Hill Heat

Register for The 2022 National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center

Day 1 Agenda

YOUTH/EMERGING LEADERS SUMMIT

8:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

Registration

Exhibit Hall Open

9:00 a.m.—9:30 a.m.

Welcome/Opening Remarks

Conference Facilitator Ms. Carolyn Sawyer Communications Strategist Tom Sawyer Company

Dr. Melinda Downing Environmental Justice Program Manager U.S. Department of Energy

9:30 a.m.—10:30 a.m.

PANEL: Virtual Environmental Justice Academy. Undergraduate students Sierra Generette and Justice Wright spent their Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters interning with the Mentorship for Environmental Scholars (MES) Program. Their internship focused on creating virtual Environmental Justice trainings to be delivered to middle and high school students. The results of this 10-week academic year internship formed the Pre-College University’s Virtual Environmental Justice Academy.

Clarence T. Brown Executive Director Pre-College University, Inc.

Sierra Generette Former Mentorship for Environmental Scholars (MES) Intern

Justice Wright Former Mentorship for Environmental Scholars (MES) Intern

Dave J. Wess Dean of Students Pre-College University, Inc.

10:30 a.m.—10:45 a.m.

Break

10:45 a.m.—12:45 p.m.

PANEL: Educate, Motivate, Innovate: Building the Next Generation of Environmental Justice Leaders (The Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice’s “Educate, Motivate and Innovate (EMI) Environmental Justice Initiative”).

OVERVIEW:

Joanna Mounce Stancil EMI Chair USDA Forest Service Washington, D.C.

EMI and CUPP Collaboration: CUPP is a unique program that coordinates partnerships between local colleges/universities with communities in need throughout the southeast. College and university students provide technical assistance, free of charge, to underserved communities through planned projects. CUPP has completed over 100 projects throughout the United States, obtaining several dedicated college/university and non-profit partners.

Jeannie Williamson EPA Region 4 College/Underserved Community Partnership Program (CUPP) Coordinator

PRESENTATION: Redlining and Environmental Justice: Identifying the roots of Child Health Vulnerabilities to Climate Change. This presentation will explore how children’s environmental health disparities correlate with the historical practices of redlining and provide valuable insight on the structural roots of environmental health disparities, in the context of climate change.

Dr. Leslie Isadore Rubin Director of Break the Cycle Program Southeastern Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit

Devon Nenon Undergraduate Student (Junior) Major: Sustainability Studies University of Florida

PRESENTATION: Georgia State University Students Assist Duck Hill, Mississippi Citizens Stay Informed About Their Community. The Georgia State University’s Computer Information System’s Department partnered with the Montgomery Citizens United for Prosperity (MCUP) to assist the Duck Hill community build a digital presence on the Internet. The presentation will show how the webpage will benefit the community.

Alicia Gholar Computer Information Systems Georgia State University

Romona Taylor Williams Executive Director Mississippi Communities United for Prosperity

Carelis Zambrano Bellorin Major: Computer Information Systems Georgia State University

PRESENTATION: Kentucky State University Assists in Preparing Educational Products for Low-income Communities in Kentucky. Kentucky’s Division of Water has partnered with Kentucky State University under the CUPP program to assist in developing easily accessible, easily interpreted educational documents for the lead testing in drinking water program. This presentation will show the research conducted by student to prepare these documents for use in low-income communities within the state.

Gabriel Tanner Kentucky Division of Water

Kabita Paudel Graduate Student, Master of Science in Environmental Studies Major: Environmental studies (GIS, Remote Sensing) Kentucky State University

PRESENTATION: Tech for Environmental Justice: BEEnevolent Hive and Mobile Application. The audience will learn about the plight of the honeybees and technological solutions for the honeybees. The audience will also learn about a tool for environmental reporting, environmental justice education and connectivity.

Sade Shofidiya Graduate Student Major: Public Administration – Museum Administration Savannah State University

12:45 p.m.—1:00 p.m.

