This is the organizational
meeting
of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 118th
Congress.
Immediately following the organizational meeting, the full Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure will hold its first hearing of the
118th Congress on “The State of Transportation Infrastructure and Supply
Chain Challenges.”
Hearing Witness List:
Chris Spear, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Trucking
Associations
Ian Jefferies, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of
American Railroads
Jeff Firth, Vice President, Hamilton Construction, on behalf of
Associated General Contractors of America
The Environmental Protection Agency will host a training on January 31,
2023 to provide an overview of the proposed rule to update the Agency’s
regulations governing the timelines and other requirements for state
plans to limit pollution from existing sources under section 111(d) of
the Clean Air Act. It will also provide information on how to
effectively engage in the regulatory process and an opportunity to ask
clarifying questions. Although this training is open to the public, it
will include information tailored to specific groups: communities with
environmental justice concerns, tribal nations, tribal environmental
professionals, and small business stakeholders. This virtual
event
is FREE and open to the public. The event will
be held using Zoom, and a toll-free call-in number will be available.
Background: On December 14, 2022, the EPA
Administrator signed the proposed updates to the Agency’s regulations
governing the timelines and other requirements for state plans to limit
pollution from existing sources under section 111(d) of the Clean Air
Act. EPA’s “Implementing Regulations” apply to
states that must submit plans for existing sources of pollution covered
by Emissions Guidelines and to eligible Tribal Nations that choose to
develop their own plans. The proposed updates would revise several
timing requirements for state plans, including the allowed time for
states to submit plans and for EPA to review
them, among others. The proposal also would provide states clear
guidance on when they can apply a less-stringent standard to a facility
or class of facilities. In addition, it would require states and
EPA to conduct meaningful engagement as part
of state plan and federal plan development, including with communities
and Tribal Nations most affected by, and vulnerable to, the plans’
impacts.
Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, & Grid Security Chairman Jeff
Duncan
(R-SC)
Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, & Critical Materials
Chairman Bill
Johnson
(R-OH)
Witnesses:
Paul
Dabbar,
Former Under Secretary of Energy; Distinguished Visiting Fellow,
Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University;
CEO, Bohr Quantum Technology
Ready to make a difference in climate policy? But not
sure where to start? We have you covered. The Environmental and Energy
Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for our start-of-the-new
Congress briefing series, Climate
Camp. We will go over the basics
of the legislative process, highlighting key areas and opportunities for
climate mitigation and adaptation policy.
Our first session in
EESI’s Congressional Climate Camp series will
bring you up to speed on the budget and appropriations process already
underway for fiscal year 2024. Panelists will draw on examples of
funding for climate, energy, and environment programs to bring the
process to life and show how it plays out in practice. Panelists will
also describe how annual appropriations have been impacted by the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Speakers
Angela Jones, Analyst in Environmental Policy, Congressional Research
Service
Franz Wuerfmannsdobler, Senior Advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center.
Formerly Congressional staffer for U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.),
Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), and Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.); Professional Staff,
Senate Appropriations Committee
The briefing is open to the public at SCV-200
in the Capitol Visitor Center with an
RSVP.
A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EST
at www.eesi.org/livecast.
Contact Daniel O’Brien ([email protected] | (202) 662-1880) for more
information.
When it comes to reducing waste, we were taught the three Rs: reduce,
reuse, and recycle; however, the reality for plastics is the three Bs:
buried, burned, or borne out to sea,” said Sen. Merkley. “My Break Free
from Plastic Pollution Act is a comprehensive plan to reduce plastic
production, improve our recycling systems, and protect frontline
communities. It’s not just enough for us to curb our own individual
plastic use, we must take action at the federal and international level
to solve this environmental and public health crisis.”
Recent polling shows that two-thirds of Americans believe that
businesses that produce or use plastics in their products should pay for
collecting, sorting, and recycling plastics; 86 percent of Americans
support requiring new plastic to contain at least some recycled
material; and 80 percent of Americans support phasing out certain
non-recyclable plastics altogether.
The Break Free from Plastic Pollution
Act
— led by Sen. Merkley and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) — would reduce
plastic production, increase recycling, and protect frontline
communities from the burden of toxic emissions from plastic waste by
changing the incentives of the industry. The bill would shift the
burden of cleanup to the corporations that produced the plastics so they
have financial motivation to end the burning and dumping; strengthening
environmental justice protections; eliminating waste export loopholes;
and extending across the nation existing laws that have been proven to
work on the state and local level, among other steps.
Arizona Public Service Company, Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC, Black Hills Power, Inc., Cheyenne Light, Fuel
and Power Company, El Paso Electric Company, Public Service Company of
Colorado, Public Service Company of New Mexico, Tucson Electric Power
Company, and UNS Electric, Inc.
Tenaska Clear Creek Wind, LLC v. Southwest
Power Pool, Inc., Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc.,
Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Tennessee Valley
Authority
Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Midcontinent Independent
System Operator, Inc., Dynegy, Inc., and Sellers of Capacity into Zone 4
of the 2015-2015 MISO Planning Resource
Auction
The holidays are a time to spend time with family, cook meals and enjoy
each other’s company. Want to make sure your holiday meal doesn’t come
with a side of air pollution? Join us for “Pollution-free cooking for
the
holidays,”
to learn more about the health dangers of gas stoves, hear about the
benefits of induction stoves and get information about incentives that
are now available to help you make the switch.
We’ll also have a chef show us how to make one of their favorite holiday
recipes on an induction stove, so you can see the benefits of
pollution-free cooking.
RSVP
to receive the Zoom webinar information.
Alejandra Castillo, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic
Development, Economic Development Administration
Maureen Donohue Krauss, President and CEO,
Detroit Regional Partnership
David Spalding, Raisbeck Endowed Dean of the Debbie and Jerry Ivy
College of Business and Interim Vice President of Economic Development
and Industry Relations, Iowa State University
Ready to make a difference in climate policy? But not
sure where to start? We have you covered. The Environmental and Energy
Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for our start-of-the-new
Congress briefing series, 