Hill Heat

On Wednesday, March 29, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( FERC) is hosting a so-called Environmental Justice Forum throughout the day. Because we don’t think that the FERC forum will produce the results frontline advocates require nor was the event organized to ensure frontline and community-based organizations were truly respected, heard, and included, we’re hosting our own Peoples’ Environmental Justice Roundtable from 5-7p at Busboys & Poets, 450 K St NW, in Washington, DC and online to uplift the voices of communities that are impacted everyday by FERC’s decisions (food and music 5-6p, panel from 6-7p).

At the Peoples’ EJ Roundtable, we’ll spotlight the amazing work happening to challenge the rush to build new LNG and pipelines led by people from frontline communities who are building toward a future without LNG. Leaders will speak about their communities and will have space to reflect on what occurred during the day at the FERC event. Come enjoy great music, food, and conversation as we work toward a day where FERC is an agency that centers climate and environmental justice in its decision making.

Please join us to listen to and support our frontline leaders.

If your organization is interested in crossposting the livestream, please email [email protected]

Hearing page

Witness:

• Gary Gensler, Chair, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

• Budget justification: $2.436 billion, offset by transaction fees. Top issue for the Regulatory Policy and Supervisory Cooperation (RP/SC) Group of the Office of International Affairs is climate risk disclosure and related issues.

Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon (R-Texas) will hold a hearing titled “Fueling Unaffordability: How the Biden Administration’s Policies Catalyzed Global Energy Scarcity and Compounded Inflation” to examine the relationship between Biden Administration policies, energy production, and supply as price drivers and, ultimately, the share of overall inflation attributable to rising energy prices. The subcommittee will discuss policy solutions to ensure energy affordability and security for the long-term.

“The Biden Administration has been conducting a war on American energy since day one by restricting our oil investment, production, and transport. Instead of taking action to respond to record high prices by reversing his anti-American energy policies, President Biden chose to deny responsibility and ignore the pain he inflicted on Americans’ pocketbooks,” said Chairman Fallon. “We will conduct oversight to examine the implications of the Biden Administration’s industry scapegoating, overreach, and obstruction of American energy and find solutions to ensure our energy security for years to come.”

Witnesses:

• Oliver McPherson-Smith, Director for Energy, Trade, and Environmental Policy, American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research
• Mandy Gunasekara, Director for Center for Energy & Conservation, Independent Women’s Forum
• Dr. Mark Paul, Assistant Professor of Economics, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University

Hearing page

Witnesses

• Charles F. Sams III, Director, National Park Service
• Tracy Stone-Manning, Director, Bureau of Land Management
• Martha Williams, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• NPS: $3.8 billion budget request includes $86.8 million programmatic increase to support science and build NPS resiliency to climate change and increase NPS conservation efforts, with $4.1 million for climate vulnerability studies, and $31 million for youth conservation corps
• BLM: $1.7 billion budget request includes $123.5 million for oil and gas management, $12 million for youth corps, increase of $8 million in Western Oregon Resources Management to support timber sales
• FWS: $4.1 billion budget request

Hearing page

Bureau of Reclamation FY 2024 Budget: $1.4 billion

• The budget proposal includes a $49 million request for the Lower Colorado River Operations Program, including $16.8 million to build on the work of Reclamation, Colorado River basin partners and stakeholders to implement drought contingency plans. It also includes $2.7 million for the Upper Colorado River Operations Program to support Drought Response Operations and $200.3 million to find long-term, comprehensive water supply solutions for farmers, families, and communities in California. The budget includes $62.9 million for the WaterSMART Program to support Reclamation’s collaboration with non-federal partners in efforts to address emerging water demands and water shortage issues in the West.
• A request of $57.8 million advances the construction and continues the operations and maintenance of authorized rural water projects. The budget request also provides $35.5 million for the Native American Affairs Program, which provides technical support and assistance to tribal governments to develop and manage their water resources. 
• The budget includes $210.2 million for the Dam Safety Program to effectively manage risks to the downstream public, of which $182.6 million is for modification actions. Another focus area for infrastructure is $105.3 million requested for extraordinary maintenance activities across Reclamation.
• These funding amounts are included in the $1.3 billion budget request for Reclamation’s principal operating account (Water and Related Resources), which funds planning, construction, water conservation, efforts to address fish and wildlife habitat needs, and operation, maintenance and rehabilitation activities at Reclamation facilities.
• Additionally, funding of $33 million is requested to implement the California Bay-Delta Program and address California’s current water supply and ecological challenges, while $48.5 million is for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund to protect, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and associated habitats in California’s Central Valley and Trinity River Basins.
• The request also provides $66.8 million for Policy and Administration to develop, evaluate, and directly implement Reclamation-wide policy, rules and regulation as well as other administrative functions.

U.S. Army Corps of Civil Engineers Civil Works Budget Justification

U.S. Army Corps of Civil Engineers Civil Works Budget Overview

For the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program, the Budget would provide over $7.4 billion in gross discretionary funding that would be distributed among the appropriations accounts as follows:

• Investigations $129,832,000
• Construction $2,014,577,000
• Operation and Maintenance $2,629,913,000
• Regulatory Program $221,000,000
• Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) $226,478,000
• Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program $200,000,000
• Expenses $212,000,000
• Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies $40,000,000
• Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) $7,200,000
• Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works $6,000,000
• Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund $1,726,000,000
• TOTAL $ 7,413,000,000

• Increase Resilience to Climate Change. The Budget invests in improving the Nation’s water infrastructure, while incorporating climate resilience efforts into the Corps’ commercial navigation, flood and storm damage reduction, and aquatic ecosystem restoration work. The Budget invests in 45 projects and programs that would decrease climate risks facing communities and increase ecosystem resilience to climate change based on the best available science. The Flood and Coastal Storm Damage Reduction program is funded at more than $1.9 billion in the FY 2024 Budget. The Mississippi River and Tributaries program will fund ongoing work in the lower Mississippi River alluvial valley and its tributaries, with emphasis on the 1,600 miles of levees and related features on the main stem of the lower Mississippi River and in the Atchafalaya Basin. The Budget includes funding to continue studies intended to investigate climate resilience along the Great Lakes coast as well as in Central and Southern Florida. The Budget includes $35.5 million for technical and planning assistance programs that will help local communities, including disadvantaged communities, identify and address their flood risks associated with climate change. The Budget provides $64 million for operation and maintenance activities that are focused on improving climate resilience and/or sustainability at existing Corps-owned projects, $51 million to mitigate for adverse impacts from existing Corps-owned projects, and $26 million to install the necessary refueling infrastructure to support zero-emission vehicles at existing Corps-owned projects.

• Improve the Nation’s Infrastructure. The Budget invests in operating and maintaining the Corps existing infrastructure and improving its reliability. It also includes $665 million for construction of a dam safety project at Prado Dam and $235 million to help complete specifically authorized projects that have experienced cost increases since construction began. The Budget also supports more efficient investment in infrastructure by proposing to transfer ownership from the Corps to parties that are better suited to maintain it, where appropriate. For example, the Budget includes $350 million for replacement of the Cape Cod Canal Bridges and a legislative proposal that would allow the Corps to transfer funds to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to design and construct the Cape Cod Canal replacement bridges. The proposal would transfer ownership of these bridges to the Commonwealth, which would be responsible for their future operation and maintenance. Additionally, the Budget includes $235 million for a “Project Cost Increase Reserve” to help complete the Sault Ste. Marie (Replacement Lock), MI project as reauthorized by Section 8401 (6) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2022, which is Division H of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, Public Law 117-81.

• Facilitate Safe, Reliable and Sustainable Commercial Navigation to Improve the Resilience of our Nation’s Manufacturing Supply Chain to support American Jobs and the Economy. The Budget invests in five projects that facilitate safe, reliable, and environmentally sustainable navigation at the Nation’s coastal ports and on the inland waterways. The Budget includes $1.726 billion in spending from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to support commerce through U.S. coastal ports and over $1 billion to maintain and improve navigation on the inland waterways. These significant investments will facilitate safe, reliable, and environmentally sustainable commercial navigation at our Nation’s coastal ports and inland waterways. Within the HMTF total, the Budget includes $272 million for operation and maintenance of Great Lakes projects, $58 million for projects that support access by Native American tribes to their legally recognized historic fishing areas, $15 million for a construction project that will accommodate disposal of material dredged from coastal navigation projects, and $21.152 million for mitigating for adverse impacts from navigation projects.

• Support the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative through Investments in Projects that Benefit Disadvantaged Communities by Increasing their Resilience to Climate Change. The Budget invests in 23 studies, and in the construction of 33 projects to help disadvantaged and tribal communities address their water resources challenges in line with the President’s Justice40 Initiative—including funding for the Tribal Partnership Program. In the FY 2024 Budget, the Corps continued its commitment to the overall Federal effort to ensure that 40 percent of the benefits of Federal climate and clean energy investments will directly benefit disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened and Tribal nations. Through the FY 2024 Budget, the Corps is securing environmental justice and spurring economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution and are experiencing underinvestment in essential services. The Corps contributes to this Justice40 Initiative through its studies and projects, and through specific programs, such as the Continuing Authorities Program, Planning Assistance to States, Floodplain Management Services, and the Tribal Partnership Program. The Corps is committed to achieving the broader goals of the Administration regarding equity and environmental justice and will continue to: 1) improve outreach and access to Civil Works information and resources; 2) improve access to Civil Works technical and planning assistance programs (e.g., the Flood Plain Management Services and Planning Assistance to States programs) and maximize the reach of Civil Works projects to benefit the disadvantaged communities, in particular as it relates to climate resiliency; and 3) ensure that any updates to Civil Works policies and guidance will not result in a disproportionate negative impact on disadvantaged communities

