Hill Heat

On September 26, we will watch the first presidential debate of this election.

The next day, the candidates will watch us.

On Saturday, September 27, we’re launching a national mobilization to say, “I’m ready for the green economy.” We are ready to tackle the climate crisis by building a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

Green Jobs Now is a National Day of Action that will empower everyday people to stage hundreds of grassroots events throughout the country. We will have a special focus on low-income communities, communities of color and indigenous people. This will send a message to our leaders that, when it comes to creating green jobs for a more sustainable economy, PEOPLE ARE READY!

Right now, there are millions of people ready to work and countless jobs to be done that will strengthen our economy at home. There are thousands of buildings that need to be weatherized, solar panels to be installed, and wind turbines to be erected. There communities that need local and sustainable food and people ready to farm the crops. There are public transit systems and smart electricity grids in need of engineers and electricians. Americans are ready to build the new economy. It’s time to invest in saving the planet and the people. It’s time for green jobs now!

What is the relationship between economic activity and CO2 growth? What is carbon intensity and how does it relate to economic activity? What are the trends in CO2 growth, carbon intensity, and changes in the efficiency of natural reservoirs to store carbon? How does the growth in CO2 compare to the various estimates of CO2 growth contained in the most recent IPCC assessment of climate change? What is permafrost and what is the extent of permafrost thaw in the Arctic? Is permafrost thaw a response to global warming and if so, what is the future likely to hold? Will permafrost thaw result in the release of additional CO2 into the atmosphere from Arctic soils? If so, what is the impact likely to be on global warming? How much carbon is stored in Arctic soils? Assuming that the Arctic continues to warm well above the global average, what is the likely fate of that soil carbon and how might it influence climate in the future?

Moderator:

• Dr. Anthony Socci, Senior Science Fellow, American Meteorological Society

Speakers:

• Dr. Josep (Pep) Canadell, Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Marine and Atmospheric Research, Canberra, Australia
• Dr. Vladmir Romanovsky, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK
• Dr. Howard Epstein, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

With a growing number of reports show that climate change will impact human health, economic and national security, and agricultural and natural resource management, scientists and policymakers are now considering how to regulate carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. Legislation has been introduced to implement cap and trade systems and carbon taxes, and to promote carbon sequestration. Informed policy decisions require that policymakers understand the potential role of ecosystems in mitigating the problems caused by carbon emissions.

Join internationally recognized ecosystem researchers to learn what ecosystem science can tell us about carbon sequestration.

Speakers

• Dr. Robin Graham – Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Environmental Policy and Carbon Sequestration by Ecosystems
• Ken Buesseler, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Ocean Fertilization: Ironing Out Uncertainties in Climate Engineering
• Peter Curtis: The Ohio State University: Forest carbon storage in the upper Midwest: Lessons from the past and predictions for the future
• J. Patrick Megonigal, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center: Carbon In, Methane Out: The Greenhouse Gas Balance of North American Wetlands
• Charles Rice, Kansas State University: Carbon Sequestration in Agro-ecosystems
• John Arnone, Desert Research Institute: Carbon Sequestration in Deserts
• Dr. Thomas E. Jordan – Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; President, Association of Ecosystem Research Centers, Moderator

RSVP’s please contact Megan Kelhart at [email protected].

For more information about this science briefing or the Association of Ecosystem Research Centers, please contact [email protected].

Room 3111, Smithsonian Institution Ripley Center

(Entrance is adjacent to the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall)

Panel 1

• Stephen Johnson (invited, witness to be determined), Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
• Lyle Laverty, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife, Department of the Interior

Panel 2

• Jamie Rappaport Clark, Executive Vice President, Defenders of Wildlife
• Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club
• Rev. Jim Ball Ph.D., President & CEO, Evangelical Environmental Network
• Alan Schaeffer, Executive Director, Diesel Technology Forum
• Norman James, Director, Fennemore Craig

Panel 1

• Robert Meyers, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Panel 2

• Mary Nichols, Chairman, California Air Resources Board
• Jason Burnett, Former Associate Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• David Bookbinder, Chief Climate Counsel, Sierra Club
• Bill Kovacs, Vice President, Environment, Technology and Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Marlo Lewis, Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute

As Wall Street and Washington pick up the pieces from a broken financial sector, and families across the Gulf Coast assess the damage from multiple hurricanes, America is asking: how do we recover? How can we strengthen and stimulate our economy, protect our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil?

Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will explore the substantial role clean energy and climate-friendly policies should play in any economic stimulus and recovery plan. Several reports, including a recent study by the University of Massachusetts and Center for American Progress, say that investments in clean energy, energy efficiency and green buildings could create millions of jobs in America, including hundreds of thousands in the construction sector.

Witnesses

• Bracken Hendricks, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
• Dr. Robert Pollin, Co-Director, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
• Fred Redmond, Vice President, United Steelworkers
• Byron Kennard, Executive Director, Center for Small Business and the Environment
• Dr. Margo Thorning, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, American Council for Capital Formation

The next hearing will focus on policy options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A number of proposals have been referred to the Ways and Means Committee in the 110th Congress (e.g., H.R. 2069 – The Save Our Climate Act of 2007 (Rep. Stark), H.R. 6316 – The Climate MATTERS (Market, Auction, Trust & Trade Emissions Reduction System) Act of 2008 (Rep. Doggett), H.R. 3416 – The America’s Energy Security Trust Fund Act of 2007 (Rep. Larson), and H.R. 6186 – The Investing in Climate Action and Protection Act of 2008 (Rep. Markey)).

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

The Committee on Ways and Means has previously heard testimony that human greenhouse gas emissions are having an adverse impact on our planet’s climate. These witnesses testified that the United States “must enact and implement a comprehensive national mandatory market-based program to progressively and significantly reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in a manner that contributes to sustained economic growth.” Since that hearing, a number of legislative proposals have been introduced in the House of Representatives, and been referred to the Ways and Means Committee, that would implement market-based programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

There is bipartisan support for action to address climate change. Senior lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed enacting mandatory economy-wide cap-and-trade programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their proposals, like other proposals introduced in the 110th Congress, would contain revenue measures (e.g., auctions of carbon allowances) that are within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means. In addition, many of the market-based climate change proposals include import requirements that are within the Committee’s jurisdiction. This hearing will mark the beginning of the Committee’s work on this important issue.

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing will focus on the policy options that are available for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and will examine the design choices presented by these options. In particular, the Committee will explore the revenue components of these policy options. The Committee will also explore proposals to promote a comprehensive global effort to address climate change and to ensure a level regulatory playing field for U.S. manufacturers. The hearing will also focus on the potential costs that could be imposed on the U.S. economy if Congress fails to act to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and the economic growth opportunities that would arise from implementing a market-based program to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://waysandmeans.house.gov.

Witnesses

Panel I

• John B. Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office
• Francesco Grifo, Ph.D., Director, Science Integrity Program, Union of Concerned Scientists

Panel II

• Deborah Rice, Ph.D., State of Maine, Department of Environmental Protection
• Daniel Parshley, Project Manager, Glynn Environmental Coalition
• Jennifer Sass, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council
• Sharon Kneiss, American Chemistry Council

Panel III

• Marcus Peacock, Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
• George Gray, Ph.D., Assistant Administrator, Office of Research and Development, Environmental Protection Agency

Witnesses

• Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Earl Devaney, Inspector General, U.S. Department of the Interior

Witnesses

• Michael Masters, Masters Capital Management, LLC.
• Robert McCullough, McCullough Research
• Dr. Jeffrey Harris, Chief Economist, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Blythe Masters, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association
• James Newsome, CME Group
• Fadel Gheit, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.