Implementing IIJA, focusing on perspectives on the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act
Full committee hearing on implementing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, focusing on the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act.
Witnesses:- Elizabeth Biser, Secretary, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
- Kishia L. Powell, General Manager & CEO, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC Water)
- Eric Volk, Executive Director, North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association
Perspectives on Challenges in the Property Insurance Market and the Impact on Consumers
The Committee on Banking will meet in open session, hybrid format to conduct a hearing on “Perspectives on Challenges in the Property Insurance Market and the Impact on Consumers.”
Witnesses:- Douglas Heller, Director of Insurance, Consumer Federation of America
- Michelle Norris, Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, National Church Residences
- Jerry Theodorou, Policy Director, Finance, Insurance and Trade, the R Street Institute
Recent Advances in Artificial Intelligence and the Department of Energy’s Role in Ensuring U.S. Competitiveness and Security in Emerging Technologies
The purpose of this hearing is to examine recent advances in artificial intelligence and the Department of Energy’s role in ensuring U.S. competitiveness and security in emerging technologies.
Wildfires and Forest Management at Yosemite National Park
The Committee on Natural Resources will hold a field oversight hearing on “Conservation in a Crown Jewel: A Discussion About Wildfires and Forest Health” on Friday, August 11, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. PST at the Curry Village in Yosemite National Park.
Witnesses:- Miles Menetrey, Supervisor, Mariposa County, California
- George Turnboo, Supervisor, El Dorado County, California
- Bill Tripp, Director of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy, Karuk Tribe, Orleans, California
- Dr. Dave Daley, California Cattlemen’s Association, Butte County, California
- Johnnie White, Board Member, California Farm Bureau, Sebastopol, California
- Matthew Bloom, Owner, Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station, Pinecrest, California
Oversight of the Federal Response and Recovery Efforts in Southwestern Florida following Hurricane Ian
Field hearing on the federal response to Hurricane Ian.
Witnesses:
Panel one- Brett Howard, Federal Coordinating Officer for Hurricane Ian, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Thomas McCool, Federal Coordinating Officer for Hurricane Ian, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Marion McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Community Planning and Development, Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Francisco Sánchez, Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience, Small Business Administration
- Kevin B. Anderson, Mayor, Fort Myers, Florida
- Chauncey Goss, Chairman, South Florida Water Management District Governing Board
- Brian Hamman, Chairman and District 4 Commissioner, Lee County, Florida
Lakes Regional Library, 15290 Bass Road, Fort Myers, Florida 33919
Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida in September 2022, causing billions of dollars in damage and claiming over 160 lives. While federal agencies were quick to respond to Ian, the convoluted nature of the federal disaster response regime complicated recovery efforts immediately after the storm and since. While FEMA is technically charged with coordinating federal efforts following a disaster, over 30 agencies are involved in emergency response efforts. These complex interagency authorities, and the at times poor communication between federal agencies and the public, leave many residents unaware of federal benefits they may be entitled to following a hurricane. Southwest Florida continues to rebuild from Ian’s devastating impact, and many residents continue to struggle in their interactions with federal disaster response agencies.
This hearing will examine the role federal agencies played in response to Hurricane Ian, as well as southwest Florida’s efforts to rebuild from the storm. Specifically, Members will be able to inquire about the effectiveness of the federal response to Hurricane Ian, whether areas for improvement exist in the federal disaster response regime, and the nature and extent of Ian’s impact on communities in the region.
Ongoing Visitor Experience Issues at America’s National Parks
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing titled “Examining Barriers to Access: Ongoing Visitor Experience Issues at America’s National Parks.”
Witness:- Charles F. Sams III, Director, National Park Service, Washington, DC
Despite significant additional resources provided by Congress over the last several years, the National Park Service (NPS) has failed to reduce their deferred maintenance (DM) backlog and develop a strategy to prevent increasing the DM backlog in the future.
EPA Vinyl Chloride News Conference and Petition Delivery
Leaders from the environmental organizations Beyond Plastics, Beyond Petrochemicals, River Valley Organizing, Hip Hop Caucus, Moms Clean Air Force, Plastic Free Future, Greenpeace, and others, are delivering a petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., calling for a ban on vinyl chloride before any more harm is done to communities like East Palestine, Ohio.
Speakers:- Heather McTeer Toney, Beyond Petrochemicals
- Daniel Winston, River Valley Organizing
- Almeta Cooper, Moms Clean Air Force
- Chris Walton, Hip Hop Caucus
- Charlie Cray, Greenpeace
- Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics
- Jessica Conard
Location: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Full Committee Markup of Fiscal Year 2024 Defense, Interior and Environment, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Homeland Security Appropriations Acts
Full committee hearing to mark up appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024.
