Reforestation and National Forest Climate Remediation 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)
- 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
- 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
Nominations Including Monica P. Medina to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
- 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
Markup of Fiscal Year 2022 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee Appropriations Bill
Text of Legislation: FY2022 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies
Heat, Fires, and the Climate Connection
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
Transportation Investments for Solving the Climate Crisis
This hearing will explore how investments in transportation infrastructure can curb harmful pollution, increase climate resilience, redress historical inequities, and increase community quality of life.
Witnesses:- Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation. Kelliher has served as the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) since January 2019. She previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 12 years, including four years as Speaker. Prior to joining MnDOT, Commissioner Kelliher spent eight years as the president of the Minnesota High Tech Association, chaired the Governor’s Broadband Task Force, and was a member of the Minnesota State Board of Directors.
- Bill Van Amburg, Executive Vice President, CALSTART. Van Amburg oversees all domestic and global work in advanced technologies for medium- and heavy-duty truck and off-road equipment at CALSTART, a national nonprofit focused on accelerating clean transportation. His teams operate projects such as incentive and demonstration programs in multiple states, including Illinois, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and California, as well as the High-efficiency Truck Users Forum (HTUF) with the U.S. Army.
- Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for America. Osborne leads an alliance of elected, business, and civic leaders from across the country working to ensure that states and the federal government invest in smart, homegrown, locally-driven transportation solutions. She was previously at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), where she served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy managing the TIGER Discretionary Grant program, the Secretary’s livability initiative, and the development of the Administration’s surface transportation authorization proposal.
- Robert Bryce, Visiting Fellow, The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. Bryce is a Texas-based author, journalist, podcaster, film producer, and public speaker. He spent 12 years as a reporter for the Austin Chronicle. From 2006 to 2010, he was the managing editor of the Houston-based Energy Tribune. From 2010 to September 2019, he was a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.