sources of revenue, which often go
to schools and other important services. According to the
Office of Natural Resources Revenue, actually, New Mexico
received a little over $700 million in royalties from energy
production on Federal lands in Fiscal Year 2020.
But we also know that it is a boom and bust industry, and
fighting the climate crisis will reduce fossil fuel
development. And we already see in the market it is the market
itself that is shifting to clean energy, because it is simply
cheaper.
I am working on legislation to assist states in this
transition, those that rely on fossil fuels. The legislation
would decouple the boom and bust Federal royalty sharing from
state budgets. In lieu of the Federal royalties, we would
provide stable, annual Federal payments to states to replace
lost revenues. And finally, we would make additional transition
investments to enable communities to diversify their economy.
What do you think, Secretary, about proposals to support
states like Louisiana or New Mexico who will lose Federal
royalty revenue as we accelerate the just transition to a clean
energy economy?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for that question,
Congresswoman, and I appreciate your thoughtfulness in thinking
about how we go about transitioning. We are working hard to
make sure that no worker is left behind, and that is a priority
of President Biden, as well.
And I also understand how important those oil and gas jobs
are in a state like ours of New Mexico. So, I appreciate your
thoughtfulness on this issue.
We believe very strongly that a lot of the provisions in
the budget that President Biden has moved forward will assist
in making sure that, definitely, no worker is left behind.
And I would love for Rachel, if she would like to, to
provide a few more details to you. We would welcome that.
Ms. Taylor. Yes, I think the major focus would be the
reclamation jobs proposal, which is the $16 billion to clean up
orphaned wells and abandoned mines, and put folks to work doing
that environmentally necessary work, which I know is something
that is a personal priority of yours, as well.
I think that that has been one of the focal points. But as
the Secretary said, the Department is happy to work with you
and other Members to try to figure out solutions to this. Thank
you.
Ms. Leger Fernandez. Thank you very much. I do appreciate
the support for the orphaned wells bill that I have sponsored.
And I am so glad that we have Secretary Haaland at the helm,
because she actually understands closely the impact on the
state revenue, as well.
I also want to ask a question regarding the increase, the
significant increase, which we really appreciate, for the
Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education in
the President's budget request. You know, better than most,
that the needs in Indian Country are a trust responsibility.
They have been deferred for decades, and are, therefore,
significant.
We held a hearing in the Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples
last week that detailed the significant needs for construction
of new schools, infrastructure, and facilities. Indeed, your
Deputy Assistant Secretary Freihage noted that 86 schools are
in poor status. And of those 86 schools, 73 do not currently
have funding for major replacement or repair projects.
Could these school construction needs benefit from the
President's Jobs Plan, which seeks to build much-needed
infrastructure?
Secretary Haaland. Absolutely, and thank you. We feel the
President's American Jobs Plan can help tribal communities in
so many ways, but certainly, yes, the need for schools.
And what I will say is that the request for the Bureau of
Indian Education is $1.3 billion, which is $110.6 million over
the 2021-enacted level. So, we are moving toward where we need
to be.
Ms. Leger Fernandez. My time is up, but I do appreciate the
increased revenues for the BIE, BIA, and to address these
needed facility improvements. Thank you.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you.
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields. Let me recognize
Representative Tiffany for 5 minutes.
Mr. Tiffany. Thank you very much, and thank you for being
here, Secretary Haaland.
The non-partisan Congressional Research Service provided a
report recently that said, of all the lands in the country that
are conserved, including federal, state, and private lands, it
totals 39 percent of the land base. How much is enough?
Secretary Haaland. I am so sorry, could you repeat that
question, please?
Mr. Tiffany. How much additional land being locked up by
the Federal Government is appropriate?
Secretary Haaland. Are you speaking of the America the
Beautiful Initiative, Congressman?
Mr. Tiffany. I am referring to public ownership of land.
Secretary Haaland. Well, I am not quite sure I understand
your question, but if you are speaking of the America the
Beautiful Initiative, that is a collaborative effort, as I have
mentioned before, and the land wouldn't actually be locked up.
Mr. Tiffany. Have you seen the increase in the price of a
2x4? Are you familiar with what is going on there?
Secretary Haaland. I know that a lot of things have gone up
because of the pandemic. Yes, I was aware of the increase in
many items.
Mr. Tiffany. Yes, well, the cost of a 2x4 has gone up
because of demand, but also it has gone up because of us
shutting down lands, especially in the West. I know I recently
heard of a story that a mill was shut down in western South
Dakota as a result of not being able to harvest on Federal
lands. It is really a great concern, and I would just highlight
that for you.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you.
Mr. Tiffany. The gray wolf was just de-listed at the end of
2020 by Fish and Wildlife, and we had a successful wolf hunt in
Wisconsin. Do you commit to maintaining that 2020 rule so we
can continue to have management and protection of gray wolves,
and that it be left to the states and tribes?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for the question, and I
appreciate the opportunity to be in contact about this.
Of course, our Department cares about wildlife, we care
about their habitats. We want to make sure that we are working
well together with states and local communities.
Mr. Tiffany. Are you going to urge your agency to continue
to allow states to manage their wolf population, rather than
going back to the re-listing that has been going on?
Secretary Haaland. With respect to anything that is listed
under the Endangered Species Act, we rely on science. We are
moved by the science, so I can put it that way, that that is
the main driver behind----
Mr. Tiffany. I really appreciate that you mention following
the science on this, because there were 26 wildlife scientists
back in, I think was 2013 or 2014, in the Great Lakes states,
that said that when the gray wolf was re-listed by the Federal
judge, they said it is a terrible mistake, because under the
Endangered Species Act it should be de-listed. They are
recovered. So, I sure hope that you will follow the science,
and continue to allow the states like my state, Wisconsin, to
be able to continue to manage the gray wolf population.
Under Federal law it is required to coordinate--I believe
it is under NEPA and FLPMA, and some of those major Acts--it is
a requirement of the Federal Government to work with local
communities, local governments, to coordinate and to have a
consistency review with local land use plans. Will you make
that a priority of the Department of the Interior, that your
agency follows through with that coordination and consistency
review with local units of government?
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, as I have mentioned in many
of the questions I have gotten today, we are very good about
working with local communities, talking to stakeholders, making
sure that we know and understand how communities feel about the
issues that we are working on.
Mr. Tiffany. I appreciate that. And you mentioned the word
``consulting,'' and consultation is oftentimes used as a term.
This is completely different. This is coordination, and it is a
specific term that is used in Federal law, in which you are
giving local governments an equal seat at the table so that
there is this consistency review with their land use plans and
stuff.
I hope you will follow through, and urge your staff that
you are leading, that they do that coordination and that
consistency review.
Secretary Haaland. I appreciate that distinction,
Congressman. Thank you.
Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Chairman, is my time up?
The Chairman. Yes.
Mr. Tiffany. I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, sir. Let me recognize
Representative Tlaib.
You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. Tlaib. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I am incredibly
proud to see a colleague that I came here in a historic class
of firsts. We didn't run to become first of anything, we came
to represent and fight for the community that raised us.
But Secretary Haaland, just seeing you up there, of course,
you know how incredibly proud I am, people like us running for
office, and also representing our country in all different
levels. You are surrounded by photos of people that don't look
like you, but you care deeply about every single person in our
Nation. So, I just want to thank you so much for your courage
to take on this role.
Secretary Haaland, you know I come from a community that is
considered a frontline community. I want to talk to you about
the Environmental Justice for All Act that I proudly co-
sponsored, and has been led by our Chairman, Chairman Grijalva.
Some of the provisions of that bill speak to the need to more
fully consider what many of my residents call cumulative
impacts of multiple sources of pollution in environmental
justice communities like mine.
I represent one of the most polluted zip codes in Michigan,
Secretary. It is where I thought the smell was normal. I
thought that it was OK that I smelled like hydrogen sulfide
when I went back inside my home, playing in the front yard with
all my siblings. This neighborhood continues to be surrounded
by multiple sources of concentrated pollution that contribute
to asthma, respiratory issues, even cancer.
In my years of working with environmental justice warriors,
they consistently bring this up, the need for cumulative impact
analysis and environmental decision making that is centered on
public health. They are sick and tired of corporations and
corporate greed, really, having just a free-for-all of license
to pollute their communities. And at the end, it is our country
and our communities that suffer the most.
Can you speak to why it is important for the Interior and
other Federal agencies to consider public health impacts when
permitting activities in areas that already suffer from
multiple pollution sources? Why is that critically important?
Secretary Haaland. Congresswoman, thank you so much for the
question. And it is definitely an important one, and one that
President Biden cares deeply about.
And I can tell you that, as a citizen of the Pueblo of
Laguna, we were home to the largest open-pit uranium mine in
the world for 30 years, three open-pit and nine underground
mines. Not only did the blasting break apart homes, traditional
homes that had stood for hundreds of years, but people are
still dying from that uranium being blown around. It took
decades to even get funding to start cleaning it up. So, I
understand so well what you are talking about.
And I want you to know that I care deeply about the health
of our children, and why we need to make sure that we are
centering the activities that we do on the overall health and
welfare and vitality, if you could say, of all of our
communities.
And I would want to point out the Justice40 Initiative that
aims to bring 40 percent of the overall benefits of Federal
investments to underserved communities like yours. And you
mentioned that, yes, you thought it was normal. It isn't
normal. Every child should be able to breathe clean air and
play outside in a safe environment.
So, I want you to know that we are committed to that, and I
thank you for raising that here today.
Ms. Tlaib. No, thank you so much. And, of course, I know
you get invited to so many different districts and communities,
but the 13th District Strong community would welcome you as
soon as we implement that 40 percent. You can come, and you can
show them that they shouldn't be left behind as we think about
clean air and clean water.
Lastly, Secretary Haaland, I am concerned about reports
that I have read that detailed the past harassment that some
BLM staffers have faced from local politicians and their
communities, and a lack of support from some BLM managers for
staffers who are enforcing regulations that ranchers object to.
Have you been looking at that, and understanding--I mean, this
is really harassment and intimidation of BLM staff.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congresswoman. I am committed
to the workforce at the Department of the Interior, some of the
most dedicated public servants in the entire Federal system. I
have career staff who have been at the Department for over 40
years, and their safety is of the utmost importance to me. So,
I appreciate the comment.
We are actively ensuring that--we are following up on, and
we do follow up on any issues that are reported to us, and it
is an important part of our overall health of our workforce.
Ms. Tlaib. Thank you. And Secretary, please look to this
Committee as partners.
But I also would welcome, Chairman Grijalva, if we can have
a hearing, really, to expose what is happening to BLM staffers.
It is disturbing. And I have seen it done on the state level
and targeting these employees that are trying to protect us.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you.
Ms. Tlaib. Thank you. I yield.
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields.
Representative Carl, you are recognized.
Mr. Carl. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome, Madam Secretary, from the great state of Alabama,
I might add. Welcome back to your Committee.
Like most of my colleagues here, I am very upset about the
Biden administration's moratorium on new oil and gas leases. It
has been estimated that 24,000 hardworking folks in the great
state of Alabama will lose their jobs over the next 4 years
because of this shortsighted decision. They are real people we
are talking about, and right now their livelihoods are
endangered due to this pause.
I also want you to know how important the GOMESA funds are
to my district. As a county commissioner, I fully understand
the GOMESA program. The program supports $26 million in
conservative and recreation projects in the state--in south
Alabama last year alone, including shoreline registration, bike
trails, park enhancement, and marine science research vessels.
Each year, local county commissioners, municipalities, and
governments plan projects based on forecasts of these GOMESA
funds. If the leases continue to be canceled, our coastal
communities will be denied a vital source of funding for the
years to come.
I find it very hypocritical of the Biden administration to
preach to us about the environment, but ignore this important
component of offshore drilling called GOMESA.
My good friend, Mr. Graves, brought this up before, but I
want to get some clarification. You said the Department is
reviewing the Louisiana court decision, and will comply with
its ruling that this pause on the new leases is unlawful. Have
you directed your staff to research the leases on the sale 257?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congressman. I would
appreciate an opportunity to answer your question, that
particular question, on the record. What I can say, of course,
is that the leasing pause is only on new leases. It does not
affect the millions of acres of leased land, nor the over 8,000
permits that are active currently.
Mr. Carl. But do you anticipate the 257 program coming back
in existence this year?
Secretary Haaland. As I mentioned, I would like to answer
that question for the record, if that is OK with you. I would
appreciate that opportunity.
Mr. Carl. You are going to provide that to me in writing?
Secretary Haaland. Yes.
Mr. Carl. OK. My other question for you is, we see the
Department's comprehensive review on the oil and gas lease
program--when will we see this comprehensive review on oil and
gas lease?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question. We
have stated that it will come early summer, so some time soon.
Mr. Carl. July is here.
Secretary Haaland. Yes, thank you.
Mr. Carl. When is early summer, to you?
Secretary Haaland. Yes, sometime soon. Is this the first
day of summer? It will be soon, Congressman, and thank you for
the question.
Mr. Carl. So, as part of the Department's review, you have
consulted with the state and local officials in Alabama?
Secretary Haaland. I can't answer that question,
specifically, but I would be happy to find out exactly who we
have consulted with, and share that with you.
Mr. Carl. The old trick in politics is never ask a question
you don't know the answer to.
The answer is zero. Your Department has had a conversation
with no one in the state of Alabama, according to the
Governor's office. So, I encourage you to take in consideration
getting input from our elected officials that know what is
going on, on the ground. Without our input, I don't see how you
can make these rash decisions to shut industries down, without
knowing what is going on, boots on the ground.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you.
Mr. Carl. With that said, is there a plan to reach out to
these local governments?
I heard you talk earlier about some children that you dealt
with. Did you not do that in Alabama before you shut the leases
down?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congressman. We will be happy
to follow up with your office on this issue. And if there is
someone in particular you would like us to speak with, we would
be happy to do that. We are committed to hearing from everyone.
And we have had a number of consultations. We had a forum
for the industry back in May. We have been in contact with
hundreds of people, and we will be happy to be in touch with
you, as well.
Mr. Carl. Well, I just find it very hard to comprehend that
you would make such strong decisions on an industry, killing a
complete industry, and not have some conversation with locals.
With that, thank you, ma'am.
The Chairman. Let me recognize Representative Case, sir.
You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Case. Madam Secretary, aloha, good to see you.
First of all, there has been some overlay in the discussion
over the size of the budget for the Department of the Interior.
And I just want to say to you, and for the record, that I
completely support the President's budget request.
It is inconceivable to me that a Department that is
responsible to steward 20 percent of our Nation's lands, that
manages the water supply for 17 Western states, that is
responsible for almost 600 federally recognized tribes, that
has responsibilities across the board over centuries, and now
to include climate change, is funded at, literally, around 1
percent of our total discretionary budget.
So, I don't view the President's budget, at somewhere
around 1.15 percent of the discretionary budget, 2.3 percent of
the discretionary non-defense budget, as unreasonable. In fact,
I believe that the DOI has been chronically underfunded for a
long, long time, and we have a lot of catch-up to do. So, first
of all, back to you on that one.
Second, I do want to address two areas that, although they
don't enter into the national discourse quite as much, are
critical areas within your Department's jurisdiction. And I
speak of Native Hawaiians and of the Compacts of Free
Association.
First of all, thank you so much, too, for your own
recognition of Native Hawaiians as the Indigenous peoples of
our country who originate in Hawaii. As you know, the Native
Hawaiians have a special political relationship, and have for
over a century now. You kindly joined us on an event relating
to Native Hawaiians, and your personal attention and
recognition of Native Hawaiians is deeply appreciated.
We have work to do with your Department on Native
Hawaiians. We need to assess whether the Office of Native
Hawaiian Relations within the Department is functioning
correctly for the next century. And you have kindly engaged us
on that. We look forward to completing that work with you,
along with a number of other initiatives that affect Native
Hawaiians that are within your departments.
Let me speak directly to the Compacts of Free Association.
These are the agreements that our country has with three other
independent sovereign countries in the Pacific: the Marshall
Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. These are compacts under which
we both enjoy mutual privileges and obligations. They are key,
from our country's historical perspective, and are, certainly,
our future. And these compacts are up for renegotiation right
now.
And the fact is that the negotiations have, apparently,
bogged down. There is little movement on them. The
responsibility within the Administration for negotiating these
compacts lies with Interior and State. There is little evidence
that there is any progress being made on those negotiations.
I am joining a number of my colleagues in a letter to the
President that will be copied to you very soon, asking that
those negotiations be placed on a much faster track. The last
time we went through these negotiations, they, unfortunately,
lagged for years, creating critical uncertainty in the Pacific.
So, I would simply ask you for any comments you have. I
don't expect a formal response from you right now. But I would
simply like to commend the issue of the compacts to you
personally, and to your Department, as an area that I hope is
not forgotten. And, certainly, we are going to try to highlight
it.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Congressman. And no,
definitely not forgotten. In fact, I met with a number of
governors over the past couple of weeks, and we have very
competent and caring people in that office. And I want to
assure you that it is a priority for us, and I will take your
comments to heart, and see how we can move this forward.
Mr. Case. Thank you so much.
I yield back.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields.
Representative Rosendale, you are recognized.
Mr. Rosendale. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you so much for joining us, Secretary Haaland, good
to see you.
This Administration proposes fully funding the Land and
Water Conservation Fund and the National Parks and Public Lands
Legacy Restoration Fund in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. By your
comments, I take it this means that the Administration is fully
supportive of these conservation programs. Is that correct?
Secretary Haaland. Yes, Congressman.
Mr. Rosendale. While you commented about the existing
leases, we know that they have diminishing returns. Any well
has diminishing returns. If that is the case, can you explain
how we will replace the revenue loss caused by the Biden
administration's moratorium on all new oil and gas leases,
which jeopardizes the main revenue source of these programs,
and the longevity of our conservation funding?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question,
Congressman. And, as I have stated, there are still over 8,000
leases--or, I am sorry, 8,000 permits--that sit unused. There
are millions of acres of land and leases that currently can be
operational. So, the pause on the new leases, it is only that,
new leases, and not any existing leases.
There has been ongoing work in the industry since the
pause----
Mr. Rosendale. So, excuse me, I appreciate that. And, no
pun intended, but what you are doing is shutting off the
pipeline for the future. And anything that we forestall right
now that keeps us from doing the research and the development
of those resources ends up impacting us later on down the line,
which has put us in a position, in years past, where we have
been so dependent upon foreign energy, which is not good for
our economy nor our national security.
In your confirmation hearing you promised that--and I
quote--``The ESA should be driven by the science, and it is
appropriate for species to be de-listed when they have
recovered.'' A March species status assessment published by the
Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that the greater
Yellowstone ecosystem and the Northern Continental Divide
ecosystem populations of the grizzly bear both have high
resiliency and have met the criteria for de-listing. They have
both reached and surpassed their target populations.
You continue to claim that your Administration will again,
in quotes, ``follow the science.'' Will you follow the science
and move to de-list the grizzly bear populations in both of
these ecosystems?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question. And,
yes, the ongoing recovery is a remarkable success for the ESA,
and we are happy about that. Our implementation, of course, as
you mentioned, too, will be guided by science and the law.
Mr. Rosendale. So, will you then move to de-list these
populations, if they have hit their target populations?
Secretary Haaland. I appreciate the question. And it is
noted there are considerable challenges that remain, overall,
with fully recovering----
Mr. Rosendale. They have met the target populations, Madam
Secretary, and both have high resiliency. Will you move to de-
list these populations?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you----
Mr. Rosendale. Just yes or no, really.
Secretary Haaland. I would like to be back in touch with
your office on that.
Mr. Rosendale. I would appreciate just a simple answer on
that, if you have to go back and confer with your office to
give us a yes or no.
Missing and murdered Indigenous women is a very important
issue in Montana, as you are very well aware--we have seven
reservations there. What are you doing to improve the
collaboration between the tribes and the Federal authorities to
improve the investigation and prosecution of these heinous
crimes, which claim so many of our Native women?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much. And our Missing and
Murdered unit that I announced earlier this year is meant to
provide leadership, and use the full weight of the Department
to solve these crimes.
One of the main priorities of the unit is for the unsolved
crimes. But certainly, the budget has been increased, as well.
And we are confident that we will be able to move forward on
that and I appreciate your concern----
Mr. Rosendale. I understand that, what I am trying to get
at is that collaboration, because we have the sovereign tribes,
and we have the Federal Government. And I know that we want to
solve this, but there is going to have to be some kind of
collaboration. So, I would really like to get some detail on
what we are going to do to try to bring these parties together
to work on these issues.
Secretary Haaland. The Department has a very strong and
experienced Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian
Affairs, who knows tribes very well. He is a former Tribal
President, himself, and is working very hard to make sure that
he is collaborating with Tribal Nations on this issue.
Mr. Rosendale. Thank you for joining us.
And I would yield back, Mr. Chair.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. Let me recognize a new
member to the Committee and, to some extent, Congress,
Representative Stansbury, who is representing New Mexico's 1st
District, and that she retained, the district that Madam
Secretary represented.
Ms. Stansbury.
Ms. Stansbury. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to
the Ranking Member, and to all of my colleagues. It is an honor
to be able to serve with you here in this Committee.
And to Secretary Haaland, it is humbling to be here. And I
am getting emotional, as I was sitting here listening to you
speak. It is so humbling, and such an honor to be able to see
you serving our Nation. New Mexico is so proud. Our country is
so proud. You are exactly where you need to be, and you are
already bringing the change that our Nation needs to see. So,
thank you for your service and everything that you are doing.
When I look at the President's budget, Mr. Chairman, and
the requests for the Department of the Interior, I feel hope.
The American people know that the science is clear, and that we
must urgently address climate change. I am grateful to see that
our budget reflects that, and that if we are going to preserve
our planet for future generations, that we address both the
causes of climate change and the impacts to our communities,
and that we center and lift up our communities in the process.
Together, I know that we can build a world that is more
just, and more equitable, and more climate resilient. And this
budget actually invests in our communities and protections for
our lands, waters, and wildlife, and in their future, which is
exactly what we need to do to ensure our future resilience.
As you know, Madam Secretary, our state and our country are
facing an unprecedented drought across the West that is heavily
impacting New Mexico, that has shattered records already this
season, and that is threatening the future of our communities,
and increased wildfire and drought risks moving forward.
Millions of Americans already live without access to clean
and safe drinking water. And this crisis disproportionately
impacts communities in New Mexico, particularly in our tribal
communities. We have to take action now to address the water
needs of our communities and climate change, and ensure that we
are addressing these impacts across our country.
I am grateful to see the Department's budget allocates
significant funding also for public lands, for wildlife
mitigation, builds and fortifies our water infrastructure, and
supports our communities.
I am also, Madam Secretary, deeply proud to see the ways in
which this budget reflects our commitment to restorative
justice and tribal sovereignty.
Secretary Haaland, I have seen your work over the last
several months, and lifting up the work of missing and murdered
Indigenous women, and this week in launching the Federal Indian
Boarding School Truth Initiative. These historic steps will
begin to address and reconcile our country's brutal history,
and the need for healing and justice in our country. Thank you
for your bravery in bringing these initiatives forward.
Madam Secretary, I am also just so grateful for your
service, and look forward to working with you in the
transformative work that we have to do for our country and our
communities.
And, Mr. Chairman, I would like to just ask Madam Secretary
if you could share more with us about your work on missing and
murdered Indigenous women, and the work that you are hoping to
do, as well as the boarding school initiatives that you have
launched this week.
Secretary Haaland. Congresswoman, thank you so much for the
question. And I appreciate your kind words very much. And, of
course, I am a proud New Mexican sitting here today.
I want to sort of emphasize President Biden's commitment to
diversity, and how important it is that we have diverse voices,
those perspectives from folks who generally haven't had a say
in a lot of the policy, or the ideas, or the work that comes
out of the Federal Government. So, for that, I am proud to have
those opportunities.
Missing and murdered Indigenous women has been on my mind
for a very long time. And I am happy that it has achieved some
prominence in sort of mainstream issues. People don't know to
care about something unless they know about it. So, raising the
issue time and again helps the public to really coalesce, and
realize that it is an important issue that all of us should
care about. And I appreciate your help on that, as well.
The boarding school initiative--after I heard the news of
the grave in Canada, it made me think about a day that I was
sitting with my grandmother, and just talking about her
experience when the priests gathered up children from around
the village and put them on a train to go to Santa Fe. And I
know that that is an experience that a lot of communities have,
so I am happy to move those issues forward, and appreciate your
support on all of those.
Ms. Stansbury. Thank you, Madam Secretary, I yield.
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields. Representative Moore,
you are recognized.
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Chairman and Ranking Member.
Secretary Haaland, it is great to see you again.
It would have been completely appropriate for you to have
deferred my colleague Mr. Gallego's question to me, whether or
not you showed up to hear out people in Utah. I saw your
schedule. I was with you for 3 full days. You had a packed
schedule, and were willing to take input. And it was very much
appreciated. Our request for you to visit Utah and that part of
the region was sincere, and you showed up, and on behalf of the
entire Utah delegation, and Utah, we appreciated your
willingness to come and hear out the stakeholders. Bears Ears
is a very difficult situation to be able to solve. And your
willingness to come was really important.
We have made an equally sincere request to President Biden,
as you may know, to meet with us before he makes the decision.
Do you have any insight as to whether that meeting will happen,
or to the extent that it would be worthwhile, productive, any
insight there?
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, thank you so much for the
question. And I was very honored to have an opportunity to join
you and everyone in Utah. It was a really, really wonderful
time.
As I mentioned, this is a Presidential action. The
Antiquities Act is solely within the President's decision
making. And, of course, we are happy to make sure that he knows
your request reflected in this hearing today, and I am happy to
let the White House know that you have requested that again.
Mr. Moore. Yes, thank you. I remember thinking during our
meeting that there was so much productive work that we did over
those few days. I worried, as we came back to Washington, do we
all retreat to our corners? And we are all subject to that, and
I totally get that. And it is a sincere request, and I would
appreciate a chance to continue this dialogue before any final
decisions are made.
With respect to the Antiquities Act, there are two big
factors. And I haven't been as involved in this as many other
Members of Utah stakeholders. You got to meet with our
governor. It has been a long, very tumultuous year, and going
back and forth, in a ping pong effect.
Two things stick out to me with the Antiquities Act: one
being, this is your desire to protect the antiquities in the
smallest amount of land. That is what the Supreme Court has
come out with the ruling of, saying we cannot make these huge
land designations, but we have to use the Antiquities Act as
something that will focus on preserving that, and we are
committed to that, as well. But the second piece is what I
would actually like to discuss briefly: the management
decisions that go along with the Antiquities Act. Can you
provide any other insight, maybe your willingness to release
your monument report, to give the public some assurance that
the management, however this is done, will be a first and
foremost priority to that?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question. And
Congressman, during the days that I spent in Utah, I really
took those comments to heart, the ranchers who came in and
spoke with us, and professed their love for the land. I
understand that because I have a family of ranchers, as well. I
understand how they feel about the land, and I absolutely
appreciate that.
So, I just want you to know that all those comments did
absolutely figure in. And as I have mentioned many times here,
our public lands belong to every American, so we want to make
sure that this beautiful cultural and historical place that can
offer so much to future generations stands.
It is also important to make sure that those folks in your
state who are on the ground can also reap the benefits of being
in those lands that they have for generations, as well. So, all
that input was extremely important to me, and I just want you
to know that I took that to heart, and it is, in some ways,
reflected in the work that we do.
