Earth Day Rally: Demand An End to Fossil Fuels
Our lives are desperately dependent on fossil fuels. That’s how the system works. That’s how the system was built. And that’s how the system fails us. It’s time to get fossil fuel filth out of Washington DC — and our lives — for good.
Extinction Rebellion DC is launching a campaign to stop Washington Gas — the only company in the city that pipes toxic methane gas into your home — from spending $5 billion on more gas infrastructure.
If Washington Gas gets its way, then DC will lock in planet-heating fossil fuel pollution for decades to come. Its methane pipes will continue to poison DC residents, exposing our children to a cocktail of toxins that cause severe illness and early death.
Join us on Friday, April 22, as we begin a massive, sustained campaign of civil resistance to get fossil fuel filth out of DC — for good! We will kick off the day with an Earth Day Rally at 7:30 am at Franklin Park, 1332 I st NW.
Want to help? Learn out how you can support the action!
JOIN AN ACTION CALL
We will be holding two action campaign calls for folks to learn more about the action on Wednesday, April 13th, and Wednesday, April 20th, both at 6:00pm EST. Link to attend those calls at those times.
Pedal to the Metal: Electric Vehicle Batteries and the Critical Minerals Supply
The purpose of this hearing is to discuss the expected surge in demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries over the next decade and consider the implications for critical minerals required in EV battery manufacturing, including cobalt, lithium, nickel, graphite, and manganese. The Members and witnesses will consider research opportunities to mitigate potential supply chain concerns, including new technologies for minerals extraction and processing, minerals recycling, and alternative battery chemistries. They will also explore strategies to maximize the research, development, and demonstration investments already being supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) pursuant to the Energy Act of 2020 and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Location: The Werch Board Room, Woodridge Village Hall, 5 Plaza Drive, Woodridge, IL 60517
Opening Statements:- Chairman Bill Foster (D-IL) of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
- Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
- Nate Baguio, Senior Vice President of Commercial Development, The Lion Electric Company
- Chris Nevers, Senior Director of Public Policy, Rivian
- Dr. Venkat Srinivasan, Deputy Director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) and Director of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS), Argonne National Laboratory
- Dr. Chibueze Amanchukwu, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
Living with Climate Change: The Polar Vortex
A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing series on strategies, policies, and programs preparing communities around the country for four major climate threats: polar vortices, sea level rise, wildfires, and extreme heat. Experts and practitioners will highlight the unique challenges these climate threats present along with strategies to overcome them.
The polar vortex is an area of low-pressure, frigid air that usually exists around the North Pole. The polar vortex is held in place by the Earth’s rotation and temperature differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes. Changes in temperature differences can make the polar vortex expand to more southern latitudes. While this phenomenon occurs naturally, climate change is expected to impact the frequency and severity of polar vortex events. Communities must consider adaptation strategies to avoid blackouts and improve overall home energy efficiency, as loss of power when temperatures are so low can become deadly—246 people died during the Texas polar vortex freeze in 2021, many from hypothermia.
Panelists will discuss the science behind the polar vortex and how the energy grid and other critical infrastructure can be made resilient to this threat.
Speakers- Jennifer Francis, Acting Deputy Director and Senior Scientist, Woodwell Climate Research Center
- Megan Levy, Resilience Strategist & Energy Assurance Coordinator, Office of Energy Innovation, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
- Michael Gartman, Manager, Carbon-Free Buildings, RMI
Briefing on the SEC Climate Disclosure Rule, with Keynote by SEC Chair Gary Gensler
Ceres will host a briefing with Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler about the SEC’s proposed climate disclosure rule.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) just released a proposed rule requiring climate disclosure from all U.S. public companies, called the Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors. Public comments will be accepted until at minimum, May 20.
The mission of the SEC is to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. With this proposed rule, the SEC is responding to the need by investors for clear, consistent and comparable reporting from companies to produce useful investment insights and ensure financial markets can properly price and act on the physical and transitional risks and opportunities of climate change.
Participants will:- Hear keynote remarks from SEC Chair Gary Gensler
- Gain insight from Ceres’ high-level summary of the rule
- Listen to reactions of the rule from a panel of distinguished investors
Keeping 1.5 C Alive: Responding to the IPCC Report on Mitigating Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III report underscores the urgency for rapid, deep and sustained cuts to greenhouse gases for the world to have a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). This seminal report offers new insights on possible pathways for policymakers, business leaders and others to ramp up their efforts to tackle the climate crisis at the scale and urgency required.
Join World Resources Institute experts and IPCC authors on April 12 for an overview of the IPCC report and learn about the transformative actions across sectors (including energy, transportation, food, forests and much more) needed to curb greenhouse gas emissions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
This event will be hosted in English with simultaneous interpretation in French and Spanish.
Speakers- Chukwumerije Okereke, Director, Centre for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Nigeria; IPCC Coordinating Lead Author
- Taryn Fransen, Senior Fellow, Climate, World Resources Institute
- Craig Hanson, Vice President for Food, Forest, Water & the Ocean, World Resources Institute
- Jennifer Layke, Global Director, Energy, World Resources Institute
- Preety Bhandari, Senior Advisor, Global Climate Program and the Finance Center, World Resources Institute (Moderator); IPCC Lead Author
The Coal Baron Blockade
On April 9th we will engage in a mass, nonviolent direct action at the power plant that burns all of Senator Joe Manchin’s fossil fuel – where he earns $500,000 per year while killing climate legislation.
Through a large-scale act of civil disobedience that “breaks through” the noise and the social media clutter, we can not just move one specific player, but shake the ground on which the game is played. We can help elevate climate change to the center of the domestic agenda – and make this crisis impossible for the White House and Congress to ignore.
We chose the Grant Town Power Plant specifically because we need the world to know how corrupt Joe Manchin is. He is not some thoughtful, grandfatherly, moderate. He is raking in $500,000 per year from his coal company while single-handedly gutting climate legislation. He also directed his appointees to raise electricity rates on us working-class West Virginians in order to keep his coal business afloat.
The Scope And Scale Of Critical Mineral Demand And Recycling
The purpose of the hearing is to discuss the scope and scale of critical mineral demand and recycling of critical minerals.
Witnesses- David Howell, Acting Director and Principal Deputy Director Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, Director, Vehicle Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy
- Joe Britton, Executive Director, Zero Emission Transportation Association
- R. Scott Forney III, President, General Atomics, Electromagnetic Systems Group
- J.B. Straubel, Founder and CEO, Redwood Materials
- Dr. Duncan Robert Wood, Vice President, Strategy & New Initiatives
Nominations of David Uhlmann and Carlton Waterhouse for EPA, and Pending Legislation
Business meeting to consider the following items:
- David Uhlmann to be Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the Environmental Protection Agency
- Carlton Waterhouse to be Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste of the Environmental Protection Agency
- S.2372, Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021
- S.3742, Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2022
- S.3743, Recycling and Composting Accountability Act
- 11 GSA Resolutions
FY2023 Member Day
- Sylvia R. Garcia (D-Texas), in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Tribal Assistance Grants Programs
- H. Morgan Griffith (R-W.V.), in support of the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program
- Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (D-American Samoa) in support of an increase for the American Samoan operations account at the Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs
- Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) in support of the State and Volunteer Fire Capacity Programs
Cost-Saving Climate Solutions: Investing in Energy Efficiency to Promote Energy Security and Cut Energy Bills
This hearing will explore how investments in energy efficiency can save Americans money, reduce carbon emissions, and promote energy security.
Witnesses- Paula R. Glover, President, Alliance to Save Energy. Glover leads a diverse coalition of stakeholders to find lasting, consensus-based energy efficiency solutions. She has helped the Alliance secure billions of dollars in federal funding for energy efficiency programs, amplified its work on energy justice, and worked to advance the next generation of technologies. Glover previously served as the President and CEO of the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
- Darnell Johnson, CEO and President, Urban Efficiency Group (UEG). Johnson leads Illinois’ first native, minority-owned utility implementation and sustainability design firm. His work with UEG has assisted thousands of underserved residents in Northwest Indiana, the greater Chicagoland, and Milwaukee to reduce their energy burden by delivering energy efficiency and community sustainability services while working toward carbon neutrality.
- Sara Baldwin, Director of Electrification Policy, Energy Innovation. Baldwin leads the firm’s electrification policy practice area, providing research and analysis on the pathways to electrify and decarbonize buildings, transportation, and industry. Before joining Energy Innovation, Baldwin served as V.P. of Regulatory for the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and as a Senior Policy Associate for Utah Clean Energy.
- Dave Schryver, President & CEO, American Public Gas Association (APGA). Schryver leads APGA’s work to represent the interests of America’s publicly owned natural gas local distribution companies before Congress, federal agencies, and other energy-related stakeholders. He previously worked for the American Public Power Association and managed the Government Affairs Department for Colorado Springs Utilities.