Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) questioned nominees for Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary positions on their support for California’s national monuments and hydrogen hub following recent threats from the Trump Administration to eliminate them.

California’s National Monuments

During the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) nominations hearing, Padilla successfully pushed Katharine MacGregor, President Trump’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Interior, to acknowledge the broad bipartisan and local support for California’s Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments, which President Biden established earlier this year at Padilla’s urging. He also emphasized the critical importance of local and tribal involvement in public land management.

Amid the Trump Administration’s orders aimed at elevating energy production on public lands and reviewing national monument protections, Padilla called on Interior to, as part of this review, meet with California’s Congressional delegation, California Governor Gavin Newsom, the state’s energy agencies, local officials, and crucially, the tribal leaders who spearheaded the movement behind the creation of these monuments. Padilla pointed out that these monuments had received endorsements from energy utilities and developers and were intentionally crafted to avoid including areas with energy potential.

Padilla also pressed MacGregor on whether local and tribal leaders should have a role in public land management decisions, to which MacGregor agreed.

• PADILLA: As a matter of policy, do you believe that local communities and tribal leaders should have a say in the management of their public lands?

• MACGREGOR: I think local involvement is something that everyone on this dais agrees with.

• PADILLA: Okay, well, I’m talking just about you, not the folks on the dais, you’re the nominee before us…

• MACGREGOR: Local involvement is embedded in almost all the organic acts at the Department, so yes.

• PADILLA: Good, good faith consultation and engagement is what we’re looking for.

California is home to some of the nation’s most pristine public lands, which not only preserve our natural heritage but also fuel California’s tourism and local economies. These protected landscapes generate billions of dollars in annual revenue, creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and enriching communities. However, Trump’s orders to prioritize energy development over all other uses of public lands pose a threat to landscapes with immense cultural, environmental, and economic value. These lands also offer vast opportunities for outdoor recreation — such as hiking, camping, and wildlife viewing — which further support local economies.

ARCHES Hydrogen Hub

Padilla also questioned James Danly, Trump’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of Energy, on his support for the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES) hydrogen hub. The Trump Administration is reportedly considering major cuts to hydrogen hub projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Democratic-leaning states, including California, while preserving the projects in Republican-leaning states.

Padilla highlighted the importance of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program to “jumpstart” the national hydrogen economy and urged Danly to work with California to protect the vital funding Padilla secured for ARCHES. After initially dodging Padilla’s questions about whether he would meet with ARCHES leadership, Danly said he would have “no objection” to talking with them.

• PADILLA: California, proudly, was the first state in the nation to launch a hydrogen hub — we refer to it as ARCHES — which will facilitate a network of hydrogen production sites to catalyze the use of hydrogen throughout California and, frankly, jumpstart the hydrogen economy, not just in California, but across the country. The California hub enjoys bipartisan support from our California delegation. However, last week, the Department of Energy “cut list” reportedly included ARCHES and other hydrogen hubs to be cut. So I want to point out that ARCHES, again, is not just critical to California, but critical to our national economy.

Senator Padilla has been a strong supporter of the development of clean hydrogen power in California. Padilla secured up to $1.2 billion for the ARCHES hydrogen hub from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and sent a letter to former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm urging the Department of Energy to support ARCHES’ proposal as part of its Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program. He celebrated the official launch of the ARCHES hydrogen hub last year at an in-person event showcasing hydrogen-powered transportation.

Video of Padilla’s full line of questioning is available here.

More information on the hearing is available here.

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