Oversight and Budget of the Federal Highway Administration
Full committee hearing. FHWA’s FY 2025 Budget requests $62.8 billion, of which $800 million is to support the RAISE and Mega Programs under the Office of the Secretary of Transportation. When added to the $9.5 billion in advance appropriations contained in the IIJA, this will result in a total of $72.3 billion.
Witness:- Shailen Bhatt, Adminstrator, Federal Highway Administration
Oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Full committee hearing.
Witness:- Michael Regan, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Virtual Panel: Prosecuting Big Oil for Climate Crimes
“Climate change is not a tragedy, it’s a crime.” Could this increasingly common refrain among climate activists be more than just a slogan?
Years of reporting show that fossil fuel companies knew of their contributions to climate change and funded multimillion-dollar disinformation campaigns to block responses that would curb their dangerous conduct—conduct that is today causing massive harms and deaths across the country.
Could these acts constitute homicide or other criminal violations? Should Big Oil be prosecuted? Join legal experts, scientists, and former prosecutors for a panel discussion on this new theory of climate accountability, hosted by Public Citizen, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Fair and Just Prosecution, and moderated by Bill McKibben. UCS accountability campaign director Kathy Mulvey is among the participants.
Pathways to Farming: Helping the Next Generation of Farmers
Full committee hearing.
Witnesses:- Tessa Parks, Farmer, W.T. Farms, National Farmers Union
- Raechel Sattazahn, Director of Industry and Membership Relations, Horizon Farm Credit, Mechanicsburg, PA
- Kevin Lussier, Chair, Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, American Farm Bureau Federation
- Christian Good, Owner/Operator, Christian Good Farms, Macon, MS
Federal Law Enforcement in Indian Country
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing titled “Biden’s Border Crisis: Examining Efforts to Combat International Criminal Cartels & Stop Illegal Drug Trafficking Targeting Indian Country.”
Panel I:- Darryl Lacounte, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Lt. John Nores Jr. (ret.), Special Operations, Marijuana Enforcement Team, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Stacy Zinn, former Resident in Charge, Rocky Mountain Division, Drug Enforcement Administration
- Joshua Roberge, Chief of Police, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Harlem, MT
An Overview of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2025
The purpose of the hearing is to examine the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and related issues within the Science Committee’s jurisdiction. This hearing will be an opportunity for Members to discuss their priorities related to the agency’s mission.
The President’s FY25 budget request for NOAA is $6.56 billion, a $241 million increase from the FY24 appropriated amount.
Witness:- Dr. Rick Spinrad, Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Critical Minerals List Legislation
- H.R. 6395 (Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah), “Recognizing the Importance of Critical Minerals in Healthcare Act of 2023”;
- H.R. 8446 (Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.), To amend the Energy Act of 2020 to include critical materials in the definition of critical mineral;
- H.R. 8450 (Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla.), “Phosphate and Potash Protection Act of 2024”.
- Colin Williams, U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Resources Program, Program Coordinator [All bills]
- Misael Cabrera, Director, School of Mining & Mineral Resources, The University of Arizona [H.R. 8446]
- Sally Macaluso, Chief Procurement Officer, GE HealthCare [H.R. 6395]
- Corey Rosenbusch, President & CEO, The Fertilizer Institute [H.R. 8450]
- Dr. Roopali Phadke, Professor of Environmental Studies, Macalester College [Minority Witness] [H.R. 8446]
The Department of Energy’s 2023 Critical Materials List, unlike the USGS CML, contains copper, electrical steel, fluorine, silicon, and silicon carbide. H.R. 8446 would ensure that the materials on the DOE list would also appear on the USGS CML.
By requiring DOI to consult with HHS, H.R. 6395 will ensure that medical uses of minerals such as uranium (used in the production of molybdenum-99 and technetium-99m), copper, gold, lithium, titanium, silver, and platinum, and the ramifications that any supply disruption could have on the healthcare economy are considered when evaluating CML designations.
H.R. 8450 would direct the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to reevaluate potash, phosphate, and materials necessary for fertilizer for designation as critical minerals. This bill also requires DOI to publish a report to Congress explaining why these minerals do or do not meet the necessary CML requirements and to update the CML within 60 days should USGS find that any mineral meets the criteria.
Examining the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request for the U.S. Forest Service
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 10:15 a.m., in Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold an oversight hearing titled “Examining the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request for the U.S. Forest Service.” The USFS’s FY 2025 budget requests $8.9 billion in discretionary funding (including roughly $2.4 billion for the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund), which reflects a $658 million increase over FY 2024 enacted levels.
Witness:- Randy Moore, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Nominations to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The purpose of the business meeting is to consider the nominations of:
- David Rosner to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2027, vice Richard Glick, term expired;
- Lindsay S. See to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2028, vice James P. Danly, term expired;
- Judy W. Chang to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2029, vice Allison Clements, term expiring.
Data Center Electricity Demand Growth
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security will hold a hearing titled “Powering AI: Examining America’s Energy and Technology Future.” The hearing will examine the economic, energy, regulatory, and geopolitical considerations of electricity demand growth, including from increasing data center and artificial intelligence (AI) usage.
Witnesses:- Philip J. Dion, Sr. Vice President, Customer Solutions, Edison Electric Institute
- Tony Clark, Senior Advisor, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, former Republican FERC Commissioner, former Chairman of the North Dakota Public Service Commission
- Tom Hassenboehler, Chair, Advisory Committee, Electricity Customer Alliance
- Melissa C. Lott, Professor, Climate School, Columbia University, Director of Research at the Center on Global Energy Policy