S. HRG. 115–33 NOMINATION OF WILBUR L. ROSS, JR., TO BE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JANUARY 18, 2017 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 25–974 PDF WASHINGTON : 2017 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 09:55 Jul 10, 2017 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\25974.TXT JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida, Ranking ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington TED CRUZ, Texas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut JERRY MORAN, Kansas BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts DEAN HELLER, Nevada CORY BOOKER, New Jersey JAMES INHOFE, Oklahoma TOM UDALL, New Mexico MIKE LEE, Utah GARY PETERS, Michigan RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois CORY GARDNER, Colorado MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire TODD YOUNG, Indiana CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada NICK ROSSI, Staff Director ADRIAN ARNAKIS, Deputy Staff Director JASON VAN BEEK, General Counsel KIM LIPSKY, Democratic Staff Director CHRIS DAY, Democratic Deputy Staff Director RENAE BLACK, Senior Counsel (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 09:55 Jul 10, 2017 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\25974.TXT JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on January 18, 2017 ......................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Thune ................................................................................... 1 Letter dated December 19, 2016 to Hon. John Thune from Carlos Gutier- rez, Secretary of Commerce (2005–2009)—George W. Bush ..................... 31 Letter dated December 20, 2016 to Hon. John Thune from William M. Daley .............................................................................................................. 32 Letter dated December 20, 2016 to Senator John Thune from Donald L. Evans, 34th Secretary of Commerce ....................................................... 33 Letter dated January 6, 2017 to Hon. John Thune and Hon. Bill Nelson from Peter Tichansky, President and CEO, Business Council for Inter- national Understanding ............................................................................... 34 Letter dated January 9, 2017 to Senator Thune from Leo W. Gerard, President, United Steel Workers ................................................................. 35 Letter dated January 10, 2017 to Hon. John Thune and Hon. Bill Nelson from Peter G. Peterson, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1972–73 ............... 36 Statement dated January 18, 2017 from Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO, Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. ............................. 37 Statement of Senator Nelson .................................................................................. 2 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 4 Letter dated January 17, 2017 to Wilbur Ross from Florida scientists: Senthold Asseng, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida; Keren Bolter, Research Affiliate, Center for Environmental Studies, Florida Atlantic University; Jeff Chanton, Professor, The John Widmer Winchester Professor of Ocean- ography, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University; David B. Enfield (ret. 2015), Dept. of Physical Ocean- ography, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic & Meterological Laboratory; Pamela Hallock Muller, Ph.D., Professor, College of Marine Science, University of South Florida; David Hastings, Professor, Marine Science and Chemistry, Eckerd College; Barry Heimlich, Vice Chair, Climate Change Task Force, Broward County; Ben Kirtman, Professor, Depart- ment of Atmospheric Science, Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmos- pheric Sciences, University of Miami; John H. Parker, Professor Emer- itus of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University; Randall W. Parkin- son, Ph.D., P.G., Research Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Water and Environment, Florida International University; Brad E. Rosenheim, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Marine Science, University of South Florida; Philip Stoddard, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Mayor of South Florida; and Harold R. Wanless, Professor and Chair, Department of Geological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Miami .................... 92 Article dated December 2016 from NOAA’s National Centers for Environ- mental Information ....................................................................................... 94 Statement of Senator Cantwell .............................................................................. 41 Statement of Senator Blunt .................................................................................... 44 Statement of Senator Klobuchar ............................................................................ 45 Statement of Senator Sullivan ............................................................................... 47 Statement of Senator Blumenthal .......................................................................... 49 Statement of Senator Heller ................................................................................... 51 Statement of Senator Wicker .................................................................................. 52 Statement of Senator Schatz .................................................................................. 54 Statement of Senator Gardner ............................................................................... 56 Statement of Senator Peters ................................................................................... 58 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 09:55 Jul 10, 2017 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\25974.TXT JACKIE IV Page Statement of Senator Cortez Masto ....................................................................... 60 Statement of Senator Johnson ................................................................................ 61 Statement of Senator Hassan ................................................................................. 63 Statement of Senator Udall .................................................................................... 65 Statement of Senator Lee ....................................................................................... 67 Statement of Senator Young ................................................................................... 68 Statement of Senator Duckworth ........................................................................... 70 Statement of Senator Booker .................................................................................. 72 Statement of Senator Fischer ................................................................................. 74 Statement of Senator Cruz ..................................................................................... 75 Statement of Senator Baldwin ................................................................................ 77 Statement of Senator Moran .................................................................................. 79 Statement of Senator Capito .................................................................................. 81 Statement of Senator Inhofe ................................................................................... 83 Statement of Senator Markey ................................................................................. 84 WITNESSES Hon. Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator from Florida ...................................................... 5 Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., to be Secretary of the Department of Commerce ................ 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8 Biographical information ................................................................................. 9 APPENDIX Response to written questions submitted to Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. by: Hon. John Thune .............................................................................................. 99 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 99 Hon. Deb Fischer .............................................................................................. 100 Hon. Dan Sullivan ............................................................................................ 100 Hon. Cory Gardner ........................................................................................... 101 Hon. Todd Young .............................................................................................. 101 Hon. Bill Nelson ............................................................................................... 102 Hon. Maria Cantwell .......................................................................................