Roundtable: Holding Big Oil Accountable for Extortion, Collusion, and Pollution
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. ET, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Democrats will host a roundtable discussion with expert panelists titled, “Holding Big Oil Accountable for Extortion, Collusion, and Pollution.”
A recent Federal Trade Commission complaint and multiple class action lawsuits allege that Big Oil has colluded with OPEC to pad their profits by raising energy prices for Americans. This price-gouging adds to the hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies Big Oil already receives annually through direct tax breaks and by passing along health and environmental cleanup costs to taxpayers and communities.
Meanwhile, House Republicans continue to put polluters over people, pushing additional handouts and giveaways for the fossil fuel industry, many of which mirror proposals in Trump’s Project 2025. Former President Trump also recently requested $1 billion in campaign contributions from Big Oil executives, promising to roll back environmental regulations, fast-track fossil fuel project permitting, and enhance tax breaks even further.
Roundtable panelists will discuss these issues, the impacts on American communities, and how Congress can support the American people by holding Big Oil accountable for its extortion, collusion, and pollution.
Members:- Vice Ranking Member Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.)
- Kristina Karlsson, Deputy Director of Climate Policy, Roosevelt Institute
- Alex Witt, Senior Advisor on Oil & Gas, Climate Power
- Bekah Hinojosa, Co-Founder, South Texas Environmental Justice Network
- Chris Marshall, Director, Energy & Environment Program, Accountable.US
Federal Lands Legislation
On Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 10:15 a.m. in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
- H.R. 1479 (Rep. Ciscomani), “Chiricahua National Park Act”, to redesignate the Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona as the Chiricahua National Park;
- H.R. 1504 (Rep. Horsford), “Apex Area Technical Corrections Act”;
- H.R. 8931 (Rep. Stefanik), To redesignate Saratoga National Historical Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park;
- H.R. 8946 (Rep. Matsui), “Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act”;
- H.R. 9159 (Rep. Lawler), “Appalachian Trail Centennial Act”;
- H.R. 9492 (Rep. Valadao), To amend Public Law 99-338 with respect to Kaweah Project permits;
- H.R. 9516 (Rep. Chavez-DeRemer), “Military Families National Parks Access Enhancement Act”, to provide for lifetime National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes for family members of members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives while serving their country; and
- S. 612 (Sen. Cortez Masto), “Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act”.
Green New Deal Happy Hour
Join Train Lovers for Harris/Walz and the Green New Deal DC Happy Hour at the trainiest bar in town, Metrobar.
This free event is it for transit enthusiasts, Green New Dealers, supporters of Harris/Walz, or anyone who loves a good time on the rails, or beer!
We’ll have a few special guests too.
Location: Metrobar, 640 Rhode Island Ave NE
Exploring the Policy Landscape of Carbon Dioxide Removal
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) invite you to a briefing about effective policy-making for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). CDR—the practice of removing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and ocean—comes in many forms, including direct air capture, soil carbon sequestration, ocean CDR, and forest restoration. These methods have garnered increasing scientific, governmental, and private sector interest, but expanded policy development is needed to bring them to the scale needed to meet national climate goals.
Leveraging key findings from recent reports, panelists from NGOs, academia, and the private sector will explore existing policies supporting different stages of CDR development, the level of CDR we expect to need, the potential for CDR in the United States, policy options to enable scaling to that level, and private sector perspectives on the policy landscape. Panelists will also pinpoint key takeaways relevant for federal policymakers.
Speakers for this session include:- Katie Lebling, Associate II, Carbon Removal and Industrial Decarbonization, World Resources Institute (WRI)
- Galen Bower, Senior Analyst, Rhodium Group
- Peter Psarras, Research Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania
- Laura Hatalsky, Deputy Director of Policy, Carbon Removal Alliance
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Daniel O’Brien at [email protected] or (202) 662-1880.
The Department of Energy’s Role in Advanced Computing Research
The purpose of this hearing is to examine the Department of Energy’s lead role in conducting advanced computing research, application, and security.
Witnesses:- Helena Fu, Director, US Department of Energy Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies
- Dr. Shaun Gleason, Director of Science-Security Initiative Integration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Office of the Laboratory Director
- Dr. Divyansh Kaushik, Senior Fellow, American Policy Ventures
Water and Power and American Samoa Self-Determination Legislation
The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:
- S. 2927, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to increase Tribal access to water conservation and efficiency grants, and for other purposes (Lujan);
- S. 4016, to amend the Boulder Canyon Project Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to expend amounts in the Colorado River Dam fund, and for other purposes (Sinema);
- S. 4242/H.R. 4385, to extend the authorization of the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991, and for other purposes (Hickenlooper/Lummis);
- S. 4245/H.R. 5770, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to reauthorize certain United States Geological Survey water data enhancement programs, and for other purposes (Lummis/Hickenlooper);
- S. 4347, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land at Swanson Reservoir and Hugh Butler Reservoir in the State of Nebraska, and for other purposes (Fisher/Ricketts);
- S. 4458, to reauthorize the Reclamation Rural Water Supply Act of 2006, and for other purposes (Rounds/Klobuchar);
- S. 4576, to amend the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, to reauthorize the Colorado River System conservation pilot program (Hickenlooper/Barrasso);
- S. ___, to establish a new Reclamation program to support collaborative positions at eligible partner organizations to help develop, fund, and implement water projects with benefits for water management and the environment (Hickenlooper);
- S. ___, to amend the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to clarify a provision relating to conveyances for aquifer recharge purposes (Risch);
- S. ___, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Program (Padilla);
- S. ___, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (Padilla);
- S. ___, to establish the Integrated Water Management Federal Leadership Committee and to provide for improved drought resilience and dam safety (Padilla);
- S. ___, to amend Public Law 89–108 to modify the authorization of appropriations for State and Tribal, municipal, rural, and industrial water supplies (Hoeven);
- S. ___, to make certain modifications to the repayment period and payment of interest for the Fryingpan-Arkansas project in the State of Colorado (Bennet);
- S. ___, to prohibit the use of amounts from the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund to implement a certain record of decision (Lee); and
- H.R. 6062, to restore the ability of the people of American Samoa to approve amendments to the territorial constitution based on majority rule in a democratic act of self-determination, as authorized pursuant to an Act of Congress delegating administration of Federal territorial law in the territory to the President, and to the Secretary of the Interior under Executive Order 10264, dated June 29, 1951, under which the Constitution of American Samoa was approved and may be amended without requirement for further congressional action, subject to the authority of Congress under the Territorial Clause in article IV, section 3, clause 2 of the United States Constitution (Rep. Radewagen).
Energy Policy and Inflation
A subcommittee hearing titled “From Gas to Groceries: Americans Pay the Price of the Biden-Harris Energy Agenda.”, to “examine how radical rush to green energy polices have resulted in high energy costs and crippling inflation.”
Witnesses:- Linda Pryor, Hilltop Farm WNC, Hendersonville, NC, on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation
- Patrice Onwuka, Director, Center for Economic Opportunity, Independent Women’s Forum
- Travis Fisher, Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Studies, Cato Institute
- Trevor Higgins, Senior Vice President, Energy and Environment, Center for American Progress
Waters of the United States Implementation Post-Sackett Decision: Experiences and Perspectives
This is a hearing of the subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Witnesses:- Emma Pokon, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
- Nicole Rowan, Director, Water Quality Control Division, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- Courtney Briggs, Chairman, Waters Advocacy Coalition, on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation
- Vincent E. Messerly, P.E., President, Stream and Wetlands Foundation, on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders
Anti-NEPA Legislation
On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., in Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
- Discussion Draft of H.R. ___ (Rep. Westerman), To amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes;
- H.J. Res. 168 (Rep. Graves of LA),Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Council on Environmental Quality relating to “National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations Revisions Phase 2”; and
- H.R. 6129 (Rep. Yakym), “Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act”.
Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Legislation
On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
- H.R. 6352 (Rep. Moore of UT), “Tax Stamp Revenue Transfer for Wildlife and Recreation Act”;
- H.R. 8413 (Rep. Smith of NE), “Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoirs Land Conveyances Act”;
- H.R. 8632 (Rep. Grothman), “Biodiversity Oversight Scaled-back And Fully Erased Act of 2024” or “BIOSAFE Act of 2024”;
- H.R. 8836 (Rep. Zinke), “Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act”; and
- Discussion Draft of H.R. ___ (Rep. Graves of LA), To require the Administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service to establish a coastal protection and restoration grant program.