'That's A Yes Or No Question': GOP Lawmaker Grills Deb Haaland Over Whether She Met With Group

7 months ago

At a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) questioned Sec. Deb Haaland about meetings over ANWR.

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript

Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00It's time to expire. The chair recognizes the gentleman from Idaho, Mr. Fulcher, for five

00:04minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Madam Secretary. Thanks for coming and for being

00:09back here. It's good to see you. I have had a chance to look at some of your written testimony

00:14and also heard some of your verbal testimony as well, but I haven't picked up at least clearly

00:23the answer to the following, and it has to do with the number of renewable energy projects

00:29that the department has approved in this administration. Do you happen to know

00:36how many of those approximately renewable energy projects that have been approved?

00:44I feel like I know that number, but I would love for Laura to answer that question because

00:50I don't want to get it wrong, if that's okay. Okay, please. Thank you, Madam Secretary.

00:55Congressman, I can tell you the megawatts approved, and it's somewhere

01:00exceeding 7,000 megawatts. We would have to get back to you on the specifics. Okay, so let me do

01:05a follow-up question. How many mining projects have been approved in the approximate same window

01:10of time? Since the president has been in office, we have approved 40 mining or mining modification

01:19permits as well as five critical mineral mines. So there appears, at least from my vantage point,

01:26that there's a disparity where there's a focus much more in favor of renewable energy projects

01:33than over the mines at a time where we have so many needs for critical minerals. Mr. Chairman,

01:38with that, I would like to yield some time to Mr. Stauber. Thank you very much, Representative

01:44Fulcher. Secretary Howland, the Chair, Russellman put into the record the Voice of the Arctic

01:53Inupiat Resolution, November number 2024-1, meaning their first resolution of this year.

02:02And I want to say that they're called the Voice. The Voice membership is comprised of local

02:08governments, tribal governments, tribal service providers, and Alaska Native corporations across

02:14the North Slope of Alaska. In this resolution, it says, whereas prior to the convention,

02:20that's the Alaska Federation of Native American Convention, held October 13, 2023,

02:27the North Slope Trilateral Regional Leadership wrote Secretary Howland a letter asking for a

02:32meeting regarding both the ANWR and NPRA announcements and lack of meaningful engagement

02:39with the region's leadership. AFN convention came and went without a response granting or denying

02:47the meeting request, and to date, no response has been received. Do you dispute that?

02:56I do. So are you telling us today that you specifically met with the Voice of the Inupiat

03:03on ANWR and NPRA Alaska? I am saying that we have not ignored any voices in Alaska. Madam

03:11Secretary, this is a yes or no question. I'm asking you specifically. Did you meet with the

03:17North Slope Alaska Natives, the Voice of the Inupiat, those groups on the North Slope? Did you

03:22specifically meet with them? That's a yes or no question. I feel like I need to explain further

03:31on how this whole issue was dealt with, because we gave opportunities for the tribes in Alaska,

03:38as well as the corporations, to respond to a tribal consultation request. Madam Secretary,

03:46with my minute and a half left, this is just a simple question. Did you specifically and

03:51individually meet with the Alaska Natives on the North Slope? Congressman, if you would like a

03:58detailed list of everyone that we have met with, we are more than happy to get with you or your

04:07staff after this meeting. I want to say... No, I don't need you to get with me. I need you to get with

04:14the Alaska Natives on the North Slope. I understand. I've asked you three... Madam Secretary, I've asked you

04:18three times. It's a simple yes or no. Did you specifically meet with the Alaska Natives on

04:24the North Slope before you put this rule forward? That's a yes or a no. My first trip to Alaska,

04:30I went up to Utqiagvik. I had a tribal meeting, a tribal roundtable with tribes all over the district,

04:38as well as a state legislator from the area. Madam Secretary, this will be the fourth time I ask you.

04:44Specifically, did you meet with the Alaska Natives on the North Slope? Specifically for your ANWR rule

04:56and NPRA Alaska? Did you meet with them? I can say that the BLM held three in-person meetings...

05:03Mr. Chair, with that, I just I find it difficult that the NPRA's 23 million acres is entirely

05:12located within the boundaries of the North Slope region of Alaska, and she can't answer the question

05:17whether she met with them or not, and I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just, for the record,

05:21wanted to respond to the Secretary. My understanding is there's only been five mines

05:26that have been approved since this administration. The others were related to some sort of

05:33expansions. Will that yield back? Does the gentleman yield? Gentlemen, time has expired. The Chair now

05:39recognizes the gentleman from California, Mr. Mullen, for five minutes.

05:50The gentleman recognizes the gentleman from Hawaii, Mr. Case, for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

'That's A Yes Or No Question': GOP Lawmaker Grills Deb Haaland Over Whether She Met With Group

Category

Transcript

Recommended