Walk For Appalachia's Future: Ireland, WV
From May 24th-June 6th we will be traveling along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We seek to amplify the voices of frontline Appalachian communities and others in their fight for environmental justice and renewable energy. We will be working to challenge the environmental damages being done by all fossil fuels, and to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the MVP Southgate extension, whose construction has already devastated parts of WV, VA and NC.
Updates on the Walk’s progress are being posted on Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtag #AppalachiaWalk.
- 5/24, Noon: 65 Community Drive, Ireland, WV
- 5/25, 9 AM: West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV
- 5/26, 9 AM: National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur, WV
- 5/27, 9 AM: Greenbrier River, WV
- 5/28, 9 AM: Base of Peters Mountain, on the VA/WV border
- 5/29, 9 AM: Newport, VA
- 5/30, 9 AM: Roanoke, VA
- 5/31-6/1: Bent Mountain, VA
- 6/2-6/4: Richmond, VA
If you are trying to find the Walk, call Steve at (828) 777-7816 or Ted at (973) 460-1458 or email actions@beyondextremeenergy.org.
All along the pipeline route we will inspect damages to water, air, animals, and the Earth, and the people who depend on them; and we will every morning have ceremonies honoring the heroes in our states who have died during these fights to protect our Appalachia.
Communities affected by the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other destructive/extractive industries are invited to participate in the event in whatever way is best or most advantageous to them. For example, they can join our walk or have the walk come to them.
We plan to use the two-week journey on foot and by vehicle to support frontline communities first and foremost by listening. As appropriate, walkers may be called upon to support local campaigns for economic, racial and climate justice by amplifying their voices in various media, standing alongside them at rallies and protests, participating in and hosting workshops, and honoring the heroes of the struggle who are no longer with us.
Walk organizers consist of dedicated environmental justice workers from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and beyond, and members of seasoned organizations such as 7 Directions of Service, POWHR, Beyond Extreme Energy, Th!rd Act, NC Alliance to Protect the People and the Places We Live, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and others.
Field Hearing: Building a Workforce to Navigate the Electric Vehicle Future
- Marcia Black-Watson, Industry Engagement Division Administrator, Workforce Development, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
- Robert Bollinger, Chief Executive Officer, Bollinger Motors
- Jennifer Mefford, National Co-Chair, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP)
- Benigno “Ben” Cruz, Director, Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT), Macomb Community College
- Josh Nassar, Legislative Director, United Auto Workers (UAW)
Oakland County Commission Chambers
1200 Court Tower Blvd
Pontiac, MI 48341
Nomination of Biniam Gebre to be Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget
Biniam Gebre has been managing director at Accenture Federal Services since August 2017. Mr. Gebre heads the management consulting group, which provides advisory services to government clients. He was a partner at Oliver Wyman serving customers in the company’s financial services and public-sector practices.
Before that, he was Acting Assistant Secretary and Commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, where he led the management of the agency. Earlier in his career, he was a partner with McKinsey & Co., which he joined in 2000. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Williams College and a master’s degree in finance and economics from Northwestern University.
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) in the Office of Management and Budget plays a central role in shaping the policies and practices federal agencies use to acquire the goods and services they need to carry out their responsibilities. OFPP was established by Congress in 1974 to provide overall direction for government-wide procurement policies, regulations and procedures and to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in acquisition processes. OFPP is headed by an Administrator who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
Nominations of Michael Barr to be Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve System, and Jaime Lizarraga and Mark Toshiro Uyeda to the Securities Exchange Commission
- Michael S. Barr, Member And Vice Chairman For Supervision Designate, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Jaime E. Lizárraga, Member Designate, Securities and Exchange Commission
- Mark Toshiro Uyeda, Member Designate, Securities and Exchange Commission
President's FY 2023 Budget Request for the Department of the Interior
The purpose of the hearing is to examine the President’s budget request for the Department of the Interior for Fiscal Year 2023.
Witness:- Deb Haaland, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
The Department’s 2023 budget totals $18.1 billion in current authority ($17.5 billion in net discretionary authority)—an increase of $2.9 billion, or 19 percent, from the 2022 continuing resolution. An additional $340.0 million is accessible through a budget cap adjustment for wildfire suppression to ensure that funds are available in the event the regular annual appropriation is inadequate to meet suppression needs. The budget also provides an estimated $10.9 billion in permanent funding in 2023.
