Climate science, policy, politics, and action
Witnesses
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:
Field hearing at the International Programs Building, Sandia Science & Technology Park, 10600 Research Road SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123.
Witnesses
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
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.
The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, led by Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), will hold a legislative hearing on the following bill: