Leslie Beyer, nominee for a top Interior Department post, parried questions from lawmakers Wednesday about fossil fuels and renewables.
Beyer, nominee for assistant secretary for land and minerals management, backed regular oil and gas lease sales, an administration priority, but appeared to question Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s decision to halt an offshore wind project.
Appearing before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the longtime oil and gas industry professional echoed the skepticism of other administration officials who have deemphasized the reliability of wind.
While the country needs “all forms of energy that we can get our hands on,” she said, “there is a premium to secure affordable and reliable energy that is not weather dependent.”
