Hill Heat

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, led by Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), will hold an oversight hearing on ocean policy priorities in the United States.

Witnesses:

Panel 1

• Admiral James D. Watkins, Co-chair, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative
• Leon Panetta, Co-chair, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

Panel 2

• Mary M. Glackin, Assistant Administrator for Program Planning and Integration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

Redacting the Science of Climate Change, Government Accountability Project Report

Witnesses

• Dr. James J. McCarthy, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography, Harvard University, Board Member, Union of Concerned Scientists
• Sheldon Rampton, SourceWatch, Co-Author of “Trust Us, We’re Experts!”
• Tarek Maassarani, Government Accountability Project
• Jeff Kueter, George C. Marshall Institute

The House Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing on “Access Denied: The Growing Conflict Between Fishing, Hunting, and Energy Development on Federal Lands.” Witnesses: Mr. Steve Williams, President & CEO, Wildlife Management Institute Representative Dan Gibbs, Colorado State Representative, House District 56 Mr. William Hite, General President, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices in the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry Mr. Kinsey M. Robinson, International President, United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers & Allied Workers Dr. Rollin D. Sparrowe, Board Member, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Mr. Charles E. Greenhawt, Manager, Government Affairs, Questar Exploration and Production Co. Questar Corporation Mr. Stephen P. Mealey, Boone and Crockett Club

Witnesses

Panel I

• Jonathan Pershing, Director, Climate Energy and Pollution Program, World Resources Institute
• Jeffrey Holzschuh, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley, Investment Banking – Global Energy and Utilities Group
• Annie Petsonk, International Counsel, Environmental Defense
• W. Thomas Stephens, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Boise Cascade, LLC
• Edward S. Steinfeld, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Bernard Schwartz Fellow and Foreign Editor, Hindustan Times Asia Society

• Daily Kos thread

Witnesses

• Former Vice President Al Gore
• Global warming skeptic Bjorn Lomborg

• Grist precis of legislative recommendations:

1. An immediate “carbon freeze” that would cap U.S. CO2 emissions at current levels, followed by a program to generate 90% reductions by 2050.
2. Start a long-term tax shift to reduce payroll taxes and increase taxes on CO2 emissions.
3. Put aside a portion of carbon tax revenues to help low-income people make the transition.
4. Create a strong international treaty by working toward “de facto compliance with Kyoto” and moving up the start date for Kyoto’s successor from 2012 to 2010.
5. Implement a moratorium on construction of new coal-fired power plants that are not compatible with carbon capture and sequestration.
6. Create an “ELECTRANET”—a smart electricity grid that allows individuals and businesses to feed power back in at prevailing market rates.
7. Raise CAFE standards.
8. Set a date for a ban on incandescent light bulbs.
9. Create “Connie Mae,” a carbon-neutral mortgage association, to help defray the upfront costs of energy-efficient building.
10. Have the SEC require disclosure of carbon emissions in corporate reporting, as a relevant “material risk.”

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, led by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), will hold an oversight hearing, “Toward a Clean Energy Future: Energy Policy and Climate Change on Public Lands,” to review the effects of global climate change on public lands and resources as a result of federal energy policies and actions. Witnesses: Panel 1 Dr. Mark Myers, Director, United States Geological Survey

Panel 2 Ms. Deborah Williams, President, Alaska Conservation Solutions; Former Special Assistant to the Department of the Interior, Alaska Dr. Anthony Westerling, Associate Professor, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, University of California, Merced Mr. Auden Schendler, Executive Director, Community and Environmental Responsibility, Aspen Skiing Company Mr. Noah Matson, Director, Federal Lands Program, Defenders of Wildlife Dr. Timothy F. Ball, Chair, Natural Resources Stewardship Project Mr. Robert E. Murray, Chairman, Murray Energy Corporation

On Monday, March 19, 2007, the Committee held a second oversight hearing on allegations of political interference with government climate change science. Witnesses at the hearing included the former Chief of Staff of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the current Chairman of CEQ, the Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and a former NASA public affairs officer. At the hearing, the Committee examined evidence of White House efforts to minimize the significance of climate change.

Witnesses

Panel I

• Philip Cooney, former Chief of Staff, White House Council on Environmental Quality
• Dr. James Hansen, Director, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• George Deutsch, former public affairs officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Panel II

• James Connaughton, Chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality

Panel III

• Dr. Roy Spencer, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Transcript

• transcript

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, led by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), will hold will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills: H.R. 713 (Slaughter), the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area Act, to establish the Niagara Falls National Area in the State of New York, and for other purposes. H.R. 754 (Cubin), to designate the National Museum of Wildlife Art, located at 2820 Rungius Road, Jackson, Wyoming, as the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States. H.R. 929 (Costello), the Land Between the Rivers Southern Illinois National Heritage Area Act of 2007, to establish the Land Between the Rivers National Heritage Area in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.

Witnesses: Panel 1 Congresswoman Louise McIntosh Slaughter, NY-28 Congresswoman Barbara Cubin, WY-At Large

Panel 2 Janet Snyder Matthews, Associate Director, Cultural Resources, National Park Service

Panel 3 Robert Swenson, Associate Professor, SIUC School of Architecture, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Bob Emerson, Executive Director, Old Fort Niagara Howell Breedlove, Board Member, National Museum of Wildlife Art

Subcommittee hearing.

Witnesses:

• Dr. George Gray, Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, Environmental Protection Agency
• Dr. M. Granger Morgan, Chair, Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
• Dr. Jennifer Sass, Senior Scientist Health and Environment Program Natural Resource Defense Council
• Dr. Bruce C. Coull, Carolina Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) Dean (Emeritus), School of Environment, University of South Carolina

Subcommittee meeting.

Witness:

• Michael D. Griffin, Administrator, NASA