To: Reporters and Interested Parties
From: Aaron Weiss, Deputy Director, Center for Western Priorities
Re: Questions Interior Secretary David Bernhardt needs to answer at Western Governors’ Association meeting in Vail, Colorado
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is scheduled to speak to the Western Governors’ Association Annual Meeting on June 10th in Vail, Colorado. Bernhardt is expected to use the platform to advance President Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda at the expense of our public lands, parks, and climate. Bernhardt’s record on public lands in Colorado and across the West is clear—his history as a high-powered oil, gas, and mining lobbyist makes him too conflicted to act on behalf of the American public.
Reporters may have a unique opportunity to question Secretary Bernhardt as he appears before governors, policymakers, industry representatives, and advocacy groups next week. Below is a list of the seven questions reporters need to ask Bernhardt that the public deserves to know the answers to:
- Why do your public calendars, daily briefings, and daily cards contain so many discrepancies and routinely omit meeting attendees and topics? What meetings have not been made known to the public? Why not share a single accurate and complete version with the public, similar to your predecessors?
- Were you personally involved in implementing Interior’s political appointee review process of information released through the Freedom of Information Act? Are you aware this has been causing delays, a possible violation of the law?
- Why did your FY2020 proposed budget for the Interior Department eliminate all funding for Land and Water Conservation Fund projects after Congress overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the program?
- As head of the federal agency responsible for leasing millions of acres of public lands for oil and gas development, do you believe the Interior Department has a responsibility to mitigate the effects of climate change on our national parks and public lands?
- You recently rolled out plans to accelerate mining by reducing environmental review periods and eliminating mineral withdrawals in sensitive places—was this plan created to benefit your former clients in the mining industry?
- The town of Vail is built around Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy, particularly the ski industry. What assurances can you give that the Interior Department acknowledges the existential threat of climate change to the ski industry and the economic vitality of Eagle County?
- Many of the administration’s efforts to expand drilling have neglected environmental law and have since been shot down by the courts. Do you expect this to continue through President Trump’s first term in office?