Hill Heat

As the first hurricane of the season thunders through the Atlantic Ocean this week, Gulf Coast students, along with a U.S. Forest Service expert, will brief Congress on the vulnerability of the Cumberland, Mobile, and Tennessee River Basins and tell their story on how global warming can affect our water, our land, and our lives.

Due to their experience with Hurricane Katrina, these two dozen students from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are taking action to prevent further deterioration of the climate for the sake of their coastal home and their generation which will live through the impacts to come. They will present their own research and perspectives on how their findings will affect the future, and on the needs for strong policy in the government, and a scientifically informed public dialogue on issues related to climate change.

Chairman Edward J. Markey and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming are hosting the students, who were selected for the World Wildlife Fund Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program based on their academic achievements, their interest in the environment and climate change, and their leadership experience.

Witnesses

• 25 Gulf Coast high school students from WWF Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program
• Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.)
• Dr. Steve McNulty, US Forest Service Ginette Hemley, Senior Vice President of Conservation Strategy and Science, World Wildlife Fund
• Rev. Christopher Worthley, Executive Director, Allianz Foundation for North America

Witnesses

• Michael Morris, American Electric Power
• Dr. Steven Specker, President and CEO, Electric Power Research Institute
• Eugene Trisko, Counsel to United Mine Workers of America
• Dr. Eduward Rubin, Professor of Environmental Engineering and Science, Carnegie Mellon University
• James Kerr II, Commissioner, North Carolina Utilities Commission
• Michael Goo, Climate Legislative Director, National Resources Defense Council

In light of recent scientific research documenting noticeable declines in many common bird populations in the United States, the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, led by Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), will hold an oversight hearing to investigate probable causes and potential effects of the decline on ecosystems.

Birds are of great ecological, economic and scientific value to the United States and other countries. Annual survey data by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Audubon Society, however, have revealed significant declines in the average population of birds across the continent.

The Subcommittee will hear from bird experts and other officials to further investigate the factors affecting stressed bird populations and bird habitats, and to explore possible policy options to address this situation.

Witnesses:

• Paul R. Schmidt, Assistant Director, Migratory Birds and State Programs, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior

Accompanied by: Wayne E. Thogmartin, Ph.D., United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior,

(Dr. Thogmartin will be available to answer questions but will not testify)

• David Erickson, Assistant Director, Missouri Department of Conservation
• John Wiens, Ph.D., Chief Conservation Science Officer, PRBO Conservation Science
• George E. Wallace, Ph.D., Vice President, International Programs, American Bird Conservancy
• Tom Bancroft, National Science Director, National Audubon Society
• Dale Humburg, Chief Biologist, Ducks Unlimited

Witnesses

• Lake Coulson, Executive Director, Government Affairs, National Electrical Contractors Association
• Gregory Wetstone, Senior Director of Government and Public Affairs, American Wind Energy Association
• James Resor, Chief Financial Officer, groSolar
• Andrea Lucke, Vice President of Sales and Design, Robert Lucke Homes

Witnesses

• Dr. Peter R. Orszag, Director, Congressional Budget Office
• JayEtta Z. Hecker, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, Government Accountability Office

On Wednesday evening, July 9, Americans for Prosperity will host a national Tele Town Hall meeting with U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina—one of the top free-market leaders in America.

As everybody knows, gas prices are out of control, yet some in Congress continue to push legislation like a $1.2 trillion global warming carbon tax hike that will only make matters worse. At the same time, Congress is blocking legislation that would allow us to increase energy production and supplies here at home.

During Wednesday’s Telephone Town Hall meeting, Senator DeMint and AFP President Tim Phillips will discuss with participants how Al Gore and his environmental extremist policies are driving up the price of gasoline, increasing home energy costs, and killing jobs.

They’ll be discussing what is at stake, and what we can all do to help Senator DeMint fight the good fight in Washington. Callers will also have the opportunity to ask Senator DeMint a question.

The Telephone Town Hall meeting begin on Wednesday beginning at 7:10 p.m. Eastern time. That’s 6:10 in the Central time zone, 5:10 Mountain time and 4:10 p.m. on the West Coast.

To join, you can simply dial in at 7:10 p.m. Eastern time by calling toll-free to 1-877-229-8493 and entering the PIN code 13896.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:

• S. 2842, to require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out annual inspections of canals, levees, tunnels, dikes, pumping plants, dams, and reservoirs under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, and for other purposes
• S. 2974, to provide for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado
• H.R. 3323, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey a water distribution system to the Goleta Water District, and for other purposes
• S. 3189, to amend Public Law 106–392 to require the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration and the Commissioner of Reclamation to maintain sufficient revenues in the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund, and for other purposes.

Field hearing at the International Programs Building, Sandia Science & Technology Park, 10600 Research Road SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123.

Witnesses

• Charles Andraka, Sandia National Labs
• Fred Morse, Abengoa Solar, Inc.
• Michael Daly, Mesa del Sol
• Dr. Alex Marker, Schott Solar, Inc.
• Fong Wan, Pacific Gas & Electric

Dr. Lawrence Jones, Account Executive for Automation Information System Business Unit, Areva T&D, will discuss smart transmission and distribution technologies for a clean environment and secure electricity infrastructure.

CSIS
4th Floor Conference Room
1800 K Street, NW

E&E News:

Members of a House panel will delve into ways to protect and restore the United States’ coasts and estuaries at a Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee hearing Thursday.

The hearing comes on the heels of a recent Restore America’s Estuaries report that found coastal areas vital to the U.S. economy are at risk.

Coastal tourism, fishing, property values and infrastructure are worth between $20 billion and $80 billion a year, according to Linwood Pendleton, the report’s author and director of economic research at the Washington-based Ocean Foundation.

Estuary regions make up about 13 percent of the continental United States and are home to 40 percent of its population, the report says. They also are centers for ports, employment and recreation.

Beachgoing, for example, may be worth up to $30 billion in economic well-being to Americans, while recreational fishing contributes between $10 billion and $26 billion, the study says. But those activities are threatened by pollution, invasive species and algal blooms.

Damage to coasts and estuaries could harm tourism, recreation activities and commercial fishing. U.S. EPA estimates nearly 75 percent of the commercial catch depends on estuaries.

Environmental degradation in coastal areas also could hurt housing values, while restoration efforts could boost them significantly, the report notes.

Healthy coasts and estuaries are better able to weather large storms, facilitating business at ports. They also experience less coastal erosion, saving the government time and money directed toward repair efforts. Dredging operations currently cost the United States nearly $600 million annually.

And preserving coastal areas around the Gulf of Mexico protects energy infrastructure and the nation’s oil economy. Already 45 percent of the United States’ petroleum refining capacity is at risk due to wetland loss along the Gulf Coast, the report says.