On the recordJuly 20, 2017
Madam President, I want to discuss this nomination. I am here to add my voice to those of my colleagues who oppose the nomination of David Bernhardt to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior. There are a host of reasons--from his history of censoring scientists to his denial of climate change--but I am going to limit my remarks to his allegiance to the oil industry and, specifically, his disregard for the importance of a moratorium on any drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. During his confirmation process, he gave some very troubling responses to questions about the moratorium from the ranking member, Senator Cantwell. She asked: ``Do you support the current moratorium in relation to offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico?'' He responded: I am aware that, in response to the President's recent Executive Order on the Outer Continental Shelf, Secretary Zinke issued a Secretarial Order 3350 directing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to review and develop a new five-year plan. I support the President's and the Secretary's actions to examine new leasing opportunities within the OCS in order to advance the Administration's energy agenda.…





