On Wednesday, October 6, at 10:00 AM ET, the
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold an oversight
hearing
to examine the response by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Hurricane
Ida.
Witnesses:
Major General William H. “Butch” Graham, Deputy Commanding General for
Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Brigadier General Thomas J. Tickner, Commanding General, North
Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Colonel Stephen F. Murphy, Commander, New Orleans District, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers
The purpose of this
hearing
is to receive testimony on the following bills:
S.
336, to
amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to
reauthorize the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway, and for other
purposes;
S.
378, to
reauthorize the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, the Lackawanna
Valley National Heritage Area, the Delaware and Lehigh National
Heritage Corridor, the Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area,
and the Oil Region National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
S.
511, to
establish the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area in
the State of Illinois, and for other purposes;
S.
635, to
reauthorize The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor and the
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, and for other
purposes;
S.
654, to
reauthorize the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, and for other
purposes;
S.
787, to
amend the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area Act to extend the
authority of the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to
the local coordinating entity for the Atchafalaya National Heritage
Area under that Act;
S.
825, to
establish the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, and for other
purposes;
S.
972, to
reauthorize the Essex National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
S.
990, to
reauthorize the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area;
S.
1004,
to extend the authorization of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage
Area, to designate the Great Basin National Heritage Route in the
State of Nevada as the “Great Basin National Heritage Area”, to
designate the Great Basin Heritage Route Partnership as the “Great
Basin Heritage Area Partnership”, to extend the authorization of the
Great Basin National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
S.
1112,
to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Chisholm
National Historic Trail and the Western National Historic Trail, and
for other purposes.
S.
1224,
to reauthorize, and increase the total funding cap for, the America’s
Agricultural Heritage Partnership, to redesignate the America’s
Agricultural Heritage Partnership as the “Silos & Smokestacks National
Heritage Area”, and for other purposes;
S.
1258,
to extend the authorization of each of the National Coal Heritage Area
and the Wheeling National Heritage Area in the State of West Virginia,
and for other purposes;
S.
1284 /
H.R.
2497,
to establish the Amache National Historic Site in the State of
Colorado as a unit of the National Park System, and for other
purposes;
S.
1318,
to reauthorize the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area;
S.
1329,
to amend the National Aviation Heritage Area Act to reauthorize the
National Aviation Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
S.
1620,
to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the city of
Eunice, Louisiana, certain Federal land in the State of Louisiana, and
for other purposes;
S.
1643,
to establish the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area, and for
other purposes;
S.
1942,
to standardize the designation of National Heritage Areas, and for
other purposes;
S.
1954,
to reauthorize the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor, and for other purposes;
S.
2158,
to extend the authorization of the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory
Commission;
S.
2296,
to establish the Northern Neck National Heritage Area, and for other
purposes;
S.
2438,
to modify the boundary of the Cane River Creole National Historical
Park in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes;
S.
2441,
to establish in the States of North Carolina and South Carolina the
Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor, and
for other purposes;
S.
2482,
to amend the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Act of
2006 to reauthorize the Champlain Valley National Heritage
Partnership, and for other purposes;
S.
2490,
to establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa,
Texas, and for other purposes;
S.
2580,
to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture to make free National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands
Passes available to members of the Armed Forces, and for other
purposes;
S.
2648,
to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to reauthorize
the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area in the State
of Alaska, and for other purposes; and
S.
2763,
to extend the authorization for the MotorCities National Heritage Area
in the State of Michigan, and for other purposes.
Witnesses:
Joy Beasley, Associate Director of Cultural Resources, Partnerships,
and Science, National Park Service
Sara Capen, Chairwoman, Alliance of National Heritage Areas, Executive
Director, Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, Inc.
On Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney,
the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a
hearing
entitled, “Hurricane Ida and Beyond: Readiness, Recovery, and
Resilience.”
Disaster recovery efforts by federal, state, and local governments are
being outpaced by a volatile and intense 2021 hurricane season, and
Americans continue to need assistance. On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida
made landfall at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as a category-four hurricane
before remnants of the storm moved to the Northeast. Significant storm
surge, hurricane-force winds, flash flooding, and damaged electric grids
impacted communities in Louisiana, across the Gulf Coast, and in the
Northeast.
The hearing will focus on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s
(FEMA) recovery efforts following Hurricane Ida, including improvements
the Biden Administration has made to accelerate recovery efforts
following natural disasters, and steps FEMA
must take to implement an environmental justice strategy to improve
equity in disaster recovery and build climate resilient communities.
Hurricane Ida and its storm-related impacts resulted in nearly 90 deaths
across the United States. In New York alone, at least 13 people died
from flooding, many perishing in basement units of residential homes.
The National Weather Service issued an emergency flash flood warning,
noting, “[T]his particular warning for NYC
is the second time we’ve ever issued a Flash Flood Emergency (It’s the
first one for NYC). The first time we’ve
issued a Flash Flood Emergency was for Northeast New Jersey a [sic] an
hour ago.”
Extreme weather events like these are becoming more frequent and
catastrophic, with nearly one in three Americans living in a county hit
by a weather disaster in the past three months of 2021. Although the
President approved emergency and major disaster declarations during
Hurricane Ida, a more robust readiness strategy is necessary for future
natural disasters.
This hearing will also discuss the urgent need to enact the Build Back
Better Act to mitigate the impacts of climate change and invest in more
climate resilient infrastructure.
Witness:
Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency
H.Con.Res.45, Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the
execution-style murders of United States citizens Ylli Agron and
Mehmet Bytyqi in the Republic of Serbia in July 1999
H.R. 2748, Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021
H.R. 4785, Uyghur Policy Act of 2021
H.Res. 336, Calling on the Government of the Russian Federation to
provide evidence or to release United States citizen Paul Whelan
The Energy Diplomacy Act, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger II (R-TX)
and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), would create a new position in the
State Department to promote the development and export of fossil fuels.
Before this markup, it passed the
House
as an amendment to the NDAA.
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on
Energy and Commerce will hold a hybrid
hearing
that includes both in-person and remote attendance on Wednesday,
September 29, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. This hearing will take place in the
John D. Dingell Room, 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building, as well
as remotely using Cisco WebEx online video conferencing. The hearing is
entitled, “Protecting Communities from Industrial Accidents:
Revitalizing the Chemical Safety Board.”
CSB is led by a five-member board of experts
who are appointed individually by the President and confirmed by the
Senate. Currently, there are four vacancies on the Board.
The Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigations Board, commonly referred
to as the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), is an independent federal agency
responsible for investigating industrial chemical accidents.
CSB was authorized by the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990, but only funded in 1998 after a series of industrial
accidents led to a renewed impetus to secure appropriations for the
organization.
Witness
Katherine A. Lemos, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, U.S.
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
The Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Underserved,
Agricultural, and Rural Development will hold a hybrid
hearing
titled: “Sustainable Forestry’s Role in Climate Solutions.” The hearing
is scheduled to begin at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 in
Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Participating members
can also join remotely via Zoom.
As the Federal Government considers options for infrastructure
investments and ways to help mitigate and adapt to climate change, the
forestry sector offers multiple avenues to address these goals while
also promoting small business development in rural and underserved
communities. Sustainable forest management can provide economic and
social benefits to meet the needs of present and future generations and
also play a fundamental role in the natural resource infrastructure of
our nation. This hearing will allow members to learn more about the role
of sustainable forestry and how small businesses across this sector are
helping to address climate change.
Witnesses:
Dana Doran, Executive Director, Professional Logging Contractors of
Maine
Dr. Adam Daigneault, Associate Professor of Forest Policy and
Economics, University of Maine
Mark Thibodeau, Regional Manager, ReEnergy Stratton
LLC, Carrabassett Valley, ME
Scott Dane, Executive Director American Logger Council Gilbert, MN
House Small Business Committee
Underserved, Agricultural, and Rural Development Subcommittee
The purpose of these
calls
is to inform communities about EPA’s
environmental justice work and enhance opportunities to maintain an open
dialogue with environmental justice advocates. As environmental justice
continues to be integrated into EPA programs
and policies, the Agency hopes that these calls will help reaffirm
EPA’s continued commitment to work with
community groups and the public to strengthen local environmental and
human health outcomes.
Registration:
Due to limited space, participation in this call will be on a first
come, first-served basis. Pre-registration is highly suggested, but not
required. If registration has reached capacity, please see the links
below for instructions on how to access the call if seating is available
on the day of the meeting. If you are unable to join the call, a summary
will be posted to the U.S. EPA Office of
Environmental Justice’s website after.
Interpretation: If you need English-language interpretation assistance,
or special accommodations for a disability or other assistance, you can
submit a request when registering for the meeting. Please submit your
request by September 23, to give EPA
sufficient time to process.
For more information about the National Environmental Justice Community
Engagement Calls, please visit the website or email: Victoria Robinson
([email protected]) or Christina Motilall
([email protected]).