Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN), Chair of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's hearing on the fiscal year 2020 budget request for the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement:
Good morning. Today the Interior Subcommittee will conclude two-week series of budget hearings that have so far covered the Interior Department, including three of its bureaus; the EPA; and the Forest Service. This morning we will hear from three more Interior bureaus: the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
Testifying on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management is Dr. Brian Steed. Dr. Steed has served as the bureau’s Deputy Director for Policy and Programs since 2017 and is currently exercising the authority of the Director. BLM is responsible for managing more than 245 million acres of federal land, primarily in the West, and its multi-purpose mission is not always easy to balance, as Members of this Subcommittee know well. Despite that, the president’s budget request for BLM is a cut of 12% from the current enacted level, including $126 million from basic, day-to-day operations. That cut will mean fewer resources to manage wildlife habitat, ensure safe and accessible recreation opportunities, and support the sustainable management of our public lands.
The one area in BLM’s budget that is spared this cut is the Energy and Minerals activity, which gets a slight bump to pursue on-shore drilling, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I am disappointed, but not surprised, to see President Trump using his proposed budget to once again show his favoritism for oil and gas corporations.
Representing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is Dr. Walter Cruickshank, the bureau’s Deputy Director who is currently the Acting Director. Dr. Cruickshank has served as Deputy Director since 2002- all the way back to the former Minerals Management Service. BOEM, as the bureau is known, is responsible for all oil and gas leasing activities on the Outer Continental Shelf, and currently manages more than 2,600 oil and gas leases spread over 14 million acres offshore. Unlike the rest of the Interior Department, BOEM has dodged the sequestration bullet and has not had its budget cut. On the contrary, the request for the Bureau is up by 8%.
And joining us to talk about the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, or BSEE, is Mr. Scott Angelle, the Director. Mr. Angelle is a former elected commissioner of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. BSEEs safety inspectors-who fly out to the drilling platforms to inspect the rigs-have a dangerous and tough job, but they are central to making sure oil and gas operations are conducted in a safe manner. I’ll be particularly interested to hear more about the new Risk-Based Inspection program being implemented.
Gentlemen, we welcome each of you here this morning and look forward to hearing your testimony.
Before turning to the Subcommittee’s Ranking Member for any comments he may wish to make, let me just note that your full statements will be included and printed in the record. We will also be using our timer this morning so if each of you can summarize your testimony in 5 minutes, that will be appreciated.
Mr. Joyce, would you care to make a statement?
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
