Hill Heat

The Subcommittee will examine how the oil industry’s climate denial campaign has negatively and disproportionately affected people of color and vulnerable populations in our country and around the world, as well as drowned out the voices of everyday Americans.

BACKGROUND

Decades of climate denialism by the oil industry forestalled meaningful government action to avert the current crisis. As early as the 1960s, oil giants like Exxon knew that climate change was real and that the burning of fossil fuels was a major contributor to the problem.

The lack of government action on climate change has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities who are often harmed “first and worst” by climate change.

Climate denial not only led to these devasting effects on vulnerable populations; it also represents a distortion of our democracy, as powerful, moneyed interests control the conversation and drown out the voices of average Americans who are paying the price of climate change.

Despite efforts to rehabilitate their image by pledging to stop supporting think tanks and lobbyists who promote climate denialism, Exxon has continued to fund climate deniers. Exxon still continues to fund organizations “steeped in climate denial and delay” to this day, clear evidence that it has not changed since its initial pivot from climate science to denial.

Despite the already devasting effects of climate change, Exxon shows no signs of slowing down on its production of fossil fuels. To the contrary, Exxon and other oil companies continue to explore for more oil, meaning they are not taking the problem of climate change or the development of alternative fuels seriously.

Witnesses:

• Dr. Mustafa Ali, Vice President, Environmental Justice Climate and Community Revitalization, National Wildlife Federation
• Dr. Ed Garvey, Former Exxon Scientist
• Dr. Martin Hoffert, Former Exxon Consultant, Professor Emeritus, Physics, New York University
• Dr. Naomi Oreskes, Professor, History of Science, Affiliated Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
• Sharon Eubanks, Esquire, Of Counsel, Henderson Law Firm, PLLC

The hearing will focus on the ways natural systems, such as forests, grasslands and wetlands, can increase carbon storage across the United States, helping in the fight against the climate crisis.

Witnesses:

• Dr. Joe Fargione, Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s North America Region (@nature_org). Fargione is an expert in energy production, land use and conservation. Prior to Nature Conservancy, he held faculty positions at the University of New Mexico and Purdue University.
• Frankie Myers, Vice Chairman of the Yurok Tribal Council (@TheYurokTribe). In honor of its forest management efforts to mitigate climate change, the Yurok Tribe was recently awarded the United Nations Development Programme’s Equator Prize, which honors “innovative nature-based solutions for tackling climate change, environment, and poverty challenges.”
• Dr. Jennifer Howard, Marine Climate Change Director, Conservation International (@ConservationOrg). Howard’s professional work focuses on protecting coastal and marine ecosystems, which in turn can help vulnerable coastal communities address the challenges of the climate crisis.
• Alexander “Andy” Karsner (@andykarsner), Executive Chairman, Elemental Labs. Karsner is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a member of the Hoover Institution’s Energy Policy Task Force.

Witnesses:

• Dustin Madison, Farmer, Louisa, Virginia
• Dr. Heather Karsten, Associate Professor of Crop Production and Ecology, Department of Plant Science, the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
• Don Cameron, Vice-President and General Manager, TerraNova Ranch, Helm, California on behalf of California Farm Bureau

Summary of Subject Matter

Witnesses

Panel 1

• Jeffrey Byard, Associate Administrator, Office of Response and recovery, Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Chris Currie, Director, Homeland Security and Justice, Government Accountability Office
• Dennis Alvord, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

Panel 2

• Mike Sprayberry, Director, Emergency Management, Department of Public Safety, State of North Carolina
• Fernando Gil-Enseñat, Secretary, Department of Housing, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
• Rhonda Wiley, Emergency Management/911 Director/Floodplain Administrator, Atchison County, State of Missouri
• Reese May, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, The Saint Bernard Project

The Committee on Natural Resources will hold a legislative hearing on the following bill:

Discussion Draft H.R. _ (Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva), “To amend the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act or ‘PROMESA,’ and for other purposes.”

The purpose of the hearing is to examine international efforts to increase energy efficiency and opportunities to advance energy efficiency in the United States.

Witnesses

• Daniel Bresette, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute
• Jennifer Layke, Global Director for Energy, World Resources Institute
• Dr. Brian Motherway, Head of Energy Efficiency, International Energy Agency
• W. Scott Tew, Executive Director, Center for Energy Efficiency & Sustainability, Ingersoll Rand

The hearing will focus on developing and implementing domestic technologies to reduce industrial emissions.

Witnesses:

• Brad Crabtree, Vice President, Carbon Management, Great Plains Institute (@GreatPlainsInst) and Director of the Carbon Capture Coalition (@CCSTechFacts). The CCC is a national coalition of over 70 organizations that support the adoption and deployment of carbon capture technologies. Crabtree also coordinates a 15-state work group convened in 2015 by Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT) and former Governor Matt Mead (R-WY) to foster commercial deployment of carbon capture and CO2 pipeline infrastructure.
• David Gardiner, Principal, President, David Gardiner and Associates (@dgardinera) and former Executive Director of the White House Climate Change Task Force under the Clinton Administration. Gardiner facilitates the Combined Heat and Power Alliance and the Renewable Thermal Collaborative, which focus on innovative strategies to reduce industrial sector emissions. Gardiner has over 35 years of experience analyzing and influencing domestic and global clean energy solutions in the public and private sector. Prior to founding DGA, Gardiner served as Assistant Administrator for Policy at the Environmental Protection Agency and Legislative Director for the Sierra Club in Washington, D.C.
• Cate Hight, Principal, Industry and Heavy Transport, Rocky Mountain Institute (@RockyMtnInst) and former manager of the Global Methane Initiative program at the Environmental Protection Agency. The RMI is a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with businesses, communities and institutions to make cost-effective shifts from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables.
• Jeremy Gregory, Ph.D. (@jeremyrgregory), Executive Director, MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (@CSHub_MIT). Dr. Gregory is an engineer who studies the economic and environmental implications of materials, their recycling and recovery systems. The CSHub at MIT was established with grants from the Portland Cement Association with the goal of accelerating breakthroughs in concrete science and the swift transition of research advancements to industry practices.

Witnesses:

• Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography, Director, Atmospheric Sciences Program, Department of Geography, University of Georgia, 2013 President, American Meteorological Society
• Dr. James Done, Project Scientist III and Willis Research Fellow, Capacity Center for Climate & Weather Extremes, Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology Lab, National Center for Atmospheric Research
• Dr. Adam Sobel, Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Columbia University, Director and Chief Scientist, Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate, Columbia University
• Dr. Berrien Moore, Director, National Weather Center, University of Oklahoma
• Dr. Ann Bostrom, Weyerhaeuser Endowed Professor in Environmental Policy, University of Washington

This hearing will examine federal and stakeholder perspectives on the fishery disaster process and how those disasters impact local communities. The hearing will also examine recent and pending disaster declarations and how the process for both declaration and relief could be improved.

Witnesses:

• Brigadier General (Retired) Joe Spraggins, Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
• Rachel Baker, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
• Robert Spottswood, Chairman, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
• Ron Warren, Director of Fish Policy, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife