Hill Heat

During a Global Warming Town Hall meeting in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, August 7, Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) will take questions regarding a carbon tax bill he intends to introduce as part of a multi-tiered approach to reducing carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.

Under Dingell’s leadership, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed energy efficiency legislation that would remove from the atmosphere more than 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions (through the year 2030), which is more than the annual emissions of all cars on American roads today. The legislation is expected to pass the full House this week.

In the fall, Dingell also plans to develop a comprehensive, mandatory, economy-wide program with the goal of achieving as much as an 80 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. He is a co-sponsor of the Hill-Terry bill, HR 2927, which would mandate separate car and truck standards to meet a total fleet fuel economy standard between 32 and 35 mpg by 2022; increases up to 40 percent over current standards.

Pioneer High School Schreiber Auditorium 601 W. Stadium Blvd Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Field hearing on Reducing Barriers to growth of Emerging Energy Technologies – Relationships between Federal, State and Local Governments.

The House will consider amendments to HR 3221, the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act, and HR 2776, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007, in preparation for the votes on these bills.

The Committee on Rules is expected to meet Thursday, August 2, 2007 to grant a rule which may structure the amendment process for floor consideration of H.R. 2776, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007, and H.R. 3221, the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act.

Any Member wishing to offer an amendment to H.R. 3221 must do so by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 1, 2007.

At 10:30 am on Thursday, August 2, in the hearing room of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (Dirksen 406), Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), the Chairman and Ranking Republican, respectively, of the Senate Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection, will unveil the particulars of the agreement that they have reached on economy-wide climate legislation. This agreement synthesizes ideas contained in other climate change proposals while also incorporating new thinking. It will form the basis of a bill that the two Senators will introduce when the Senate reconvenes in September.

H.R. 1534, the “Mercury Export Ban Act of 2007”.

• S.1054 and H.R.122, bills to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Inland Empire regional recycling project and in the Cucamonga Valley Water District recycling project,
• S.1472, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to create a Bureau of Reclamation partnership with the North Bay Water Reuse Authority and other regional partners to achieve objectives relating to water supply, water quality, and environmental restoration,
• S.1475 and H.R.1526, bills to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program,
• H.R.30, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study andFacilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Eastern Municipal Water District Recycled Water System Pressurization and Expansion Project,
• H.R.609, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study andFacilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and
• H.R.1175, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study andFacilities Act to increase the ceiling on the Federal share of the costs of phase I of the Orange County, California, Regional Water Reclamation Project

Recent advances in clean coal technology, including the prospects for deploying these technologies at a commercial scale in the near future.

Witnesses

• Carl Bauer, director, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Energy Department
• Jerry Hollinden, senior vice president, URS Corp., National Coal Council
• Jeffrey Phillips, program manager for advanced coal generation, Electric Power Research Institute
• Don Langley , vice president and chief technology officer, Babcock and Wilcox
• Andrew Perlman, CEO, Great Point Energy
• Frank Alix, CEO, Powerspan
• Jim Rosborough, commercial director, Dow Chemical Co.
• Bill Fehrman, president, PacifiCorp Energy