Hill Heat

On Thursday, June 15, 2023, at 10:00 AM ET, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight, will hold a hearing to examine the public health and environmental impacts of plastic production and disposal on environmental justice communities.

Witnesses:

• Angelle Bradford, Doctoral student in physiology and medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine, Volunteer, Sierra Club Delta Chapter
• Sharon Lavigne, Founder, Rise St. James
• Chris Tandazo, Director of Government Affairs, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance
• Kevin Sunday, Director of Government Affairs, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry
• Donna Jackson, Director of Membership Development, Project 21 – National Center for Public Policy and Research

The Committee on Natural Resources will hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 3397 (Rep. Curtis), to require the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw a rule of the Bureau of Land Management relating to conservation and landscape health, on Thursday, June 15 at 9:00 a.m. in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.

Hearing memo

Witnesses

Panel I (Bill Sponsor):

• John Curtis, Utah’s 3rd Congressional District

Panel II (State Elected Officials):

• Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota
• Mark Gordon, Governor of Wyoming

Panel III (Administration and Non-Government Outside Witnesses):

• Nada Wolff Culver, Principal Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management
• Kathleen Sgamma, President, Western Energy Alliance
• Kathy Chandler-Henry, Board Chair, Eagle County Board of Commissioners, Eagle, Colorado

On April 3, 2023, the BLM published in the Federal Register a proposed rule, “Conservation and Landscape Health,” (“Rule”) with a 75-day comment period. The Rule would broadly allow the BLM to lease lands under new conservation leases, incorporate new standards when evaluating traditional multiple use decisions, expedite designations of new Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), and apply land health standards to all public lands.

For the first time since 2019, the League of Conservation Voters is pleased to invite you to our annual Capital Dinner on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, in Washington, DC, at the Anthem at the Wharf.

On Wednesday, June 14, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) will host its annual Capital Dinner (our first since 2019) featuring President Joe Biden and honoring Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi with the lifetime achievement award. This year, the dinner will focus on celebrating climate victories and honoring climate champions. We’re expecting a number of members of Congress, among others.

Since we last held this dinner, we have helped elect the most pro-environment president in American history, deliver truly historic legislation on climate action that will shape our country for decades to come, and fought for solutions to the point that 40% of people in the United States now live in a place that is committed to 100% clean energy.

Let’s come together to celebrate these incredible successes, remain diligent and committed to this work, and ensure that we leave a livable planet for ourselves and future generations. Our earth is worth fighting for.

President’s Circle – $100,000

• Two premier tables at the dinner (20 seats)
• 20 tickets to the President’s Circle Cocktail Reception
• Premier listing on the LCV Capital Dinner website and event signage
• Premier inclusion in sponsor recognition slideshow shown at event
• Membership in the Environmental Majority Council

Climate Victory Circle – $50,000

• Two premier tables at the dinner (20 seats)
• 10 tickets to the President’s Circle Cocktail Reception, 10 tickets to the Capital Cocktail Reception
• Premier listing on the LCV Capital Dinner website and event signage
• Premier inclusion in sponsor recognition slideshow shown at event
• Membership in the Environmental Majority Council

Green Sponsor – $25,000

• One premier table at the dinner (10 seats)
• 4 tickets to the President’s Circle Cocktail Reception, 6 tickets to the Capital Cocktail Reception
• Premier listing on the LCV Capital Dinner website and event signage
• Inclusion in sponsor recognition slideshow shown at event
• Membership in the Environmental Majority Council

Gold Sponsor – $12,500

• One premier table at the dinner (10 seats) 2 tickets to the President’s Circle * Reception, 8 tickets to the Capital Cocktail Reception
• Premier listing on the LCV Capital Dinner website and event signage
• Inclusion in sponsor recognition slideshow shown at event
• Membership in the Environmental Majority Council

Silver Sponsor – $7,500

• One table at the dinner (10 seats)
• 10 tickets to the Capital Cocktail Reception
• Listing on the LCV Capital Dinner website and event signage
• Inclusion in sponsor recognition slideshow shown at event
• Membership in the Environmental Majority Council

Bronze Sponsor – $2,500

• 2 tickets to the dinner
• 2 tickets to the Capital Cocktail Reception
• Listing on the LCV Capital Dinner website and event signage
• Membership in the Environmental Majority Council

Environmental Majority Council Renewal – $1,000

• 1 ticket to the dinner
• 1 ticket to the Capital Cocktail Reception Membership in the Environmental Majority Council

The League of Conservation Voters is hosting an event with President Biden. We will show up, too. It is an outrage that an “environmental” organization would honor the President days after he approved a pipeline. We cannot accept this. And we won’t.

