Hill Heat

On Wednesday, May 23, 2007, the Committee held an oversight hearing on achievements and opportunities for climate protection under the Montreal Protocol. This international environmental treaty established legally binding controls on the production and consumption of substances that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer. Witnesses at the hearing included the lead author of a scientific paper quantifying the climate benefits of the Montreal Protocol, the Executive Director of an international nongovernmental organization with expertise on the Montreal Protocol, and the Global Environmental Manager of DuPont’s fluorochemicals business. At the hearing, the Committee received testimony about cost-effective measures that can be taken under the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming.

Witnesses

• Dr. Guus Velders, lead author of a recent scientific paper quantifying the climate benefits of the Montreal Protocol
• Mr. Allan Thornton, Executive Director, Environmental Investigation Agency, an international nongovernmental organization with expertise on the Montreal Protocol
• Dr. Mack McFarland, Environmental Fellow, DuPont Fluoroproducts, a major corporation that manufactures alternatives to substances that deplete the ozone layer

Transcript

• preliminary transcript

05/23/2007 at 10:00AM

The Bush Administration has allowed an increase in oil refinery mergers to go unchecked, even as reduced refining supply seems to be pushing up gas prices. The rise in gasoline prices is helping refiners generate the highest margins from refining since at least 1990, allowing them to report record profits. Meanwhile, consumers are facing harmful price spikes and lack of cheaper alternatives, such as E85, at the pumps.

The JEC will examine the impacts of consolidation in the oil and gas industry on competition, gasoline prices, and consumers’ energy choices. Specifically, the Committee will investigate whether oil industry mergers and increased market concentration have enabled firms to raise their prices above competitive levels and strategically withhold capacity to keep prices high; and investigate whether firms are preventing the entry of cheaper fuel alternatives for consumers at the pump.

Witnesses:

Panel I:

• Dr. Thomas McCool, Director, Center for Economics, Government Accountability Office
• Dr. Michael Salinger, Director of the Bureau of Economics, Federal Trade Commission

Panel II:

• Dr. Diana Moss, American Antitrust Institute, Vice President and Senior Research Fellow
• Dennis DeCota, Calif. Service Station and Automotive Repair Assn., Executive Director
• Samantha Slater, Director, Congressional and Regulatory Affairs, Renewable Fuels Association, Washington, DC
• Red Cavaney, President and CEO, American Petroleum Institute
• Dr. James Smith, Southern Methodist University, Chair of Oil and Gas Management

05/23/2007 at 10:00AM

The House Natural Resources Committee, led by Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), will hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 2337, the “Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007.” Witnesses: Panel 1 Walter Cruickshank, Deputy Director, Mineral Management Service, Department of the Interior Henri Bisson, Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior Melissa M. Simpson, Deputy Undersecretary, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture Vickie VanZandt, Senior Vice President, Transmission Business Line, Bonneville Power Administration, Department of Energy Timothy R. E. Keeney, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Panel 2 The Honorable John Engler (Former Governor of Michigan), President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers Jim Martin, President, 60 Plus Association

The hearing will be webcast live on the Committee’s web site at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov.

05/23/2007 at 10:00AM

Full committee hearing

Witnesses:

• Michael P. Jackson, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• R. David Paulison, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

05/22/2007 at 03:00PM

S.645, to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to provide an alternate sulfur dioxide removal measurement for certain coal gasification project goals, S.838, to authorize funding for eligible joint ventures between United States and Israeli businesses and academic persons, to establish the International Energy Advisory Board, S.1089, to amend the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act to allow the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects to hire employees more efficiently, S.1203, to enhance the management of electricity programs at the Department of Energy, H.R.85, to provide for the establishment of centers to encourage demonstration and commercial application of advanced energy methods and technologies, and H.R.1126, to reauthorize the Steel and Aluminum Energy Conservation andTechnology Competitiveness Act of 1988

05/22/2007 at 02:30PM

05/22/2007 at 02:30PM

On Tuesday the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will explore the vast potential for the development of “green collar” jobs from increased energy efficiency and use of renewable energy in the United States. A market transformation towards clean energy will require a new cadre of workers for everything from the research, design, and engineering of new energy systems to the manufacture, installation, and maintenance of clean technology investments. The range of jobs and skills requirements is wide, but the potential employment impact is substantial: in a recent analysis the Cleantech Venture Network estimated that as many as 500,000 new green collar jobs could be created by 2010. Increasing green collar jobs is also an opportunity to cultivate both economic and environmental benefits for many underserved communities.

Witnesses:

• Jerome Ringo, President Apollo Alliance
• Van Jones, President and Co-Founder Ella Baker Center (Oakland, CA)
• Elsa Barboza, Campaign Coordinator for Green Industries at the Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE; Los Angeles, CA)
• Bob Thelen, Chief Training Officer, Capital Area Michigan Works!

05/22/2007 at 02:00PM

05/22/2007 at 01:00PM

05/22/2007 at 10:00AM

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Water and Power, led by Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA), will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:

• H.R. 716 (Woolsey, D-CA): The Santa Rosa Urban Water Reuse Plan Act
• H.R. 236 (Thompson, D-CA): The North Bay Water Reuse Program Act of 2007
• H.R 1503 (Grijalva, D-AZ): The Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian Restoration Project
• H.R. 1725 (Bono, R-CA): The Rancho California Water District Recycled Water Reclamation Facility Act of 2007

Witnesses:

Panel 1

• Robert Quint, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Operations, Bureau of Reclamation, Washington, D.C.
• Tim Smith (H.R. 236), Sonoma County Supervisor, District 3, Board of Supervisors, Santa Rosa, CA
• Michael Martini (H.R. 716), Santa Rosa City Councilmember, Santa Rosa, CA
• Michael Gritzuk (H.R. 1503), Director, Pima County Wastewater Management, Tucson, AZ
• Dr. Brian J. Brady (H.R. 1725), General Manager, Rancho California Water District, Temecula, CA

05/17/2007 at 10:00AM