Break

1:00 p.m.—2:30 p.m.

Lunch

Luncheon Speaker:

Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis Executive VP of Academic Affairs Oakland University Lake Angelus, MI

03/09/2022 at 08:00AM

Hearing page

03/08/2022 at 02:00PM

Hearing page

Hearing memorandum

Witnesses:

• Bob Holycross, Vice President, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Ford Motor Company
• Natalie King, Chief Executive Officer, Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, LLC
• Cassandra Powers, Senior Managing Director, National Association of State Energy Officials
• Thomas Pyle, President, Institute for Energy Research (Republican witness)

03/08/2022 at 10:15AM

Hearing page

• Herman Haksteen, President, Private Railcar Food and Beverage Association
• Brad Hildebrand, Member, National Industrial Transportation League and former Vice President of Cargill – Rail and Barge Lead
• Dennis Pierce, President, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
• Ian Jefferies, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads
• Dennis Newman, Executive Vice President of Planning, Strategy and Accessibility, Amtrak
• Chris Jahn, President and CEO, American Chemistry Council

03/08/2022 at 10:00AM

Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will convene the full Natural Resources Committee for an oversight hearing titled, “Examining the History of Federal Lands and the Development of Tribal Co-Management” on March 8 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.

The hearing will be the first in congressional history to examine tribal land dispossession enacted by the U.S. government and the impact of dispossession on federal land management practices. Before the arrival of European colonists, Indigenous Peoples lived on and cared for the lands now known as the United States since time immemorial. Centuries of cruel, forcible tactics—coercion, removal, and genocide—and bad-faith congressional and regulatory actions have since pushed Indigenous Peoples off nearly 99% of the lands they previously occupied.

The hearing will also explore the historical and legal support for tribal co-management of federal lands, including current and potential tribal co-management activities. Indigenous Peoples have deep connections to and traditional knowledge of their ancestral homelands, many of which are now federally managed lands. Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) is a tremendous asset to implementing land management practices that promote both environmental sustainability and responsible stewardship of resources. Tribal co-management of public lands is also vital to strengthening tribal sovereignty and promoting self-governance.

The witness panel for the hearing will be comprised of Indigenous voices who will provide cultural, historical, and legal perspectives on the importance of tribal co-management:

Panel I

• Charles “Chuck” Sams, III, Director, National Park Service (Cayuse and Walla Walla). Director Sams will discuss how the National Park Service has and will continue to expand the role of tribal communities in federal land management.
• Carleton Bowekaty, Lieutenant Governor, Pueblo of Zuni/Member, Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (Pueblo of Zuni). Lt. Gov. Bowekaty will discuss the efforts of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition to support and manage the Bears Ears National Monument, and how dedicated funding for tribal engagement can transform ongoing co-management efforts.
• Melvin J. Baker, Chairman, Southern Ute Tribal Council, Minority Witness.

Panel II

• Dr. Doug Kiel, Assistant Professor of History, Northwestern University (Oneida Nation). Dr. Kiel will discuss the history of Indigenous land dispossession enacted by the U.S. government and the historical context of the federal trust responsibility.
• Aja DeCoteau, Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation). Ms. DeCoteau will discuss Indigenous cultural and spiritual connections to the land, as well as the role that ITEK serves in tribal co-management.
• Kevin Washburn, Dean and Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law (Chickasaw Nation). Dean Washburn will highlight opportunities to expand tribal co-management under existing law. He will share insights gleaned in the formulation of his recent law review article on tribal co-management.
• Cody Desautel, President, Intertribal Timber Council, Minority Witness.

