Hill Heat

This month’s Green New Deal Happy Hour is at 6:30 pm at Añejo Bar & Grill in Columbia Heights.

We will be joined by Councilwoman Janeese Lewis-George, the sponsor of DC’s GND for Public Housing and the DC for a GND coalition!

Join the GND Happy Hour list here.

Añejo Bar & Grill
3910 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20011

Subcommittee hearing on the FY 2025 NASA budget request of $25.3 billion, including $7.6 billion for science.

Witness:

• Bill Nelson, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This request proposes $2.4 billion to fund Earth science and observations that enhance our understanding of the Earth system and continues efforts to make data more accessible and useful to a wide range of stakeholders, including scientists and policymakers. This request also includes over $500 million in Aeronautics to improve aircraft efficiency and reduce the climate impact of aviation.

Subcommittee hearing to examine the President’s proposed budget request for fiscal year 2025 for the Department of Defense and Future Years Defense Program. The budget request is $849.8 billion.

Witnesses

• Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense
• General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Michael McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/ Chief Financial Officer, Department of Defense

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bill:

• Discussion Draft of H.R. ___ (Rep. Westerman), “To expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes.”

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

Panel I (Administration Officials):

• Chris French, Deputy Chief of the National Forest System, U.S. Forest Service

Panel II (Outside Experts):

• Cody Desautel, President, Intertribal Timber Council, & Executive Director, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Nespelem, Washington
• Hannah Downey, Policy Director, Property and Environment Research Center, Bozeman, Montana
• Jim Parma, Eastern Fiber Manager, Bell Lumber and Pole, New Brighton, Minnesota
• Dr. Kimiko Barrett, Wildfire Research and Policy Lead, Headwaters Economics, Bozeman, Montana [Minority Witness]

From the GOP memo:

Unprecedented drought facing the West has further weakened overgrown national forests, leaving them extremely vulnerable to wildfire. Recent research has shown that some areas are experiencing the driest conditions in 1,200 years.7 These conditions have turned vast swaths of the nation’s forests into ticking time bombs that can ignite with a single spark. It is no longer a matter of “if” these areas will experience catastrophic wildfire but “when.”

“We know what needs to be done to turn the tide of this crisis and restore our forests to healthy, resilient conditions. Despite the fearmongering of increasingly isolated, radical environmentalists, there is a scientific consensus among a broad array of stakeholders recognizing the importance of active forest management. . . The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), in particular, is a major roadblock in improving the health of our nation’s forests.”

Full committee hearing.

Nominee:

• Christopher Hanson, Chair, Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Full committee markup of trade legislation:

Bills limiting the Clean Vehicle Tax Credits:

• H.R. 7983, the “Stop Executive Overreach on Trade Agreements”, to define the term free trade agreement for purposes of the clean vehicle credit (Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn.)
• H.R. 7980, the “End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024”, to exclude vehicles the batteries of which contain materials sourced from prohibited foreign entities from the clean vehicle credit (Carol Miller, R-W.Va.)

Other bills:

• H.R. 5179, the “Anti-BDS Labeling Act”
• H.R. 7981, the “Stop China’s Exploitation of Congolese Children and Adult Forced Labor through Cobalt Mining Act”
• H.R. 7979, the “End China’s De Minimis Abuse Act”
• H.R. 7986, the “Generalized System Preferences References Reform Act”

This is a hearing of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

Witness list:

• Mike Noland, President, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
• Debra Johnson, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, RTD-Denver
• David W. Dech, Executive Director, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority / Tri-Rail
• Kevin Corbett, President and Chief Executive Officer, New Jersey Transit on behalf of the Northeast Corridor Commission
• Darren Kettle, Chief Executive Officer, Metrolink

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building, the Committee on Financial Services will meet to markup the following measures in an order to be determined by the Chairman.

Hearing memo

Resolutions of congressional disapproval:

• H.J. Res. 127, a resolution “providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the ‘Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors’”
• H.J. Res. 120, a resolution “providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) relating to “Guidance on Non-Bank Financial Company Determinations’”
• H.J. Res. 125, a resolution “providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System relating to ‘Principles for Climate-Related Financial Risk Management for Large Financial Institutions’”
• H.J. Res. 126, a resolution “providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation relating to ‘Principles for Climate-Related Financial Risk Management for Large Financial Institutions’”
• H.J. Res. 124, a resolution “providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency relating to ‘Principles for Climate-Related Financial Risk Management for Large Financial Institutions’”
• H.J. Res. 122, a resolution “providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau relating to ‘Credit Card Penalty Fees (Regulation Z)’”

Other legislation:

• H.R. 5535, the “Insurance Data Protection Act”; An amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Mr. Fitzgerald; H.R. 5535 would eliminate the Treasury Department’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) and Office of Financial Research (OFR) ability to compel the production of data from an insurer or any affiliate of an insurer via subpoena.
• H.R. 802, the “Respect State Housing Laws Act”; An amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Mr. Loudermilk.
• H.R. 7437, the “Fostering the Use of Technology to Uphold Regulatory Effectiveness in Supervision (FUTURES) Act”; An amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Ms. Houchin.
• H.R. 7440, the “Financial Services Innovation Act of 2024”; An amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Mr. McHenry.
• H.R. 7428, the “Earned Wage Access Consumer Protection Act”; An amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Mr. Steil.
• H.R. 4206, the “Bank Safety Act of 2023”; An amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Mr. Sherman.
• H.R. 4116, the “Systemic Risk Authority Transparency Act”; An amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Mr. Green.

Subcommittee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 request for the Department of the Interior.

The Department’s 2025 budget totals $18.0 billion in current authority ($17.8 billion in net discretionary authority)—an increase of $575.9 million, or 3 percent, from the 2024 continuing resolution (CR) level. An additional $360.0 million is accessible through a budget cap adjustment for wildfire suppression to ensure funds are available in the event the regular annual appropriation is inadequate to meet suppression needs. The budget also includes an estimated $14.8 billion in permanent funding available in 2025.

Witnesses:

• Denise Flanagan, Director of Budget, Department of the Interior
• Deb Haaland, Secretary, Department of the Interior
• Joan M Mooney, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of the Interior

Subcommittee hearing. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget provides $7.2 billion for the Civil Works program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The fiscal year 2025 proposal for the Bureau of Reclamation is $1.6 billion.

Witnesses:

• Michael Brain, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water & Science, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Camille Calimlim Touton, Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• Michael C. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
• Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Civil Works FY 2025 budget justification information

The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 for the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program reflects the administration’s priorities to grow the nation’s economy, decrease climate risk for communities, increase ecosystem resilience to climate change, and promote environmental justice in disadvantaged communities in line with Justice40.

In developing the Budget, consideration was given to advancing three key objectives: 1) decreasing climate risk for communities and increasing ecosystem resilience to climate change based on the best available science; 2) promoting environmental justice in underserved and marginalized communities and Tribal nations in line with the Justice40 Initiative and creating good paying jobs that provide the free and fair chance to join a union and collectively bargain; and 3) strengthening the supply chain. The FY 2025 Budget investments will work to confront climate change by reducing flood risk, restoring ecosystems, and promoting community resilience across the nation. The Corps is working to integrate climate preparedness and climate resilience planning in all of its activities, such as by helping communities reduce their potential vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change and variability.

The climate crisis is challenging Reclamation’s ability to both produce energy and sustain reliable water delivery. The Nation faces undeniable realities that water supplies for agriculture, fisheries, ecosystems, industry, cities, and energy are confronting stability challenges due to climate change. Reclamation’s projects address the Administration’s conservation and climate resilience priorities through funding requests for the WaterSMART program, funding to secure water supply to wildlife refuges, and proactive efforts through providing sound climate science, research and development, and clean energy. To address these challenges, Reclamation has implemented its Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, which affirms Reclamation will use leading science and engineering to adapt climate-based situations across the West.

Reclamation’s FY 2025 budget for Research and Development (R&D) programs includes $22.6 million for the Science and Technology Program, and $7.0 million for Desalination and Water Purification Research—both of which focus on Reclamation’s mission of water and power deliveries. Climate change adaptation is a focus of Reclamation’s R&D programs, which invests in the production of climate change science, information and tools that benefit adaptation, and by yielding climate-resilient solutions to benefit management of water infrastructure, hydropower, environmental compliance, and water management.

Reclamation owns 77 hydroelectric power plants. Reclamation operates 53 of those plants to generate approximately 14 percent of the hydroelectric power produced in the United States. Each year on average, Reclamation generates approximately 40 million megawatt hours of electricity and collects over $1.0 billion in gross power revenues for the Federal Government. Reclamation’s FY 2025 budget request includes $4.5 million to increase Reclamation hydropower capabilities and value, contributing to Administration clean energy and climate change initiatives and enhancing water conservation and climate resilience within the power program. Reclamation’s Power Resources Office oversees power operations and maintenance, electric reliability compliance, and strategic energy initiatives.