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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
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For Immediate
Release January 19, 2005 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600 |
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| SALAZAR OUTLINES ENERGY VIEWS AT CONFIRMATION HEARING
Washington, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar released his first statement to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today. Senator Salazar sits on the Energy Committee. Today’s hearing marked the beginning of the confirmation process of Dr. Samuel Bodman for Secretary of Energy. “I look forward to serving on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee,” said Salazar. “We need to look toward the future for our energy needs. The future of our energy independence lies with the development of alternative energy resources. I am committed to bringing a balance between that process and new exploration and development of conventional energy sources, while continuing to protect our air, land and water.” Salazar also underscored the importance of continued support for the timely cleanup of the Department of Energy’s Rocky Flats facility on the Front Range west of Denver, Colorado. Senator Salazar’s Committee Statement and Questions Regarding the Nomination of Dr. Bodman are attached below.
Good afternoon. Thank you Mr. Chairman. It is a privilege to serve on this important Committee with you and with Senator Bingaman, to whom I am grateful for this assignment. I very much look forward to working with you and with all of my colleagues as we strive to develop a clean, diversified and secure energy future for Colorado and our country. I know I will learn a great deal from all of you, as you share your experiences and leadership on a wide range of issues affecting the nation’s energy sources and other natural resources. I hope that my own experience, as a farmer and rancher for much of my life, and as someone who has been deeply involved in water, environmental and natural resources issues throughout my career will be helpful to this Committee. And thank you, Dr. Bodman, for your long and distinguished service to our country. Your experience in the Commerce and Treasury Departments will be very valuable, I expect, as you consider ways to improve our nation’s energy independence and energy security. I grew up in Colorado's San Luis Valley, part of the fifth generation of my family to make its living from the land. As I said, I have been actively engaged in agriculture as a farmer and rancher for much of my life. My grandparents and parents passed along to me the values of preserving and protecting our air, land and water for future generations. Colorado is blessed with an abundance of natural energy resources, and the oil and gas industry plays a significant part of our state economy. As long as America is dependent on foreign oil for a significant part of our energy needs, our economy and our national security are at risk. We need to move rapidly toward energy independence. As we work to attain energy independence, we can also strengthen our economy, increase our national security and protect our air, land and water. A. Balance Between Energy Development and Environmental Protection We need to increase our domestic production of oil and gas, and we can do that in ways that do not harm the environment. But there are some places that should not be drilled because they are just too valuable for protection of water, fish and wildlife habitat or recreation. The Roan Plateau near Rifle, Colorado, is an area that exemplifies the need to balance multiple values and uses of public lands. The area is rich in natural gas and other energy resources, but the top of the plateau is one of the state’s most biologically rich areas. We need to work toward energy independence, but we also need to protect wildlife habitat critical to hunting and fishing, an important component of the local economy. Garfield County and some other local governments, as well as many local citizen groups, have expressed opposition to drilling on top of the plateau. The Bureau of Land Management recently released a draft Environmental Impact Statement reviewing all of these matters. I am working closely with representatives of BLM and the state to ensure that the federal government refrains from issuing additional leases on top of the Plateau until leases at the base of the Plateau are fully developed and other environmental safeguards are in place. B. Renewable Energy The Western Governor’s Association has now adopted at least two energy policy resolutions, which call for new exploration and development of conventional energy sources, where air, land and water can be protected, and at the same time urge the development of alternative (renewable) energy resources, energy efficiency and conservation. In my judgment, renewable energy is our future, and we need to support research and development in this industry so that we are the international leader, not a follower. As you may know, Colorado just passed Amendment 37, the Renewable Energy Standard. I supported Amendment 37, because it makes renewable energy a reality, not merely an aspiration. Amendment 37 creates a modest standard for renewable energy generation in Colorado, starting at only 3% in 2007 and rising gradually to only 10% in 2015. The ballot measure protects ratepayers from any rate hike larger than 50 cents per month for any expense related to the policy. Many other states have passed similar legislation, and I look forward to working with you and my colleagues to further this agenda on renewable energy. Clean Energy Research and Conservation We also need to support research into hydrogen fuel cells, solar energy, geothermal energy, hybrid auto engines, and higher fuel efficiency for automobiles and home appliances. I hope I can count on your support for these principles and your commitment to working with this Committee to develop a national energy policy that includes a viable renewable energy program as well as necessary clean energy research and energy conservation. To further these goals I urge you to support the Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. As you know, NREL is the Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. I am a proud supporter of NREL and its research projects. Providing NREL with the resources it needs will lead our nation to greater energy independence and security. Rocky Flats Finally, I fully expect you to provide continued support for the timely cleanup of the Department’s Rocky Flats facility west of Denver, Colorado. As you know, Rocky Flats manufactured components for nuclear weapons for the nation's defense from the 1950’s until 1992. The environmental cleanup is scheduled to be completed by December 2006. Most of the 6,500-acre site will become part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, but approximately 1,200 acres will remain under DOE control. As I understand it, that area, which will be cleaned up to no more than 50 picocuries of Plutonium per gram of soil, will be fenced off from the National Wildlife Refuge to protect Refuge workers and the public. The cleanup of Rocky Flats serves as a model for the cleanup of DOE facilities nationwide, and it is therefore important to the people of my state and to the country as a whole for DOE to make its plant closure mission at Rocky Flats a priority and to complete environmental cleanup, waste management and decommissioning by December 2006. It is with these principles in mind that I hope you will help develop new clean energy goals and energy efficiency programs that will help meet our country’s future energy needs and lead to greater energy independence and security. The Committee will work on an energy bill again this year. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this Committee and with you, Dr. Bodman, to do everything we can to help develop a comprehensive and sustainable energy strategy that is also protective of a healthy environment in the West and across the country. Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman and Senator Bingaman. And thank you, Dr. Bodman. Confirmation Hearing of
Dr. Samuel W. Bodman Thank you Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, Dr. Bodman. Thank you for your long and distinguished service to our country. I have a series of questions related primarily to DOE facilities in Colorado and to our nation’s energy policy. COLORADO SPECIFIC PROJECTS There are two DOE facilities in my state of Colorado that I want to ask you about. The first is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which is located in Golden, Colorado. NREL is the Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. I am a proud supporter of NREL and its research projects. The many talented scientists and engineers at NREL are playing a critical role in bringing clean and secure energy supplies to our nation. I hope you will take full advantage of NREL’s technical leadership and expertise to help fulfill the Department’s energy R&D mission in the coming years. The second DOE facility in Colorado is the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, which manufactured components for nuclear weapons for the nation's defense until 1992. As you know, the current mission of the plant is closure – environmental cleanup, waste management and decommissioning – by December 2006. QUESTION 1: Next month, NREL will break ground on the Science and Technology Facility—the first new research laboratory on the lab’s main campus in nearly a decade. The new facility will house key elements of NREL’s world-class research in hydrogen and other promising renewable energy technologies and will push the envelope on sustainable, energy efficient building design. Construction of the facility is scheduled for completion in early 2007. Will DOE request from Congress the final capital construction funds in FY 2006 to complete this critical new lab building to help our nation meet its future energy needs? QUESTION 2: Several of my constituents recently participated in a tour of the NREL facility, and I was surprised to learn that it does not operate around the clock, even though there is a long waiting list of companies hoping to use the lab’s equipment to test their proto-types of wind turbines and other wind technology. It seems to me that a modest increase in NREL's budget, which would permit the facility to operate 24/7, would repay itself in dividends several times over. Will you support increased funding for R&D and other operations at DOE renewable labs in Colorado and elsewhere in the nation? Background (Rocky Flats): The Department will soon complete the environmental cleanup of its Rocky Flats plant west of Denver. In general, the cleanup has progressed well. But, as at many contaminated sites being cleaned up across the country, some contamination will remain in the ground. A part of the site will be designated a National Wildlife Refuge. It will be necessary, therefore, to impose certain restrictions on land use to ensure that the remedy remains protective of human health. Because existing legal mechanisms to restrict land use are not adequate for this purpose, many