WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we are going 00:00:02.520 --> 00:00:04.839 to be talking about the invisible hands that 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:08.300 have, well, literally shaped the physical map 00:00:08.300 --> 00:00:10.380 of the United States. And not just the historical 00:00:10.380 --> 00:00:12.519 map either. Right, not just the map of the past, 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:16.000 but the actual very real energy grid that is 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:18.359 powering whatever device you are using to listen 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:20.140 to us right now. Exactly, it's all connected. 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:22.579 And we are pulling all of this from a single... 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:26.839 Highly detailed source text today. It is a comprehensive 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:29.440 Wikipedia article mapping out the history, the 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:31.839 scope, and the evolution of the United States 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:34.240 Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 00:00:34.619 --> 00:00:38.259 Which I know sounds a bit dry. A little bit. 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:40.640 Yeah. A deep dive into a Senate committee might 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:42.460 sound like a very bureaucratic history lesson 00:00:42.460 --> 00:00:45.380 on the surface. But the story of this single 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:48.759 legislative body is essentially the story of 00:00:48.759 --> 00:00:52.189 American expansion and modernization. It serves 00:00:52.189 --> 00:00:54.609 as a perfect shortcut to understanding how a 00:00:54.609 --> 00:00:57.090 rapidly growing nation figures out what to do 00:00:57.090 --> 00:00:59.329 with its land, its resources, and ultimately, 00:00:59.509 --> 00:01:02.149 you know, its future. Okay, let's unpack this. 00:01:02.250 --> 00:01:04.870 Because to truly understand the sheer magnitude 00:01:04.870 --> 00:01:07.870 of power this committee holds today, we really 00:01:07.870 --> 00:01:09.310 have to go all the way back to the beginning. 00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:11.489 We do. We are talking more than two centuries 00:01:11.489 --> 00:01:15.129 ago. The source text reveals this group wasn't 00:01:15.129 --> 00:01:17.760 always focused on energy. Not at all. When it 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:20.540 was first created in 1816 during the 14th Congress, 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:23.180 it was simply called the Committee on Public 00:01:23.180 --> 00:01:26.500 Lands. Right. A much simpler title. Much simpler. 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:29.280 And the very first chair was a senator named 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:32.280 Jeremiah Morrow. And their initial major job 00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:35.120 was managing the settlement of the recently purchased 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:38.560 Missouri Territory. Visualizing the map of the 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:41.099 United States in 1816 is crucial here, I think. 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:42.739 Oh, for sure. It looked completely different. 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:45.040 Totally. The country was heavily concentrated 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:47.540 on the East Coast, but looking westward with 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:51.219 intense ambition. They had vast amounts of newly 00:01:51.219 --> 00:01:54.260 acquired, unmapped territory and desperately 00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:56.760 needed a centralized system to manage it. Because 00:01:56.760 --> 00:01:58.560 you can't just have a free -for -all. Exactly. 00:01:58.739 --> 00:02:01.659 This committee became that system. Looking at 00:02:01.659 --> 00:02:04.560 the major milestones of Western expansion overseen 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:07.829 by this specific... group of politicians is, 00:02:07.870 --> 00:02:11.090 well, it's staggering. It really is. They managed 00:02:11.090 --> 00:02:13.569 the Texas annexation. They handled the Oregon 00:02:13.569 --> 00:02:16.430 treaty. They were responsible for the Mexican 00:02:16.430 --> 00:02:18.969 session and the Gadsden purchase. Those last 00:02:18.969 --> 00:02:21.069 two always sound like vocabulary words from a 00:02:21.069 --> 00:02:23.189 high school history test, but we are talking 00:02:23.189 --> 00:02:26.849 about massive. physical changes to the country 00:02:26.849 --> 00:02:29.789 here. Huge chunks of land. Yeah. The Mexican 00:02:29.789 --> 00:02:33.069 session alone is basically the entire modern 00:02:33.069 --> 00:02:35.990 American Southwest. We're talking California, 00:02:36.310 --> 00:02:39.550 Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona. It's an unbelievable 00:02:39.550 --> 00:02:42.110 amount of acreage. This committee was literally 00:02:42.110 --> 00:02:44.939 sitting in a room in Washington. looking at maps 00:02:44.939 --> 00:02:47.439 and drawing the lines that would stretch the 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:49.900 United States from the Atlantic coast all the 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:52.139 way to the Pacific Ocean. They were real estate 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:54.520 managers for an empire, essentially. Right. But 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:56.580 how did they actually convince millions of people 00:02:56.580 --> 00:02:59.439 to physically pack up their lives and move into 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:01.840 those blank spaces on the map? They use legislation 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:04.500 as an incentive. Makes sense. Most notably, the 00:03:04.500 --> 00:03:07.319 Homestead Act of 1860, which the source points 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:09.460 out, came directly out of the jurisdiction of 00:03:09.460 --> 00:03:11.379 this public lands committee. I want to focus 00:03:11.379 --> 00:03:13.120 on that for a second because the Homestead Act 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:17.560 is a monumental piece of legislation. Truly game 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:20.020 changing. This wasn't just a policy paper. This 00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:22.879 was a direct offer to the public. They were essentially 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:25.840 handing out the keys to the continent, telling 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:27.560 families that if they were willing to travel 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:31.280 out west, claim a plot of land and farm it, that 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.639 land would be theirs. Yeah, sweat equity for 00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:36.460 real estate. Exactly. This single committee. 00:03:36.939 --> 00:03:40.659 was driving massive Western migration, incentivizing 00:03:40.659 --> 00:03:42.939 the physical occupation of the continent. The 00:03:42.939 --> 00:03:45.280 amount of influence required to wield that kind 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:48.020 of power over the trajectory of a nation's demographics 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:50.699 and its economy is profound. It's almost hard 00:03:50.699 --> 00:03:52.460 to wrap your head around. They were deciding 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:55.039 who gets the land, how it is divided, and the 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:57.620 rules for living on it. But as the frontier eventually 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:00.500 began to close, the fundamental needs of the 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:02.680 country started to shift. Because they ran out 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:05.419 of map. Right. The era of endless westward expansion 00:04:05.419 --> 00:04:07.939 was hitting its geographical limits. Which means 00:04:07.939 --> 00:04:09.860 the focus of the committee had to change right 00:04:09.860 --> 00:04:12.419 along with it. Looking at the timeline in our 00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:15.560 source, I see a massive pivot happen right around 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:17.620 the middle of the 19th century. A very distinct 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:20.459 pivot. In 1849, the Department of the Interior 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:23.519 is established. And this exact committee, the 00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:25.819 Public Lands Committee, is tasked with serving 00:04:25.819 --> 00:04:28.689 as its legislative oversight. Yes. Wait, why 00:04:28.689 --> 00:04:30.829 the sudden change of heart in their mandate? 00:04:30.930 --> 00:04:32.589 Did they just realize they were running out of 00:04:32.589 --> 00:04:34.769 land to give away? If we connect this to the 00:04:34.769 --> 00:04:38.329 bigger picture, you go from a purely extractive 00:04:38.329 --> 00:04:40.949 and expansionist mindset conquering the frontier 00:04:40.949 --> 00:04:44.490 to a mindset of stewardship. Stewardship, so 00:04:44.490 --> 00:04:47.069 taking care of it. Exactly. The land was mostly 00:04:47.069 --> 00:04:49.730 acquired, so now it needed management. Congress, 00:04:49.930 --> 00:04:52.230 acting through the direct actions and jurisdiction 00:04:52.230 --> 00:04:55.290 of this committee, began actively working toward 00:04:55.290 --> 00:04:57.790 the preservation of forests, of wilderness areas, 00:04:58.069 --> 00:05:01.149 and of historical landmarks. The Dex gives us 00:05:01.149 --> 00:05:03.670 some incredible specific milestones to back this 00:05:03.670 --> 00:05:06.569 up too. For instance, the signing of the Antiquities 00:05:06.569 --> 00:05:09.670 Act in 1906. A huge moment for conservation. 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:11.879 And for anyone wondering what that looks like 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:15.199 in practice, the Antiquities Act is the law that 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:18.620 allows a president to unilaterally declare a 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:21.259 piece of land a national monument. To protect 00:05:21.259 --> 00:05:23.839 significant natural, cultural, or scientific 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:26.779 features. Right. It is the tool used to instantly 00:05:26.779 --> 00:05:29.120 protect some of the most famous landscapes in 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:32.300 the country from being mined, logged, or sold. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:34.860 And a decade later, that preservation mindset 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:37.199 was formalized even further with the establishment 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:40.319 of the National Park Service in 1916. Also under 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:43.180 this committee. Yes, both of these massive conservation 00:05:43.180 --> 00:05:45.220 achievements fall right under the historical 00:05:45.220 --> 00:05:48.240 legacy of this committee. They created a unified 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:51.019 structure to manage these breathtaking landscapes, 00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:54.339 ensuring they remained untouched for future generations. 