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
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
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 I rise to declare recess of the committee at any time. The committee is meeting today to hear testimony
00:05 from the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, the Honorable Deborah Holland,
00:08 on the Department of Interior's fiscal year 2025 budget request. Under Committee Rule 4(f),
00:14 any oral opening statements at hearings are limited to the Chairman and the ranking minority member.
00:19 I therefore ask unanimous consent that all other members' opening statements be made part of the
00:24 hearing record if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3(o). Without objection,
00:30 so ordered. Good morning and welcome, Secretary Holland. We appreciate you having you back in
00:38 the committee and I'm looking forward to hearing your testimony and the questions from our members
00:44 today. While some things have changed since you last appeared before us, much has remained the
00:49 same. I know our members and I have many questions for you on DOI's policymaking over the past 12
00:56 months and the way your agency continues to ignore local voices in pursuit of vague, undefined goals
01:02 dictated by a radical agenda. The consequences of DOI's actions are deeply felt in areas that
01:08 have relied on multiple use of public lands for generations. These communities have been
01:13 abruptly destabilized by decisions from D.C. bureaucrats who think they know what's best.
01:19 Despite the administration's inclusive claims, their actions plan or paint a different picture,
01:24 one that is causing real harm to our fellow Americans. DOI's games are putting America in
01:31 jeopardy. With so many questionable actions from DOI, it is impossible to name them all,
01:37 so instead I'll take them one jeopardy category at a time. The first is faux conservation,
01:44 a category of cleverly named actions that in reality restrict land access to further an
01:49 extreme environmental agenda. Leading off, the Bureau of Land Management's final rule, which
01:55 when first proposed drew the ire of western governors, members of Congress, and thousands
02:00 of Americans. It's a danger to the land America relies on to feed and fuel our economy and a
02:06 blatant disregard for input. The answer to that clue is what is BLM's public lands rule?
02:13 Not to be outdone, the next category is rogue rules, and here's your clue. This rulemaking
02:19 will impose new fees and regulatory burdens on Americans' energy producers, have devastating
02:24 effects on small businesses, and increase energy costs for consumers. The answer is what is BLM's
02:31 onshore leasing rule? Or how about our next category, where's my energy? I'll give you
02:38 several clues starting with the latest devastating sanctions on Alaska, the decision to limit energy
02:43 development in the NPRA ignored the blatant concerns of indigenous communities, residents
02:49 of Alaska, and Alaska's entire congressional delegation. The Biden administration also
02:55 effectively shuttered mineral development in Alaska by blocking access road, the access road
03:00 to the Ambler Mining District. Lest President Biden forgets, these are the same minerals needed
03:06 for his own renewable energy goals, not to mention the items we depend on for our daily use.
03:11 When it comes to these actions and this clue, the answer is clear, and that is what are Biden's
03:16 attacks on Alaska's right to produce energy and minerals? I've been a little tongue-in-cheek with
03:21 my examples, but the jeopardy posed by the actions of the Department of Interior under Biden
03:26 administration, or under the Biden administration, is all too real. Each decision I outlined came out
03:33 of just the past two weeks, just the past two weeks, those three decisions and three rules,
03:40 which seem more like law making that Congress should be doing instead of rule making by the
03:47 administration. There's not enough for time, enough time for me to outline the attack after attack
03:54 from this administration since day one. At the same time, the Biden border crisis has spread to
04:00 every community across America. I've spent time in New York City, of all places, seeing how National
04:07 Park Service lands are now home to camps for migrants. This rules for thee and not for me
04:12 situation shows DOI is choosing to prioritize the needs of migrants above the safety and well-being
04:18 of American communities and our treasured public lands. This administration treats policy making as
04:24 a game, using American communities as political pawns. Unfortunately, decisions have real
04:30 consequences. We're talking about people's livelihoods, real money, not game show winnings.
04:36 In contrast, Republicans have advanced policies that promote a healthy environment
04:41 and a healthy economy. These are not mutually exclusive goals. In fact, they go hand in hand.
04:47 Our solutions provide access to American resources, advanced conservation, environmentally friendly
04:53 ideals, and put local leaders in the driver's seat instead of DC bureaucrats. Secretary Haaland,
05:00 I urge you to give all communities a seat at the table, not just the ones that fit your narrative.
05:05 In this pattern of disrespect and disregard and work with us to enact meaningful change
05:11 that works for everyone. I yield back my time and I recognize the ranking minority leader,
05:18 as a comm log or dove for any statement.