Business meeting to consider the nominations of Jonathan Brightbill, of Virginia, to be General Counsel, Tina Pierce, of Idaho, to be Chief Financial Officer, and Conner Prochaska, of Texas, to be Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, all of the Department of Energy, and Ned Mamula, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

2025-05-21

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This meeting of the 119th Congress focused on voting on four key nominations for roles within the Department of Energy and the U.S. Geological Survey, following testimony received the previous week[ 00:27:23 ]

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[ 00:27:24 ]

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. The nominees under consideration were Jonathan Brightfield, Tina Pierce, Connor Prohaska, and Dr. Ted Mamula.

Themes

Nomination Votes and Support

The committee convened to vote on four key nominations for roles within the Department of Energy and the U.S. Geological Survey[ 00:27:24 ]

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. Chairman Eric Schmitt expressed strong support for all nominees, highlighting their qualifications and the urgent need to fill these positions to advance national energy interests. Senator Heinrich stated his intent to support Ms. Pierce and Mr. Prohaska but expressed reservations and voted against Mr. Brightbill and Dr. Mamula. Ultimately, all four nominees—Jonathan Brightfield, Tina Pierce, Connor Prohaska, and Dr. Ted Mamula—were agreed to and recommended favorably to the Senate[ 00:39:25-00:39:25 ]

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Concerns Regarding Specific Nominees

Senator Heinrich voiced significant concerns regarding Dr. Ted Mamula, citing a track record of spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories, which he believes makes Mamula unsuitable for leading the USGS, an agency dedicated to unbiased scientific information. Heinrich also questioned Mr. Jonathan Brightbill's ability to advocate for the rule of law, given his previous defense of environmental policies under a prior administration and his response to questions about rolling back energy efficiency standards. These reservations led to 'no' votes from Senator Heinrich and other senators for both Mr. Brightbill and Dr. Mamula[ 00:34:06-00:34:22 ]

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Importance of Timely Appointments and Energy Leadership

Chairman Schmitt emphasized the critical nature of these appointments, framing them within a "global energy struggle" and the necessity for the U.S. to lead rather than "drift" or "coast". He stressed the need for leaders who can help the nation compete, drive technological breakthroughs, and secure domestic mineral resources for the future. Senator Murkowski underscored the importance of a full team at the Department of Energy, specifically highlighting the value of a geologist leading the USGS to address critical minerals and ensure responsible energy development. The committee's swift action in reporting these nominees to the Senate was presented as essential for American energy dominance.

Summary of the Tone of the Meeting

The meeting's tone was primarily serious and procedural, focusing on the critical task of advancing executive nominations[ 00:27:24 ]

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. An undercurrent of urgency was present, particularly from Chairman Schmitt, who underscored the strategic importance of these appointments in a competitive global energy landscape. While there were clear disagreements and skepticism from some senators regarding specific nominees, these were expressed respectfully within the procedural framework[ 00:34:06-00:34:22 ]

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. Overall, the session conveyed a determination to move forward with important decisions, even when facing internal opposition[ 00:39:25 ]

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Participants

Transcript

P
Paul T. Stanton
Thank you.
Good morning and welcome.  Today's the committee's seventh business meeting of the 119th Congress.  Today we'll vote on the nominations of the four nominees from whom we received testimony at our meeting one week ago today.  Again, thankful to Senator Heinrich and his staff for working with us on the schedule for today's markup.  We're very grateful for that.  We're also wanting to thank all the senators on the committee.   for your continuing attendance and your participation and contributions.  All four nominees that we're considering in today's business meeting submitted timely answers to senators' questions for the record at our May 14th hearing.  Consequently, each one was listed on the agenda that the committee's clerk sent to your offices on Friday, May 16th.  First, we'll be voting on the nomination of Mr. Jonathan Brightfield.   Second, the nomination of Ms.  Tina Pierce.  Third, we'll vote on the nomination of Mr. Connor Prohaska.  And finally, we'll vote on the nomination of Dr. Ted Mamula.  I'm happy to support each of these nominees, each of whom gave us testimony indicating he or she is well qualified along with their backgrounds, their training, and other qualifications.  As soon as we have a quorum present, I'm going to ask the   committee to vote on the nominations, and then after the votes, I'll recognize any member who wishes to speak briefly on any of the nominees.  I continue to be grateful to senators for keeping their remarks brief as we approach this task.  For that matter, since we don't have a quorum yet, if anyone wants to be recognized right now to speak to any of the nominees, I'm happy to do that now.  We can do that beforehand.  Senator Heinrich.  Sure.   Thank you, Chairman.
I would say I'll keep my comments brief, but since we don't have a quorum, I'll just try to filibuster for an hour if I can.  With considerable reservation, I am going to vote for Mr. Prochaska and Ms.  Pierce.  I will be voting no, however, on the other two nominations that we are considering today, Mr. Mamula and Mr. Brightbill.   I am troubled by Mr. Mamula's track record of spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories, and I do not believe he is the correct choice to lead the USGS, an agency that prides itself on delivering unbiased, impartial, and objective scientific information.  At last week's nomination hearing, I asked Mr. Brightbill to square the Secretary's recent decision to roll back energy efficiency standards   With prior court orders requiring the department to update efficiency standards, Mr. Brightbill's response failed to provide me with comfort.  I am also troubled by Mr. Brightbill's past record of defending the administration's terrible environmental policies while at the DOJ during President Trump's first term.  As Republicans work to cut programs that save Americans millions of dollars in utility and energy costs,   It is imperative that DOE's general counsel advocate for the rule of law as passed by Congress and signed by the president.  I am not convinced Mr. Brightbill will do so.  For this reason, I cannot support his nomination.  Thank you, Senator Heinrich.  Anyone else want to be recognized to speak as to any of the nominees that will be voting on today's business meeting?   In that case, I've got a brief statement I was going to make, and I was going to do that after we voted, but I'll do it before instead.  Look, the stakes are real, and the stakes are rising.  Our adversaries are building.
They're hoarding critical resources and weaponizing energy policy.  We don't have the luxury of drift.  I don't have the luxury of being able to coast in this.   America is going to lead, which we need to, and if we are going to lead, we need people who can do more than just manage or allow us to drift.  We need leaders who can help us compete.  Today's nominees are frontline appointments in a global energy struggle that is likely to define the next century.   They're being tapped to serve as the Department of Energy's top legal counsel, ensuring regulatory clarity in defending the rule of law in a rapidly shifting energy landscape, oversee the department's financial operations, and safeguard taxpayer dollars as billions flow into energy infrastructure research and deployment, drive cutting-edge technological breakthroughs as the head of ARPA-E, turning American innovation   into an energy advantage.  Lead the U.S.

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