00:05:54.579 --> 00:05:56.660 It's amazing to think about. These weren't abstract 00:05:56.660 --> 00:05:59.560 political maneuvers. They were physical, permanent 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:02.199 changes to how Americans interacted with their 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:04.399 own country. I really want to emphasize this 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:06.879 directly to you listening right now. The next 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:09.560 time you go for a hike in a national forest or 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:11.600 you take a road trip, trip to a historic landmark, 00:06:11.860 --> 00:06:14.600 or you stand at the edge of a canyon in a national 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:18.720 park, you are enjoying the direct, tangible results 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:22.000 of this specific committee's shift toward conservation 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.420 over a century ago. It is their legislative footprint 00:06:25.420 --> 00:06:27.839 you are walking on. Absolutely. So we've got 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:30.759 expansion and then preservation. But things get 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:33.579 complicated fast. They do. The 20th century brings 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:36.680 an explosion of complexity technologically, economically, 00:06:37.060 --> 00:06:39.180 and socially. Right. It's not just dirt and trees 00:06:39.180 --> 00:06:42.040 anymore. Exactly. A committee managing the interior 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:43.879 of the United States couldn't just stay focused 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:47.040 entirely on public lands and parks. As the nation 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:49.720 industrialized, mapped its geological assets, 00:06:49.819 --> 00:06:52.600 and developed new forms of power, the bureaucratic 00:06:52.600 --> 00:06:55.339 structure had to adapt constantly. Looking at 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:58.819 the timeline between 1921 and 1977, the name 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:00.740 of this committee... changes so many times it 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:02.199 kind of gives me a bit of a headache. It is a 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:04.680 lot of reorganization. But the evolving names 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:07.920 actually rid like a detective story about the 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:11.629 country's growing tangled complexity. So in 1921, 00:07:11.889 --> 00:07:14.370 the committee merges with the Committee on Geological 00:07:14.370 --> 00:07:16.589 Surveys. Making them the Committee on Public 00:07:16.589 --> 00:07:18.670 Lands and Surveys. Right. Geological mapping 00:07:18.670 --> 00:07:21.790 was becoming a critical national interest. To 00:07:21.790 --> 00:07:23.949 manage resources, you first have to know exactly 00:07:23.949 --> 00:07:26.089 where they are and what the terrain looks like. 00:07:26.290 --> 00:07:29.709 Then we hit 1946, and thanks to the Legislative 00:07:29.709 --> 00:07:32.269 Reorganization Act, this committee goes on an 00:07:32.269 --> 00:07:35.250 absolute absorption spree. They really consolidated 00:07:35.250 --> 00:07:38.129 power. It absorbs the jurisdiction of the Indian 00:07:38.129 --> 00:07:41.100 Affairs Committee. It takes in territorial and 00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:44.480 insular affairs. It grabs mines and mining, and 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:46.480 it adds irrigation and reclamation. That is a 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:48.879 massive portfolio. With all of that under its 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:51.199 belt, it gets this incredibly broad title, the 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:54.600 Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. What 00:07:54.600 --> 00:07:57.379 does insular even mean in this context? Insular 00:07:57.379 --> 00:07:59.660 refers to the island territories and possessions 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:01.839 of the United States beyond the mainland. Ah, 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:05.189 okay. That makes sense. The portfolio had become 00:08:05.189 --> 00:08:07.769 vastly encompassing by this point. They were 00:08:07.769 --> 00:08:10.050 managing the land, the resources beneath the 00:08:10.050 --> 00:08:12.889 land, the complex water systems required to make 00:08:12.889 --> 00:08:15.730 arid land arable, the territory stretching across 00:08:15.730 --> 00:08:19.189 the globe, and the deeply complex trust relationships 00:08:19.189 --> 00:08:21.569 with indigenous peoples. All under one roof. 00:08:21.730 --> 00:08:24.209 It was an enormous concentration of policy areas 00:08:24.209 --> 00:08:27.439 living under one single committee. But then the 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:31.060 late 1960s and 1970s brought an entirely new 00:08:31.060 --> 00:08:33.340 paradigm to the forefront of American politics. 00:08:33.620 --> 00:08:36.360 We are talking about the era of the energy crisis. 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:39.379 Gas lines, shortages. Exactly. And the massive 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:42.169 rise of the modern environmental movement. The 00:08:42.169 --> 00:08:44.769 system needed another massive overhaul to reflect 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:46.710 those priorities. Which brings us to February 00:08:46.710 --> 00:08:50.570 4th, 1977. Following the committee system reorganization 00:08:50.570 --> 00:08:53.450 amendments, this powerhouse group finally receives 00:08:53.450 --> 00:08:55.730 the name we know it by today. The Committee on 00:08:55.730 --> 00:08:57.909 Energy and Natural Resources. That's the one. 00:08:58.090 --> 00:09:01.450 And that 1977 reorganization also included a 00:09:01.450 --> 00:09:03.570 crucial strategic separation. Right. They had 00:09:03.570 --> 00:09:06.009 to offload some of that massive 1946 portfolio. 00:09:06.620 --> 00:09:09.259 They did. The source explicitly notes that most 00:09:09.259 --> 00:09:12.080 matters regarding Native Americans, Alaska Natives, 00:09:12.120 --> 00:09:14.779 and Native Hawaiians were strategically removed 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:17.259 from this committee's plate and transferred out 00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:19.519 to the newly formed Committee on Indian Affairs. 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:22.399 That split makes perfect sense when you look 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:25.559 at how massive the energy part of their new mandate 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:27.620 was about to become. It became their defining 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:29.879 feature. Here's where it gets really interesting. 00:09:30.139 --> 00:09:31.799 I was looking at their official jurisdiction 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:35.399 list under Senate Rule XXV today, and it is a 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:37.370 stack. staggering catalog of responsibilities. 00:09:37.789 --> 00:09:40.070 It almost feels contradictory. Contradictory. 00:09:40.149 --> 00:09:42.590 How? Well, one line says they manage coal production, 00:09:42.809 --> 00:09:45.350 oil and offshore drilling. And the very next 00:09:45.350 --> 00:09:48.149 line says they protect wild rivers and prehistoric 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:51.070 ruins. What's fascinating here is the sheer juxtaposition 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:53.850 of those responsibilities. Right. This single 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:56.629 committee is tasked with overseeing both the 00:09:56.629 --> 00:10:00.009 intense extraction of resources and the rigorous 00:10:00.009 --> 00:10:02.389 preservation of resources. They write the rules 00:10:02.389 --> 00:10:05.029 for coal distribution. And oil and gas production. 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:07.159 And extracting minerals from the outer continental 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:10.259 shelf. Which is essentially the underwater landmass 00:10:10.259 --> 00:10:12.279 extending from the continent where we do a lot 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:14.600 of our offshore drilling. And at the exact same 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:17.740 time, they oversee hydroelectric power, solar 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:20.360 energy systems, and the non -military development 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:23.000 of nuclear energy. They are responsible for national 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:25.639 energy policy, energy conservation, and mining 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:28.200 education. It's just wild. Moving back to the 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:30.279 surface of the land, they retain their historical 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:32.960 jurisdiction over national parks, recreation 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:36.740 areas, wilderness areas, historical sites, military 00:10:36.740 --> 00:10:40.870 parks. They govern farming, grazing, and mineral 00:10:40.870 --> 00:10:44.110 extraction on public lands, plus the territorial 00:10:44.110 --> 00:10:46.690 possessions of the United States. They are constantly 00:10:46.690 --> 00:10:49.710 balancing the engine of American industry against 00:10:49.710 --> 00:10:52.049 the preservation of the American landscape. It 00:10:52.049 --> 00:10:55.090 is a high -wire act of policy. To put into perspective 00:10:55.090 --> 00:10:57.669 how they enforce all of this, we don't even need 00:10:57.669 --> 00:11:00.070 to list every single bureau they oversee because 00:11:00.070 --> 00:11:02.269 the summary is wild enough. The summary says 00:11:02.269 --> 00:11:04.529 it all. If there's a federal agency that touches 00:11:04.529 --> 00:11:07.450 the dirt, the water, or... the power grid of 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:10.570 the United States, this committee likely holds 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:12.769 oversight authority over them. We are talking 00:11:12.769 --> 00:11:14.759 about the Department of Energy. the Department 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:17.519 of the Interior, the United States Forest Service, 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:20.240 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 00:11:20.539 --> 00:11:23.100 The oversight extends to the Bureau of Land Management, 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:26.360 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:28.679 National Nuclear Security Administration. It 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:31.419 never ends. And notably, while the primary legislative 00:11:31.419 --> 00:11:33.919 jurisdiction over Native American affairs was 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:36.799 