Burgum testifying Wednesday. Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is throwing the Trump administration's fossil-fuel focus into sharp relief.
Why it matters: Burgum's testimony over two days on the Hill shows just how little the administration thinks of wind and solar.
- He has a central role in drawing up energy policy as chair of the White House National Energy Dominance Council.
Driving the news: In appearances before House and Senate appropriators, Burgum talked up coal and emphasized the unreliability of renewables.
- "Clean American coal is a triple win for our country," he told senators Wednesday morning, citing "reliable and affordable baseload power," metallurgical coal and the potential for coal mines to be tapped for rare earths.
- He emphasized that wind and solar are "intermittent" — underscoring the emerging GOP argument on reliability.
Between the lines: His testimony came at a tense moment for clean-energy developers. The Trump administration just allowed Empire Wind to continue construction offshore, but Republicans are eyeing cuts to the IRA's clean energy incentives.
- "If Congress decided to eliminate subsidies for wind, then there would be no applications for wind projects," Burgum said in an exchange with Rep. Chellie Pingree on Tuesday. "They've had 30 years of subsidies, and they've never made money, and they're not going to make money."
- At the same time, the vast majority of projects in interconnection queues today are wind, solar and battery storage. Changing that could be a big policy lift for the Trump administration.
The big picture: Like other Cabinet secretaries, Burgum faced some bipartisan pushback on the budget, particularly proposed cuts to Indian services and the National Park Service.
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the agency's top Senate appropriator, raised concerns about cuts to USGS science and mapping programs.
- She also questioned requested reductions for the BLM, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
- "It causes me to wonder, are we going to be able to accomplish what we're all seeking to accomplish together?" she said.
Burgum also defended staff cuts at the Park Service, which have caused political headaches for the agency and uproar in the conservation community.
- Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Patty Murray said at one point that Burgum had "managed to fire the only plumber at Mount Rainier National Park."
- Burgum replied that he's trying to eliminate "back office, IT and HR roles."
- "There's an opportunity to have more people working in our parks …and less people working for the National Park Service," he said.
