During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing last week, Rep. Dave Min (D-CA) questioned Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on China's investments into renewable energy.
00:00Gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from California, Mr. Min, for five minutes.
00:06Thank you, Mr. Chair. And Secretary, thank you for appearing here today.
00:09Now, in addition to being Secretary of the Interior, you also serve as chair of the National Energy Dominance Council,
00:15which was created to develop a national energy dominance strategy to produce more energy,
00:20including by enhancing private sector investments in energy and focusing on innovation.
00:24I assume you are aware that as of 2024, China has 887 gigawatts of solar energy capacity,
00:32more than six times what we have here in the United States,
00:35and 521 gigawatts of wind energy, more than three times what we have here. Yes or no?
00:40Yes, I'm aware, and I'm also aware that they have...
00:42Thank you. That was a yes or no question. I'm reclaiming my time.
00:44Are you aware that wind and solar energy now count for 37 percent of the energy consumed by China? Yes or no?
00:50Yes. I'm reclaiming my time.
00:52Now, the Trump administration is, I believe, rightfully concerned about unfair trade policies by the CCP,
01:00which has heavily subsidized key strategic industries they see as areas of future growth in national security,
01:05including semiconductors and steel.
01:07And I'm going to ask you some yes or no questions.
01:09Please just refrain to that.
01:11Limit yourself to that.
01:11Would it surprise you to know that China has invested heavily in the renewable energy sector,
01:15including massive subsidies for large-scale batteries, electric vehicles, wind power, and solar panels?
01:21Yes or no?
01:22Yes, I'm aware.
01:23Okay.
01:24Would it surprise you to know that in 2024,
01:26China accounted for two-thirds of the $2.1 trillion spent globally in subsidies for clean energy innovation?
01:33It would not surprise me.
01:35And it doesn't surprise me that they're also the world's largest polluter.
01:38Mr. Chair, thank you.
01:40Do you think it's fair to say that China sees these as key sectors for future growth and for energy dominance?
01:44Again, yes or no, please.
01:45Sixty-three percent of electricity comes from coal in China.
01:49They added 94 gigawatts of coal last year.
01:51Reclaiming my time.
01:52I think it's fairly clear that China and the rest of the world see renewable energy innovation as growth industries for the future.
01:58China sees all energy.
02:00I didn't ask you a question, Mr. Chair, reclaiming my time.
02:02And that we're currently in a competition with China over who will lead the way in this area.
02:06And as do many leading experts on national security, economics, and energy who have described the battle over clean energy as critical for whether the United States or China will dominate the 21st century.
02:16One leading publication recently described the situation this way.
02:19The United States and China are in a contest for leadership of the industries of the future, including with respect to clean energy.
02:25However, while China is investing in renewables, the United States is poised to send up the white flag of surrender.
02:31Unless amended, the House budget bill moving forward this week, which was then passed, would eviscerate the tax incentives for clean energy and EVs that were part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
02:42If the House and Senate accept this language, this would be akin to unilateral disarmament, and China will be poised to dominate the commanding heights of the world's 21st century economy without even firing a shot.
02:53Again, yes or no question.
02:54Do you think it's consistent with national energy dominance for the United States to surrender the global clean energy market to China?
03:01I disagree with the premise of all your arguments.
03:04Do you support ending and eliminating the clean energy tax credits created and enhanced by the Inflation Reduction Act?
03:11Yes or no?
03:12Yeah, I support the ending of them.
03:14Okay, I want to switch.
03:15I would disagree with that, but I'll switch up topics a little bit.
03:17When we talk about subsidizing industries and sectors, something that IRA tried to do a little bit,
03:21do you think we should be subsidizing industries like horse farms?
03:25Yes or no?
03:28Wood-burning stoves?
03:30Yes or no?
03:31I missed the second one.
03:32Wood-burning stoves?
03:34Horse farms?
03:34Should we be subsidizing them?
03:36Would you agree that as a general rule, we should be looking to nurture and foster innovation and future technologies and not technologies of the past?
03:45Yes or no?
03:47Well, innovation has always been the source of American greatness.
03:49I agree with that.
03:50I represent a district that has a lot of innovation, and yet I would submit to you that you and the Trump administration are looking to heavily subsidize oil, gas, and coal production while surrendering energy dominance in clean energy markets to China.
04:02And that is the opposite of investing in innovations, investing in past technologies.
04:06We can invest in horse and buggies.
04:08We can invest in wood-burning.
04:09We could invest in coal and oil, but these are technologies of the past.
04:13Now, I know you're going to disagree with that premise, but I think that's very clear.
04:17China sees clean energy as being the markets of the future.
04:20Europe sees that.
04:21Most national security experts and energy experts agree with that.
04:25And so with that, I'll switch over to a different topic that was addressed a little bit by some of my colleagues before.
04:31But I also represent a district that is very vulnerable to wildfire.
04:34And unlike the Congress member that spoke before, when I talk to my federal employees, whether it's the National Park Service or U.S. Forest Service,
04:41they've consistently told me they don't have enough personnel.
04:43And so I'm going to ask you again, are you aware of how many red card employees,
04:49employees that are tasked and licensed and trained to address wildfires, have been let go during your time in the interior?
04:58If anyone's gone, they took early retirement.
05:00There's been no firings of wildland fire fires.
05:02Do you know how many, what level red card employees we had when you started and how many we have today?
05:08We're certainly going to get that information and happy to provide it to you.
05:10All right.
05:11You'll bet.
05:12Gentlemen, as Tom's expert.
05:13Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to submit three articles into the record.
05:18The first is titled Rollback of the Inflation Reduction Act with Surrender Economic Primacy to China.
05:24The second is called Job Creation Estimates through Proposed Inflation Reduction Act.
05:29And the third is Clean Investment Monitor, Tallying the Two-Year Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act.
05:34Without objection, so ordered.
05:36Mr. Huffman, you're recognized.
05:37Yeah, Mr. Chair.
05:40Here we go.
05:40Halen Creative going talks, is 60,000 first.
05:44Okay.
05:44Yeah.
05:45There is Jesse Thompson 받아.
05:46All manner in front door.
05:47Here we go.
05:48Okay.
05:49And exercise with the water-of-ass air capacity.
05:50Thank you, sir.
05:51We're doing our ownDC imatism for the air capacity and we're talking too much on this.
