Hill Heat

Full Committee on Agriculture hearing.

Full committee hearing to examine Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act investments in habitat and ecosystem restoration, pollinators, and wildlife crossings.

Witnesses:

• Martha Williams, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Brian Fouch, P.E., Associate Administrator for Federal Lands, Federal Highway Administration

On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources will hold a mark-up on the following bills:

• H.R. 1449 (Rep. Fulcher), “Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act” or the “CLEAN Act”, which requires the Department of the Interior to increase the frequency of lease sales under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 and establishes deadlines for consideration of geothermal drilling permits.;
• H.R. 3250 (Rep. Morelle), “National Museum of Play Recognition Act”;
• H.R. 3396 (Rep. Harder), “Fire Department Repayment Act of 2023”;
• H.R. 5490 (Rep. Kiggans), “Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm Act” or the “BEACH Act”;
• H.R. 6009 (Rep. Boebert), “Restoring American Energy Dominance Act” (Amendments to H.R. 6009 must be drafted to the amendment in the nature of a substitute);
• H.R. 6011 (Rep. Valadao), “Right-Of-Way Application Transparency and Accountability Act” or the “ROWATA Act”;
• H.R. 6233 (Rep. LaHood), “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act”; and
• H.R. 6285 (Rep. Stauber), “Alaska’s Right to Produce Act of 2023” (Amendments to H.R. 6285 must be drafted to the amendment in the nature of a substitute).

The full Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold a markup to consider and vote on the following legislation:

• Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (ANS) to H.R. 6494, Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act of 2023 | More information about the PIPES Act from Republicans
• H.R. 6276, Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act of 2023 (USE IT Act of 2023)
• H.R. 6278, Maximizing Office Value and Efficiency Act of 2023 (MOVE Act of 2023)

On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold an oversight hearing titled “Examining Opportunities to Promote and Enhance Tribal Forest Management.”

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

Panel I

• John Crockett, Associate Deputy Chief—State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, U.S. Forest Service
• Bodie Shaw, Deputy Regional Director—Trust Services (Northwest Region), Bureau of Indian Affairs

Panel II

• Robert Rice, Council Member, Mescalero Apache Tribe, Mescalero, NM
• Michael Skenadore, President, Menominee Tribal Enterprise, Keshena, WI
• Cody Desautel, President, Intertribal Timber Council (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), Nespelem, WA
• Phil Rigdon, Vice President, Intertribal Timber Council (Yakama Nation), Toppenish, WA
• Dawn Blake, Director, Yurok Tribal Forestry Department, Klamath, CA [Minority witness]

A Full Committee markup to consider 44 pieces of legislation.

The legislation to be considered includes the following energy and environmental bills:

• H.R. 6544, Atomic Energy Advancement Act (Reps. Duncan and DeGette)
• H.R. 5718, Nuclear Fuel Security Act of 2023 (Reps. Latta, Clyburn, Balderson, and Kuster)
• H.R. 4167, Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act (Rep. Hudson)
• H.R. 6192, Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act (Rep. Lesko)
• H.R. 6185, Guaranteeing Reliable Infrastructure Development Act (Rep. Duncan)
• H.R. 6421, Affordable HOMES Act (Rep. Bucshon)
• H.R. 4045, Hydropower Clean Energy Future Act (Rep. Rodgers)
• H.R. ___, Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act (Reps. Bucshon and Blunt Rochester)
• H.R. 1797, Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act, as amended (Reps. Torres, Garbarino, Clarke, Ryan, Bowman, D’Esposito, Espaillat, and Goldman)
• H.R. 5390, Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act (Reps. Miller-Meeks, Bucshon, Johnson, Kuster, Schrier, and Spanberger)
• H.R. 2964, Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act (Reps. McClain and Peltola)

As well as the following technology, consumer protection, and health care bills:

• H.R. 5677, 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement (5G SALE) Act (Rep. Joyce)
• H.R. ___, Deploying American Blockchains Act (Reps. Bucshon and Blunt Rochester)
• H.R. 5398, Advancing Tech Startups Act (Reps. Johnson and Phillips)
• H.R. 5146, Advancing Gig Economy Act (Reps. Joyce and Pence)
• H.R. 3950, Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act (Reps. Bilirakis and Schakowsky)
• H.R. ___, Speculative Ticketing Oversight and Prohibition Act or the STOP Act of 2023 (Reps. Armstrong, Bilirakis, and Schakowsky)
• H.R. 6543, No Hidden Fees on Extra Expenses for Stays Act (Rep. Kim)
• H.R. 6125, Online Dating Safety Act of 2023 (Reps. Valadao and Pettersen)
• H.R. 5202, Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Reauthorization Act, as amended (Reps. Wasserman Schultz, Burgess, Carter, Allred, Castor, Williams, Garcia, Flood, Ross, Bacon, and Gottheimer)
• H.R. 6132, Awning Safety Act of 2023 (Reps. Balderson and Castor)
• H.R. 4310, Youth Poisoning Protection Act (Reps. Trahan, Carey, Porter, and Stewart)
• H.R. 4814, Consumer Safety Technology Act (Reps. Soto, Burgess, Trahan, and Guthrie)
• H.R. 2365, National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act (Reps. Bilirakis and Tonko)
• H.R. 5372, Expanding Seniors’ Access to Lower Cost Medicines Act of 2023 (Reps. Joyce and Peters)
• H.R. 2880, Protecting Patients Against PBM Abuses Act (Reps. Carter and Blunt Rochester)
• H.R. 5393, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure fair assessment of pharmacy performance and quality under Medicare part D, and for other purposes (Reps. Griffith and Carter)
• H.R. 5385, Medicare PBM Accountability Act (Reps. Landsman and Harshbarger)
• H.R. 5386, Cutting Copays Act (Reps. McGarvey and Bilirakis)
• H.R. 4881, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit cost sharing for drugs under the Medicare program. (Reps. Malliotakis and Wenstrup)
• H.R. 5389, National Coverage Determination Transparency Act, as amended (Reps. Guthrie and Kelly)
• H.R. 133, Mandating Exclusive Review of Individual Treatments (MERIT) Act, as amended (Reps. Buchanan and Barragan)
• H.R. 5396, Coverage Determination Clarity Act of 2023 (Rep. Bucshon)
• H.R. 5371, Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2023 (Reps. Joyce and Phillips)
• H.R. 5388, Supporting Innovation for Seniors Act (Reps. Balderson and Buchanan)
• H.R. 5380, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase data transparency for supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage (Rep. Sarbanes)
• H.R. 3842, Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2023, as amended (Reps. Schrier, Bilirakis, and Bucshon)
• H.R. 5397, Joe Fiandra Access to Home Infusion Act of 2023, as amended (Reps. Fitzpatrick, Dunn and Soto)
• H.R. 6366, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to the work geographic index for physician payments under the Medicare program and to revise the phase-in of clinical laboratory test payment changes under such program (Rep. Hudson)
• H.R. 6369, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend incentive payments for participation in eligible alternative payment models (Reps. Schrier and Dunn)
• H.R. 5555, DMEPOS Relief Act of 2023 (Reps. Miller-Meeks and Tonko)
• H.R. 6545, Physician Fee Schedule Update and Improvements Act (Reps. Miller-Meeks, Schrier, Bucshon, Kelly)
• H.R. 6364, Medicare Telehealth Privacy Act of 2023 (Reps. Balderson, Dunn, Schweikert, and Carey)
• H.R. 1352, Increasing Access to Biosimilars Act of 2023 (Rep. Hudson)

Subcommittee hearing.

Witnesses

• Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Celeste Wallander, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
• Robert Jenkins, Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization, U.S. Agency for International Development

Jenkins:

Climate shocks – dangerously high temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and frequent droughts – exacerbate conflict by pushing people to herd, farm, or fish in areas controlled by violent extremists like Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), the Islamic State, and Boko Haram. This not only exacerbates vulnerability to climate but also reduces economic opportunities for youth, driving them into the arms of violent extremists who provide a crude semblance of stability and prosperity.

Phee:

The recent coups and conflicts are primarily a result of the enormous challenges facing the Sahel, notably a weak tradition of democratic governance, an acute terrorist threat and insecurity, insufficient economic opportunities for the region’s young population, and climate-related water and land shortages, which contribute to food insecurity.

On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., in room 1334 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing titled “Limiting Access and Damaging Gateway Economies: Examining the National Parks Air Tour Management Program.”

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

Panel I

• Ray Sauvajot, Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

Panel II

• John Wells, Chairman of the Board, Military Veterans Advocacy, Slidell, LA
• Jake Tomlin, President, Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines, Boulder City, NV
• Mark A. Schlaefli, President, Rushmore Helicopters, Custer, SD
• Carl Slater, Delegate, Navajo Nation Council, Window Rock, AZ [Minority Witness]

Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee hearing titled “America’s Future: Leading a New Era of Energy Dominance, Security, and Environmental Stewardship.”

Chair Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.)

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

• Edmund O. Schweitzer III, Ph.D., Founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
• Anne Bradbury, CEO, American Exploration & Production Council
• David Gattie, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Engineering and Senior Fellow, Center for International Trade and Security, University of Georgia
• Noah Kaufman, Ph.D, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University

This is a hearing of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Witnesses:

• Michael L. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, United States Department of the Army
• Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, United States Army Corps of Engineers