Natural Resources sets hearings on drilling, mining

The committee will also meet to discuss the Republicans' oversight plan for Congress.

February 06, 2023

The House Natural Resources Committee will meet three times this week, launching its work for the new Congress with action on oil and gas production and critical minerals.

The first meeting on Tuesday will discuss the Republicans’ oversight plan. The document describes how the Biden administration has been a failure concerning different aspects of the committee's jurisdiction.

A full committee hearing on Wednesday will focus on domestic energy production and mining, and an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on Thursday will explore the country’s reliance on foreign adversaries for minerals needed for clean energy technologies.

Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said he hopes to illustrate “that the world is still using a lot of fossil fuels.” “There’s just a huge amount of reasons why we should be developing our own energy resources,” he said during an interview.

An engineer and forester, Westerman last week officially took the helm of what stands to be one of Congress’ most partisan committees. The Republican roster includes GOP firebrands like the once-banished Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who will lead the Oversight panel.

Other outspoken members include Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Garret Graves (R-La.), who will be debating progressives like ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Calif.), the new top Democrat on the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee.

The upcoming hearings stand to test Westerman’s ability to quell partisan outbursts. Noting the committee’s broad jurisdiction, he said he’s eager to get to work.

“My football coaches used to say, ’with our ears pulled back,’” he said. “That is, full speed ahead.”

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By:  Kelsey Brugger, Hannah Northey
Source: E&E Daily