Mr. Moore. And, finally, with respect of those management
decisions, after having that experience, would you deem that to
be best handled in an executive fiat or a legislative solution?
Secretary Haaland. Well, as I mentioned, as a former Member
of Congress, I understand the value in legislation. Right? That
is what you do, and I wholeheartedly would support your
decision to move ahead with any legislation, if that is what
you choose to do.
Mr. Moore. I have many more questions, but I will yield
back.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields.
Let me recognize Representative McEachin for any questions
he may have.
Before that, let me indicate that the Secretary was
gracious enough to extend this to when the votes are going to
be called, which is about 1:15 or so. So, if we can, for the
people that are left--and there are still quite a few--we can
be as concise--and allow every Member to have an opportunity, I
would appreciate it. But it is your 5 minutes.
So, Mr. McEachin.
Mr. McEachin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And again, as
always, I thank you for the opportunity to participate in these
hearings on this very important matter.
Secretary Haaland, it is great to see you again. And I will
try to cut straight to the chase. Earlier, one of the Members
raised the issue of cumulative effects in the Environmental
Justice Act--I mean the EJ For All Act that I have been proud
to ride side-saddle with the Chairman on. This may end up being
more of a comment than a question, but the notion of benefits
came up in the Justice40 Initiative.
And I need you to understand, Madam Secretary, that in my
viewpoint, at least--the Chair and I worked for a couple of
years, trying to figure out how best to serve these underserved
communities. And the feedback that we got back is that we know
we, the underserved communities, we are all different. We share
some commonalities in that we have been disenfranchised, that
we have been marginalized, that we are front-liners, but we
have different problems that call for different solutions that
prevents Washington from being able to do one-size-fits-all.
And that is what, to me, ought to be so exciting about the
Justice40 Initiative.
But the question is what do we mean by benefits?
And I will be talking to Cecilia Martinez later on,
hopefully this week, about that definition, because I know it
is still being worked out. But benefits have to be done at the
direction of the stakeholders. Washington can't come in and
say, ``We are going to fix this water line. You are going to
benefit from it. Be happy.'' That is what we have historically
done.
I don't have any doubt about the President's commitment to
being a true EJ advocate. He has lifted that notion up so well,
and in such a forceful fashion, that I don't have any doubt
where his heart is. But a lot of the challenges will be in the
details. And to the extent that we need to resist the
temptation to tell these communities what is in their best
interests, rather, we need to support them with resources,
expertise, or whatever else they need, so that they can
implement their own solutions.
So, I just wanted to put that out there, because I know
that you are going to require that discussion about what
``benefits'' means. If you care to comment on it, fine. If not,
I will just move on.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for that, Congressman. I
appreciate your stance and, of course, all of that is very
important to us.
Mr. McEachin. Well, Madam Secretary, a few weeks ago Cory
Booker and I introduced the Environmental Justice Legacy
Pollution Cleanup Act, legislation which would invest $20
billion to clean up legacy pollution that disproportionately
affects environmental justice communities. Of that, my bill
provides about $10 billion to the Abandoned Mine Land Fund to
help fund the cleanup and reclamation of thousands of abandoned
mine land sites across the country that threaten the health and
safety of local communities.
Do you have a moment to speak to the benefits of that sort
of legislation to clean up lands impacted by coal mining?
And how would this benefit the EJ communities, and what can
be done with that level of funding?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you for the question, Congressman.
And, of course, the idea of cleaning up abandoned mines is one
that we know could benefit the health and safety of folks in
those communities, but it also creates jobs. We feel very
confident that no community should be left behind in any
transition that we are moving to in this country. And we are
committed to creating those jobs, so that those communities can
continue to thrive.
So, yes, the environmental and safety issue is absolutely
important. The creation of jobs is absolutely important.
Mr. McEachin. Thank you so much for that answer.
In the President's Fiscal Year 2022 budget, the Interior
Department is--oops, I am down to 30 seconds. You know what? I
am going to give those back to my Chairman.
Mr. Chair, I yield.
The Chairman. That is much appreciated.
Representative Herrell, you are recognized.
Ms. Herrell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am glad to see you here, Secretary. Thank you for
everything you are doing. I will just be quick about this,
because there are so many questions to ask.
Just kind of following up on Congressman Lamborn and Graves
earlier, with the recent preliminary injunction to the pause on
the sale of new oil and gas leases on Federal lands, can you
give the Committee a definitive date when the lease sales in
New Mexico or other gas and oil producing states will once
again be held?
And I know this is probably coming from every person that
has energy in their state.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much, Congresswoman. And I
know this issue is important to you, as well.
We would be happy to. As I mentioned, the review is done
early summer, it is early summer, so I think it is coming out
very soon. We are complying with the court's decision. They are
reviewing it now. I know there is a lot going on in this space,
and you want some definitive answers, and we will be happy when
we can give you those.
Ms. Herrell. OK. And I know you said you had a $17.6
billion budget, and you may have said this, I might have missed
it: How much money do you have allocated in the budget for
mitigating the orphan wells? And you may have said it, like I
said, I might have missed that one----
Secretary Haaland. I may have also, and I think Rachel can
speak to that.
Ms. Taylor. Certainly. We have a proposal for a new energy
community revitalization program that includes both abandoned
mines and orphaned wells. And that is resources for both the
Federal side and for states and tribes to apply for grants, and
that is $169 million that is new this year, and that would
complement the larger $16 billion proposal in the Jobs Plan.
Ms. Herrell. Excellent. OK, thank you.
And then, just kind of going back for the energy--I know
that in addition to the leasing moratorium, the Department has
issued the Secretarial Order that required BLM field offices to
get clearance from political appointees in DC in order to
approve critical permits like authorizations to drill and
right-of-ways, and that the BLM website appears, though, to
have missing authorization.
So, my question, and kind of going off what Congresswoman
Porter said earlier, in terms of transparency, will you commit
to releasing monthly APD reports so we can evaluate progress,
going forward?
Secretary Haaland. I appreciate that question, and I would
really just like to give you that on the record, if I may.
Ms. Herrell. Sure.
Secretary Haaland. I will check with the staff in that
office, and just make sure before I answer you.
Ms. Herrell. OK. Thank you, Madam Secretary. Hopefully,
they will get that updated, so that we can actually watch that
real-time, and follow what the progress is.
And I understand that we have more public lands in the
Western states--I mean, 50 percent of them or greater. What I
want to know is, do you believe every American, whether they
live in or near the public lands as we know them in the West,
benefit from beneficial use such as Ag, oil, gas, recreation
from our public lands?
Secretary Haaland. Well, I think that every American should
benefit from our public lands, and that includes communities,
whether they are kids in the inner city, or rural. I mean, we
believe that everyone should have access, that they should be
able to enjoy the outdoors.
Ms. Herrell. Right. I believe that everybody in America
benefits from fossil fuels, from timber, from agriculture, from
eating, I mean, everything we produce on public land. So, I
think you are right, but we have to also ensure that we are
protecting the industries associated with public lands.
I just want to finish up with I am a little bit jealous
that my colleague from Utah had a visit with you in Utah for
several days. I would like for you to come to see me too, so we
can meet and look at our public lands, our operations in the
district, and have a really meaningful conversation about that,
as well. Thank you, Madam Secretary.
I yield back.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congresswoman.
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields.
Representative San Nicolas, you are recognized.
Mr. San Nicolas. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
And Madam Secretary, good day to you. When President Biden
historically mentioned states, tribes, and territories in his
inaugural address, I thought that that was a real high point
for the efforts of all of our territories, in particular, to
seek greater support from the Administration. And I was only
more pleasantly surprised to find his nominee to be you, Madam
Secretary, someone who fully understands the struggles of
Indigenous communities, of marginalized communities. And with
that, there is just so much hope and aspiration represented in
you serving in this capacity, and further represented in the
sentiments expressed by the President in his inaugural address,
and further reinforced in his nomination of you as our
Secretary of the Interior. We are so happy to have you, Madam
Secretary.
I wanted to specifically discuss in the President's
budget--and echo the sentiments of my colleague, Mr. Case--the
concerns of the territories with respect to the Compacts of
Free Association. These compacts, of course, are meeting to
have their negotiations reinitiated and concluded in earnest.
But more specifically, Madam Secretary, there is a concern
with respect to the host communities impacted by these compact
negotiations. Specific to my territory, and no doubt similar to
other host communities like Hawaii, and even the state of
Arkansas, the Compacts of Free Association allow for our treaty
allies to be able to migrate to our country with the intent of
seeking out education, health care, and job opportunities, and
we welcome those as partners in the treaty that the United
States engages in with these particular countries who are
strong allies of this Nation, and strategic allies, given their
specific geographic location and their long history with the
United States, and with their neighboring regions, such as
Guam.
But, Madam Secretary, when I evaluate the President's
budget, I am very heartened to see, of course, a dramatic
increase in the resources provided for our Indigenous brothers
and sisters in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. But specifically
to our territories, the increase in the President's budget
request does not adequately reflect the impact of the compact
treaties on the host communities.
When I broke it down on a per-dollar basis in the 116th
Congress, Madam Secretary, it came up to about $800 in support
provided to the territory of Guam for us hosting our treaty
allies and those who decide to migrate to Guam and call home.
Unfortunately, of course, the cost to educate far exceeds an
$800 balance. The cost to be able to provide healthcare
services far exceeds the $800 balance, to include the recent
extension of this Congress for COFA migrants to be able to
avail of Medicaid as a benefit.
So, I wanted to inquire if there is a plan in the
Department of the Interior to recognize the true costs of our
responsibilities of hosting our compact guests, and if we can
look forward to those true costs, realizing in the actual
financial support that is afforded in the budgetary requests
that is maybe proposed in this round, or perhaps proposed in a
future round.
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, thank you so much for the
question, and we understand the issue, and we appreciate you
coming to us with this issue today.
I wonder if Rachel can perhaps add some detail, the kind of
detail that you are looking for. Thank you.
Ms. Taylor. Sure. Thank you so much for the question. I
know this has been a priority for a number of states and
territories over the years.
The budget, as you know, there are two sources of funding.
There is some mandatory funding, but there is also
discretionary money in the budget request. We were happy to
support a level funding for compact impact. I think it is $4
million in the President's discretionary request. And, of
course, we will be happy to work with you, going forward, on
this.
Mr. San Nicolas. Thank you very much. I just wanted to make
it very plain that if the Administration puts forward a
budgetary request that reflects the true cost, we will
absolutely, as host communities, be fully supportive of that.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman and Madam Secretary.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields. Representative Boebert,
you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Boebert. Thank you, Chairman Grijalva and Ranking
Member Westerman, for holding this important hearing, and thank
you, Secretary Haaland, for attending today. I appreciate your
presence here, and I appreciate your opening statement, that
you said that you would like to work together. I do believe and
agree with you that we can accomplish great things when we work
together. And I love that you highlighted the good-paying jobs
that come from what we can do together.
Secretary Haaland, as you know, Colorado and many states in
the West are experiencing a very severe drought. You sort of
danced around it earlier, but why does this Administration not
have any investments in water storage in your budget?
Secretary Haaland. Thank you very much for the question,
Congresswoman. As I mentioned, water storage is one of the many
tools that our team believes can help so many of the states
that are experiencing the drought through the drought. And I
appreciate your support of that, and we will absolutely take a
look at it.
Mrs. Boebert. Thank you, Madam Secretary. And, yes, I agree
that it is a tool for drought mitigation.
You also said, yes, that you support the reauthorization of
the WIIN Act, when questioned by Representative McClintock. And
to confirm, if you support the reauthorization of the WIIN Act
and water storage as a tool, then you also would support the
reauthorization of the expiring Subtitle J of the WIIN Act
related to water storage. I just didn't see the reauthorization
of expiring Subtitle J of the WIIN Act, which has successfully
funded water storage, in your budget.
So, is that correct, you support that?
Secretary Haaland. Congresswoman, thank you so much for the
question. And what I should have said is that extending the
WIIN Act, of course, it is a decision of Congress. Congress
is--you know, you make that decision, and we are aware of the
different proposals in Congress----
Mrs. Boebert. Reclaiming my time--thank you, Madam
Secretary--the Trump administration funded water storage, water
recycling, and desalination projects throughout the West, and I
encourage the DOI to really get their priorities straight,
instead of pandering to radicals that want to tear down dams
and prevent water storage projects. So, I am happy to hear that
you are in favor of water storage. It is something we have
battled in Colorado for quite some time.
Madam Secretary, moving along, the previous administration,
including career officials currently within your agency,
relocated the Bureau of Land Management headquarters from
Washington, DC, to my district in Grand Junction, Colorado,
following a competitive process. The relocation has strong
support from Colorado's Democrat Governor, our two Democrat
Senators, the entire Colorado delegation, and stakeholders on
both sides of the aisle. I very much appreciate Mr. Neguse's
statements and acknowledgment today of the contributions
Colorado has received from the BLM and the headquarters during
his time today.
The move West has reduced the number of long cross-country
flights--about 7 hours, I would know--and it has improved
training, has delegated more responsibility to employees in the
field, improved customer service and coordination with local
communities, ensured better decisions earlier in the decision-
making process, reduced commute times for the employees,
provided good-paying jobs, local jobs, as you said you support,
and it will save the taxpayers money.
Your budget notes the Biden administration is actively
reviewing the 2019 reorganization of the BLM. Do you plan on
visiting the Grand Junction BLM headquarters? I have sent you a
letter on March 15 requesting you visit Grand Junction,
Colorado to see the headquarters yourself.
Secretary Haaland. Congresswoman, I have actually, yes, had
invitations from your two Senators, as well as Congressman
Neguse. I appreciate the invitation, and, of course, we are
looking at my schedule.
Mrs. Boebert. Will you commit here today to keeping the BLM
headquarters in Grand Junction, yes or no?
Secretary Haaland. We are actually doing a review on that
currently.
