Climate science, policy, politics, and action
Witness:
Panel II
Scheduled speakers:
The domestic electric vehicles (EV) market, including hybrid and battery electric models, is projected to reach nearly seven million unit sales by 2025, up from 1.4 million in 2020.
Legislation
Witnesses
Republican (fossil-fuel industry) witnesses
On February 19, 2020, the Subcommittee launched an investigation into the use of eminent domain in the construction of natural gas pipelines. On April 28, 2020, the Subcommittee released preliminary findings of the investigation revealing that the natural gas pipeline approval process used by FERC is unfair to private landowners.
On November 20, 2020, the Subcommittee expanded its investigation by requesting information about procedures that FERC uses to resolve conflicts between landowners and energy companies. On December 10, 2020, the Subcommittee held a hearing at which FERC admitted that it does not use existing authority to protect landowners.
This hearing will focus on Midship/Cheniere’s actions to demonstrate how FERC routinely allows pipeline companies to put pipelines into service before the companies meet their obligations to repair damage they caused to individuals’ land. Over the past year, Midship/Cheniere has missed several deadlines to repair private farmers’ land, threatening their livelihoods, while facing minimal consequences from federal regulators.
Opening statement from Chair Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)
In our Subcommittee’s hearing in December, we pressed FERC to stay its certificates such that a company could not assert eminent domain over a landowner’s objections while the landowners’ appeals were still pending. We learned just last night that FERC has issued a new Order, that does exactly that. I thank Chairman Glick for his work to move landowner rights forward. This common sense and eminently fair practice was long overdue, and I am thrilled that Chairman Glick and FERC have made this change a priority.
Witnesses
On Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT), the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife will hold a virtual, fully remote legislative hearing on the following bill:
H.R. 160 (Rep. Darren Soto, D-FL) To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and to establish the United States Coral Reef Task Force, and for other purposes. Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021.
Witness List
America’s housing infrastructure is vulnerable to the growing costs of climate and weather disasters, which may accelerate the need for maintenance and repair, or render units of housing infrastructure uninhabitable.
Prior to the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, housing policies, such as redlining and zoning, were used to overtly segregate low-income people and people of color into less desirable areas that were susceptible to flooding, located in close proximity to industrial districts, lacked adequate infrastructure, and were systemically disinvested in. Due to historic and ongoing socioeconomic segregation, the current effects of climate change and weather events are concentrated among low-income communities and communities of color.
Legislation:
Witnesses:
This hearing is one of a series on research and development activities sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Science. This office was funded at over seven billion dollars in FY21, and accounts for over half of DOE’s non-defense R&D budget. The energy sciences and climate research programs were each funded at over two billion dollars and three quarters of a billion dollars in FY21, respectively. Today we will just be focusing on these two programs, though there are others that we will examine in the months ahead.
Witnesses:
Witnesses
The hearing was marred by the unmuted audio of someone who was watching the 1995 submarine comedy Down Periscope and then the 1999 science-fiction satire Galaxy Quest, during the first twenty minutes of presentations.
The chair had to take a recess to resolve the “technical difficulties” of the movies drowning drowning out the hearing.
On Thursday, April 29, 2021, at 1:00 P.M. EDT, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands will hold a virtual, fully remote oversight hearing titled, “Wildfire in a Warming World: Opportunities to Improve Community Collaboration, Climate Resilience, and Workforce Capacity.”