President Trump’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency will face his first confirmation vote next week amid heightened Democratic opposition.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., announced Friday that the vote on the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt will be held Feb. 1.
The announcement follows a scathing rebuke by the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, who complained earlier in the week that Pruitt’s answers to his and other Democrats’ questions were inadequate.
Barrasso said Pruitt answered an unprecedented 1,078 written questions after enduring a longer confirmation hearing than any other EPA nominee in the last 16 years.
“After a very thorough vetting process, it is time that we vote on Attorney General Pruitt’s nomination to lead the EPA,” Barrasso said Friday. “The committee has done its due diligence, and we should move his nomination forward. Mr. Pruitt has the right experience for the job and will make an excellent administrator of the EPA.”
One day before the Pruitt vote, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold votes on two of Trump’s picks to head the Energy and Interior departments. Those votes could serve as bellwethers for the hurdles faced by Pruitt, who undoubtedly will face intense Democratic opposition.
The energy committee will hold votes on former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head the Department of Energy and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., to head the Interior Department on Tuesday. Perry faced increased concerns from Democrats over reports that Trump wants the close a number of the Energy Department’s offices including those for renewable energy and efficiency.
But it appears the energy committee’s Republican leadership worked out those issues with top committee Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington. The votes on Perry and Zinke were supposed to be taken earlier this week, but were delayed because Cantwell hadn’t heard back from Perry on the issue of closing the agency’s offices.
A spokeswoman for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the chairman of the energy committee, said the delay was meant as a courtesy to Cantwell, explaining that there had been a “miscommunication.”
The confirmation hearing for Perry followed a fairly normal process compared to Pruitt’s.
Carper and environment committee Democrats held their own hearing on the Pruitt nomination to hear from opponents and the environmentalists last week. Their main concern is that Pruitt is a lead litigant in a major lawsuit opposing the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of the previous administration’s climate agenda.
Carper on Wednesday issued a statement that said Pruitt’s answers to the 50 written questions submitted by Democrats offered no substance.
“Mr. Pruitt’s responses were shockingly devoid of substance, did not rely on empirical evidence and did not reflect the thorough effort that a task so important to our democracy demands,” Carper said.
Carper indicated that Democrats likely will oppose his nomination unless he submits new answers to their questions.
“As the confirmation process continues, I strongly urge Mr. Pruitt to revisit these questions and provide us with the comprehensive information we need to ensure the American people will continue to have an EPA that protects our environment and health,” he said.
Meanwhile, a new nomination fight is brewing over who Trump will choose to lead the nation’s grid and energy watchdog, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The agency will be forced to essentially cease all work next week unless it has three members present on the five-member commission.
The issue arose Thursday after FERC Chairman Norman Bay, appointed by former President Barack Obama, announced he would be resigning from the five-member commission on Feb. 3., leaving two members, which is less than a quorum. That stoked concerns on Capitol Hill, with Murkowski vowing Friday to work with Trump to get nominees through the confirmation process quickly. He has not nominated any new members but chose Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur, a Democrat who Murkowski favors, to serve as acting chairwoman.
The commission’s work will be important for meeting many of Trump’s energy and infrastructure goals, especially on pipeline development. It is the primary authority for building new interstate natural gas pipelines and electric transmission lines, while serving as the regulator of the nation’s wholesale energy markets.
A number of energy groups began raising alarms on Friday over the prospects of the commission shutting down next week, pressing Trump directly to take action.
“Given your focus on infrastructure and domestic energy resources, we urge you to nominate candidates to fill the commission’s three existing vacancies as quickly as possible,” said Donald Santa, president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, in a letter sent Friday to Trump.
“It is important to note that these natural gas pipeline systems are financed with private capital. The most significant barrier to building this infrastructure is often the permitting and approval process, not a lack of financial resources. We must have a functioning FERC to move forward with building this critical energy infrastructure.”
Dena Wiggins, president and CEO of the Natural Gas Supply Association, also wrote to Trump on Friday, urging him to move quickly to shore up the commission to preserve his goals.
“In order to continue this American renaissance, it’s imperative that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have the quorum necessary to act on natural gas infrastructure projects,” Wiggins wrote. “We urge the White House to move expeditiously to nominate candidates to re-establish a quorum and fill vacant seats at the commission.
“In light of Sen. Murkowski’s announcement that she will make it a top priority to work with her Senate colleagues and the White House on the confirmation process, we are hopeful that FERC will soon be positioned to return to consideration of the energy infrastructure projects that will benefit our great country.”
Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club group vowed Friday to fight to block any FERC nominations that come before the Senate.