Mrs. Boebert. The previous administration estimated
considerable savings from the Bureau from the move west,
starting in Fiscal Year 2024. They also found the Bureau's
relocation cost $17.9 million. Given these costs and any move
back east would exceed those costs of $17.9 million, that there
is no longer a BLM office in DC to move back to, that DC real
estate is much more expensive, and there is a lease on the
building in Grand Junction, and the Bureau has hired and moved
numerous employees related to 200-plus now western positions,
how would you justify a move back to DC to taxpayers?
Secretary Haaland. As I mentioned, Congresswoman, this
process is in review currently,
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields.
Let me, before our time is up, just recognize myself. I
know there are four other Members, and hopefully we will have
the time. I will be very quick.
Today, we talked about public assets, and I want to
associate myself with the comments Ms. Stansbury made regarding
climate change, and how central to the whole discussion that we
are having about this jurisdiction that the Committee has with
regard to Interior.
I think the points that you made, Madam Secretary,
regarding Indigenous people and tribes, and the re-definition
of what that relationship has been in the past with Interior is
very important. I think tribes and Indigenous folk are ahead of
us, in terms of how they see sovereignty, how they see self-
determination, and how they see the trust responsibility. And I
think it is imperative that we catch up.
We talked about the pause, and it might not be part of the
review, in terms of oil and gas and extraction policy. But you
mentioned that a couple of times in response to other
questions, and it had to do with the fact that unused leases,
leases that have been there for years upon years upon years,
acreage that they are encumbering, and many of those leases
being in areas in which there is no environmental detriment
surrounding the areas--because I disagree with some people that
everything should be wide open. I don't think you should be
drilling and extracting on the rim of the Grand Canyon, period.
I don't think you should be drilling and extracting in
Yellowstone.
But my point being that I think that information would be
important for the Committee to have, so you can make a
comparison as to how long those leases have laid fallow, and
not been used, and maybe it is time for this Committee to
consider a policy and legislation having to deal with you
either use it during a period of time, or you lose it. And this
going on in perpetuity, and basically speculating and holding
areas, I think is wrong.
We talked about the BLM, and I appreciate the review that
is going on. Some of us opposed that move, and I was one of
them. But the fact that the review is going on, I am more than
comfortable waiting for the results of that. Once it gets
steady, it is more difficult to undo, and I realize that. But
that was a decision made, I think, not for cost saving, or
administrative purposes, as it was for different reasons that
we are probably never really going to understand.
The other thing is the previous administration, it was
mentioned. Constantly--and Ms. Porter mentioned it--we asked
for information and didn't get it. And I am pleasantly
surprised at the insistence of my colleagues on both sides of
the aisle, and particularly in the Minority, wanting this
information now from Interior. And your commitment to
disclosure and public information for all, that is a marked
day-night change from what the Majority had to endure over the
last 2 years, in terms of access to Interior. So, I appreciate
that, and keeping that commitment is important.
The last issue is the Colorado River. We talked about the
drought. That important ecosystem, the critical water source
for 40 million people, including the 67, 68 tribes within that
region, and it is a critical resource. The contingency plan was
put together, and I am pleased that the Department is assuring
tribes of their role in that discussion. That is the feedback
from tribes that I have received.
But I want to say that I think that post 2026, when we
would revisit this, I think the urgency is now to convene, and
that those states that need to convene in that basin should be
doing it now, and looking at their own internal policies, their
own water use regulations that they have within their states,
because that affects whatever we try to do, in terms of the
asset that you have jurisdiction over, which is the Colorado
River.
Those are just requests, but I think that it can't be the
same any more. Other changes have to occur in order to deal
with this drought. And at least my experience from the state of
Arizona, they don't seem to be ready for it. And I think the
government can, your Interior can, help spur that discussion,
which is not happening at this point.
With that, I recognize Mr. Obernolte for your time.
Mr. Obernolte. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
And Secretary Haaland, congratulations on the new position.
I represent one of the largest congressional districts in
the country, and over 90 percent of the land of my district is
public lands of one form or another, many of which are managed
underneath your Department. So, I am very happy to see you
taking aggressive action in your new role.
I would like to ask a couple of questions about the budget
that you have presented, in particular, as it relates to the
Great American Outdoors Act funding. As I am sure you are
aware, it is $1.9 million a year--I am sorry, billion dollars a
year--that Congress has appropriated for the purposes of
improving and developing infrastructure on those public lands.
I was a little disappointed in looking at the budget that
you are presenting today to realize that very little of that
funding is being spent recreationally to improve access to our
public lands. In fact, by my count, only about seven projects
are being proposed for funding that are recreational projects,
which is only about 11 percent of the total funding.
So, can you explain the Department's philosophy, when it
comes to appropriating that money, and why more of that money
has not been prioritized for recreational uses?
Secretary Haaland. I appreciate the question. And I will
give it a try, and then perhaps Rachel may be able to fill in a
little bit.
I know that the deferred maintenance--there is a very big
backlog of deferred maintenance, and that is where a lot of
work is being done, or we know that needs to be done using GAOA
funding, and we are grateful for it. I supported it when I was
a Member of Congress, as well. So, the deferred maintenance
backlog is large, and that is something that we are working to
remedy.
Ms. Taylor. Thanks so much for the question. I would say,
in terms of the access for the projects, recreation is one of
the factors that goes in. As the Secretary mentioned, deferred
maintenance and sort of buying down some of these large
projects that are on the books, that are creating challenges
for park visitors and safety issues, is a huge priority.
You know, for access, we do have a number of roads
projects, in terms of allowing people to come into public
lands. I would note that one of the highest-priority projects
is the Yellowstone River Bridge project, which is going to help
support one of the main arteries to the park that brings
visitors there.
Each bureau does things a little bit differently, but I
think we are certainly open to working with Congress in making
sure that we are implementing the law as intended, as we
allocate funds going forward, and know that Congress has a role
also in helping select the projects.
Thank you for the question.
Mr. Obernolte. Thank you. I appreciate that. And while we
are talking about deferred maintenance, that is what I would
like to ask a second question about, because among the
facilities that I represent are the Mojave National Preserve
and the Joshua Tree National Park. And as I am sure you are
aware, both of those facilities have enormous deferred
maintenance problems. And I can tell you from firsthand
experience, having seen them, how desperate that need is. In
the Mojave National Preserve it is nearly $120 billion. Joshua
Tree, which is, as you know, one of the most visited national
parks in our entire system, the deferred maintenance need is
over $60 million.
I am hoping that I can get your commitment to help us
address those deferred maintenance issues, because neither of
those facilities was awarded any project funding in the first
two rounds of the Great American Outdoors Act. So, I am hoping
we can fix that.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you, Congressman. That is very
well noted. I appreciate knowing about that. Thank you.
Mr. Obernolte. All right, will you work with us to try to--
--
Secretary Haaland. I will be happy to work with you, and we
will see what we can do.
