The nominee speaks

U.S. Energy Secretary nominee William Richardson hit only a couple of bumps as he waltzed through his confirmation hearing last week. Richardson, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, offered a job last fall to former White House aide Monica Lewinsky, whose relationship with President Bill Clinton is being investigated. Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alas.), energy committee chairman, asked some perfunctory questions about that offer and then moved on to energy issues.

July 27, 1998

3 min read

Patrick Crow
Washington, D.C.
[email protected]

U.S. Energy Secretary nominee William Richardson hit only a couple of bumps as he waltzed through his confirmation hearing last week.

Richardson, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, offered a job last fall to former White House aide Monica Lewinsky, whose relationship with President Bill Clinton is being investigated.

Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alas.), energy committee chairman, asked some perfunctory questions about that offer and then moved on to energy issues.

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and several other senators voiced more serious concerns. They are upset at the administration's delay in establishing interim and permanent nuclear waste storage facilities.

Murkowski recounted that former Energy Sec. Federico Pe?a claimed to have authority over those issues during his confirmation hearing, but the White House later overruled him.

Richardson replied, "The administration is committed to solving the nuclear waste problem. I pledge we will make this decision based on science and not politics."

But Craig and Murkowski want concrete proof that Richardson will be able to make nuclear waste decisions, and Craig is expected to stall a Senate confirmation vote until it is provided. Nevertheless, Richardson will be confirmed before Congress adjourns in October.

Strategy backed

Richardson said he would continue Pe?a's effort to flesh out a national energy strategy (OGJ, Apr. 13, 1998, p. 30). He said a key part of that plan "is the premise that domestic energy production through smarter regulation and technological advances can lower production costs and reduce environmental impacts of both oil and gas development.

"The production costs per barrel of oil have dropped significantly during the last 10 years, and we have increased the use of natural gas."

He said the administration would continue to diversify U.S. oil supply options, including oil from the Caspian Sea region.

Richardson said that Mexico and South America, "the primary suppliers of our imported oil today, will also figure prominently in our energy diversification strategy, and we must continue to encourage the development of domestic energy industries there."

Oil and gas

Senators from producing states wanted Richardson to promise to help U.S. producers today.

Murkowski said, "We have a crisis in the domestic oil and gas exploration and production industries. In real dollars, the price per barrel of oil is at its lowest level in decades, perhaps in history.

"While a great boon to consumers, the oil industry in particular is going through very hard times. Rig usage is down, employment is down, and the administration has no plan to aid this segment of our economy."

Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.) claimed, "The administration's lack of leadership on energy issues has contributed to the current crisis."

Although he said little on the subject, Richardson represented a New Mexico district with oil and gas production for 14 years. He should be more cognizant of the industry's situation than any of his recent predecessors at DOE.