The Subcommittee on Environment will hold a hearing on April 22, 2026, at 2:00 pm in
2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Help or Hindrance? The Impact
of U.S. Environmental Laws on Critical Material Supply Chains, National Security, and
Economic Growth.”
Josh Gubkin, Associate General Counsel, Redwood Materials
Jane Neal, Senior Vice President, AMG Vanadium
Chris Lehman, Chief Development Officer, Principal Mineral
Beia Spiller, Fellow, Transportation Program Director, Resources for the Future
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) provides a national framework
for the management of solid waste and hazardous waste, including policies to promote the
reduction of waste at the source, recycling, and energy recovery first before treatment and
disposal.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA, also known as the Superfund law) provides authority for responding to releases or
threatened releases of hazardous substances to the environment, and for the assignment of
liability and responsibility for remediating the contamination.
The Clean Air Act (CAA) provides EPA authority to regulate the emissions of certain air
pollutants from stationary and mobile sources, including authority to regulate emissions of
hazardous air pollutants and other emissions from industrial sources.
The Safe Drinking Water Act is the main federal law regulating drinking water and
protecting drinking water sources.
On Wednesday, April 22, lawmakers, climate leaders, organizers, and change-makers at the front lines of the climate fight are convening an emergency strategy session for Earth Day 2026. This is a key moment to align priorities in the midst of the Trump Administration’s attacks on the health and wellbeing of our families, corrupt attempts to deliver for polluters over people, and blatant efforts to override American democracy. Conversations will center federal regulatory rollbacks and their intersections with key issues, such as affordability and cost of living, public health, environmental justice, and national security. Congressional leaders will outline recent federal climate and environmental policy developments and share perspectives on legislative priorities moving forward. Representatives from national nonprofits and local organizations will highlight on-the-ground initiatives, innovative partnerships, and community-driven solutions that deliver climate resilience and economic opportunity. The event will include an exclusive media presser, giving high-level creators and media the opportunity to report on the climate fight for Earth Day 2026.
Participants:
U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
U.S. Representative Yassamin Ansari
U.S. Representative Don Beyer
U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici
U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski
U.S. Representative Sean Casten
U.S. Representative Kathy Castor
U.S. Representative Adelita Grijalva
U.S. Representative Jared Huffman
U.S. Representative Ro Khanna
U.S. Representative Mike Levin
Dalal Aboulhosn, Managing Director for Programs and Policy, Center for Earth, Energy & Democracy
On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1334 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs will hold an oversight hearing titled “Tribal Natural Resource Development: Barriers and Successes.”
Frank White Clay, Chairman, Crow Tribe of Indians, Billings, Montana
Andrew Gallegos, Councilman, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ignacio, Colorado
Ken Ahmann, Chief Operating Officer, Colusa Indian Energy, Colusa, California
Talia Martin, Co-Executive Director, Tribal Energy Alternatives, Oakland, California (Minority Witness)
Of the roughly 56 million acres of tribal reservation lands, an estimated 15 million acres contain energy and mineral resources, with 2.1 million acres currently in production. The Crow Tribe alone has an estimated 17 billion tons of undeveloped coal.
The fiscal year 2027 Financial Services and General Government funding bill
includes $25.3 billion, a decrease of $635 million, or 2.4 percent, below the
comparable level for fiscal year 2026, and $1.5 billion, or 6.2 percent, above the
request.
Riders included:
Prohibit DC from implementing more stringent auto emissions standards.
Prohibit the SBA from funding climate change initiatives to help small businesses cut energy costs and reduce carbon pollution.
Prohibit investment options under the Thrift Savings Plan that make investment decisions based on environmental, social, or governance criteria.
Prohibit the procurement of electric vehicles, electric vehicle batteries, electric vehicle charging stations or infrastructure.
On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold an oversight hearing titled “EXPLORE America250: Enhancing Accessibility at our National Parks and Public Lands.”
Jared Isaacman, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The Administration
requested $18.829 billion for NASA in FY27. This represents a decrease of $5.61 billion (23%)
from FY26 enacted appropriations, including a 46% cut in the science budget.
The FY27 request for the Earth Science Division is $1.02 billion, a decrease of
$1.13 billion (52.6%) from FY26 enacted. The Earth Science Division focuses on deepening our
understanding of our home planet and its interconnected systems. The FY27 request supports one
final government satellite for the Landsat program, while supporting advancements to Sustained
Land Imaging to enable a commercial solution for Landsat. The request reduces funding for
Earth System Explorers’ Future missions, with planned adjustments to the implementation
schedule for the mission selected for FY26. Additionally, the request reduces funding for Earth
Science Technology, terminating or delaying activities within the Instrument Incubator project
and Advanced Technology Initiatives.
Biological and Physical Sciences: The FY27 budget request for the Biological and Physical
Sciences (BPS) Division is $25 million, a $61 million decrease (70.9%) from FY26 enacted. The
Division supports research in space to obtain insights into how biological and physical systems
function under altered gravity and deep-space radiation. BPS has five goals, which align with the
2023-2032 Decadal Survey, in Quantum Leaps, Precision Health, Space Crops, Foundations, and
Space Labs. Under reduced funding, the budget request focuses support on two new projects:
Exploration Science and Quantum Science. The Exploration Science project supports research
efforts on high-priority activities to support future Moon and Mars missions. Building on organchip research from Artemis II, scientists will use microphysiological systems (tiny models of
human tissue) to study how space conditions affect health. The Quantum Science project funds
the Cold Atom Laboratory, currently conducting experiments on the ISS, along with other
experiments used to further NASA’s understanding of physics and scientific theories.
The Administration’s FY27 budget requests no funding for NASA’s Office of STEM
Engagement (OSTEM). OSTEM manages four projects: National Space Grant College and
Fellowship Project (Space Grant), Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
(EPSCoR), Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), and Next Generation
STEM project (Next Gen STEM), all proposed to be cut by the request. The request proposes to
use the remaining balances under OSTEM to support the closeout of OSTEM activities.