Climate science, policy, politics, and action
Subcommittee hearing entitled “Risky Business Part 2: The DOE Loan Guarantee Program.”
Related to a 2017 hearing of the same name.
Witnesses:
Full committee hearing, immediately following the business meeting. The purpose of the hearing is to consider the nominations of:
Nominees:
Beyer is a Republican oil lobbyist. former CEO of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council (previously called the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association). She is on the board of Forum Energy Technologies and Natural Gas Services Group. Prior to joining PESA, Ms. Beyer served as Director, Member and Board Relations for the National Association of Manufacturers from 2012 to 2014. Previously, Ms. Beyer served in leadership roles at Burson-Marsteller Public Affairs and at a boutique public relations firm for more than six years. Prior to her time in public affairs, Ms. Beyer served in media relations capacities in The White House, Executive Office of the President and on the Bush 2000 Presidential Campaign.
Travnicek is the state director of water resources for North Dakota, served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science during the first Trump administration, and was the senior policy advisor of natural resources for the North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven.
Garrish was Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs during the first Trump administration.
Tristan Abbey is a Republican oil policy advocate. He served as a Republican staffer on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during the second Obama term. After serving on the Trump transition team for the Department of Energy, Abbey served as Director, Strategic Planning and Director, Energy and Environment for the National Security Council before returning to the Senate. Abbey led the effort to lift the oil export ban.
Full committee markup.
Legislation:
And Postal Office namings.
Markup of House Oversight Committee legislative proposals (“Committee Print”) to comply with the reconciliation directive included in section 2001 of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, H. Con. Res. 14. The Committee Print would achieve $30.716 billion in revenue increases by raising the FERS retirement contribution rate for certain existing federal civilian employees and postal employees up to the new rate of 4.4% of their salary. The Committee Print would save $10.113 billion by eliminating the additional retirement annuity payment for new federal retirees that are eligible to retire before age 62 which they currently receive until they reach the age of Social Security retirement eligibility (exempted from this reform are those in federal occupations subject to mandatory early separation). The Committee Print would save $4.750 billion by reducing federal pension benefit spending by basing a retiree’s annuity payment on their average highest five earning years (instead of highest three). The Committee Print would achieve $4.541 billion in net savings by giving new Federal employee hires the option to elect to serve “at will” in exchange for higher take-home pay. The Committee Print would raise $2 million in revenue by charging a modest fee for Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) filings that would be refunded to employees who win their appeals. The Committee Print would achieve $1.5 billion in net savings by requiring a comprehensive audit of employee dependents currently enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program plans—such as verifying marriage certificates and birth certificates—and require any ineligible individual found to be receiving FEHB coverage be disenrolled.
Full committee business meeting to consider:
The nomination hearing for Griffith and Gil took place on April 10th.
Subcommittee hearing.
Witnesses:
Full committee hearing following a business meeting to vote on nominations.
Nominees:
Luke Lindberg is the President & CEO of South Dakota Trade, a 501c(6) public-private-partnership that navigates international trade for South Dakota. During the first Trump term, Lindberg served as the Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. As the agency’s second-highest ranking official, he was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of EXIM and advancing strategic initiatives such as the program on “China and Transformational Exports”, opening new markets for American Liquified Natural Gas, securing America’s supply of Critical Minerals & Rare Earths, and protecting allies in the race to deploy 5G globally.
Devon Westhill is the President and General Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative think tank which opposes affirmative action and bilingual education. Westhill led the civil rights office at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Trump administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. He has also worked at the U.S. Department of Labor, Federalist Society, and as a criminal trial lawyer in private practice. Mr. Westhill is a U.S. Navy veteran with degrees from UNC at Chapel Hill and the University of Florida.
Full committee business meeting to vote on nominees.
Nominees:
The nomination hearing took place on April 8.
Subcommitee hearing entitled “Made in the USA: Igniting the Industrial Renaissance of the United States.”
Witnesses:
On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., in room 1334 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
Subcommittee hearing.