03/08/2022 at 10:00AM

Hearing page

Witness:

• Xochitl Torres Small, Under Secretary for Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

03/08/2022 at 10:00AM

The purpose of this hearing is to evaluate the Federal Government’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, and to assess the status of ongoing efforts to promote greater climate adaptation and resilience throughout Federal programs, operations, and facilities. The hearing will explore the types of climate risks threatening Federal agencies and the urgent need to address those risks in order to protect Federal assets and investments. The hearing will detail the climate challenges confronting NASA, DOE, and NOAA, along with the adaptation and resilience strategies adopted by those agencies to respond to them. Finally, the hearing will discuss potential opportunities to bolster Federal climate adaptation tools, including enhanced interagency resilience collaboration and the incorporation of accurate, up-to-date climate data into agency planning, implementation, and outreach.

Hearing charter

Witnesses

• Dr. Richard Spinrad, Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Ingrid Kolb, Director, Office of Management, and Chief Sustainability Officer, Department of Energy
• Dr. Joel Carney, Assistant Administrator, Office of Strategic Infrastructure, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Alfredo Gomez, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office

03/08/2022 at 10:00AM

The purpose of the business meeting is to consider the nominations of:

• Shalanda H. Baker to be Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact, Department of Energy (nomination hearing was in July)
• Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe to be Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy (August)
• Sara C. Bronin, to be Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (September)
• Dr. Joseph F. DeCarolis to be Administrator of the Energy Information Administration (February)
• Maria Duaime Robinson to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Office of Electricity) (February)

03/08/2022 at 10:00AM

Join members from the CHAT (Community Healing, Accountability and Transformation) and SJ (Survivor Justice) teams as they share key concepts and takeaways from the books Conflict is Not Abuse and Nonviolent Communication. Think of it as a virtual book club, where you don’t have to read the books!

Using these texts as a starting place, we will learn about concepts like self-empathy, the impulse to escalate, and apply these teachings to ways we can hold ourselves and our communities accountable for reconciling conflict in positive ways—so we don’t end up treating each other the way we treat Joe Manchin!

Join us to get a better understanding of these acclaimed books, think about different perspectives of conflict, and apply these concepts to working through conflict together!

03/07/2022 at 05:30PM

The purpose of the hearing is to review recent actions of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relating to permitting construction and operation of interstate natural gas pipelines and other natural gas infrastructure projects.

Manchin reaction:

“Today’s (Thursday) reckless decision by FERC’s Democratic Commissioners puts the security of our nation at risk. The commission went too far by prioritizing a political agenda over their main mission — ensuring our nation’s energy reliability and security. The only thing they accomplished today was constructing additional road blocks that further delay building out the energy infrastructure our country desperately needs. Energy independence is our greatest geopolitical and economic tool and we cannot lose sight of that as instability rises around the globe.”

Barrasso reaction:

“President Biden is trumpeting the importance of infrastructure at the same time his appointees are working to kill energy infrastructure. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is determined to make it nearly impossible for Americans to maintain or improve access to abundant and affordable supplies of natural gas. Delaying and then denying approval of natural gas pipelines and storage facilities will only drive up already-inflated energy prices. It also threatens natural gas and electric reliability. This is just the latest attack in Biden’s war on American energy.”

Bill Cassidy (R-La.) reaction:

“Our nation depends on clear-minded, nonpartisan policy, not activists carrying out an ideological and political agenda. Yesterday, FERC said it will defy the Natural Gas Act by no longer considering only whether a project is “needed” when granting new natural gas permits. Rather, they will also consider environmental justice and climate impacts that will be determined behind closed doors. This FERC policy announcement all but guarantees no new natural gas construction permits will be issued this year and amounts to a defacto natural gas export ban. All the while, Europe is dependent on Russian natural gas and we are in the midst of a global energy crisis hurting Americans’ pocketbooks. The vacuum of energy production will be filled by foreign countries with lower environmental standards which will increase global emissions. This administration could not be writing worse energy policy.”

Witnesses:

• Richard Glick, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Biden/Democratic appointee
• James Danly, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Trump/Republican appointee (dissented)
• Allison Clements, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Trump/Democratic appointee
• Mark C. Christie, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Trump/Republican appointee (dissented)
• Willie L. Phillips, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Biden/Democratic appointee

03/03/2022 at 10:00AM