At Wednesday's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) questioned Interior Sec. Doug Burgum.
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00:00Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Secretary, welcome. How are you? I'm great. Mr. Secretary, are you familiar with the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia? I'm not familiar, no. I'd love to get you down to visit. Can you do that? I would love to get to Georgia. We would love to welcome you to visit the Okefenokee. It is one of our state's great treasures.
00:25One of the most beautiful, biodiverse wildlife refuges in North America. The largest blackwater swamp of its kind in North America. There is an effort with bipartisan support that the previous administration supported to secure a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for the Okefenokee.
00:46This has strong bipartisan support among local officials, state officials in Georgia, former Governor Sonny Perdue, Lieutenant Governor Bert Jones among them.
00:58Will you continue to support our efforts to secure UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for the Okefenokee, which is now in your purview as part of a national wildlife refuge system?
01:08Well, I'm certainly interested in learning more about it. I know that that's a lengthy process and is achieving that. So I would love to understand all the implications of supporting and if there's budget implications for interior.
01:27But I'd certainly be happy to take a look at it. Well, we need your support. We need to get you down there as well to spend some time at the refuge. I know there's been some public discussion about sale of public lands. Can you give an unequivocal guarantee that you will not pursue any sale of any part of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge?
01:48Yes. Thank you so much for that. Mr. Secretary, I wrote you a letter on April 10th about an apparent effort by DOGE to close the U.S. Geological Survey Office in Norcross, Georgia. This is the Water Science Center in Norcross. It plays a critical role in ensuring water quality for folks in Metro Atlanta. Did you receive that letter?
02:12I'm certain that our team did. I have not received a response. It's been about six weeks. Any reason for that?
02:20No specific reason other than how incredibly short-staffed we are as we're trying to ramp up.
02:25Can you get back more promptly in the future?
02:28As we just said earlier, we have zero of our 16 Senate confirmed leaders on board. First one is coming on Tuesday after Memorial Day. And so as we get leadership team in place, I'm sure our operations will...
02:42We need timely responses to those kinds of inquiries, Mr. Secretary. I mean, the staff at this office test water quality to ensure the Georgians don't drink contaminated water.
02:54We, Senator Warnock and I, have asked you not to close this office. We...
02:58No justification for such closure was offered. There's significant public concern in Georgia about the potential impact on water quality.
03:07Am I correct that you've abandoned those plans or overruled the Doge effort to close that office in Norcross?
03:16I'm not familiar with the...
03:19When you're saying closure, I know that there was an effort to take a look at all the real estate we had, particularly the fact that we had virtually every employee in Interior was working remotely.
03:29And yet we were paying hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate bills.
03:33And so I think it was reasonable that we took a look to say, do we need the real estate?
03:37But I'm not sure when you're saying closing the office, if you're talking about the positions or about the office lease.
03:43Because I know some office leases were being considered removed and some have been...
03:47Yeah, so Doge expressed its intent to close the U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Center in Norcross, Georgia.
03:57You've heard from me and Senator Warnock, our opposition.
04:00As I mentioned, there's tremendous public concern.
04:03Are you still planning to close that office?
04:05Well, we'll certainly take this particular request under consultation and our team will be in discussion with you and your team about that.
04:13Okay, well, with respect, Mr. Secretary, this is an issue that I raised about a month and a half ago with you.
04:18Yeah, I understand that.
04:19Yeah, so when can I expect a response?
04:21Soon.
04:22Okay.
04:22Let me raise with you the ongoing bipartisan effort to establish Georgia's first-ever national park.
04:35This is the Okmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative.
04:39Congressman Austin Scott, Republican in the House, and I are leading a bipartisan, bicameral group of the Georgia delegation
04:46in order to establish Fish National Park and Preserve for the first time made major progress in the U.S. Senate last Congress on this effort,
04:56overwhelming local support in the Macon area for getting this done.
05:01We've been grateful for the Department's past support, providing technical assistance to help us move that forward.
05:06Will you continue to provide that support?
05:08Well, happy to engage with you and take a look at this proposal and this project.
05:14Okay, Mr. Secretary, my time has expired.
05:16I know you're getting up to speed and staffing up.
05:19Would appreciate more intensity of engagement on some of these Georgia concerns
05:23and look forward to sitting down with you and welcoming you to the state to work with you in Georgia's interest.
05:27Thank you so much.
05:30Thank you, Senator Ossoff.