WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic lawmakers on the U.S. Senate Energy Committee called Tuesday on the panel’s Republican chairman to postpone the confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Energy, citing a paperwork delay.
The hearing for Chris Wright is scheduled for Wednesday. Wright plans to step down as CEO and chairman of Liberty Energy once he is confirmed as energy secretary. He is expected to help boost Trump’s policy of energy dominance with increased production of U.S. oil and gas.
Senator Martin Heinrich, his fellow Democrats, and one independent on the committee, wrote to Republican Senator Mike Lee, the chairman, saying the committee has not received paperwork about Wright from the Office of Government Ethics. They urged Lee to postpone the hearing by at least a week. The paperwork includes a financial disclosure report and an ethics agreement.
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The OGE said it does not comment on individual cases.
On Monday, Lee postponed the nomination hearing for Doug Burgum for two days until Thursday, citing a delay by the OGE. Democrats had urged him to postpone that hearing for a week.
Burgum is Trump’s pick for interior secretary and is expected to lead a new council to boost domestic oil and gas output, which is already at record highs.
Lee’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the timing of Wright’s hearing.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Rod Nickel)