The Bureau of Land Management budget proposes $249.9 million for Energy and Minerals Management. Effectively combating and mitigating climate change for the long term depends on moving our Nation away from its heavy reliance on fossil fuels. BLM plays a vital role in promoting and facilitating the development of renewable energy by providing sites for the environmentally sound development of renewable energy on public lands. The 2023 budget includes $49.7 million for BLM’s Renewable Energy program, which—along with funding in the Resource Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring program—will enable BLM to increase and accelerate renewable energy development on public lands. The funds will support the siting, leasing, and processing of renewable energy rights-of-way applications and the oversight of projects and transmission lines connecting to renewable energy projects. BLM’s Renewable Energy Coordination Offices (RECOs) will guide and execute this important work, including coordinating with other Federal agencies to streamline the review process for clean energy projects. The 2023 request for the Renewable Energy program includes staffing support for a national RECO at the BLM headquarters level as well as State and regional RECOs. BLM expects renewable energy demand and workload to increase significantly as more utilities and States seek to diversify or require increased renewable energy in their electric power portfolios. The 2023 request will better ensure that BLM has the manpower and resources to support this workload.
The budget proposes $115.8 million for Oil and Gas Management. The request will support continued progress in addressing legacy wells on the Alaska North Slope. The request for Energy and Minerals also includes $16.6 million for Coal Management and $16.7 million for Other Mineral Resources Management.
The 2023 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management budget requests $51.7 million for renewable energy activities, including permitting for the siting and construction of offshore wind farms and other renewable energy sources, such as wave and current energy, on the Outer Continental Shelf. The 2023 budget proposes $63.6 million for conventional energy development. The 2023 budget proposes $15.4 million to support BOEM’s marine minerals activities, which foster climate change resilience and restoration while supporting conservation partnerships. Foundational to BOEM’s offshore energy and mineral resource activities are the Environmental Programs, for which the 2023 budget requests $86.4 million.
The 2023 USGS budget is $1.7 billion; USGS estimates that staffing is 8,344 full-time equivalents (FTEs) . The budget prioritizes science addressing climate change and invests in research and development to support economic growth, inform balanced decisions regarding resources, and ensure the well-being of the Nation.
The 2023 President’s Budget for the Fish and Wildlife Service totals $3.7 billion, including current appropriations of $2.0 billion and $1.8 billion available under permanent appropriations, most of which is provided directly to States for fish and wildlife restoration and conservation. The budget for the principal FWS operating account, Resource Management, is $1.7 billion. The National Wildlife Refuge System is an FWS focal point for the Civilian Climate Corps, a program to put people to work improving America’s lands, waters, and infrastructure . The 2023 budget for FWS includes $10.0 million—including $8.0 million in the request for Refuges and $2.0 million in the request for the National Conservation Training Center in General Operations—to develop the next generation of conservation workers and create a new pathway to good-paying jobs. The 2023 request for Science Support is $38.5 million. The program supports adaptive science work with collaborative groups to design and implement conservation and habitat management strategies that improve climate adaptation and resilience on the ground.
May Commission Open Meeting
Commission meeting held in Room 2C, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426. Open to the public via video Webcast only.
Link to meeting webcast when live
| Meeting agenda | ||
|---|---|---|
| ADMINISTRATIVE | ||
| A-1 | AD22-1-000 | Agency Administrative Matters |
| A-2 | AD22-2-000 | Customer Matters, Reliability, Security and Market Operations |
| A-3 | AD06-3-000 | Market Update |
| ELECTRIC | ||
| E-1 | RM20-16-001 | Managing Transmission Line Ratings |
| E-2 | OMITTED | |
| E-3 | ER21-62-000 | Uniper Global Commodities North America LLC |
| E-4 | ER21-65-000 | Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. |
| E-5 | ER21-59-000 | Brookfield Renewable Trading and Marketing LP |
| ER21-59-001 | ||
| E-6 | ER21-64-000 | Macquarie Energy LLC |
| E-7 | ER22-1246-000 | California Independent System Operator Corporation |
| E-8 | QF21-222-002 | Board of Trustees of Michigan State University |
| E-9 | ER22-476-001 | Alabama Power Company |
| E-10 | EL22-44-000 | Grand River Dam Authority |
| E-11 | EL22-45-000 | Lincoln Electric System |
| E-12 | EL22-46-000 | Nebraska Public Power District |
| E-13 | EL22-47-000 | Omaha Public Power District |
| E-14 | OMITTED | |
| E-15 | EC22-24-000 | GridLiance High Plains LLC |
| E-16 | RR21-10-000 | North American Electric Reliability Corporation |
| MISCELLANEOUS | ||
| M-1 | RM22-15-000 | Certification of Uncontested Settlements by Settlement Judges |
| GAS | ||
| G-1 | RM21-18-000 | Revised Filing and Reporting Requirements for Interstate Natural Gas Company Rate Schedules and Tariffs |
| G-2 | OR19-14-000MPLX | Ozark Pipe Line LLC |
| G-3 | RP21-1001-006 | Texas Eastern Transmission, LP |
| HYDRO | ||
| H-1 | P-15246-000 | PacifiCorp |
| H-2 | P-15239-000 | PacifiCorp |
| H-3 | P-2188-259 | NorthWestern Corporation |
| Certificates | ||
| C-1 | CP21-197-000 | Kern River Gas Transmission Company |
| C-2 | CP21-78-000 | ANR Pipeline Company |
| C-3 | IN19-4-001 | Rover Pipeline, LLC and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. |
| C-4 | CP21-6-000 | Spire Storage West LLC |
Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration on atomic energy defense activities in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2023 and the Future Years Defense Program
- Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.)
- Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)
- Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy
- Jill Hruby, Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
The Fiscal Year 2023 budget request for the defense functions of the Department of Energy is $29.7 billion. This figure accounts for about 61 percent of the Department of Energy’s overall $48 billion request. Given the share of the defense function of the Department’s budget, it is important for this committee to continue its oversight of the Department’s defense activities, which span from maintaining our nuclear stockpile to cleaning up former Cold War defense production sites. Within this defense proposal, the National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA, is requesting $21.4 billion – a 3.2 percent increase over last year’s level of $20.6 billion. I would also note that the amount for the defense portion of environmental cleanup increased by three percent to $6.9 billion.
At the hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) challenged Granholm on the energy waste of crypto mining. “Does the federal government know how many crypto miners are operating in the United States and how much electricity they are using?”
Granholm: “No.”
Fiscal Year 2023 Member Day Hearing, Legislative Branch
- Rep. Steve Cohen: U.S. Capitol ban on single-use plastics
- Rep. Derek Kilmer: modernization and staff tuition support
- Rep. Andy Levin: staff unionization
- Rep. Seth Moulton: intern pay
- Rep. Mike Quigley: public access to Congressional Research Service reports
- Diane M. Rodriguez, President, American Association of Law Libraries; GPO and Library of Congress budget request
- Rep. William R. Timmons: bipartisan co-working spaces
Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the National Park Service
- Jessica Bowron, Comptroller, National Park Service
- Charles “Chuck” F. Sams III, Director, National Park Service
The discretionary budget request for the NPS is $3.6 billion, an increase of $345.6 million compared to FY 2022 enacted funding levels. This level supports an estimated 16,412 direct full-time equivalents (FTE). Recreation fee revenue and other mandatory funding sources provide additional funding of $1.1 billion. The total FY 2023 request for NPS is $4.8 billion and 20,495 FTE from all funding sources. The NPS FY 2023 request prioritizes advancing racial equity and support for underserved stories and communities, tackling the climate crisis in the national park system, conserving our natural resources, and using science to inform decisions.
The FY 2023 operations budget includes a $178.8 million increase to support science, build NPS resiliency to climate change, and increase conservation efforts.
The FY 2023 budget request includes amounts to support several partnership programs. In FY 2023, the NPS plans to complement existing youth partnership programs by directing an additional $31.0 million to implement the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC).
The NPS also requests an additional $22.5 million to increase support of conservation partnership efforts through Research Learning Centers and Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units. The work of the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program, for which the budget requests an increase of $16.0 million, provides vital resource data to park managers and research partners. Finally, the budget includes a $2.0 million increase to establish a permanent NPS Incident Management Team that will plan for and respond to emergencies including natural disasters, which have increased in severity and frequency due to the effects of climate change. To improve NPS climate adaptation and resilience efforts, the budget includes increases totaling $45.8 million for the Construction account. This includes a $10.0 million increase for abandoned mineral lands projects—supporting the President’s commitment to create jobs in some of the hardest hit communities in the Nation—while mitigating hazards, improving water quality, and restoring natural resources to their original condition. It also includes a $7.0 million increase for unscheduled projects that address damage from emergencies, critical system failures, and extreme environmental conditions as a result of increased threats from climate change. The proposal includes an additional $12.1 million for management planning related to climate change, including climate vulnerability assessments and compliance pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. Also, as part of the conservation initiative, and in support of the President’s goal of transitioning to a fully Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Federal fleet, the NPS budget includes an increase of $16.7 million to acquire ZEVs and to deploy vehicle charging and refueling infrastructure. The Department of the Interior is coordinating all of these efforts to meet or exceed the ZEV-related goals set forth in the comprehensive plan developed pursuant to E.O. 14008, Section 205(a). This investment will be complemented by Department of Energy funding to provide technical assistance to agencies through the Federal Energy Management Program as the NPS builds and grows its ZEV infrastructure.