In Appropriations Hearing, Rep. Susie Lee Questions Interior Secretary on Transition to Renewable Energy, Bureau of Land Management

Press Release

In today's Fiscal Year 2023 Department of the Interior (DOI) budget hearing for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Rep. Susie Lee directed questions to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Rep. Lee questioned Secretary Haaland on steps being taken by DOI to advance and appropriately site renewable energy projects on public lands and emphasized the importance of creating a cleaner energy grid to combat climate change. Rep. Lee also advocated for transparency on the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) progress in improving staffing on the ground in Nevada and across the country for the agency to manage public lands and resources more effectively.

Rep. Lee introduced the Electric Power Infrastructure Improvement Act to build a more resilient electric grid through modern renewable energy projects and support the creation of clean-energy jobs. Rep. Lee also secured an increase of $11 million in Fiscal Year 2022 funding for solar energy "soft costs" to reduce the time and cost of installing residential solar energy systems.

In 2021, Rep. Lee questioned Secretary Haaland on the prior administration's relocation of BLM headquarters, which resulted in an 87% loss of Washington, D.C.-based staff. This year, Rep. Lee ensured a $3.46 million increase in Fiscal Year 2022 funding for the Bureau of Land Management's Conservation System, including funds to support Southern Nevada's treasured Red Rock National Recreation Area and Sloan Canyon.

Rep. Lee began by asking Secretary Haaland about BLM's staffing shortage and how to assist in expediting projects to address critical public lands challenges:

Rep. Lee -- "As you know, no state south of Alaska has more federal lands than the state of Nevada, most of which is seen over overseen by the BLM. And as [Rep.] Simpson said here that the staffing shortage has been an issue across the West and it's inhibited us from meeting some public lands challenges with the urgency they deserve. In Clark County, in my district … it can currently take up to two years or more for BLM to sign off on their Recreation and Public Purposes Act leases that would allow these counties to move these projects forward and more importantly, help the department carry out the America the Beautiful initiative. Could you, you know, other than staffing, could you speak to why this approval process takes so long and what we can be doing together to help expedite it?"

Secretary Haaland -- "Thank you so much for the question, Congresswoman. And I appreciate that knowing how you feel about this. And, yes, we recognize that building capacity in the BLM is a priority for us. And, you know, we're working on ways to expedite hiring for positions that support operations, such as contracting officers, engineers, human resources. All of those efforts are ongoing. And I want you to know that we're working on it, and we're happy to follow up with you in any way, shape or form that we can. But please know that we recognize this is an issue and we're doing our best to remedy it."

Rep. Lee then asked about DOI's roadmap for renewable energy development and transparency concerning its plans to move forward with planned projects:

Rep. Lee -- "I want to turn now to renewable energy. And as we know, it's imperative to make this transition. And obviously time is of the essence. And last week, the department released its roadmap for achieving the ten gigawatts of renewable energy on public lands by the end of next year, nearly doubling capacity. But across the West, we've seen instances where late or insufficient community consultation has prevented some renewable projects from proceeding. And in fact … developers of what would be would have been southern Nevada's largest solar facility pulled their project amid pushback from local residents and some conservation groups. And so, as the department continues to fast-track renewable energy development, what are you doing to ensure this kind of proactive, early concentration with relevant communities and stakeholders? Let's work to prevent the spread of misinformation, protect key resources, and keep projects moving forward in the right direction so that we can actually get them constructed. What are your plans to do that?"

Secretary Haaland -- "Thank you very much, Congresswoman. And yes, I couldn't agree with you more. Proactively engaging states, counties, local communities, Indian tribes, other interested stakeholders are certainly important to moving a project forward ... The BLM is establishing a renewable energy, coordinating offices to work with key partners. We think that might help to move the issue forward. I have a few examples for you. We've had robust coordination in combining multiple projects under a single aegis. There are seven solar projects proposed near Tonopah, Nevada, that you likely know about …We're facilitating stakeholder engagement, and stakeholder engagement is incredibly important to me … We're happy to share more about that with you and to focus our resources on most developed proposals with least anticipated natural and cultural resource conflict."

Source