Nominees for top posts at the Interior Department fielded a barrage of questions Tuesday from senators on issues from the endangered species listing for grizzly bears out West to staffing cuts and grant holdups at the National Park Service.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing for Kevin Lilly, nominee for assistant secretary for fish and wildlife, and William Hague, nominee for assistant secretary for insular and international affairs.
Both men have been serving as acting officials at Interior for many months, which the committee’s top Democrat, New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, said Tuesday was an abuse of presidential authority for positions that require Senate confirmation.
Senate Democrats pressed Lilly on staffing cuts and grant freezes at the National Park Service, along with the potential for the spread of a screwworm outbreak among wildlife.
