Hill Heat

On Wednesday, October 6, at 10:00 AM ET, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold an oversight hearing to examine the response by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Hurricane Ida.

Witnesses:

• Major General William H. “Butch” Graham, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Brigadier General Thomas J. Tickner, Commanding General, North Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Colonel Stephen F. Murphy, Commander, New Orleans District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:

• S. 336, to amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to reauthorize the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway, and for other purposes;
• S. 378, to reauthorize the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, the Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area, and the Oil Region National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 511, to establish the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes;
• S. 635, to reauthorize The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor and the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 654, to reauthorize the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 787, to amend the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area Act to extend the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to the local coordinating entity for the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area under that Act;
• S. 825, to establish the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 972, to reauthorize the Essex National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 990, to reauthorize the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area;
• S. 1004, to extend the authorization of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area, to designate the Great Basin National Heritage Route in the State of Nevada as the “Great Basin National Heritage Area”, to designate the Great Basin Heritage Route Partnership as the “Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership”, to extend the authorization of the Great Basin National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 1112, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Chisholm National Historic Trail and the Western National Historic Trail, and for other purposes.
• S. 1224, to reauthorize, and increase the total funding cap for, the America’s Agricultural Heritage Partnership, to redesignate the America’s Agricultural Heritage Partnership as the “Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area”, and for other purposes;
• S. 1258, to extend the authorization of each of the National Coal Heritage Area and the Wheeling National Heritage Area in the State of West Virginia, and for other purposes;
• S. 1284 / H.R. 2497, to establish the Amache National Historic Site in the State of Colorado as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes;
• S. 1318, to reauthorize the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area;
• S. 1329, to amend the National Aviation Heritage Area Act to reauthorize the National Aviation Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 1620, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the city of Eunice, Louisiana, certain Federal land in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes;
• S. 1643, to establish the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 1942, to standardize the designation of National Heritage Areas, and for other purposes;
• S. 1954, to reauthorize the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, and for other purposes;
• S. 2158, to extend the authorization of the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission;
• S. 2296, to establish the Northern Neck National Heritage Area, and for other purposes;
• S. 2438, to modify the boundary of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes;
• S. 2441, to establish in the States of North Carolina and South Carolina the Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor, and for other purposes;
• S. 2482, to amend the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Act of 2006 to reauthorize the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, and for other purposes;
• S. 2490, to establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, and for other purposes;
• S. 2580, to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to make free National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes available to members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes;
• S. 2648, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to reauthorize the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes; and
• S. 2763, to extend the authorization for the MotorCities National Heritage Area in the State of Michigan, and for other purposes.

Witnesses:

• Joy Beasley, Associate Director of Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service
• Sara Capen, Chairwoman, Alliance of National Heritage Areas, Executive Director, Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, Inc.

On Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a hearing entitled, “Hurricane Ida and Beyond: Readiness, Recovery, and Resilience.”

Disaster recovery efforts by federal, state, and local governments are being outpaced by a volatile and intense 2021 hurricane season, and Americans continue to need assistance. On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as a category-four hurricane before remnants of the storm moved to the Northeast. Significant storm surge, hurricane-force winds, flash flooding, and damaged electric grids impacted communities in Louisiana, across the Gulf Coast, and in the Northeast.

The hearing will focus on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) recovery efforts following Hurricane Ida, including improvements the Biden Administration has made to accelerate recovery efforts following natural disasters, and steps FEMA must take to implement an environmental justice strategy to improve equity in disaster recovery and build climate resilient communities.

Hurricane Ida and its storm-related impacts resulted in nearly 90 deaths across the United States. In New York alone, at least 13 people died from flooding, many perishing in basement units of residential homes. The National Weather Service issued an emergency flash flood warning, noting, “[T]his particular warning for NYC is the second time we’ve ever issued a Flash Flood Emergency (It’s the first one for NYC). The first time we’ve issued a Flash Flood Emergency was for Northeast New Jersey a [sic] an hour ago.”

Extreme weather events like these are becoming more frequent and catastrophic, with nearly one in three Americans living in a county hit by a weather disaster in the past three months of 2021. Although the President approved emergency and major disaster declarations during Hurricane Ida, a more robust readiness strategy is necessary for future natural disasters.

This hearing will also discuss the urgent need to enact the Build Back Better Act to mitigate the impacts of climate change and invest in more climate resilient infrastructure.

Witness:

• Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency

The purpose of this hearing is to examine and consider updates to the Mining Law of 1872.

