31.01.2017, 20:32
Trump energy team clears US Senate panel
OREANDA-NEWS. A Senate panel today advanced President Donald Trump's nominees to lead the Interior and Energy Departments, where they will oversee energy production on federal lands and the distribution of billions of dollars in research funding.
The US Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee's support clears the way for confirmation votes by the full US Senate. The panel voted 16-6 to recommend representative Ryan Zinke (R-Montana) to head Interior and voted 16-7 to support the nomination of former Texas governor Rick Perry to lead the Energy Department. The nominees won the support of all the Republicans on the panel and a few Democrats.
Trump has said he wants an "America first" energy plan. Interior would play the larger role in implementing that vision, as it oversees energy production on federal land and offshore areas. The Energy Department though could expedite approval of LNG exports and also has authority over billions of dollars in energy-related research.
Committee chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she did not know if Zinke and Perry would be at the "front of the line" in getting time on the Senate floor for confirmation votes. She said the bipartisan support they won today could make it easier to move through their confirmations.
Zinke received a relatively bipartisan reception during his confirmation hearing on 17 January. The former Navy SEAL said he supported expanding oil, gas and coal production on federal lands, but also pushed for more funding for national parks and opposed a Republican-backed idea to transfer federal land to states.
Interior manages fossil fuel production and renewable energy siting on federal land and offshore waters. One of Zinke's first actions, if he is confirmed, could be to rescind a decision by president Barack Obama's administration to place a temporary freeze on new coal leasing to review royalty rates and conduct environmental reviews.
At his confirmation hearing on 19 January Perry said he regretted pushing for the elimination of the Energy Department during his 2011 run for president. He said he would push other federal agencies to revise regulations that have limited energy production, while seeking to preserve the agency's science and research budget.
The committee's ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), who voted against the two nominees along with other Democrats, raised concerns that the Trump administration would cut programs at the Energy Department that set energy efficiency standards and conduct research into renewable energy.
"Too much progress has been made, and too much progress will continue to be made, to reverse course now," Cantwell said.
Trump has vowed to cut by 75pc federal regulations he believes are hindering economic growth. Yesterday he signed an executive order that would require federal agencies to repeal two existing regulations for every new regulation they adopt. That order would apply to rules from Interior and the Energy Departments, even if the projected benefits from the existing regulations exceeded their costs.
The US Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee's support clears the way for confirmation votes by the full US Senate. The panel voted 16-6 to recommend representative Ryan Zinke (R-Montana) to head Interior and voted 16-7 to support the nomination of former Texas governor Rick Perry to lead the Energy Department. The nominees won the support of all the Republicans on the panel and a few Democrats.
Trump has said he wants an "America first" energy plan. Interior would play the larger role in implementing that vision, as it oversees energy production on federal land and offshore areas. The Energy Department though could expedite approval of LNG exports and also has authority over billions of dollars in energy-related research.
Committee chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she did not know if Zinke and Perry would be at the "front of the line" in getting time on the Senate floor for confirmation votes. She said the bipartisan support they won today could make it easier to move through their confirmations.
Zinke received a relatively bipartisan reception during his confirmation hearing on 17 January. The former Navy SEAL said he supported expanding oil, gas and coal production on federal lands, but also pushed for more funding for national parks and opposed a Republican-backed idea to transfer federal land to states.
Interior manages fossil fuel production and renewable energy siting on federal land and offshore waters. One of Zinke's first actions, if he is confirmed, could be to rescind a decision by president Barack Obama's administration to place a temporary freeze on new coal leasing to review royalty rates and conduct environmental reviews.
At his confirmation hearing on 19 January Perry said he regretted pushing for the elimination of the Energy Department during his 2011 run for president. He said he would push other federal agencies to revise regulations that have limited energy production, while seeking to preserve the agency's science and research budget.
The committee's ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), who voted against the two nominees along with other Democrats, raised concerns that the Trump administration would cut programs at the Energy Department that set energy efficiency standards and conduct research into renewable energy.
"Too much progress has been made, and too much progress will continue to be made, to reverse course now," Cantwell said.
Trump has vowed to cut by 75pc federal regulations he believes are hindering economic growth. Yesterday he signed an executive order that would require federal agencies to repeal two existing regulations for every new regulation they adopt. That order would apply to rules from Interior and the Energy Departments, even if the projected benefits from the existing regulations exceeded their costs.
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