Senators ask acting interior secretary for his views on offshore drilling

Members of the U.S. Senate are seeking answers from David Bernhardt, acting secretary of the Department of the Interior on key questions before he is confirmed as the permanent replacement for Ryan Zinke.

In a letter to Bernhardt, the senators asked a variety of questions, including whether he supports the expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling.

“As the Senate considers your nomination to serve as Secretary of the Interior, we write in order to better understand your views on offshore drilling,” the senators wrote.

Additionally, the senators noted that the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) will soon announce the next draft of its five-year National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program for 2019-2024. They said this program has raised concerns among coastal communities on the effects it would hold on the nation’s coastal economy and ecosystems.

“[W]e strongly urge you to indicate which States will or will not be included in the next draft of the five-year plan prior to your nomination hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,” the senators wrote to Bernhardt. “The American people deserve to know your plan for the Outer Continental Shelf before the Senate votes on your nomination.”

In January 2018, the Trump Administration announced an expansion of offshore drilling in the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans as well as the Gulf of Mexico. The senators reiterated local leaders’ requests to remove the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Gulf of Mexico from the next draft of the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program for 2019-2024.