Hill Heat

The purpose of the hearing is to consider the preparedness of Federal land management agencies for the 2009 wildfire season and to receive testimony on S. 561 and H.R. 1404, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act.

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The panel also will hear testimony about S. 561, which was introduced by Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.). The “Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act,” or FLAME Act, would establish a dedicated fund for Forest Service and Interior emergency fire suppression activities separate from regularly budgeted firefighting funding. Catastrophic fires make up a very small percentage of the blazes the Forest Service fights but account for most of its costs.

Companion legislation, H.R. 1404, was introduced by House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and in March passed the full House by an overwhelming 412-3 vote. Similar legislation also passed in the House easily last year but stalled in the Senate.

Witnesses

• Jay Jensen, deputy undersecretary for natural resources and the environment, Department of Agriculture
• Rhea Suh, assistant secretary for policy, management and budget, Department of the Interior
• Patricia Dalton, managing director for natural resources and environment, GAO
• Max Peterson, former Forest Service chief
• Leah MacSwords, president of the National Association of State Foresters

07/21/2009 at 10:00AM

Witnesses

• John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB)
• John Krenicki, Vice Chairman, GE President and CEO, GE Energy, Infrastructure
• Julian L. Wong, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for American Progress Action Fund
• Harry C. Alford, President and CEO, National Black Chamber of Commerce

07/16/2009 at 09:30AM

Witnesses

• Ambassador Richard L. Morningstar, Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy, Department of State
• William Hudson, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
• Phillip Carter III, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State

07/16/2009 at 09:30AM

Witnesses

Panel 1

• Ray LaHood, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
• Regina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, United States Environmental Protection Agency

Panel 2

• Ralph Becker, Mayor, Salt Lake City, Utah
• David Bragdon, President, Portland Metro Council
• Steve Winkelman, Director of Adaptation and Transportation Programs, Center for Clean Air Policy
• Ray Kuntz, Chief Executive Officer, Watkins and Shepard Trucking

07/14/2009 at 02:30PM

Witnesses

• Jeffrey W. Hopkins, Principal Adviser, Energy and Climate Policy, Rio Tinto
• Bill Hohenstein, Director, Global Climate Change Program, United States Department of Agriculture
• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund
• Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation

07/14/2009 at 10:00AM

The United States is getting more heavy storms and major floods these days. Global warming is partly to blame for these heavy rainfall events. Warmer air simply can hold more moisture, so heavier precipitation is expected in the years to come.

National Wildlife Federation will release “Increased Flooding Risk: Global Warming’s Wake-Up Call for Riverfront Communities,” a mini-report detailing:

• How global warming has caused more heavy rainfall events
• America’s over-reliance on levees and other strategies for taming rivers
• Communities that are on the frontlines
• What must be done to confront the realities of global warming

Perspectives will be provided regarding the latest scientific research on global warming and flooding, the national flood insurance program, and recommendations for how to cope with projected changes and how to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.

Call 1-800-944-8766 pin 39227# just before 11 a.m. (Eastern)

Speakers

• Dr. Amanda Staudt, climate scientist, National Wildlife Federation
• David Conrad, senior resource specialist, National Wildlife Federation, Conservation Programs
• Dr. Will Gosnold, University of North Dakota, professor of Geophysics, Chair of the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering

Dr. Staudt will talk about the latest science on heavy rainfall and increased flooding risk.

Mr. Conrad will talk about what needs to be fixed in national flood insurance program, so that we don’t make the situation even worse.

Dr. Gosnold will explain why flood protection plans should take the implications of more frequent and extreme floods into account, based on his more than 20 years of studying climate change.

Contact: Aileo Weinmann, National Wildlife Federation, 202-538-5038 cell, weinmanna@nwf.org

07/09/2009 at 11:00AM

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) and the Office of Senator Roland Burris (D-IL) invite you to a briefing to learn about state climate actions related to agriculture, forestry and waste management, and how they can inform the current Congressional debate on energy and climate policy. States have developed a range of approaches for promoting bioenergy and biobased products as well as managing agriculture, forestry and other land use to enhance carbon sequestration and minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Many of these approaches are “win-win” solutions that simultaneously address employment/economic stimulus, energy security, climate mitigation and other environmental objectives while garnering broad consensus among diverse stakeholders. At this briefing, agriculture and forestry experts from the South and Midwest will share experiences about policy development and implementation in their states, and offer perspectives on how the federal government and states can best partner to implement effective policies. Speakers for this event include:

• Joe James, Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for Economic Opportunity; Member, South Carolina Climate, Energy and Commerce Advisory Committee
• Richard Leopold, Director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
• Dennis Hazel, PhD, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University
• Tom Peterson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for Climate Strategies (CCS)

Over the past six years, more than 30 states have addressed climate change through comprehensive development of mitigation measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also creating jobs and addressing energy needs within their states. This includes a full suite of policies in the agriculture, forestry and waste sectors and specific actions that support land protection, conservation practices, renewable energy and products, and waste recovery. Some states have developed adaptation plans as well to respond to climate change impacts on natural resources and other systems.

The Center for Climate Strategies is a nonprofit that supplies technical and analytic services to states. This briefing is the second in a series co-sponsored by EESI and CCS. Information from the first briefing, which provided an overview of state energy and climate actions across all sectors, is available here. Future briefings will address topics including the economics of climate change, transportation, land use, and adaptation, and residential, commercial, and industrial energy use.

This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, contact Amy Sauer at (202) 662-1892 or asauer@eesi.org.

07/08/2009 at 02:00PM

Witnesses

Panel 1

• Steven Chu, Secretary, United States Department of Energy
• Lisa Jackson, Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Tom Vilsack, Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture
• Ken Salazar, Secretary, United States Department of the Interior

Panel 2

• Rich Wells, Vice President, Energy, The Dow Chemical Company
• David Hawkins, Director, Climate Center, Natural Resources Defense Council
• John Fetterman, Mayor, Braddock, Pennsylvania
• Haley Barbour, Governor, State of Mississippi

07/07/2009 at 10:00AM

Witnesses will discuss the present effects of climate change on agriculture and forestry such as increased drought, changes in precipitation, higher temperatures and increased activity of weeds and pests. The committee will also discuss how America’s agriculture and forestry sectors can help stave off the worst effects of global warming.

WHAT: Select Committee on Energy Independence and global warming hearing—“Global Warming’s Growing Concerns: Impacts on Agriculture and Forestry.”

• Jerry Hatfield, Supervisory Plant Physiologist, USDA
• Heather Cooley, Senior Researcher, Pacific Institute
• Tom Troxel, Director, Black Hills Forest Resource Association
• Dr. Johannes Lehmann, Associate Professor of Soil Fertility Management/Soil Biogeochemistry, Cornell University
• Ford B. West, President, The Fertilizer Institute

06/18/2009 at 09:30AM

06/11/2009 at 02:00PM