INTERIOR: Salazar vows ethics cleanup, 'moon shot' on renewable energy (01/15/2009)

Noelle Straub, E&E reporter

Interior Secretary designee Ken Salazar vowed today to make reform of the scandal-plagued Interior Department his first priority if confirmed as secretary.

"I want to clean up the mess that exists in the Department of Interior," the Democratic senator from Colorado said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

While he said the current Interior secretary, Dirk Kempthorne, has made some changes "to right the ship," Salazar noted an Interior inspector general report saying that short of a crime, anything goes at the highest levels of the department.

"Even crime has been something that has happened within the Department of Interior, so our first and foremost task will be to restore the integrity of the department," he said.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), joking that the hearing was turning into a "full-fledged bouquet tossing" with so much praise for Salazar, questioned him on his commitment to reform.
Wyden cited a recent inspector general report that found that political meddling in endangered species decisions was more widespread than previously thought and that policy changes to the Endangered Species Act may be needed to fully fix the problem.
Salazar said he will review the decisions in question to ensure they comply with the law and are based on science, not politics (see related story).

"There's no substitute for good science," he said. "We will make sure that's what guides us as we move forward with good decision-making."

Wyden also asked about a recent sex, drugs and financial favors scandal at the Minerals Management Service. Salazar said the agency "obviously needs review" and that he will study the inspector general's recommendations and legislation introduced both on ethics reform and more generally on correcting deficiencies in the process by which MMS collects royalties.
"Hopefully, in the months ahead, [we will] be able to move forward with a [comprehensive] royalty reform package," he said. "We will be working on that beginning day one."

Salazar said his second goal will be to work on a "moon shot" at energy independence. "We will do it now," he said. "It is an inescapable reality, it is an imperative."

As part of the energy effort, he promised to create an "ethic" of renewable energy by promoting solar, wind and geothermal as well as siting and building new transmission lines for those new sources. He said he wouldn't have accepted the job if President-elect Barack Obama had not promised that he would play a "keystone role" in developing a new energy policy.

Repeatedly vowing to work on expanding transmission to carry renewable power, Salazar noted the major role for Interior in the process because of the massive amount of land it oversees. He pledged to work with Steven Chu, the nominee for secretary of Energy, and other federal officials on the issue.

Oil, gas and coal

While largely focusing on renewable energy, Salazar also promised "responsible development" of oil and gas resources and to promote clean coal technologies.

"We need to develop our resources, but we need to develop them in a thoughtful and responsible way," he said.

He also addressed issues of drilling on the outer continental shelf, saying there are offshore areas where it is appropriate but other places where it might not be, and vowing to give states a say in the process (see related story).

On oil shale, Salazar said he will review regulations recently finalized by the Bush administration to allow a commercial leasing program in three Western states. "We'll take a look at them and see what's workable and see what makes common sense as we move forward," he said.

As a senator, he fought to slow the Bush oil shale leasing program, saying the administration was moving ahead despite unanswered questions about its environmental effects.

Today, Salazar said, companies have estimated that they won't be able to reach commercial development until 2016, so he supports a research and development program because answers are lacking to very important questions such as how much water and energy would be needed for the process.

"We ought not to be reckless and thoughtless on how we move forward," Salazar said.

Parks, wolf protection and mining reform

He also promised to review another rule recently finalized by the Bush administration, allowing visitors to carry concealed, loaded guns into nearly all national parks. Salazar emphasized his respect for gun rights, saying he has been shooting since age 3. But he said he hadn't yet had a chance to review the new regulations.

"We'll take a look at it when we get to the department and see what makes the most sense," he said.

Salazar made similar comments promising to look at a decision issued just yesterday that delisted gray wolves in Idaho and Montana from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), but kept them under federal management in Wyoming.

Acknowledging that global climate change is having effects on endangered species, he also vowed to examine what role the ESA would play in mitigating them.

Salazar's other priorities include a "new and vigorous approach" on national parks and public lands, including new initiatives with and funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and protecting lands of national significance. He also vowed to address water supply challenges and issues, American Indian issues and the creation of a new national youth conservation program.

Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said the economic stimulus bill currently contains only $600 million of proposed spending for national parks, while there is $2.5 billion worth of ready-to-go projects that could be put in place over the next two years.

Salazar noted that the package is still in its "formative stages." He said he has already talked to the incoming administration officials about the importance of including money for public lands projects and that he hopes the park service projects can be addressed in the package.
Salazar also promised to push forward reform of the 1872 hardrock mining law. "We will work on it and try to finally get across the finish line," he said.