Witnesses:

• Chris Wood, President and CEO, Trout Unlimited
• Katie Sweeney, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, National Mining Association
• Autumn Hanna, Vice President, Taxpayers for Common Sense
• Rich Haddock, General Counsel, Barrick Gold Corporation
• David Brown, President and CEO, Wyo-Ben, Inc.

Markup of:

• H.R. 1456, Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2021
• H.R. 4133, Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act
• H.R. 1311, Energy Diplomacy Act
• H.R. 3485, Global Respect Act
• H.R. 3344, Transatlantic Telecommunications Security Act
• H.Con.Res.45, Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the execution-style murders of United States citizens Ylli Agron and Mehmet Bytyqi in the Republic of Serbia in July 1999
• H.R. 2748, Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021
• H.R. 4785, Uyghur Policy Act of 2021
• H.Res. 336, Calling on the Government of the Russian Federation to provide evidence or to release United States citizen Paul Whelan

The Energy Diplomacy Act, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger II (R-TX) and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), would create a new position in the State Department to promote the development and export of fossil fuels. Before this markup, it passed the House as an amendment to the NDAA.

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hybrid hearing that includes both in-person and remote attendance on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. This hearing will take place in the John D. Dingell Room, 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building, as well as remotely using Cisco WebEx online video conferencing. The hearing is entitled, “Protecting Communities from Industrial Accidents: Revitalizing the Chemical Safety Board.”

CSB is led by a five-member board of experts who are appointed individually by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Currently, there are four vacancies on the Board.

Memorandum from Chairman Pallone to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

The Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigations Board, commonly referred to as the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), is an independent federal agency responsible for investigating industrial chemical accidents. CSB was authorized by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, but only funded in 1998 after a series of industrial accidents led to a renewed impetus to secure appropriations for the organization.

Witness

• Katherine A. Lemos, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

Hearing page

Witnesses

• Sima Merick, President, National Emergency Managers Association and Executive Director Ohio Emergency Management Agency
• Jerry Hancock, Executive Director, Michigan Stormwater Floodplain Association and Stormwater and Floodplain Programs Coordinator Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Jennifer Pipa, Vice President of Disaster Programs, American Red Cross
• John S. Butler, Second Vice President, International Association of Fire Chiefs and Fire Chief Fairfax County, Virginia

Hearing page

The Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Underserved, Agricultural, and Rural Development will hold a hybrid hearing titled: “Sustainable Forestry’s Role in Climate Solutions.” The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Participating members can also join remotely via Zoom.

As the Federal Government considers options for infrastructure investments and ways to help mitigate and adapt to climate change, the forestry sector offers multiple avenues to address these goals while also promoting small business development in rural and underserved communities. Sustainable forest management can provide economic and social benefits to meet the needs of present and future generations and also play a fundamental role in the natural resource infrastructure of our nation. This hearing will allow members to learn more about the role of sustainable forestry and how small businesses across this sector are helping to address climate change.

Witnesses:

• Dana Doran, Executive Director, Professional Logging Contractors of Maine
• Dr. Adam Daigneault, Associate Professor of Forest Policy and Economics, University of Maine
• Mark Thibodeau, Regional Manager, ReEnergy Stratton LLC, Carrabassett Valley, ME
• Scott Dane, Executive Director American Logger Council Gilbert, MN

The purpose of these calls is to inform communities about EPA’s environmental justice work and enhance opportunities to maintain an open dialogue with environmental justice advocates. As environmental justice continues to be integrated into EPA programs and policies, the Agency hopes that these calls will help reaffirm EPA’s continued commitment to work with community groups and the public to strengthen local environmental and human health outcomes.

Registration: Due to limited space, participation in this call will be on a first come, first-served basis. Pre-registration is highly suggested, but not required. If registration has reached capacity, please see the links below for instructions on how to access the call if seating is available on the day of the meeting. If you are unable to join the call, a summary will be posted to the U.S. EPA Office of Environmental Justice’s website after.

Interpretation: If you need English-language interpretation assistance, or special accommodations for a disability or other assistance, you can submit a request when registering for the meeting. Please submit your request by September 23, to give EPA sufficient time to process.

For more information about the National Environmental Justice Community Engagement Calls, please visit the website or email: Victoria Robinson (robinson.victoria@epa.gov) or Christina Motilall (motilall.christina@epa.gov).

JOIN THE ZoomGov Webinar

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