Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski challenged a top Department of Energy nominee on Wednesday to reconsider an anti-renewable energy stance that has become creed within the Trump administration.
Kyle Haustveit, tapped to serve as DOE undersecretary of energy, and David LaCerte, nominated to remain on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for their confirmation hearings.
Ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) asked Haustveit whether he was committed to expanding energy production from all sources — including renewables — as electricity demand continues to surge.
Haustveit — who would up move from his current role of assistant secretary for the Office of Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy — echoed Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s repeated emphasis on prioritizing what the administration defines as “high-reliability” power, namely fossil fuels and nuclear.
