State Perspectives on Cutting Methane Pollution
The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will hold a hybrid hearing titled “State Perspectives on Cutting Methane Pollution” on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET. The hearing will take place in Room 1334 of the Longworth House Office Building and via Zoom video conferencing.
This hearing will feature the current governors of New Mexico and Wyoming, who will share perspectives on their states’ efforts to cut harmful methane pollution from oil and gas production. The hearing will also focus on how states have implemented funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invested billions of dollars to plug abandoned oil and gas wells across America.
Witnesses:- Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor, New Mexico. Elected as governor in 2018, Lujan Grisham previously served as the U.S. representative for New Mexico’s First Congressional District, beginning in 2013.
- Mark Gordon, Governor, Wyoming. Elected as governor in 2018, Gordon previously served as Wyoming State Treasurer, beginning in 2012.
The Administration’s FY23 Budget Request for the Peace Corps, Development Finance Corporation, and Millennium Challenge Corporation
The budget request includes $431 million for the Peace Corps, a $20 million (5%) increase compared to the FY22 enacted level.
The Administration proposes a modest $18 million (2%) increase for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compared to the FY22 enacted level. Resources would support two new compacts with Indonesia and Mozambique expected to be signed in FY23 and threshold programs in five countries.
The request includes $220 million for administrative expenses for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), a $22 million (11%) increase from the FY22 enacted level, and $780 million for programs, a $280 million (56%) increase compared to the FY22 enacted level. These new resources will bolster the DFC to deliver on its mission by hiring additional staff and substantially expanding its portfolio in areas such as climate change, health, and information technology through a range of tools including credit subsidy, equity, technical assistance, and grants. In addition, the request anticipates an additional $50 million in transfers to the DFC from the State Department and USAID to support greater interagency program coordination.
Examining Freight Rail Safety
The purpose of this hearing is for members to learn about the current state of freight rail safety, in addition to hearing testimony on how to keep rail workers and our rail system safe.
Witnesses:- Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration
- Thomas Chapman, Member, National Transportation Safety Board
- Roy Morrison, Director of Safety, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Don Grissom, Assistant General President, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division, TCU/IAM
- Grady Cothen, Retired, Transportation Policy Consultant
- Nathan Bachman, Vice President of Sales and Business Development, Loram Technologies, Inc.
- Cindy Sanborn, Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Chair, Safety and Operations Management Committee, Association of American Railroads
- Jeremy Ferguson, President, Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, Transportation – Transportation Division
Short And Long Term Solutions To Extreme Drought In The Western U.S.
The purpose of this hearing is to examine short and long term solutions to extreme drought in the western United States.
This hearing will commence immediately following the nominations business meeting.
Opening statements:- Sen. Joe Manchin
- Camille C. Touton, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior
- John J. Entsminger, General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
- Dr. Maurice Hall, Vice President, Climate Resilient Water Systems, Environmental Defense Fund
- Patrick O’Toole, President, Family Farm Alliance
- Charlie Stern, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy, Congressional Research Service
What’s the Forecast: A Look at the Future of Weather Research
Chair Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.)
Witnesses:- Dr. Bradley Colman, President-Elect of the American Meteorological Society; Director of Weather-Strategy, Bayer & The Climate Corporation
- Dr. Kevin R. Petty, VP, Weather and Earth Intelligence, Spire Global, Inc.
- Dr. Fred Carr, Professor Emeritus, School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma
- Dr. Scott Glenn, Board of Governors Professor Center for Ocean Observing Leadership of the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University
Native Plant Species Pilot Program, National Park Foundation Reauthorization, and other Parks and Public Lands Legislation
- H.R. 1548 (Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-PA) To establish a pilot program for native plant species, and for other purposes. Native Plant Species Pilot Program Act of 2021.
- H.R. 4658 (Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA) To designate the Encinal Trailhead on the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area as the “Anthony ‘Tony’ Beilenson Trailhead.” Beilenson Trailhead Designation Act.
- H.R. 6364 (Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-PA) To amend the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement Act to extend the exception to the closure of certain roads within the Recreation Area for local businesses, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 6442 (Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-ID) To amend section 101703 of title 54, United States Code, to include Tribal Governments and quasi-governmental entities, and for other purposes. PACTS Act.
- H.R. 7496 (Rep. Stacey Plaskett, D-VI) To direct the Secretary of the Interior to install a plaque at the peak of Ram Head in the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, United States Virgin Islands, to commemorate the slave rebellion that began on St. John in 1733.
- H.R. 7615 (Rep. Blake Moore, R-UT) To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into partnerships to develop housing, and for other purposes. LODGE Act.
- H.R. 7693 (Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-AR) To amend title 54, United States Code, to reauthorize the National Park Foundation. National Park Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2022.
- H.R. 7952 (Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-PA) To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue a right-of-way permit with respect to a natural gas distribution pipeline within Valley Forge National Historical Park, and for other purposes. Valley Forge Park Realignment Permit and Promise Act.
Nominations of David Applegate to be Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Carmen Cantor to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular and International Affairs, and Evelyn Wang to be Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
The purpose of the business meeting is to consider the nominations of:
- Dr. David Applegate to be Director of the United States Geological Survey;
- Ambassador Carmen G. Cantor to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior (Insular and International Affairs); and
- Dr. Evelyn Wang to be Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Department of Energy.
The meeting will be immediately followed by a hearing to examine short term and long terms solutions to extreme drought in the western United States.
H.R. 2773—Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021; H.R. 7606—Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act
The Committee on Rules will meet on Monday, June 13, 2022 at 2:00 PM EDT in H-313, The Capitol on the following measures:
- H.R. 2543—Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act [Financial Services Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Economic Justice Act]
- H.R. 2773—Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021
- H.R. 7606—Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2022 [Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act]
H.R. 7606 includes language to waive Clean Air Act restrictions on ethanol blending and new support for ethanol and biodiesel.
H.R. 2773, which will fund multi-stakeholder efforts to conserve and monitor at-risk species, known in states as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), is supported by The Wildlife Society.
Living with Climate Change: Wildfires
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on policies and practices to address wildfires. Billions of dollars are spent fighting wildfires every year, and the cascading economic, health, and societal impacts of wildfires are enormous. Compounding these challenges, wildfires also release greenhouse gases and harmful aerosols into the atmosphere. Over the last century, battling wildfires after they have started has been the main approach to address this threat. Yet, with record-setting fire seasons happening almost every year, more proactive and preventative steps are needed.
Panelists will discuss policies and practices that would allow the United States to reduce the overall risk of wildfires, including how innovations in community-centered wildfire protection can improve resilience for humans and ecosystems.
Speakers- Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.)
- Carly Phillips, Western States Climate Team Fellow, Union of Concerned Scientists
- Kimiko Barrett, Wildfire Research & Policy Lead, Headwaters Economics
- Margo Robbins, Executive Director, Cultural Fire Management Council
- Steve Bowen, Managing Director and Head of Catastrophe Insight, Aon
A live webcast will be streamed at 01:00 PM EDT.