On Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET, the Committee on
Oversight and Reform will hold a hybrid
hearing
in room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building and on the Zoom video
platform to examine the adequacy of climate pledges made by fossil fuel
companies to reduce carbon emissions and curb global warming.
The hearing is part of the Committee’s investigation into the fossil
fuel industry’s long-running campaign to spread disinformation about
climate change and greenwash its role in causing global warming. The
Committee will hear from climate experts and environmental advocates who
will testify to the urgent need for fossil fuel companies to
fundamentally alter their operations and reduce emissions, and assess
whether the companies’ climate pledges will meet that goal, or are
instead just the latest example of climate disinformation.
Following testimony from the climate experts, the Committee will hold a
hearing next month with members of the Boards of Directors of four
fossil fuel companies.
On Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (EST), the Subcommittee on
National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands will hold a virtual, fully
remote legislative
hearing
on the following bills:
H.R. 6142 (Rep. Tim Ryan, D-OH), To amend the National Trails System
Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the
feasibility of designating the Buckeye Trail as a national scenic
trail, and for other purposes. Buckeye National Scenic Trail
Feasibility Study Act of 2021.
H.R. 6199 (Rep. Jason Smith, R-MO), To revise the boundary of the Ste.
Genevieve National Historical Park in the State of Missouri, and for
other purposes. Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park Boundary
Revision Act.
H.R. 6201 (Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-NJ), To extend the authority
for the establishment of a commemorative work to honor enslaved and
free Black persons who served in the American Revolution, and for
other purposes. National Liberty Memorial Preservation Act.
H.R. 6337 (Rep. Joe Neguse, D-CO), To require the Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to develop long-distance
bike trails on Federal land, and for other purposes. Biking on
Long-Distance Trails Act.
H.R. 6434 (Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-CA), To direct the Secretary of the
Interior to establish, within the National Park Service, the Japanese
American World War II History Network, and for other purposes.
Japanese American World War II History Network Act.
H.R. 6435 (Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA), To provide for the
application of certain provisions of the Secure Rural Schools and
Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 for fiscal year 2021.
SRS FY21 Technical Fix.
H.R. 6451 (Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-AZ), To establish the Chiricahua
National Park in the State of Arizona as a unit of the National Park
System, and for other purposes. Chiricahua National Park Act.
House Natural Resources Committee
National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee
The
hearing
will examine how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Build Back Better
Act would attract new investment to the United States to clean up
hard-to-decarbonize sectors, expand domestic supply chains and
manufacturing of climate solutions, and create good-paying jobs.
Witnesses:
Paul Browning, President & CEO (North
America), Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). Browning leads
FFI’s efforts to expand hydrogen energy in
North America with a goal of producing hydrogen from 100 percent
renewable sources. He was previously the CEO
of Mitsubishi Power Americas, leading a team that expanded hydrogen
projects and started a battery energy storage business.
Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO,
Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). At
SEIA, Hopper leads a national effort to
expand the reach of solar energy as a significant percentage of U.S.
energy generation. She was previously the Director of the Department
of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees
development and leasing for offshore energy. She was also the director
of the Maryland Energy Administration.
Jessica Eckdish, Vice President, Legislation & Federal Affairs,
BlueGreen Alliance (BGA). Eckdish directs
BGA’s federal legislative, policy, and
partnerships efforts on climate, energy, and infrastructure issues.
Previously, she managed the Sierra Club’s legislative and
administrative advocacy, leading efforts to secure methane emission
standards for the oil and gas sector, as well as federal clean air and
water protections.
Charles McConnell, Executive Director, Center for Carbon Management
and Energy Sustainability, University of Houston Energy. McConnell
leads researchers in the fields of engineering, science, business, and
law to address the needs of oil and gas, petrochemicals, and electric
power markets. He was previously the assistant secretary of energy at
the U.S. Department of Energy, where he oversaw the Office of Fossil
Energy and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.