Next week’s confirmation hearing for Interior Department deputy secretary David Bernhardt is set to bring Democratic opposition back to the fore by using his ties to the energy industry to undermine his approval.
Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, likely will lead at least some of the more pointed questions over Bernhardt’s previous employment. The energy committee will take up his nomination next Thursday, the panel announced yesterday evening.
“I am gravely concerned about Mr. Bernhardt’s record of working on behalf of corporations at the expense of the environment, and his history at the Department of the Interior during years plagued by ethical scandals,” Cantwell said this month. Cantwell led the efforts in beating back a Republican-backed bill earlier this week to repeal methane regulations on oil and natural gas drillers.
“The committee must do its job in closely scrutinizing his record and any conflicts of interest that run contrary to protecting the public interest and upholding the stewardship responsibilities entrusted to the department, on behalf of the American people,” Cantwell said.
Financial disclosure forms showed Bernhardt earned $80,000 last year from a number of energy companies as a private consultant and lawyer.
The Trump administration sees Bernhardt as an invaluable asset to the Interior Department, where he has served at various times under previous Republican administrations.
“Bernhardt’s extensive experience serving under former Interior Secretaries [Gale] Norton and [Dirk] Kempthorne and his esteemed legal career is exactly what is needed to help streamline government and make the Interior and our public lands work for the American economy,” said Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
Zinke also faced opposition from Cantwell over fear he would exploit public lands for energy development. She feared that he would be unable to “moderate the Trump administration’s extreme views on exploiting our public lands,” according to a statement she made on the Senate floor in February.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the Republican chairwoman of the energy committee, has been quiet on the Bernhardt nomination.
Meanwhile, a coalition of Democrats who included Cantwell sent a letter to Zinke late Thursday demanding an explanation for why he decided to suspend a number of the agency’s federal advisory committees until the fall.
“We are very concerned about this news and would like an answer as to why the [Resource Advisory Council] meetings were postponed during the [Bureau of Land Management’s] review of all advisory boards and committees,” the senators wrote. “It is critical that local voices, including RACs, have the opportunity to provide input and take part in the process at all times, not just when those local voices align with the administration or a large special interest.”
The Interior Department said it is suspending the meetings as it conducts an internal review to improve the agency’s decision-making process.
The advisory groups are set up to provide a diverse array of “community input on often-contentious public land management issues,” according to a statement from Cantwell’s office.
