Oversight
hearing
of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This hearing will examine the
regulatory developments, rulemakings, and activities that the
SEC has undertaken in the period since the
last hearing on October 5, 2021.
This includes: On March 21, 2022, the SEC
proposed a 500-page climate disclosure rule that would require publicly
traded firms to disclose detailed emissions data and climate risk
management strategies. Among other details, the rule would also require
certain publicly traded firms to disclose direct and indirect greenhouse
gas emissions that emanate from their supply chains.
The NOAA Organic Act proposed by Chairman
Lucas would establish NOAA as an independent
agency within the executive branch, give it formal statutory authority,
and authorize its mission. Additionally, the
NOAA Organic Act ensures the National Weather
Service will continue to operate within NOAA.
It also consolidates NOAA’s work by refocusing
on its core mission areas. It moves the Office of Commercial Space out
of NOAA and elevates the office within the
Department of Commerce, making it an individual office with an
Undersecretary reporting directly to the Secretary of Commerce.
Additionally, the bill directs a study from the National Academy of
Public Administration on transferring part or all of
NOAA’s work on endangered species and marine
mammal protection to the Department of the Interior.
Founding executive director Varshini Prakash is stepping down and will
join the board of the Sunrise Movement. To hear about this transition
from her directly and how our membership will be involved in the search
for a new executive director, join us for our April 11th National
Membership
Call.
The call is a place where members and leaders, monthly, will come
together to build community and relationships, hear about what’s
happening (e.g., trainings, programs, what hubs, chapters and volunteer
teams are up to) across Sunrise, discuss core questions coming up in the
movement, and reground in strategy, campaigns, culture and work as a
movement.
On Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. PDT,
at the World Ag Expo, 4500 S Laspina St # 214, Tulare,
CA 93274, the Committee on Natural Resources,
Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative
field
hearing
on the following bills:
H.R. 215 (Rep. Valadao) “Working to Advance Tangible and Effective
Reforms for California Act” or the “WATER for California Act”.
H.R. 872 (Rep. Calvert) “Federally Integrated Species Health Act” or
the “FISH Act”.
Debra Haaland, Secretary, Department of the Interior (or their
designees from the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service)
Gina Raimondo, Secretary, Department of Commerce (or their designee
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Charlton Bonham, Director, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Tony DeGroot, Farmer, DG Bar Ranches, Hanford, California
Aaron Fukuda, General Manager, Tulare Irrigation District, Tulare,
California
Jason Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Friant Water Authority,
Lindsay, California
Jeff Sutton, General Manager, Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, Willows,
California
Chris White, Executive Director, San Joaquin River Exchange
Contractors Water Authority, Los Banos, California
Additional witnesses TBA
H.R. 215, sponsored by the entire House California Republican
delegation, extends West-wide water storage provisions such as Section
4007 of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act
(Subtitle J of Public Law 114-322) through December 31, 2028. Some of
the projects authorized under these provisions include: Shasta Dam and
Reservoir Enlargement Project in California (additional 634,000 AF of
storage), Sites Reservoir Storage Project in California (1.5 million AF
of storage), Los Vaqueros Reservoir Phase 2 Expansion in California
(additional 115,000 AF of storage), Cle Elum Pool Raise in Washington
state (additional 14,600 AF of storage) and Anderson Ranch Dam Raise in
Idaho (additional 29,000 AF of storage). The
WIIN provision allows a non-governmental
entity to request and be the non-federal partner for federally owned
surface storage projects.
In addition, the bill would require the CVP
and SWP to be operated consistent with the
2019 BiOps and Preferred Alternative, set during the Trump
administration. The bill would allow for modification of
CVP and SWP
operations based on any agreement that is reached on a voluntary basis
with CVP and SWP
water contractors. It would also prohibit any water supply costs from
being imposed on any entity due to agreements with other parties unless
voluntarily agreed to.
In addition, the bill would require the federal government to provide
the maximum amount of water practicable to CVP
and SWP water contractors consistent with the
2019 BiOps. The bill includes safeguards for
SWP water contractors. Specifically, if
California reduces water supplies to SWP water
contractors as a result of actions directed by H.R. 215, then any
increase of water supplies received by CVP
water contractors must be divided between the two projects. H.R. 215
would amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L.
117-58) to make the Shasta Dam Raise eligible to receive water storage
project funding in that law. IIJA included
$1.15 billion for storage projects but made the Shasta Project
ineligible. Lastly, it would direct the Secretary of the Interior to
complete the fish, wildlife, and habitat restoration programs required
under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA or P.L. 102-575)
within 2 years of enactment of this Act.
H.R. 872, authored by Representative Calvert (R-CA), has six cosponsors:
Reps. Jim Costa (DCA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Jay
Obernolte (R-CA), Mike Simpson (RID) and Michelle Steele (R-CA). H.R.
872 would consolidate the ESA functions of
NOAA and the Department of the Interior
(Interior) relating to the conservation of anadromous and catadromous
fish, making Interior solely responsible for managing these species.
This legislation will allow one wildlife management agency (USFWS) to
evaluate impacts on species interacting in a shared ecosystem and
determine a holistic management approach.
Mighty Earth and The Sunrise Project host a media
webinar
which will explain the importance of addressing the climate and human
rights impacts across auto supply chains and the likely impact the
industry could have on curbing emissions.
Many of the big manufacturers are heavily promoting their electric
vehicles (EVs), but green motoring means more than just going electric.
New analysis for the industry evaluates 18 of the world’s leading
automakers on their efforts to eliminate emissions, environmental harm,
and human rights violations from their supply chains. It found that
although several big brands are sourcing fossil-free aluminum and steel,
over half have shown no progress on steel, the biggest industrial metal
climate culprit. Worryingly, two thirds have no commitment to Indigenous
or First Nation rights in their supply chains for aluminum, steel and
lithium for electric batteries.
This timely online media event will explain the importance of addressing
the climate and human rights impacts across auto supply chains and the
likely impact the industry could have in curbing emissions. The webinar
is geared towards both specialist and non-specialist media; panelists
will explain the broader impact the auto industry could have on driving
down global emissions if all components in the auto supply chain were
sourced and manufactured sustainably.
In the second half of the session, panelists will take questions from
the media. All discussions will be on the record.
Dr. Tony Cheng, Director, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute;
Professor, Forest & Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University,
Fort Collins, CO
Troy Harris, Managing Director, Timberland and Innovative Wood
Products, Jamestown, L.P., Atlanta, GA
Jason Hartman, Kansas State Forester, Kansas Forest Service; Member,
National Association of State Foresters Executive Committee,
Manhattan, KS
Jim Neiman, President, Neiman Enterprises, Hulett, WY
Sally Rollins Palmer, External Affairs Advisor, Central Appalachians,
The Nature Conservancy, Nashville, TN
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources Subcommittee
Arvind Ravikumar Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Co-Director,
Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab, The University of Texas at
Austin
Chelsea M. Rochman Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Head of Operations &
Science Programming and Application Lead, Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, St. George
Hota GangaRao Ph.D., Ph.D, Wadsworth Professor and Director of
Constructed Facilities Center, Wadsworth Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight Subcommittee