Mr. Obernolte. I appreciate it. We want to be a resource to
you. I want to congratulate you on your new role, and encourage
you to come back and visit us often here at the Natural
Resources Committee.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much. And I have had an
opportunity to visit Joshua Tree, and it is indeed a beautiful
area, and I am happy that you have a strong passion for it.
Thank you.
Mr. Obernolte. Thank you. I yield back, Mr. Chair.
The Chairman. Let me recognize the gentlelady from
Minnesota, Ms. McCollum.
Representative, you are recognized.
Ms. McCollum. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Secretary Haaland, it is so wonderful to see you in person.
And I have a couple of questions, but I cannot go any farther
without just holding this up.
This is a bottle of water. Water is a natural resource.
Without water, our lives don't exist. And sometimes water is in
competition with oil and gas. And in Minnesota right now, it is
in competition with some natural resources. I appreciate the
Department of the Interior and the Forest Service doing what it
needs to do to make sure we protect water for future
generations. So, thank you for your work on that.
Superior National Forest, in and of itself, is 20 percent
of the clean water that our Federal Government is responsible
for protecting.
Honoring our trust and treaty obligations is so very
important. And I know that you will do everything in your power
to make sure that the Federal Government does a better job of
leading up to protecting the trust and treaty responsibilities
in Indian Country. And I commend you for what you are setting
up with the Federal Indian School Board Review. What has just
happened to the First Nations in Canada, with the discovery of
200 skeletons at one of their boarding schools was just
heartbreaking, very heartbreaking. And they have done a
reconciliation. They have done a review. They have gone to the
public. They have heard the testimony from their tribal
communities. We still haven't done that here. So, thank you for
your work on that.
I want to focus for a moment on the proposed increase for
Indian Affairs. I am so excited about the 29 percent. I know it
will just be a couple of drops in the bucket for you, but it is
huge. So, congratulations to you and to the President for doing
that.
Years ago, I was happy to work on the Tiwahe Initiative. It
is a holistic approach that empowers Tribal Nations to improve
the health and well-being of families in Indian Country and
their communities. One of the tribes that was one of the six
pilot projects was Red Lake Nation in Minnesota. They use their
funding to empower, reunite families, to work on substance
abuse and recidivism.
They worked to reduce suicide, which, at the time when that
initiative was going through, was an all-time high for Native
American youth, and Red Lake, and the other pilot communities,
they produced to report to Congress, recommending that Tiwahe
be established as a permanent program. That means that it is
going to need authorization, and I hope I have the honor to
work on that.
They have also committed a new approach to evaluate
impacts. Could you tell me what steps the Department is taking,
in collaboration with these pilot tribes, to learn about how
they used the initiative to build effective, coordinated,
culturally valid models to service delivery to support the
well-being of Native American families?
And do you know when we might, here in Congress, see the
BIA's own evaluation of the program?
Secretary Haaland. Congresswoman, thank you so much for the
question, and just thank you for your commitment to Indian
tribes for as long as you have. It is very much appreciated.
And I hope you have an opportunity to visit with Bryan
Newland, our Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian
Affairs. I think that he has a heart for all of these things.
One of the most important things, aside from tribal
consultation, is, of course, taking into consideration those
574 federally recognized tribes in our country. They are all
different. None of them are the same. They all have various
issues that concern their tribes. And we really want to make
sure that we are getting to the heart of what it is that those
individual tribes need.
I can assure you that those particular geographic areas and
other tribal community customs and traditions all figure into
how we are moving forward with programs, with all the programs
within the BIA.
Ms. McCollum. Thank you. We look forward to doing that. We
look forward, on the Appropriations Committee of Interior,
working with you to advance our trust and treaty
responsibilities.
With that, please, I know it is in your heart, protect our
water.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you.
The Chairman. Let me recognize Representative Bentz.
You are recognized.
Mr. Bentz. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Madam
Secretary, for your patience with all of us today.
And thank you for taking the time to talk with us a month
or so, 2 months ago, regarding the challenge we face down in
the Klamath. And I understand that issue has already been
raised earlier this afternoon, and I am appreciative of that.
In April, the Administration announced the creation of an
interagency working group to address the worsening drought
conditions in the West, and supported farmers, tribes, and
communities impacted by water shortages. I can assure you, I
know you know this, but right now, things are incredibly grim
in that basin. And with silence from the Administration comes
increased frustration, which we absolutely want to avoid, given
the incredible challenges they face. And by ``they,'' I mean
all of the groups in the basin. I know you are aware of this,
but I would like to know if that working group has been formed,
and if it has met, and if not, when can we anticipate that that
group will visit that basin?
Secretary Haaland. Congressman, thank you so much for the
question and thank you again also for your accessibility to my
staff, your input. And all of that has been extremely
beneficial, and we appreciate that very much.
I know how important this issue is to you. We want to make
sure that we will be in touch with you, as this working group
moves forward. And as soon as we are able to meet, we will
absolutely make sure that we reach out to you.
Mr. Bentz. Thank you, Madam Secretary. I would just say
that the challenge there is that there is a lake full of water,
and it has been allocated to in-stream purposes. So, as those
who would have normally had that water drive by that lake, you
can imagine what their feelings are. And there is 350,000 acre-
feet of water there, but they can't touch it.
So, the Administration stepping in after it had made the
decision to make those allocations to in-stream purposes, which
I understand the ESA is a law, but you folks need to be down
there, and I know the Bureau has tried to be visible, but a
higher level involvement is really necessary. And I am just
emphasizing this because it is really important.
I am going to shift away from that for just a minute, but
not because I don't think it is important, but because I just
want to use a few moments to ask how the efforts to find some
additional money for all of those affected in the basin are
going. I just want to say the losses in the basin are
calculated to be around $400 million, and we--Doug LaMalfa and
I--are asking for a bill of a fraction of that. And we have
also asked that the tribes and other folks join us in that
bill.
Perhaps you can share with us what the Administration is
doing when it comes to additional funding for that basin.
Secretary Haaland. Thank you so much for the question. And
you may know this, but Reclamation committed $15 million in
immediate aid through the Klamath Project Drought Response
Agency. And then there is another $3 million in technical
assistance to tribes for ecosystem activities.
I know the community is asking for more help, and we are
looking to do more, and leverage additional resources, as well
as the USDA. And I appreciate your deep concern, and thank you
for letting us know that you would like folks to come and
visit. I appreciate that.
Mr. Bentz. Thank you, Madam Secretary. And thanks for your
patience today.
I yield back.
The Chairman. Madam Secretary, Mr. Bentz was the last
Member to ask questions. Other Members--in deference and
appreciation for your courtesy, Madam Secretary, and for
extending your time here, and everybody that was present here
having an opportunity to have a conversation with you, it is
very much appreciated.
And I, for one, am very optimistic, and not just in a
hopeful way. I am very optimistic of the capacity that you
bring to Interior, and the number of initiatives and firsts
that we are going to see coming from Interior. That is your
record, as you have progressed, both politically and in civic
life, and I don't see it changing any bit. And that is why my
optimism continues to be very high, and will continue to be
that way. I appreciate your time.
Thank you. The meeting is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 1:28 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
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