Arkansas U.S. Rep. Westerman chairs panel for 1st time

Hearing shows party policy divisions

Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, leads a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. The hearing, which was on America's energy and mineral potential, was Westerman's first as chairman under the new Republican-majority House. (AP/Mariam Zuhaib)
Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, leads a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. The hearing, which was on America's energy and mineral potential, was Westerman's first as chairman under the new Republican-majority House. (AP/Mariam Zuhaib)


WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee held its first formal hearing of the new Congress on Wednesday, and policy differences and common ground between the Republican and Democratic members were apparent.

A week after committee members held a business meeting -- and members debated reinstating a ban on firearms in the committee room -- legislators met to discuss the United States' energy policies and actions to best utilize the country's energy resources.

The hearing was the first of Arkansas' Rep. Bruce Westerman's tenure as chairman.

"There may be a narrative out there -- and I know that from some of the organizational meetings we've had -- that Republicans only care about the bottom line, that we don't care about the environment. I would say that is contrary to the truth," the Hot Springs Republican said in his opening remarks.

"Republicans care about the environment and the economy, and we know that if we produce more of these products here at home, we benefit both. We benefit both greatly."

The hearing came a day after President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address that the country will still need oil and gas "for a while" but stressed that it needs to lead the international community on clean energy.

Westerman -- who served as the committee's ranking member in the last Congress -- contended the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers have dismissed "physics and math" in devising energy policies.

"They seem to ignore the science and they ignore the math and try to create this idea of a utopia that's now centered around electric vehicles," the congressman said.

"I have no problem with electric vehicles, but they're not going to solve the world's problems, they're not going to solve any kind of climate crisis, and they're certainly not going to make America more energy independent and energy secure."

Westerman also highlighted the international reliance on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas amid increasing energy demands.

"The world has an insatiable appetite for energy," he said.

"It's imperative that we look at the resources we're blessed with [and] that we develop those with the best technology and innovation possible, and that we do what's best for the American people and the world."

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., -- the committee's ranking member and the previous chairman -- began his opening remarks with criticisms toward oil "goliaths" that have collected record profits amid ongoing environmental problems. He cited the historically low levels of the Colorado River and natural disasters.

Grijalva said the United States has made progress during Biden's tenure in the White House regarding the use of renewable energy sources. The Inflation Reduction Act -- which Congress passed last August -- included investments to reduce emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants and other pollutant-control measures.

"We made great headway in taking serious actions on climate, but it looks like my colleagues across the aisle won't be building the momentum anytime soon," Grijalva said.

"Instead, we decided to dedicate this first hearing -- their first message to the American people -- how to make it easier for polluters to prosper in this country."

Kathleen Sgamma, the president of the Western Energy Alliance -- which represents oil and gas producers in the western United States -- challenged Grijalva's statement.

"We work hard every single day to ensure that we are reducing environmental impact, and we produce oil and natural gas more sustainably and more environmentally protective than any other country in the world," she said.

As Wednesday's hearing continued, lawmakers from both parties struck similar themes regarding the importance of changes to permitting for energy projects. Lawmakers toyed with the idea during the last Congress; Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., pushed a permitting bill that would have shortened the permitting process and resulted in the completion of the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline in Appalachia.

Grijalva played a part in building opposition that eventually sunk the chances of passing the proposal. He led a Democratic letter last fall opposing the inclusion of the legislation in a stopgap funding measure to keep the federal government open. Lawmakers shared concerns the plan would harm communities of color and low-income communities, adding that inserting the permitting plan in the funding bill would hinder debate on how changes would affect the environment.

Any legislation to change permitting rules would need Republican and Democratic support. Republicans control the House with a small majority, while Democrats have a slim majority of their own in the Senate.

"The word that came out probably more than any other word from both sides of the aisle was NEPA," Westerman said during the hearing, referring to the National Environmental Policy Act, the 1970 law mandating federal agencies consider a project's environmental impact.

"We're talking about regulatory reform, and it's hard to talk about energy development when you're talking about traditional energy or energy of the future without talking about the regulatory environment and the potential need to reform that regulatory environment."

Erik Milito with the National Ocean Industries Association -- which represents companies involved in offshore energy production -- said impediments from regulations impact "every energy source out there." Dana Johnson, an official with the advocacy group WE ACT for Environmental Justice, said drafting legislation must involve discussions about environmental and health care issues related to energy projects, but it is possible to achieve "the best result" from federal investments.

"The demand for energy is not going down; it's going up," Westerman said. "That energy has to come from somewhere, and we know that if we don't produce it here in the United States, then the market is going to cause us to import that energy."

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said the country's economic, national security and environmental goals are interconnected, and related problems "demand permitting solutions" that match the urgency of the changing world.

"For me, I look at permitting reform as a tool to combat climate change, strengthen our economy and protect our national security, but we must bring everyone to the table to do this right," she said.

Dingell offered to work with Westerman on reaching a bipartisan agreement on permitting, which Westerman acknowledged, agreeing lawmakers should do something.


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