10 days ago, President Biden signed into law the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which could transport 2,000,000,000 cubic-feet-per-day of fracked gas.

This was not a compromise.

This was a crime.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline would have the climate impact of adding 19,000,000 cars to the road. What the fuck? As it is, people in both the economic and financial capitals of this nation are chocking on the air.

It. Gets. Worse. The President also greenlit the Willow Project. This would carry 180,000 barrels of oil per day. We need to cut emissions in half by 2030. It would only START pumping oil close to 2030. This is a death sentence for us.

It got zero attention (maybe because the media keeps taking fossil fuel money) but right after Willow, the President ALSO approved the Alaska LNG Project, which, somehow, would cause MORE climate damage than Willow.

We believe the League of Conservation Voters is well-intended but honoring a President who has done a mediocre job on climate and backstabbed us on too many occasions to count is poor strategy. He will not fear our movement if he knows we will brown-nose no matter how many fossil fuel projects he approves.

Don’t just like. Don’t just share. We need you to join us in-person. We wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.

Protesting at an event hosted by another environmental group is uncomfortable. But dammit we didn’t start this group to go along and get along. We did so because we need to stand up and fight. And we will do so even when it is uncomfortable. That is a promise.

• Start: Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 4:45 PM
• Location: The Anthem, 901 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC 20024 US
• Host Contact Info: [email protected]

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 2685 (Rep. Owens), “Mining Schools Act of 2023”; H.R. 3883 (Rep. Amodei), To nullify Public Land Order No. 7921, withdrawing certain land in the Railroad Valley of Nye County, Nevada, from mineral entry; and a Discussion Draft of H.R. ___ (Rep. LaHood), the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act”, on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 2:15 p.m. in 1334 Longworth House Office Building.

Hearing memo

This hearing will consider three bills related to different aspects and needs of the domestic mining sector.

• H.R. 2685 (Rep. Owens), the “Mining Schools Act of 2023”, would create a grant program for mining schools to support educational programs in mining and related fields. • H.R. ___ (Rep. LaHood), the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act”, would allow non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help in the remediation of abandoned mine land sites
• H.R. 3883 (Rep. Amodei) would nullify an administrative withdrawal of nearly 23,000 acres from mineral development in Nye County, Nevada.

Witnesses

Panel I:

• Mark Amodei, Representative, Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District
• Burgess Owens, Representative, Utah’s 4th Congressional District
• Darin LaHood, Representative, Illinois’s 16th Congressional District

Panel II:

• Walter G. Copan, Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
• Christopher Wood, President and Chief Executive Officer, Trout Unlimited
• Kevin Moore, Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, 3 Proton Lithium (3PL), Carson City, NV
• Emily Hammond, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs; Glen Earl Weston Research Professor, George Washington University School of Law (Democratic witness)

The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative hearing on: H.R. 1607 (Rep. Schweikert), To clarify jurisdiction with respect to certain Bureau of Reclamation pumped storage development, and for other purposes; H.R. 3027 (Rep. Porter), “Reclamation Climate Change and Water Program Reauthorization Act of 2023”; and H.R. 3675 (Rep. Boebert), To amend the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act to extend certain contract prepayment authority, on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. EDT in 1324 Longworth House Office Building.

Hearing memo

• H.R. 1607 would enable the exploration of additional pumped-storage hydropower facilities to the Salt River reservoir system.
• H.R. 3027 would reauthorize the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Basin Studies program until 2033.
• H.R. 3675 would permanently extend authorities that allow Bureau of Reclamation project water users to prepay what they owe to the federal government.

Witnesses:

Panel I:

• David Schweikert, Arizona’s 1st Congressional District
• Katie Porter, California’s 47th Congressional District
• Lauren Boebert, Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District

Panel II:

• Camille Touton, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
• Leslie Meyers, Associate General Manager and Chief Water Resources Executive, Salt River Project, Phoenix, AZ
• Cannon Michael, Chairman, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, Los Baños, CA

A hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on U.S. efforts to counter China’s Belt and Road diplomacy.

Witnesses:

• Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State
• Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets, and Director General, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
• Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Development Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation

Subcommittee hearing

Chair Jim Baird (R-Ind.)

On Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 10:00 AM ET, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, will hold a full committee hearing to examine the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

The hearing will follow a business meeting to consider the nomination of Jeffery Martin Baran to serve a third term on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Witness:

• Shailen Bhatt, Adminstrator, Federal Highway Administration

Subcommittee hearing on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.

Chair Coons

Witness: Scott Nathan, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation