Business meeting to consider S.472, to amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to provide for the establishment of a Ski Area Fee Retention Account, S.1279, to redesignate the Hulls Cove Visitor Center at Acadia National Park as the George J. Mitchell Visitor Center, S.1453, to confirm the use of certain non-Federal land in Salt Lake City, Utah, for public purposes, S.909 and H.R.1043, bills to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La Paz County, Arizona, and the nominations of Laura Swett, of Virginia, and David LaCerte, of Louisiana, both to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

2025-09-11

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources convened its ninth business meeting of the 119th Congress to consider nominations and various legislative bills[ 00:25:45 ]

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. The agenda included votes on two nominees for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and three public lands bills[ 00:26:20-00:26:25 ]

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. Discussions also touched upon the legislative process, the importance of bipartisanship, and a moment of reflection on recent political violence[ 00:28:52 ]

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Themes

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Nominations

The committee considered the nominations of Laura Sweat and David Lissert to serve as Commissioners on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission[ 00:26:20 ]

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. Chairman Mike Lee expressed support for both nominees, citing their valuable experience and potential to ensure affordable and reliable energy[ 00:27:22-00:27:46 ]

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. Ranking Member Martin Heinrich, however, stated his opposition, particularly to Mr. Lissert due to a perceived lack of experience, and to Ms. Sweat because of concerns over the current administration's policies regarding fully permitted projects and rising electricity prices[ 00:33:24-00:34:46 ]

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. Despite the ranking member's objections, both nominations were favorably reported to the Senate floor with a vote of 12 ayes to 8 nays.

Public Lands Bills

Three public lands bills were presented for consideration: S1453 (regarding non-federal land use in Salt Lake City, Utah), S472 (to establish a ski area fee retention account), and H.R. 1043 (conveying federal land in Arizona to La Paz County)[ 00:26:35-00:26:48 ]

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. Chairman Lee advocated for S1453, emphasizing its significance for the University of Utah Research Park and its prior unanimous passage in the committee. Ranking Member Heinrich supported S472 and H.R. 1043, but indicated he would not support S1453 at this stage, hoping for future collaboration on Democratic priorities[ 00:36:39-00:36:56 ]

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. S1453 passed by a roll call vote of 16 ayes to 4 nays, while S472 and H.R. 1043 passed by voice vote as a block.

Bipartisanship and Legislative Process Reform

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussions on the committee's legislative process and the importance of bipartisanship[ 00:28:52 ]

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. Chairman Lee committed to holding regular markups and advancing bills individually, opposing the practice of bundling legislation for leverage[ 00:28:40-00:28:52 ]

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. Ranking Member Heinrich expressed concern that the current agenda was not a product of collaboration, departing from the committee's long-standing tradition of bipartisan cooperation[ 00:35:04-00:36:07 ]

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. Senator Murkowski also contributed to this discussion, acknowledging the difficulties of advancing smaller, parochial bills and the challenges associated with legislative packaging, while affirming her commitment to collaborative efforts.

Tone of the Meeting

The meeting maintained a largely professional and serious tone[ 00:24:48 ]

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. While there was clear disagreement on specific nominations and the committee's legislative agenda-setting process, both Chairman Lee and Ranking Member Heinrich expressed a desire for continued good-faith collaboration[ 00:28:52-00:29:17 ]

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. A somber moment was observed when both leaders condemned political violence, especially following a recent tragic event in Utah, which added a solemn undertone to the proceedings[ 00:30:55-00:31:33 ]

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Participants

Transcript

Committee will come to order.  Welcome.  Are you okay?  Do you need a minute?  Sorry, I forgot to check with you.  You're good?  All right.  Committee will come to order.  Today is our ninth business meeting of the 119th Congress for the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.  I thank Ranking Member Heinrich and his staff for working with us on the schedule for today's markup.  I also thank all senators on the committee for being here, especially considering all the committee activity that's happening this morning.   As soon as we have a reporting quorum present, which I believe will happen in the next few minutes, then I'm going to have the committee move directly to votes.  We will begin by voting on the nominations of two nominees to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the same nominees who testified before this committee in a hearing last week.  We will vote first on the nomination of Laura Sweat, to be followed by a vote on the nomination of David Lissert.   Then we will vote on three bills that in their current form have been favorably reported out of this committee unanimously during the last Congress.  The bills that we will take up are S1453, my bill that confirmed the use of certain non-federal land in Salt Lake City, Utah for public purposes and for other purposes, S472.  Senator Barrasso's bill to establish a ski area   fee retention account, and H.R.  1043, a companion to Senator Gallego's bill, S.  909, conveying certain federal land in Arizona to La Paz County, Arizona.  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determines whether Americans can afford their homes, whether their industries can operate without blackouts, and whether our defenses can rely on a grid that withstands strain.   performs these and many other functions that, in many cases, not all of us think about every day.
When it performs that duty with discipline within FERC, the country prospers.  When it strays from its mission, the bill lands squarely on the kitchen tables of American families.  That is the gravity of the task before Ms.  Sweatt and Mr. LeCerte.  Both nominees bring with them valuable experience that can serve the commission well.   Ms.  Sweat has spent years working directly with FERC, giving her an inside understanding of how the agency operates.  Mr. LeCert, for his part, has held leadership roles at both federal and state levels, bringing perspective of a combat veteran who has led under immense pressure.  These are qualities that, if applied, can help return FERC to its proper focus, providing affordable and reliable energy for the American people.   Having reviewed their records and their testimony before the committee, I intend to support their nominations.  We'll also consider three public lands bills.  Each of these bills has passed committee unanimously in the last Congress.  I know that members of this committee have similar legislation they'd like to advance, and I want you to know that I hear you and that we want to make things better.  There have been times in the past when this committee hasn't   function this way, but I'm going to hold regular markups this year to advance your priorities, and I'll continue to attempt to move these bills to the floor.  So to Ranking Member Heinrich, I commit to working with good faith to advance your Continental Divide Trail bill, and I hope you'll commit to working with me to move individual and particularly non-controversial public lands bills through the Senate.  I extend the same offer to the rest of our Democrat colleagues, and   If you've got legislation you want to advance, my door is always open.  We may not ultimately agree, but we should find out where we can, and there will be many instances where that works.  Now, I'd like to speak for just a moment about one of the bills that we're considering that's close to home, the University of Utah Research Park Act.
An identical version of this bill was reported favorably from this committee a little more than a year ago during the last Congress.   For more than a half century, Research Park has been an engine of growth, innovation, and discovery.  On nearly 600 acres just east of downtown Salt Lake City, the university has established a hub that now houses over 50 companies and employs almost 14,000 people.  From medical breakthroughs at Huntsman Mental Health Institute and ARUP laboratories to advances at Myriad Genetics and other Utah-born companies, the work done at Research Park has touched   lives across the state, nation, and world.  But in recent years, the Bureau of Land Management has questioned whether these activities remain consistent with the original 1968 land conveyance that authorized them.  The uncertainty threatens the stability of a nationally recognized research park that has long operated with the federal government's knowledge and cooperation.  The University of Utah Research Park Act removes that uncertainty.

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