Good morning. So this meeting will now come to order. Today the subcommittee is holding a hearing entitled oversight of doe, during covid19 pandemic. Members will be participating in todays hearing finally in person or remotely via video conferences. And just as a reminder weve had some technical difficulties in making sure that our remote video was operating up to standard. As part of this hearing, the microphones of members participating remotely will be set on mute for the purpose of eliminating inadvertent background noise. Members participating remotely will need to unmute their microphones each time you wish to speak. For members and witnesses participating in person, i encourage you to wear your mask whenever you are not speaking. Dr. Monahan, our physician, stressed in attending physician covid19 guidelines that use of face coverings is meant to protect other people in case someone was unknowingly infected and does not have symptoms. But wearing our mask when we are not speakin
The challenges we face. Lord, we can meet these challenges with your power that transcends human understanding. When you whisper, dangers flee into the darkness. The sound of your footsteps causes tribulations to hide. Almighty god, permit our lawmakers to be aware of your providential guidance. May they depend on you to lead them according to your will. Give them the wisdom to trust you when they cant see the road before them, believing that you will be their light in the darkness. We pray in your great name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley permission to address the senate for one minute in morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley ame
The challenges we face. We can meet these challenges with your power that transcends human understanding. When you whispers into the darkness the sound of your footsteps causes tribulations to hide. Pervades our lawmakers to be aware of your providential guidance. May they depend on you to lead them according to your will. Give them the wisdom to trust you when they cannot see the road before them be leaving that you will be their life in the darkness. We pray in your name, amen. Would you please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Permission to address the senate for one minute. Without objection. Americans from coast to coast hunkered down to stop the spread of the virus. Office workers including my staff here adapted to work from home but not all americans can do their job from home. Many must work a
Into the darkness, the sound of your footsteps causes tribulations to hide. Almighty god, permit our lawmakers to be aware of your providential guidance. May they depend on you to lead them according to your will. Give them the wisdom to trust you when they cant see the road before them. Believing that you will be their light in the darkness. Would he we pray in your great name, amen. Would you please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Mr. President. Senator from iowa. Permission to address the nate for one minute. Without objection. Americans from coast to coast hunkered down to stop the spread of the virus. Office workers, including my staff here in washington, adapted to work from home, but not all americans can do their job from home. Many must work away from home to provide essential services f
Legacy energy source. Senator udall of new mexico and i have an amendment that will close a loophole in federal Energy Policy. I want my colleagues to know, and i think they do, of my long support for renewable and alternative sources of energy and so i agree with the aims of the murkowskimachin murkowskiy bill. The amendment that senator udall and i have introduced is the same as the bipartisan bill we introduced last week. The title of that bill is the fair return for public lands act. Mr. Grassley this bill was introduced 100 years to the date of the mineral leasing act of 1920. This amendment would increase the royalty rates on federal lands from 12. 5 to 18. 75 . Everybody here knows that a royalty is what the oil company will pay to a mineral owner. In this case the mineral owner is the american taxpayer, and that royalty is paid for the right to extract oil and natural gas from the lands of the United States. The legislation modernizes the public lands leasing system and it does