Hill Heat

On Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. EDT via the Cisco WebEx and livestreamed on the Committee’s YouTube page, the Committee on Natural Resources will meet to consider the following bills:

• H.R. 820 (Rep. LaHood), To establish the New Philadelphia National Historical Park in the State of Illinois as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. New Philadelphia National Historical Park Act.
• H.R. 972 (Rep. Calvert), To provide for the establishment of the Western Riverside County Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife Refuge Conservation and Recreation for the Community Act.
• H.R. 1154 (Rep. McEachin), To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land as the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area Act.
• H.R. 1664 (Rep. Veasey), To authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 1908 (Rep. Case), To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land as the Ka’ena Point National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. Ka‘ena Point National Heritage Area Act.
• H.R. 2278 (Rep. Connolly), To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the September 11th National Memorial Trail, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 2444 (Rep. González-Colón), To establish Fort San Gerónimo del Boquerón in Puerto Rico as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other purposes. Fort San Gerónimo Preservation Act.
• H.R. 2497 (Rep. Neguse), To establish the Amache National Historic Site in the State of Colorado as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. Amache National Historic Site Act.
• H.R. 2780 (Rep. Grijalva), To provide for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in the United States Territories and Freely Associated States, and for other purposes. Insular Area Climate Change Act.
• H.R. 2899 (Rep. San Nicolas), To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating areas within the island of Guam as a National Heritage Area, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 3113 (Rep. Blake Moore), To require the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to digitize and make publicly available geographic information system mapping data relating to public access to Federal land and waters for outdoor recreation, and for other purposes. MAPLand Act.
• H.R. 3616 (Rep. Blake Moore), To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land as the Bear River National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. Bear River National Heritage Area Study Act.
• H.R. 3764 (Rep. Grijalva), To direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide for ocean-based climate solutions to reduce carbon emissions and global warming; to make coastal communities more resilient; and to provide for the conservation and restoration of ocean and coastal habitats, biodiversity, and marine mammal and fish populations; and for other purposes. Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2021.
• H.R. 4300 (Rep. Miller-Meeks), To direct the Secretary of the Interior to make free National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes available to members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act.

The Committee on Energy and Commerce held its “Member Day” hearing on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, at 11 a.m. via Cisco Webex. The hearing offered the opportunity for Members of the House of Representatives to testify before the Committee on legislation or issues of importance to them, their constituents, and districts within the Committee’s jurisdiction.

Opening statement from Chair Pallone

Most members discussed health-care issues.

Testimony:

• Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16)
• Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16)
• Rep. Fred Keller (PA-12)
• Reps. Judy Chu, Lois Frankel, Ayanna Pressley, and Veronica Escobar (CA-27, FL-21, MA-7, and TX-16)
• Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands)
• Rep. Joe Neguse (CO-2) – Disaster Safe Power Grid Act
• Rep. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10)
• Rep. Brian Higgins (NY-26)
• Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón (Puerto Rico)
• Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12) – Keystone XL Pipeline Construction and Jobs Preservation Act; Protecting American Energy Act (fracking)
• Rep. Doris O. Matsui (CA-6)

The meeting will consider the Energy Infrastructure Act (text), an original bill to invest in the energy and outdoor infrastructure of the United States to deploy new and innovative technologies, update existing infrastructure to be reliable and resilient, and secure energy infrastructure against physical and cyber threats, and for other purposes.

Business meeting to consider:

• Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Act of 2021 (S.2150), to prevent catastrophic wildland fires by establishing a commission to study and recommend wildland fire prevention, mitigation, suppression, management, and rehabilitation policies for the Federal Government
• Civilian Reservist Emergency Workforce (CREW) Act (S.2293), to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide certain employment rights to reservists of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Preventing Disaster Revictimization Act (H.R.539), to amend the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to waive certain debts owed to the United States related to covered assistance provided to an individual or household

and other legislation.

On Tuesday, July 13, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands (NPFPL) will hold a virtual, fully remote legislative hearing on the following bills:

• Repairing Existing Public Land by Adding Necessary Trees (REPLANT) Act H.R. 2049 (Rep. Jimmy Panetta), To amend the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to promote reforestation following unplanned events on Federal land, and for other purposes.
• Legacy Roads and Trails Act H.R. 2816 (Rep. Kim Schrier), To provide for the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program.
• Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership Act of 2021 H.R. 3211 (Rep. Joe Neguse), To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership program, and for other purposes.
• Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act H.R. 3132 (Rep. Mark Amodei), To reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, and for other purposes.
• Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act H.R. 4300 (Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks), To direct the Secretary of the Interior to make free National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Passes available to members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

The hearing will take place on the Cisco WebEx platform.

Witnesses

Panel I

• Representative Jimmy Panetta (H.R. 2049)
• Representative Kim Schrier (H.R. 2816)
• Representative Joe Neguse (H.R. 3211)
• Representative Mark Amodei (H.R. 3132)
• Representative Marianette Miller-Meeks (H.R. 4300)

Panel II

• Barnie Gyant (H.R. 2049, H.R. 2816, H.R. 3211, H.R. 3132) (testimony), Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

Panel III

• Jad Daley (H.R. 2049), President & CEO, American Forests
• Chris Wood (H.R. 2816), President & CEO, Trout Unlimited
• Gretchen Reuning (H.R. 3211), Forest Program Director, Fort Collins Conservation District
• Captain John Paluska, USA (Ret.) (H.R. 4300), Veteran, Bloomfield, IA
• Dr. Elaine Oneil (H.R. 2049), Director of Science and Sustainability, CORRIM – The Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials

Hearing page

Nominations of

• Gentry O. Smith, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary (Diplomatic Security)
• Rena Bitter, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Secretary (Consular Affairs)
• Monica P. Medina, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
• Marc Evans Knapper, of California, to be Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam all of the Department of State

Hearing video

Text of Legislation: FY2022 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies

FY 2022 Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Bill

The wildfires forecast this summer in the American West could be the biggest climate story of 2021 (until November’s Glasgow summit). And the unprecedented heat waves now scorching much of the American West are another painful sign that the climate emergency is here. Conditions are likely to worsen as much of the region is suffering severe drought and the hottest months of the year are still to come. Good journalism will not only inform people how to stay safe, but also make the climate connection to communicate what’s driving the dangers at hand.

To talk about how to cover the story, please join Covering Climate Now for our next Talking Shop webinar. We’ll discuss the science behind the heat wave, drought, and wildfires; the extreme weather that is also afflicting countries throughout the world; and how journalists can cover these stories in ways that connect with their audiences.

All bona fide journalists are invited to attend, even if their newsrooms are not formal partners of CCNow.

Panelists:

• Adriene Hill, Managing Editor at NPR’s California Newsroom
• Sarah Kaplan, Climate Reporter at The Washington Post
• Sammy Roth, Energy Reporter at Los Angeles Times

Mark Hertsgaard, CCNow’s executive director, and the environment correspondent for The Nation, will moderate.

Date/Time:

Thursday, July 8th at 1pm US Eastern Time/10am US Pacific Time.

RSVP:

Reserve your spot here — You can submit your questions ahead of time in the RSVP form or during the Q&A portion of the webinar.

Questions? Please email symone@coveringclimatenow.org