RAUL M. GRIJALVA OF ARIZONA ROB BISHOP OF UTAH

CHAIRMAN HA NKWG REPUBLICAN
DAVID WATKINS ECTOR

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July 29, 2019

The Honorable David Bernhardt

Secretary

U.S. Department of the Interior

1849 Street, NW

Washington, DC. 20240
Dear Secretary Bernhardt:

As we have made clear, we are strongly opposed to the provision slipped into Public Law
115-97 that mandated oil and gas lease sales on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge (Arctic Refuge), and equally opposed to the haste with which the Department is movmg
towards a lease sale two years ahead of the deadline established in FL. 115-97. While the
Department of the Interior (D01) has made it clear that it does not respect the tremendous
wilderness, wildlife, and human rights values of the Arctic Refuge, we had hoped that?
particularly given your repeated personal assertions of faithful adherence to the law at recent
Congressional hearings?D01 would respect the environmental statutes such as the Endangered
Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and National Environmental Policy Act designed to
prOperly analyze and minimize the impacts of oil and gas operations in this pristine area.

An article published by Politico last week titled, ?How Science Got Trampled in the Rush
to Drill in the Arctic,? makes it clear that far from properly adhering to the law, D01 is ignoring
and suppressng concerns expressed by career scientists and producing rushed and politically?
influenced environmental reviews while trying to pass such reviews off as the work of
dispassionate experts.1 This is not the first time that evidence has surfaced showing political efforts
to suppress scienti?c concerns about efforts to explore for oil in the Arctic Refuge??3 but the
evidence presented in this article is even more direct and damning than in previous reports.

The article details a process that is described as, ?off the rails,? provides evidence that, ?the
work of career scientists has at times been altered or disregarded t0 underplay the potential impact
of oil and gas development,? and details the extraordinary and potentially career?threatening
efforts of Bureau of Land Management scientists who are documenting their concerns in the
administrative record. These allegations demand a full investigation, and the immediate cessation
of planning for a lease sale this upcoming winter until scienti?c concerns are fully raised and
properly addressed.

 

1 A. Fedennan, ?How Science Got Trampled in the Rush to Drill in the Arctic,? Pofi?tico, July 26, 2019. ..

3 D. Grandoni, ?The Energy 202: Trump administration moves forward with Arctic oil plan wildlife staff deem 'not adequate',
The Washington Post, August 21, 20l8. -

3 K. Brugger, ?Interior hid scientists? criticism of ANWR drilling: report,? Environment and Energy Pubh?shi?ng, March 12, 2019-

ra I resou mesh ousegov

In order for the House Natural Resources Committee to ful?ll its oversight responsibility
in this area, we ask that you provide the committee with the following no later than August 16,

2019:

1.

All documents and communications of employees and persons between the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, the Of?ce of the Assistant
Secretary of Land and Minerals Management, and the Immediate Of?ce Of the
Secretary regarding the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) released in December 2018;

All original documents and subsequent revisions drafted by employees or persons of
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the 

All documents and communications that show the editing process for the portions of
the DEIS prepared by employees or persons of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
including information sufficient to show who made or recommended each edit; and

All documents and communications from Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals
Management Joe Balash regarding the development and editing of the DEIS.

Please refer to the attached instructions on how to respond to this document request. As
specified therein, upon completion of the document production, please submit a written
certi?cation that a diligent search has been completed and all responsive documents have been
produced to the Committee. If you have any questions about this request, please contact the House
Natural Resources Committee staff at (202) 225?6065.

Sincerely,

dd

 

 

 

Raul M. Grijalva Jared Huffman
Chair Chair
House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Water,

Oceans, and Wildlife

Alan S. Lowenthal [fiana DeGette

Chair

Member of Congress

Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources