Hill Heat

Last week an ice sheet covering 100 square miles broke off Greenland. This dramatic sea ice event follows the warmest six months on record and is the largest piece of Arctic ice to break free since 1962.

On Tuesday, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will hold a briefing with scientists and experts who study the Arctic region to discuss this event and its relationship to climate change.

Witnesses

• Dr. Richard B. Alley, Professor of Geosciences, and Earth and Environmental Systems, The Pennsylvania State University
• Dr. Robert Bindschadler, Senior Research Scientist at University of Maryland Baltimore County, who has 30 years of service with NASA
• Dr. Andreas Muenchow, Professor of Physical Ocean Science and Engineering, University of Delaware

Witnesses

Panel 1

• Michael L. Connor, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Michael G. Ensch, SES, Chief, Operations and Regulatory Community of Practice, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Jeff Wright, Director of the Office of Energy Projects, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Sonya Baskerville, Manager, National Relations Office, Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Department of Energy

Panel 2

• Jon Lambeck, Manager of Power Resources, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
• Gary Esslinger, Treasurer-Manager, Elephant Butte Irrigation District
• Thomas P. Graves, Executive Director, Mid-West Electric Consumers Association
• Gia D. Schneider, Chairman and CEO, Natel Energy, Inc
• John Prescott, President and CEO, PNGC Power
• Andrew Fahlund, Senior Vice President, Conservation, American Rivers and the Hydropower Reform Coalition

The purpose of this hearing is to evaluate preparedness and mitigation efforts among flood-prone communities and responsible federal agencies, by evaluating the accuracy of the FEMA flood map modernization process, its impact on states and localities, mechanisms for dispute resolution, and the impact of levee inspections and certifications on determinations of flood risk.

Since the epic failure of the federal levees in New Orleans in August 2005, additional levee failures occurred during the Midwest floods in 2008 and the historic spring floods earlier this year in Rhode Island and Tennessee.

On March 18, 2010, 16 Senators signed a letter to FEMA and the Corps of Engineers citing challenges in the ongoing flood map modernization process. Among the areas listed were: a lack of communication and outreach with local stakeholders; a lack of coordination between FEMA and USACE in answering questions about both flood mapping, flood insurance and flood control infrastructure repairs; a lack of recognition of locally funded flood control projects when determining flood zones; the affordability of flood insurance; inadequate time and resources to complete repairs to flood control structures before flood maps are finalized; and potential impacts new flood maps might have on economic development.

This hearing will provide an opportunity for the subcommittee to evaluate mapping methodologies and map dispute resolution mechanisms, hear suggestions for improved outreach to local residents and stakeholders, and determine options for local governments to finance levee inspections and repairs.

Witnesses

Panel 1

• The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Sandra Knight, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Federal Insurance & Mitigation Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Panel 2

• The Honorable Bob Mehlhoff, District 26, Montana House of Representatives
• Dr. David Maidment, Director of the Center for Research in Water Resources & the Hussein M. Alharthy Centennial Chair in Civil Engineering The University of Texas at Austin
• Sam Riley Medlock, JD, CFM, Policy Counsel, Association of State Floodplain Managers, Member, National Committee on Levee Safety
• Robert Rash, P.E., P.L.S., Chief Executive Officer & Chief Engineer, St. Francis Levee District of Arkansas
• Dr. Joseph Suhayda, Interim Director, Louisiana State University Hurricane Center

Witnesses

Panel 1

• Cynthia Dohner, Regional Director, Southeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Tony Penn, Deputy Chief, Assessment and Restoration Division, Office of Response and Restoration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Dr. Eva J. Pell, Under Secretary for Science, Smithsonian Institution

Panel 2

• Dr. Robert B. Spies, President, Applied Marine Sciences; Former Chief Scientist, Exxon Valdez Trustee Council
• Stanley Senner, Conservation Science Director, Ocean Conservancy
• Dr. Erik Rifkin, Interim Executive Director, National Aquarium Conservation Center
• John F. Young, Jr., Chairman, Jefferson Parish Council

Witnesses

Panel I

• Mark Begich, United States Senator, State of Alaska

Panel II

• Brian O’Neill, Partner, Faegre & Benson LLP
• Joe Banta, Project Manager, Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council
• Thomas G. McInerney, Lt. Gen. USAF (Ret)

Witnesses

Panel I

• Lael Brainard, Under Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of the Treasury
• Jonathan Pershing, Ph.D., Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change, U.S. Department of State
• Rear Admiral David W. Titley, Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy, U.S. Department of the Navy
• Maura O’Neill, Ph.D., Senior Counselor to the Administrator and Chief Innovation Officer, U.S. Agency for International Development

Panel II

• Nancy E. Soderberg, President, Connect U.S. Fund (Former Alternate Representative to the United Nations)
• Elliot Diringer, Vice President, International Strategies, Pew Center on Global Climate Change
• Reed E. Hundt, CEO, Coalition for Green Capital (Former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission)
• Redmond Clark, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO, CBL Industrial Services

Witnesses

Panel I

• Kristina M. Johnson, Ph.D., Under Secretary, Department of Energy
• Scott Blake Harris, General Counsel, Department of Energy
• Michael F. Hertz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, Civil Division

Panel II

• David A. Wright, Vice Chairman, Public Service Commission of South Carolina

The hearing will explore both the damages suffered by the tourism industry in the Gulf region and the process by which the independent Gulf Coast Claims Facility will evaluate tourism-related claims.

Witnesses

• Kenneth Feinberg, Administrator, Gulf Coast Claims Facility
• Roger Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Travel Association
• Rip Daniels, Chief Executive Officer/Manager, WJZD-FM; Vice President, Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism Commission
• Herb Malone, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Keith Overton, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Tradewinds Resort; Chairman, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
• Ralph O. Brennan, President, Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, LLC

The hearing addressed implementation efforts in transportation programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction, including highways, bridges, public transportation, rail, and aviation.

Panel 1

• Don Briggs, President, Louisiana Oil and Gas Association
• Dr. Joseph R. Mason, Chair of Banking, E.J. Ourso School of Business Louisiana State University
• Ethan Treese, Vice President, Federal Government Solutions Dun and Bradstree

Panel 2

• Leslie Bertucci, Owner, R&D Enterprises
• Troy Lillie, Former Refinery Employee, Exxon Mobil
• Kimberly Nastasi, CEO, Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce
• Charlotte Randolph, President, Lafourche Parish (Louisiana)