BINGAMAN, SCOWCROFT TO INTRODUCE DOE NOMINEE AT HEARING

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
4/5/13

The Obama Administration’s pick to lead the Department of Energy will receive the backing of two respected voices on energy next week during his confirmation hearing with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Ernest Moniz is scheduled to be introduced by former committee chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) during his April 9 confirmation hearing for Secretary of Energy, the panel announced this week. He will also be joined by retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft, who recently worked with Moniz on the Blue Ribbon Commission for nuclear waste storage, the committee said. The endorsements provide notable bipartisan support for Moniz from two respected voices on energy issues. Moniz is expected to be easily confirmed in the weeks ahead but does face questions from some anti-fracking environmental groups due to his support of the controversial natural gas extraction technique.

Ahead of the hearing, the Office of Government Ethics also published Moniz’s financial disclosure report. Within the document, Moniz vowed to sever all connections with his main employer, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and resign from all of the board, advisory committee and consultant positions he currently holds with energy and environment-related groups if confirmed, as per custom. Moniz said he would resign from a position he holds with the Virginia-based environmental consulting firm ICF International, which has ties to the natural gas industry. He said he would also divest in stock and step down from consulting positions with American Science & Engineering, Inc., General Electric, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center and NGP Energy Technology Partners. He made similar pledges in his Senate Energy Committee questionnaire, also posted online this week.