• Restore Aquatic Habitat where the Aquatic Ecosystem Structure, Function and Processes Have Degraded. The FY 2024 Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration program is funded at $653 million in the Budget. The Corps will continue to work with other federal, state and local agencies, using the best available science and adaptive management to restore degraded ecosystem structure, function, and/or process to a more natural condition. The Budget invests in the restoration of some of the Nation’s most unique aquatic ecosystems, such as the Chesapeake Bay, the Upper Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, the Louisiana Coast, and the Everglades. For example, the Budget includes $415 million for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER) (Everglades) program ― which is an $8 million increase compared to the 2023 Budget level and $66.77 million for Columbia River Fish Mitigation.

• Invest in Research and Development to Solve the Nation’s Toughest Water Resources Challenges. The Budget provides $86 million ─ the largest request in Corps’ history ─ for research and development. The challenges of today and tomorrow are not like yesterday’s. From droughts and wildfires across the western states, to the increasingly frequent disasters faced by communities across the country, many of the 21st century’s water resources challenges are complex and interconnected. Our nation needs integrated engineering solutions based on the best available science and technology to solve our toughest water resources challenges today and in the future.

On March 29, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. (ET), the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains will hold a hearing titled “Highlighting the Role of Small Businesses in Domestic Energy Production” in room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Witnesses

• Lucas Gjovig, President, GO Wireline, Williston, ND
• Nick Powell, Chairman & Owner, Colt Energy, Mission, KS
• Ed Cross, President, Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association, Topeka, KS
• Dan Conant, Founder & President, Solar Holler, Shepherdstown, WV

Hearing page

Witness:

• Janet Yellen, Secretary, Department of the Treasury

• FY 2024 Budget-in-Brief

Includes:

• $2.93 billion for Multilateral Development Banks
• $1.42 billion for Climate Change and Environment Funds
• $0.122 billion for Food Security
• $0.332 billion for Treasury’s Departmental Offices, which includes $8.2 million to support 27 staff positions for Treasury’s Climate Hub and a climate-related technical support center to conduct assessments of climate-related risks across Government programs
• $0.031 billion for capital investments, including $5 million for electric vehicle leasing and charging infrastructure

Staffing to Support Climate Initiatives +$3,184,000 / +11 FTE

The Administration is targeting cuts to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% – 52% from 2005 levels by 2030 and has outlined an ambitious plan to double international climate finance and triple international adaptation finance by 2024, to support communities transitioning away from coal and to encourage the private sector to disclose climate risk. The Administration has tasked Treasury with playing a key role in these efforts, but as currently staffed, Treasury is limited in its ability to contribute to crucial elements of the climate agenda. Treasury’s unique responsibilities on a range of programs related to climate change – including economic, financial sector, and climate-related government policies – are reflected in an ambitious climate strategy program. This request would build policy strength in key climate functions, including international economists who can support bilateral and multilateral efforts outlined in the International Climate Finance Strategy, domestic finance experts responsible for understanding climate risks on the financial system, and economists responsible for conducting economic analyses related to the impacts of domestic and international climate policies on US energy markets.

Hearing page

On March 15, the EPA announced its updated Good Neighbor rule to reduce smog pollution from upwind states.

Witnesses:

• David G. Hill MD, FCCP, Chair, Public Policy Committee, American Lung Association Board of Directors
• Serena McIlwain, Secretary, Maryland Department of the Environment
• Karen Peters, Director, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
• Chris Wells, Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
• Paul Noe, Vice President, Public Policy, American Forest & Paper Association

Hearing page

Witnesses:

• Claudio Galimberti, Senior Vice President & North America Research Director, Rystad Energy
• Dr. Gregor Semieniuk, Assistant Research Professor, Political Economy Research Institute & Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Daniel Raimi, Fellow & Director, Equity in the Energy Transition Initiative, Resources for the Future
• Dr. Benjamin Zycher, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
• Lucian Pugliaresi, President, Energy Policy Research Foundation

Hearing page

Chair Heinrich

Witness:

• Tom Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture

FY 2024 Budget: $32.6 billion, slightly more than 16.9 percent increase, or $4.7 billion, above the 2023 enacted level

• Explanatory notes

$12 billion of the budget is seen by USDA as climate-related, including:

• $4.6 billion of the Forest Service budget
• $3.2 billion of the Natural Resources Conservation Service budget
• $2.2 billion of the Farm Service Agency budget
• $1.3 billion in rural development services
• $0.5 billion in scientific research programs