'Families Will Bear Those Increased Costs': Martin Heinrich Rips BBB Over Energy Funding Cuts

Forbes Breaking News

During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) spoke about the Big Beautiful Bill's provisions to cut funding for energy efficiency and clean energy programs.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Chairman Lee, and welcome Mr. Erdos, Ms. Robertson, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Eisner.

00:09The committee meets this morning to consider nominations to four very

00:14different offices. They range from expertise in coal mining to energy

00:18efficiency and renewable energy, from cleaning up nuclear weapons sites to

00:22international affairs. Two things that the four jobs have in common, however, is

00:27their importance and the responsibility the office holders will have to do well

00:32by the American people. Our task this morning, as in every confirmation hearing,

00:37is to determine how the nominees we are asked to entrust with these important

00:41offices plan to use them to do well by the American people. Mr. Erdos has the

00:47advantage of having been nominated and confirmed to the position five years ago,

00:51and while much may have changed in the past five years, the need for the office

00:57of surface mining to protect communities and the environment during mining to

01:02restore the land after mining and to reclaim abandoned mine lands remains as

01:07great as ever. Indeed, the need may be even greater as this administration seeks

01:12to increase coal production. We need your assurance, Mr. Erdos, that you remain

01:17committed to enforcing our surface mining laws and regulations and to restoring and

01:22reclaiming abandoned mine lands. Similarly, we seek assurances from you, Mr. Walsh, that you will

01:29work diligently to clean up the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project and Cold War

01:34weapons sites. Secretary Wright testified last month that the department remains committed

01:40to the cleanup program, and we want to hear that commitment from you as well. I harbor greater

01:46concerns for your offices, Ms. Robertson and Mr. Eisner. One of President Trump's first acts after

01:52being sworn in for a second term was to abandon our efforts to transition to a clean energy economy.

01:59The department has announced plans to cut dozens of energy efficiency rules that save consumers

02:05hundreds of dollars on their utility bills annually. It has proposed a 74% reduction in next year's budget

02:14for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. These cuts, combined with the rollback of the clean energy

02:20tax credits and the reconciliation bill that Republicans supported, will undoubtedly drive up energy prices.

02:27The reconciliation bill alone is estimated to increase annual energy costs more than 16 billion dollars

02:35in 2030 and more than 33 billion by 2035. And American families will bear those increased costs.

02:43I need to ask you, Ms. Robertson, whether you intend to continue the department's long-standing efforts to improve

02:50energy efficiency and develop renewable energy sources, or whether you plan to abandon those programs.

02:57I am similarly concerned by the 40% reduction in the department's budget request for international affairs

03:04and this administration's apparent disdain for our allies and global alliances. The work of DOE's

03:11international affairs office is critical to maintaining U.S. competitiveness and securing economic

03:17alliances with our allies. And I will seek your assurance, Mr. Eisner, that the department will remain committed

03:24to working with our allies on international energy issues. I look forward to hearing from our nominees

03:31on these and other issues this morning and I appreciate their willingness to take on these important

03:36and challenging responsibilities. Thank you.

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