states have adopted or are adopting legislation to create enforceable use restrictions, or “institutional controls.” In 2001, the Colorado Attorney General’s office drafted and sponsored such legislation, and, with the support of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the General Assembly passed the legislation unanimously. Governor Owens signed it into law. Colorado’s institutional control legislation enjoyed strong support from both industry and the environmental community, because it reduces cleanup costs and it makes cleanups safer and more reliable. Colorado’s legislation served as the model for the Uniform Environmental Covenants Act, which is now being considered in a number of states across the country. Federal agencies were among the most outspoken supporters of the legislation, urging EPA and the states to rely on institutional controls to reduce cleanup costs. Yet, now that states are moving to create enforceable, effective institutional control laws, federal agencies, including DOE, have refused to comply with these laws. At Rocky Flats, for example, DOE, the State of Colorado, and EPA are in general agreement on the use restrictions that should apply to the site. But DOE has refused to put those restrictions in an environmental covenant, as required under state law. DOE has refused to comply with other states’ institutional control laws as well. This refusal has raised serious questions about the long-term reliability of the cleanup now underway at DOE facilities across the country. QUESTION 3: Under your leadership, will the Department of Energy comply with state institutional control laws? QUESTION 4: I strongly urge the Department to adopt a policy to comply with state institutional control laws. These are valid state laws. They enhance the safety of cleanups, and the cost of compliance is minimal. In my judgment, DOE is required to comply with these laws under the Federal Facility Compliance Act. If the Department does not intend to comply with state institutional control laws, then I ask that you provide me with a detailed legal justification for your position. CONSERVATION Our nation uses more energy resources than we can produce domestically. The millions of barrels of oil that we import every day impose both economic drains on our economy and threats to our national security. There are two ways to attack this problem. We can produce more oil domestically or we can consume less oil. QUESTION 5: Do you agree that a policy that focuses only on increasing domestic production and ignores steps to reduce consumption (e.g., through conservation) is missing important options that could reduce our dependence on foreign oil, help our economy and increase our energy security? QUESTION 6: Will you support the development of clean energy technologies and energy efficiency research within the context of the Department’s overall energy policy? RENEWABLE ENERGY QUESTION 7: In my view, we are a long way from tapping the significant untapped potential for renewable energy resources and increased energy efficiency. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson recently stated that we should be making greater efforts to promote renewable energy sources in the Rocky Mountain region (copy attached). Governor Richardson and Governor Schwarzenegger of California have taken the lead within the Western Governors’ Association to develop a plan to implement that association’s recently adopted resolution on clean energy (copy attached). What will you do as Secretary of Energy to assist these efforts to augment our nation’s energy portfolio with a more meaningful contribution from renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency, and clean energy technologies? How will you help position American firms to be competitive in a global economy that will increasingly be powered by renewable energy sources? QUESTION 8: A study released last week by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory showed that national standards for energy efficiency and renewable energy would produce “sizeable” savings for consumers on their natural gas bills, and that associated reductions in the cost of natural gas would be “effectively permanent” – with customer savings ranging from $10 billion to $74 billion, depending on the scope and rate of policy implementation. According to the DOE study, new power generation from wind costs about 3.5 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to about 4.5 cents for new coal generation and 6 cents or more for gas-fired generation. I find this DOE study about energy efficiency and renewable energy sources encouraging. Reducing natural gas demand will also put downward pressure on natural gas prices. How do you propose to implement the findings in this DOE study? What other policies would you advocate to reduce the demand for natural gas? OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT QUESTION 9: I recognize that both traditional and non-traditional resources will play an important role in meeting the energy needs of the West and the country as a whole. We may need to increase our domestic production of oil and natural gas, and we can do that in ways that do not harm the environment. But some places should not be drilled because they are just too valuable for protection of wildlife habitat, aquatic resources and other special environmental, scientific and recreational values. What criteria would you
use to determine whether certain areas should be off limits to oil and
gas exploration and development in order to protect special environmental
values?
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