Climate science, policy, politics, and action
Chair Jon Tester (D-Mont.)
Of the $215.1 billion Air Force budget request, $942 million (0.4%) is seen as mitigating climate risk.
Of the $30 billion Space Force budget request, $6 million (0.02%) is seen as mitigating climate risk
Chairman: Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.)
Witness:
Budget request for USAID: $2.3 billion
Witness:
FY 2024 Budget request of $73.3 billion.
STRATEGIC GOAL 4: ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
Advance sustainable communities by strengthening climate resilience and energy efficiency, promoting environmental justice, and recognizing housing’s role as essential to health
The $1.5 billion in following investments will help HUD achieve this goal:
Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2024 Federal Trade Commission budget.
Budget request: $590 million.
Witnesses:
The FTC’s Green Marketing program focuses on advertising claims that tout the environmental benefits of products and services. Enforcement administers the program by developing the Commission’s Environmental Marketing Guides, litigating enforcement actions, and conducting consumer research and other studies to better understand the marketplace.
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on its “Green Guides,” which seek to prevent companies from making deceptive environmental claims, as it updates them for the first time in a decade.
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.
Witness:
Hearing on legislation to establish an independent NOAA. Former Republican NOAA administrators have been invited to testify.
Witnesses:
Legislation:
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.
Hearing for members of Congress to testify on priorities and earmarks for their districts.
Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.)
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:
Invited witnesses:
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.
Panelists: