During a U.S. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing today, Principal Deputy Assistant Interior Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis was asked about the federal oil and natural gas leasing program and 30×30 conservation initiative as the Committee considered her nomination to be Assistant Interior Secretary for Land and Minerals Management.
During Q&A, Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) asked Daniel-Davis about the status of the leasing program, the oil and gas leasing pause, current production levels, and the status of a DOI report expected over the summer regarding the administration’s review of the leasing program.
In response, she said that the leasing program is moving forward per a federal court order, production levels are consistent with previous administrations, the pause did not impact permitting on existing leases, and that the report is currently undergoing an interagency and White House review process (adding she hopes “to get it out the door very soon”). Later, in response to a question by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Daniel-Davis also said that DOI intends to make comments received on the leasing pause public once the process is complete and the report is made public.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) among other things talked about the importance of Gulf of Mexico energy to the nation and asked how Daniel-Davis viewed the Gulf in terms of domestic oil and gas production today and into the future. In response, Daniel-Davis said that Gulf of Mexico leasing is moving forward and that production has continued at historic levels, adding that the region is the “locus” of U.S. offshore activity and referencing comments by Interior Sec. Deb Haaland that oil and gas will be part of the economy for some time.
Asked by Hyde-Smith what assurances she could provide that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management would not impose stipulations that make new Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases economically infeasible and effectively unavailable for development contrary to congressional intent, Daniel-Davis said her management approach is to always be sure that her actions and those of bureaus under her oversight are in compliance with the law and taking all relevant factors into account in decision-making.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) addressed President Biden’s Aug. 2021 Proclamation on National Wilderness Month, which noted the benefits provided by areas designated under the Wilderness Act and the administration’s goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, as well as the importance of designating and protecting wilderness areas. Daines specifically asked Daniel-Davis why the administration would call for increased use of the Wilderness Act, which he said is under the sole jurisdiction of Congress, as part of the 30×30 initiative, and whether that should be the direction expected for 30×30 implementation.
In response, Daniel-Davis said that 30×30 is meant to be inclusive and not all about federal lands, but also about tribal conservation and state and local interests.
In her opening statement, Daniel-Davis said that “the important work” of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement “to responsibly and safely develop energy resources…helps to assure our country’s energy independence.” More broadly, she said that issues facing DOI “demand leadership that listens first, addresses underlying inequities, and strives for balanced, bipartisan, and collaborative solutions,” saying that if confirmed she would “prioritize partnership and collaboration.”
