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
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]
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.
House Appropriations Committee
Senate Appropriations Committee
Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee
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
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee
