The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday voted almost unanimously in favor of Undersecretary of Energy Mark Menezes’ nomination to the No. 2 position at the Department of Energy.
In the panel’s voice vote, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) raised the sole objection to advancing Menezes’ nomination as deputy secretary of energy to consideration by the full Senate. While Cortez Masto has tangled with the Energy Department over plans for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in her state, her opposition stemmed from reports that Trump administration officials have discussed resuming explosive testing of nuclear weapons.
In her statement for the record, Cortez Masto noted that the then-Nevada Test Site was used for over 900 atmospheric and underground nuclear tests from 1945 to 1992.
“There has been a changing tide in the Administration on Yucca Mountain, and I believe [Energy Secretary Dan] Brouillette has played an important role in improving our communications with the Department, but these recent events only suggest that the Department still has work to do to earn back the trust of Nevadans,” Cortez Masto stated. “I look forward to receiving assurances that Nevada will not be used, once again, for explosive nuclear testing.”
There was no immediate word on when the full Senate might consider Menezes’ nomination, but committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she hopes he would “draw strong bipartisan support and that we’ll be able to confirm him quickly once his nomination reaches the Senate floor.”
Ahead of the vote, both Murkowski and committee Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) highlighted Menezes’ experience at the Energy Department and on Capitol Hill.
Menezes has served as undersecretary of energy since November 2017. In that role he is the department’s lead adviser on energy policy and energy technologies. His previous experience included a three-year stint, from 2003 to 2006, as chief counsel for energy and environment at the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He was nominated as DOE deputy in March.
