Climate science, policy, politics, and action
Full Committee on Agriculture business meeting RE: “Markup of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024.”
Full committee hearing.
Witness:
As creatives, we have the unique power to change hearts and minds, and ultimately inspire action. As our planet continues to heat up, it’s even more important to use that power in the right way – which includes moving the advertising and PR industry away from fossil fuels.
​​Join Clean Creatives for our first DC meetup in 2024 to meet other creatives, strategists, and communicators from agencies, NGOs, and government. Let’s explore how purpose-driven storytelling can turn into greenwashing and harm green brands and real solutions and discuss what we can do together in our industries to turn it around.
​​First drinks are on us!
​​Clean Creatives is a global campaign for PR and ad professionals who want a safe climate future. We are a community of over 2000 strategists, creatives and industry leaders and over 1000 agencies who believe that fossil fuel clients represent a threat to our shared future. Learn more about us at www.cleancreatives.org.
Location: metrobar
640 Rhode Island Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Subcommittee hearing.
Witnesses:
On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., in Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold an oversight hearing titled “Examining the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request for the United States Geological Survey and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.”
Pete Stauber, Chairman
The President’s budget request for USGS appropriations in FY2025 is $1.578 billion (full justification). The Ecosystems mission area conducts biological and ecological science to inform natural resource management decisions through five programs and cooperative research units. The FY2025 budget requests a 9% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for this mission area. The largest program increase for the mission area is for the Land Management Research Program, requested at $60.6 million for FY2025 compared with $52.0 million enacted for FY2024. The increase includes supporting science for mapping corridors of big game hunting populations and for drought response. The budget request proposes decreases for some activities in the mission area, including a decrease of $1.0 million for the Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program. It proposes to separate the land change science component of the Climate Adaptation Science Centers and Land Change Science Program into a stand-alone program named the Ecosystems Change Research Program to ensure “program and budget clarity.”
The Energy and Mineral Resources mission area includes scientific research and assessments related to energy and minerals. The FY2025 budget requests a 19% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. For the Energy Resources Program, the budget requests an increase of $7.1 million above the FY2024 enacted level of $32.6 million, which includes supporting activities related to geologic carbon sequestration and geothermal energy. For the Mineral Resources Program, the budget requests an increase of $12.1 million above the FY2023 enacted level of $68.7 million, which includes supporting critical minerals supply chain analysis and forecasting. The request also proposes to restructure the Mineral Resources Program into two components: the National Minerals Information Center and Mineral Resources Research, Surveys, and Assessments. The USGS asserts that the restructuring would increase budget transparency for the National Minerals Information Center. The agency anticipates requesting that the U.S. Chief Statistician within the Office of Management and Budget designate the center as a Recognized Statistical Unit (see 44 U.S.C. §3563).
The Natural Hazards mission area provides scientific information to reduce losses from natural hazards. The FY2025 budget requests a 6% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. This increase includes a $7.3 million increase for the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program to support research to inform climate-related risk assessments, among other activities. It also includes a $2.2 million increase for both the Earthquake Hazards Program and the Volcano Hazards Program. The budget requests decreased funding for some activities in the mission area, including a decrease of $0.4 million for the Landslide Hazards Program.
The Water Resources mission area monitors water resources and researches water processes. The FY2025 budget requests a 7% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. This includes increased funding for Integrated Water Availability Assessments, federal priority streamgages, and the National Groundwater Quality Network. Similar to past budget requests, the Administration requests eliminating the Water Resources Research Act Program, a federal-state partnership that conducts regional water research. The budget also requests decreases for some activities in the mission area.
The Core Science Systems mission area generally focuses on the USGS’s mapping activities and supports science across the agency. The mission area includes the National Land Imaging Program, which operates Landsat satellites, among other activities. The FY2025 budget requests a 15% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. This includes an increase of $28.7 million for the National Land Imaging Program, which would support Landsat activities, including Landsat Next development, and a commercial data pilot program. The FY2025 budget also requests increases for a high performance computing initiative to advance USGS science data delivery, particularly for drought and fire science, and for an American conservation and stewardship atlas. The budget request also proposes decreases for some activities in the mission area, including a decrease of $3.4 million for the National Geospatial Program.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement FY2025 budget request is $304.7 million in current appropriations.
We’re thrilled to assemble a panel of leading climate regulation experts for a discussion on how companies should prepare for disclosure compliance amidst the legal challenges the regulations are facing. Register to hear from our invited guests California Senator, Henry Stern and June M. Hu from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP as they discuss:
Full committee hearing entitled “Droughts, Dollars, and Decisions: Water Scarcity in a Changing Climate”.
Witnesses:
On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 10:15 a.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:
Witnesses:
Subcommittee hearing. The request is for $51.42 billion, including $25 billion for maintenance of the nuclear arsenal, $8.23 billion for cleanup of DOE environmental pollution, and $8.58 billion for the Office of Science.
Witnesses:
The Budget includes $8.5 billion across DOE to support researchers and entrepreneurs transforming innovations into commercial clean energy products, including in areas such as: offshore wind; industrial heat; sustainable aviation fuel; and grid infrastructure.
The Budget invests $1.6 billion to support clean energy workforce and infrastructure projects across the Nation, including: $385 million to weatherize and retrofit homes of low-income Americans; $95 million to electrify Tribal homes, provide technical assistance to advance Tribal energy projects, and transition Tribal colleges and universities to renewable energy; $113 million for the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains to strengthen domestic clean energy supply chains, and $102 million to support utilities and State and local governments in building a grid that is more secure, reliable, resilient, and able to integrate electricity from clean energy sources.
The Office of State and Community Energy Programs includes $385 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program to weatherize low-income homes.
The Budget supports $76 million to advance technologies that can enable earlier detection of methane leaks and integrate across a network of methane monitoring sensors for more reliable measurement and mitigation and $150 million to make small quantities of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) available for ongoing advanced nuclear reactor demonstrations.
Full commmittee hearing.
Witnesses:
