Hayes Confirmed as Interior Dept. Deputy Secretary

After a brief delay, David Hayes was confirmed May 20 as Deputy Secretary of the Interior Department. Hayes was a former lobbyist for SEMPRA Energy (parent company of SDG&E) in 2006. According to the Ratepayers for Affordable Clean Energy (RACE):

“Sempra/SDG&E aggressively lobbied the DOE in the 2005/2006 timeframe to classify a high voltage transmission line the company desired to build, intended to increase Southwest coal-fired power and Baja California LNG-fueled power deliveries to the Southern California power market, as a NIETC transmission corridor. Sempra’s disingenuous public position in California is that the line will be used to import renewable energy. Sempra’s lobbying of DOE for NIETC designation was successful.”

See more of the letter RACE sent to the Obama Administration about why they (and we) opposed the nomination of David Hayes.