- Markup of the “Defense Appropriations Act, 2024”
- Markup of the “Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024”
- Markup of the “Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024”
- Markup of the “Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2024.”
Legislative Hearing on Fishery Industry, Black Vulture Killing, and Watershed Bills
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 10:15 a.m. in room 1334 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. 1437 (Rep. Rose), “Black Vulture Relief Act of 2023”, to authorize livestock producers and their employees to kill black vultures;
- H.R. 1792 (Rep. Radewagen), “South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act of 2023”;
- H.R. 2950 (Rep. Huffman), “Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2023”;
- H.R. 2982 (Rep. Tonko), “New York-New Jersey Watershed Protection Act”;
- H.R. 4051 (Rep. Wittman), “SHARKED Act” (Supporting the Health of Aquatic Systems through Research, Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act), backed by sportfishing lobby;
- H.R. 4094 (Rep. Curtis), “Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act”;
- H.R. 4587 (Rep. Rutherford) “Red Snapper Act”, to provide that the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an interim or final rule that includes an area closure in the South Atlantic for species managed under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan until the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is complete and the data related to that study is integrated into the stock assessment; and
- H.R. 4596 (Rep. Boebert), ‘‘Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act of 2023’’, to reauthorize the Bureau of Reclamation to provide cost-shared funding to implement the endangered and threatened fish recovery programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins.
Witnesses:
Panel I (Bill Sponsors):- Rob Wittman, Representative from the First District of Virginia
- Amata Radewagen, Representative from American Samoa
- John Curtis, Representative from the Third District of Utah
- Lauren Boebert, Representative from the Third District of Colorado
- John Rutherford, Representative from the Fifth District of Florida
- Paul Tonko, Representative from the Twentieth District of New York
- John Rose, Representative from the Sixth District of Tennessee
- Jared Huffman, Representative from the Second District of California
- Dr. Kelly Kryc, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC
- Stephen Guertin, Deputy Director for Program Management and Policy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC
- William Gibbons-Fly, Executive Director, American Tunaboat Association, San Diego, CA [H.R.1792]
- Jack Graham, Captain, Afishianado Charters, Nags Head, NC [H.R. 4051]
- Jessica McCawley, Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries Management, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, FL [H.R. 4587]
- Gene Shawcroft, General Manager of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, Orem, UT [H.R.4094]
- Steve Wolff, General Manager, Southwestern Water Conservation District, Durango, CO [H.R. 4596]
- Charlie Besher, Property Rights and Environmental Management Committee Chair, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Patton, MO [H.R. 1437]
- Genevieve Genest, Donor Relations Manager, Galveston Bay Foundation, Kemah, TX [H.R. 2950] [Democratic witness]
- Seth Atkinson, Quillback Consulting, Santa Cruz, CA [H.R. 4587] [Democratic witness]
Examining the Future of the Offshore Leasing Program
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 10:00 a.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 “Safeguarding American Jobs and Economic Growth: Examining the Future of the Offshore Leasing Program.”
Witnesses:- Archie Chiasson, III, President, Lafourche Parish, LA
- Paul Danos, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Danos, Gray, LA
- Mike Minarovic, Chief Executive Officer, Arena Offshore, The Woodlands, TX
- Justin Solet, Gulf South Advocate, Dulac, LA (Democratic witness)
Under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), the Department of the Interior (DOI) is responsible for preparing and maintaining an oil and gas leasing program that meets national energy needs while considering various factors, including input from intergovernmental partners and stakeholders. However, recent events such as the vacatur of Lease Sale 257 and cancelation of Lease Sales 258, 259 and 261, later mandated by the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), raise questions about DOI’s compliance with OCSLA and the future of the offshore leasing program.
The Biden administration has initiated the process for several offshore wind sales since taking office. On July 17, 2023, BOEM announced the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Revolution Wind Farm project offshore of the State of Rhode Island. If finalized, Revolution Wind would be the fourth commercial-scale offshore wind project located on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf approved by the Biden administration. More recently, on July 20, 2023 BOEM announced it will hold the first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico this August. Despite claims of inability to conduct similar review activities for oil and gas in the same region or elsewhere, BOEM expects to review at least 16 Construction and Operations Plans of commercial, offshore wind energy facilities by 2025 and are on track to hold zero new oil and gas lease sales.