transferred in 1977, the committee's oversight 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:38.919 authority still includes the Bureau of Indian 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:42.059 Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education alongside 00:11:42.059 --> 00:11:44.470 the Office of Insular Affairs. Affairs, and the 00:11:44.470 --> 00:11:47.269 National Park Service. It is a sprawling web 00:11:47.269 --> 00:11:50.490 of federal power. Which brings us to the present 00:11:50.490 --> 00:11:53.350 day. Who are the people actually sitting in these 00:11:53.350 --> 00:11:55.779 chairs right now? That's a big question. We are 00:11:55.779 --> 00:11:57.679 going to look at the current makeup of the committee 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:01.019 for the 119th Congress. And as a quick impartiality 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:03.360 check, we're simply reading the current roster 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:05.860 directly from our source text to provide factual 00:12:05.860 --> 00:12:08.139 context. Right. Just the facts. We are taking 00:12:08.139 --> 00:12:11.059 absolutely no political sides here. We're just 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:14.220 mapping out how this massive workload is distributed 00:12:14.220 --> 00:12:18.100 among sitting politicians. The 119th Congress 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:20.980 structure features a 20 -member standing committee. 00:12:21.699 --> 00:12:24.720 The majority is composed of 11 Republicans, led 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:27.240 by the chair, Senator Mike Lee of Utah. Okay. 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:29.559 The minority is made up of nine members, which 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:32.259 includes eight Democrats and one independent 00:12:32.259 --> 00:12:34.500 who caucuses with them, Angus King of Maine. 00:12:34.620 --> 00:12:36.980 And who leads the minority? The minority is led 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:39.100 by the ranking member, Senator Martin Heinrich 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:42.340 of New Mexico. 20 people cannot possibly manage 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:45.860 the entire American energy grid and all its national 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:48.259 parks as a single group. No, they would never 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:50.879 sleep. So they divide the workload into four 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:53.960 highly specialized subcommittees. Looking at 00:12:53.960 --> 00:12:56.360 the chairs of these subcommittees, the geographic 00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:59.320 connections are really revealing. The assignments 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:01.820 are highly strategic. First, you have the Subcommittee 00:13:01.820 --> 00:13:05.659 on Energy. For the 119th Congress, that is chaired 00:13:05.659 --> 00:13:07.919 by Daze McCormick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:10.559 with Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:12.919 as ranking member. That geography makes sense. 00:13:13.100 --> 00:13:15.659 Very much so. Pennsylvania has a massive historical 00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:18.799 and modern footprint in coal, oil, and natural 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:21.799 gas, making that leadership role highly relevant 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:24.240 to the state's economy. Second is the Subcommittee 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.179 on National Parks. This is chaired by Steve Daines, 00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:30.519 a Republican from Montana, with Angus King, the 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:32.600 Independent from Maine, serving as a ranking 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:35.299 member. Montana and Maine. Right. When your home 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:37.799 state includes Glacier National Park and portions 00:13:37.799 --> 00:13:40.500 of Yellowstone, having a say in how the National 00:13:40.500 --> 00:13:43.759 Park Service operates is a direct line to protecting 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:46.580 your local tourism and conservation interests. 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:49.840 The third is the Subcommittee on Public Lands, 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:52.980 Forests, and Mining, chaired by John Barrasso, 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:55.700 a Republican from Wyoming, with ranking member 00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:58.320 Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada. 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:00.539 This one is the perfect example of why these 00:14:00.539 --> 00:14:03.220 seats matter. If you are a senator from Nevada, 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:05.240 where the federal government owns roughly 80 00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:07.500 % of the land within your state's borders. 80 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:10.480 % is massive. Or Wyoming, where nearly half the 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:12.610 state is federal land. Getting a seat on the 00:14:12.610 --> 00:14:14.509 public land subcommittee isn't just a prestige 00:14:14.509 --> 00:14:17.049 move in Washington. No, it's essential. It is 00:14:17.049 --> 00:14:19.389 practically a requirement for serving your constituents. 00:14:19.750 --> 00:14:22.350 You are directly overseeing the landlord of your 00:14:22.350 --> 00:14:25.289 own state. Finally, the fourth is the Subcommittee 00:14:25.289 --> 00:14:28.149 on Water and Power, chaired by John Hoeven, a 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:30.850 Republican from North Dakota, with Ron Wyden, 00:14:31.009 --> 00:14:33.590 a Democrat from Oregon, acting as the ranking 00:14:33.590 --> 00:14:36.539 member. Another great regional match. Exactly. 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:39.220 Governing hydroelectric power and reclamation 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:42.240 projects is vital for the agricultural and energy 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:44.899 sectors of those specific regions. The source 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:47.659 text includes historical rosters, too, and you 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:49.360 really get a sense of the continuity of power. 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:52.720 Sitting on this committee has long been a major 00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:55.279 seat of influence. Some very big names have come 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.960 through there. In recent years, you have highly 00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:00.700 recognizable names like Joe Manchin of West Virginia 00:15:00.700 --> 00:15:03.850 and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. steering the committee 00:15:03.850 --> 00:15:06.330 looking back further the text highlights historical 00:15:06.330 --> 00:15:09.110 giants of the senate like scoop jackson of washington 00:15:09.110 --> 00:15:11.590 oh yeah he chaired the committee during its massive 00:15:11.590 --> 00:15:15.070 transition in the 1970s serving from 1963 all 00:15:15.070 --> 00:15:17.970 the way to 1981. that is quite a run or reed 00:15:17.970 --> 00:15:20.149 smoot of utah who chaired the public lands committee 00:15:20.149 --> 00:15:23.250 during the 1910s and 20s the people holding these 00:15:23.250 --> 00:15:26.309 gavels have always had a massive say in the physical 00:15:26.309 --> 00:15:29.519 and economic reality of the country You cannot 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:31.779 chair the committee that regulates the nation's 00:15:31.779 --> 00:15:34.440 energy grid, its mining operations, its territories, 00:15:34.539 --> 00:15:37.220 and its national parks without holding a significant 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:39.559 amount of sway over the entire national agenda. 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:42.159 The power is entirely inherent to the portfolio. 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:45.259 It is the ultimate story of institutional adaptation. 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:48.080 As the physical and technological boundaries 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:50.279 of the country expanded, the scope of this committee 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:52.899 expanded to meet them. So what does this all 00:15:52.899 --> 00:15:55.529 mean? We started this deep dive looking at a 00:15:55.529 --> 00:15:58.590 group of politicians in 1816 trying to figure 00:15:58.590 --> 00:16:01.110 out how to settle the unmapped dirt roads of 00:16:01.110 --> 00:16:03.610 Missouri Territory. A very different world. And 00:16:03.610 --> 00:16:07.230 today, that exact same legislative lineage is 00:16:07.230 --> 00:16:09.610 dictating the future of solar energy systems, 00:16:09.929 --> 00:16:13.169 non -military nuclear power, and the deeply complex 00:16:13.169 --> 00:16:16.009 realities of the modern electrical grid. I really 00:16:16.009 --> 00:16:17.490 want you to think about that connection. It's 00:16:17.490 --> 00:16:20.100 profound. Every single time you turn on a light 00:16:20.100 --> 00:16:22.240 switch in your house or every time you pull over 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:24.460 to read a bronze plaque at a national monument, 00:16:24.679 --> 00:16:27.460 the specific rules, the funding and the regulations 00:16:27.460 --> 00:16:30.440 governing that exact experience likely passed 00:16:30.440 --> 00:16:33.480 through room 304 of the Dirksen Senate Office 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:35.500 Building. Right, in Washington. That is where 00:16:35.500 --> 00:16:37.740 this committee meets today. That is where the 00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:41.220 invisible hands do their work. Consider the incredible 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:44.519 200 -year journey of this specific legislative 00:16:44.519 --> 00:16:47.399 body. It was originally chartered to facilitate 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:50.259 the rapid expansion of a primarily agrarian nation 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:53.259 across a wild, uncharted continent. From dirt 00:16:53.259 --> 00:16:56.100 roads to the nuclear grid. Today, it is the very 00:16:56.100 --> 00:16:58.639 entity tasked with regulating the highly complex, 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:01.279 technologically advanced, and delicate energy 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:04.480 needs of that exact same landmass. They went 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:07.319 from managing the Homestead Act of 1860 to managing 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:09.299 the National Nuclear Security Administration. 00:17:09.859 --> 00:17:15.700 It's an unbelievable trajectory. needs to survive 00:17:15.700 --> 00:17:19.339 and grow, what entirely new, unimaginable frontiers 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:21.200 might this very same committee be regulating 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:22.400 a century from now?