Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
december 2014
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federal agencies & administration
Senate confirms energy nominees
December 16, 2014
On December 16, the Senate unanimously confirmed by voice vote several of President Obama’s long-standing nominees for energy advisory posts in one of the final actions of the 113th Congress.
The Senate confirmed Franklin (Lynn) Orr as Under Secretary for Science and Energy within the Department of Energy (DOE). In his new capacity, Orr will focus on science and energy research and clean energy technology, and will oversee several DOE mission areas including Fossil Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the Office of Science. He will also direct the majority of DOE’s National Laboratories.
Other nominees approved by the Senate include Christopher Smith, who was confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at DOE, Colette Honorable, who will join the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and John Cruden, who was confirmed as the Assistant Attorney General of Environment and Natural Resources within the Department of Justice.
Sources: Department of Energy, Department of Justice, E&E News, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Interior Secretary names new director of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
December 18, 2014
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell named Abigail Ross Hopper as Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on December 18. Hopper succeeds Acting Director Walter Cruickshank and will be the second director of the agency, following Tommy Beaudreau who left the position in May to be Chief of Staff to Secretary Jewell.
BOEM was formed out of the former Minerals Management Service in the wake of the 2011 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. BOEM oversees oil and gas development and renewable energy development on 1.7 billion acres of federal waters.
As Hopper joins the agency, BOEM faces critical questions on whether to open new waters to oil and gas leases in its 2017-22 leasing plan and whether to move forward with proposed lease sales in 2016 in Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. She will oversee 569 employees and a $170 million budget at BOEM. Hopper currently serves as the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration and oversaw passage of the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013.
Sources: Department of the Interior, E&E News
Department of the Interior announces updated scientific integrity policy
December 17, 2014
On December 17, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced an updated version of its current scientific integrity policy, which was introduced in 2011 after President Obama directed all executive agencies to develop them. Integrity policies are intended to ensure sound scientific processes and decision-making within agencies, particularly when those determinations have political ramifications.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said in a statement that the new policy incorporates lessons learned over the past three years. Proponents praised the new plan for its clarity and specificity, while stating their desire for more transparency and publicly available case reports. Another group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), was highly critical of the new policy. They took issue with changes that obscured how scientific misconduct is defined and that failed to outline specific whistleblower protections.
Sources: E&E News, U.S. Department of the Interior, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility