Hill Heat

The purpose of the hearing is to conduct oversight of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is chair and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is ranking member.

Witnesses:

• Willie L. Phillips, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• James Danly, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Allison Clements, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Mark C. Christie, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Subcommittee hearing on industry perspectives on risk management and access to credit.

Witnesses:

• Gus Barker, President and CEO, First Community Bank, Newell, IA, Testifying on behalf of the Independent Community Bankers of America
• Phillip D. Morgan, Chief Executive Officer, Southern AgCredit, Ridgeland, MS, Testifying on behalf of the Farm Credit Council
• Jase Wagner, President and CEO, Compeer Financial, Sun Prairie, WI, Testifying on behalf of the Farm Credit Council
• William Cole, Owner and Agent, Cole Agency, Batesville, MS, Testifying on behalf of the Crop Insurance Professionals Association as Chairman
• James Korin, President, NAU Country Insurance, Ramsey, MN, Testifying on behalf of the American Association of Crop Insurers
• Jason Meador, Head, Rural Community Insurance Services, Zurich North America, Anoka, MN and Schaumburg, IL, Testifying on behalf of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau

There will be a hearing of the Committee on the Budget to consider: “The Default on America Act: Blackmail, Brinkmanship, and Billionaire Backroom Deals”

Witnesses:

• Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics
• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund
• Abigail Ross Hopper, President And CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association
• Dr. Jason J. Fichtner, PhD, Vice President & Chief Economist, Bipartisan Policy Center
• Brian Riedl, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute

Full committee hearing to examing the FY2024 budget of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

U.S. Army Corps of Civil Engineers Civil Works Budget Justification

U.S. Army Corps of Civil Engineers Civil Works Budget Overview

For the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program, the Budget would provide over $7.4 billion in gross discretionary funding that would be distributed among the appropriations accounts as follows:

• Investigations $129,832,000
• Construction $2,014,577,000
• Operation and Maintenance $2,629,913,000
• Regulatory Program $221,000,000
• Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) $226,478,000
• Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program $200,000,000
• Expenses $212,000,000
• Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies $40,000,000
• Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) $7,200,000
• Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works $6,000,000
• Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund $1,726,000,000
• TOTAL $ 7,413,000,000

• Increase Resilience to Climate Change. The Budget invests in improving the Nation’s water infrastructure, while incorporating climate resilience efforts into the Corps’ commercial navigation, flood and storm damage reduction, and aquatic ecosystem restoration work. The Budget invests in 45 projects and programs that would decrease climate risks facing communities and increase ecosystem resilience to climate change based on the best available science. The Flood and Coastal Storm Damage Reduction program is funded at more than $1.9 billion in the FY 2024 Budget. The Mississippi River and Tributaries program will fund ongoing work in the lower Mississippi River alluvial valley and its tributaries, with emphasis on the 1,600 miles of levees and related features on the main stem of the lower Mississippi River and in the Atchafalaya Basin. The Budget includes funding to continue studies intended to investigate climate resilience along the Great Lakes coast as well as in Central and Southern Florida. The Budget includes $35.5 million for technical and planning assistance programs that will help local communities, including disadvantaged communities, identify and address their flood risks associated with climate change. The Budget provides $64 million for operation and maintenance activities that are focused on improving climate resilience and/or sustainability at existing Corps-owned projects, $51 million to mitigate for adverse impacts from existing Corps-owned projects, and $26 million to install the necessary refueling infrastructure to support zero-emission vehicles at existing Corps-owned projects.

• Improve the Nation’s Infrastructure. The Budget invests in operating and maintaining the Corps existing infrastructure and improving its reliability. It also includes $665 million for construction of a dam safety project at Prado Dam and $235 million to help complete specifically authorized projects that have experienced cost increases since construction began. The Budget also supports more efficient investment in infrastructure by proposing to transfer ownership from the Corps to parties that are better suited to maintain it, where appropriate. For example, the Budget includes $350 million for replacement of the Cape Cod Canal Bridges and a legislative proposal that would allow the Corps to transfer funds to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to design and construct the Cape Cod Canal replacement bridges. The proposal would transfer ownership of these bridges to the Commonwealth, which would be responsible for their future operation and maintenance. Additionally, the Budget includes $235 million for a “Project Cost Increase Reserve” to help complete the Sault Ste. Marie (Replacement Lock), MI project as reauthorized by Section 8401 (6) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2022, which is Division H of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, Public Law 117-81.

• Facilitate Safe, Reliable and Sustainable Commercial Navigation to Improve the Resilience of our Nation’s Manufacturing Supply Chain to support American Jobs and the Economy. The Budget invests in five projects that facilitate safe, reliable, and environmentally sustainable navigation at the Nation’s coastal ports and on the inland waterways. The Budget includes $1.726 billion in spending from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to support commerce through U.S. coastal ports and over $1 billion to maintain and improve navigation on the inland waterways. These significant investments will facilitate safe, reliable, and environmentally sustainable commercial navigation at our Nation’s coastal ports and inland waterways. Within the HMTF total, the Budget includes $272 million for operation and maintenance of Great Lakes projects, $58 million for projects that support access by Native American tribes to their legally recognized historic fishing areas, $15 million for a construction project that will accommodate disposal of material dredged from coastal navigation projects, and $21.152 million for mitigating for adverse impacts from navigation projects.

• Support the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative through Investments in Projects that Benefit Disadvantaged Communities by Increasing their Resilience to Climate Change. The Budget invests in 23 studies, and in the construction of 33 projects to help disadvantaged and tribal communities address their water resources challenges in line with the President’s Justice40 Initiative—including funding for the Tribal Partnership Program. In the FY 2024 Budget, the Corps continued its commitment to the overall Federal effort to ensure that 40 percent of the benefits of Federal climate and clean energy investments will directly benefit disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened and Tribal nations. Through the FY 2024 Budget, the Corps is securing environmental justice and spurring economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution and are experiencing underinvestment in essential services. The Corps contributes to this Justice40 Initiative through its studies and projects, and through specific programs, such as the Continuing Authorities Program, Planning Assistance to States, Floodplain Management Services, and the Tribal Partnership Program. The Corps is committed to achieving the broader goals of the Administration regarding equity and environmental justice and will continue to: 1) improve outreach and access to Civil Works information and resources; 2) improve access to Civil Works technical and planning assistance programs (e.g., the Flood Plain Management Services and Planning Assistance to States programs) and maximize the reach of Civil Works projects to benefit the disadvantaged communities, in particular as it relates to climate resiliency; and 3) ensure that any updates to Civil Works policies and guidance will not result in a disproportionate negative impact on disadvantaged communities

• Restore Aquatic Habitat where the Aquatic Ecosystem Structure, Function and Processes Have Degraded. The FY 2024 Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration program is funded at $653 million in the Budget. The Corps will continue to work with other federal, state and local agencies, using the best available science and adaptive management to restore degraded ecosystem structure, function, and/or process to a more natural condition. The Budget invests in the restoration of some of the Nation’s most unique aquatic ecosystems, such as the Chesapeake Bay, the Upper Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, the Louisiana Coast, and the Everglades. For example, the Budget includes $415 million for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER) (Everglades) program ― which is an $8 million increase compared to the 2023 Budget level and $66.77 million for Columbia River Fish Mitigation.

• Invest in Research and Development to Solve the Nation’s Toughest Water Resources Challenges. The Budget provides $86 million ─ the largest request in Corps’ history ─ for research and development. The challenges of today and tomorrow are not like yesterday’s. From droughts and wildfires across the western states, to the increasingly frequent disasters faced by communities across the country, many of the 21st century’s water resources challenges are complex and interconnected. Our nation needs integrated engineering solutions based on the best available science and technology to solve our toughest water resources challenges today and in the future.

Full committee business meeting.

Nominees

• Elizabeth Shortino, of the District of Columbia, to be United States Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund for a term of two years
• Elizabeth Allen, of New York, to be Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy
• Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, of Florida, to be Representative of the United States on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization
• Pamela M. Tremont, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Zimbabwe
• Nicole D. Theriot, of Louisiana, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana
• Kenneth M. Jarin, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board for a term expiring January 1, 2027
• Kenneth M. Jarin, of Pennsylvania, to be Chair of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board
• Jeffrey Gedmin, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board for a term expiring January 1, 2025
• Kathleen Cunningham Matthews, of Maryland, to be a Member of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board for a term expiring January 1, 2027
• Luis Manuel Botello, of Maryland, to be a Member of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board for a term expiring January 1, 2025
• Michelle Mai Selesky Giuda, of Virginia, to be a Member of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board for a term expiring January 1, 2027

Legislation

• S. 396, Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2023
• S. 682, PARTNER with ASEAN Act
• S. 1240, A bill to modify the requirements for candidate countries under the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, and for other purposes.
• S._, Western Hemisphere Partnership Act
• S. 841, Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
• S. 797, United States Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act
• S.Res. 119, A resolution recognizing the 202nd anniversary of the independence of Greece and celebrating democracy in Greece and the United States.
• S.Res. 157, A resolution commemorating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and for other purposes.
• S.Res. 106, A resolution condemning Beijing’s destruction of Hong Kong’s democracy and rule of law.
• S.Res. 99, A resolution supporting the goals of International Women’s Day, with amendment
• S.Con.Res. 7, A concurrent resolution condemning Russia’s unjust and arbitrary detention of Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza who has stood up in defense of democracy, the rule of law, and free and fair elections in Russia, with amendments
• S.Res. 115, A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of “Countering International Parental Child Abduction Month” and expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should raise awareness of the harm caused by international parental child abduction.
• S.Res. 23, A resolution demanding that the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Communist Party of China immediately release Mark Swidan.

There will be a hearing of the Committee on the Budget to consider: “Who Pays the Price: The Real Cost of Fossil Fuels”.

Witnesses

• Dr. Ted Gayer, President, Niskanen Center
• Dr. Nicole Deziel, Associate Professor Of Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health
• Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Director Of The Center For Energy, Climate, And Environment, The Heritage Foundation

Subcommittee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2024 budget request for the U.S. Department of Energy, including the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Witnesses:

• David Turk, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
• Jill Hruby, Under Secretary, National Nuclear Security Administration

2024 Department of Energy Budget Justification: $52 billion ($32.5 military)

Subcommittee hearing to review the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Chair: Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)

Witness:

• Michael S. Regan, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Statement by Administrator Regan on the President’s FY 2024 Budget:

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration released the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2024 to the Congress. The Budget requests over $12 billion in discretionary budget authority for the EPA in 2024, a $1.9 billion or 19-percent increase from the fiscal year 2023 enacted level. EPA will release the full Congressional Justification and Budget in Brief materials soon.

The President’s Budget makes historic investments to support the Agency’s ongoing work to tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, protect air quality across the nation, invest in critical water infrastructure and increase support for our state and Tribal partners in their efforts to implement environmental laws, and continue to rebuild core functions at the Agency.

“EPA is at the center of President Biden’s ambitious environmental agenda and the FY 2024 Budget will ensure the Agency delivers bold environmental actions and economic benefits for all. Coupled with the President’s historic investments in America through significant legislative accomplishments, the Budget will advance EPA’s mission across the board, boosting everything from our efforts to combat climate change, to delivering clean air, safe water, and healthy lands, to protecting communities from harmful chemicals, and to the continued restoration of capacity necessary to effectively implement these programs,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Importantly, the Budget also supports our work to center environmental justice across all of the Agency’s programs, ensuring that no family, especially those living in overburdened and underserved areas, has to worry about the air they breathe, the water they drink, or the environmental safety of their communities.”

Highlights of the President’s FY 2024 Budget include:

Tackling the Climate Crisis with Urgency. The EPA’s Budget prioritizes combatting climate change with the urgency that science demands. The Budget includes $5 billion, a $757 million increase over the 2023 enacted level, to support work reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, building resilience in the face of climate impacts, and engaging with the global community to respond to this shared challenge, while also providing resources to spur economic progress and create good-paying jobs. The Budget proposes a $64.4 million increase over the 2023 enacted budget to implement the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act to continue phasing out potent GHGs known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It also invests $7 million in wildfire smoke preparedness.

Advancing Environmental Justice. The Budget bolsters the Agency’s efforts to achieve environmental justice in communities across the Nation by investing nearly $1.8 billion across numerous programs in support of environmental justice efforts. This investment supports the implementation of the President’s Justice40 commitment, which ensures at least 40 percent of the benefits of Federal investments in climate and clean energy, as well as infrastructure work such as Superfund, Brownfields, and SRFs, reach disadvantaged communities, including rural and Tribal communities. Additionally, this Budget will support activities creating good-paying jobs, cleaning up pollution, advancing equity, and securing environmental justice for communities that often bear the brunt of toxic pollution and impacts of climate change. The Budget also includes $91 million for technical assistance to support capacity building for communities to advance equity and justice.

Upgrading Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure and Replacing Lead Pipes Nationwide. The Budget provides more than $4 billion for water infrastructure, an increase of $1 billion over the 2023 enacted level. These resources foster water infrastructure upgrades, with a focus on underserved and rural communities that have historically been overlooked. The Budget funds all authorizations in the original Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 and maintains funding for EPA’s State Revolving Funds at the total 2023 enacted level, which complements funds provided for water infrastructure programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Budget also provides $219 million for two grant programs dedicated to reducing lead in drinking water and lead testing in schools (an increase of $163 million over the 2023 enacted level). It also funds other grants and loans to advance the goal of replacing all lead pipes. Ensuring Clean and Healthy Air for All Communities. The Budget allocates $1.4 billion to improve air quality and reduce localized pollution, reduce exposure to radiation, and improve indoor air for communities across the country. This includes $180 million to support the development and implementation of national emission standards to reduce air pollution from vehicles, engines and fuels. The Budget also supports $367 million to assist air pollution control agencies in the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and to establish standards for reducing air toxics.

Protecting Communities from Hazardous Waste and Environmental Damage. The prevention and cleanup of harmful environmental damage that poses a risk to public health and safety continues to be a top priority for EPA. In addition to an estimated $2.5 billion in Superfund tax revenue that will be available to EPA in 2024, the Budget provides over $350 million for the Superfund program to continue cleaning up some of the Nation’s most contaminated land and respond to environmental emergencies and natural disasters. The Budget also provides over $215 million for EPA’s Brownfields program to provide technical assistance and grants to communities, including overburdened and underserved communities, so they can safely clean up and reuse contaminated properties, as well as $20 million for the Alaska Contaminated Lands program. These programs support the President’s Cancer Moonshot initiative by reducing human exposure to harmful contaminants that are correlated with an increased risk for cancer.

Ensuring Safety of Chemicals for People and the Environment. The Budget provides an investment of $130 million, $49 million more than the 2023 enacted level to build core capacity to implement the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Under TSCA, EPA has a responsibility to ensure the safety of chemicals in or entering commerce. In FY 2024, EPA will focus on evaluating, assessing, and managing risks from exposure to new and existing industrial chemicals to advance human health protection in our communities. Another priority is to implement FIFRA to ensure pesticides pose no unreasonable risks to human health and the environment.

Tackling Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Pollution. The Budget provides approximately $170 million to combat PFAS pollution. PFAS substances are a group of chemicals that threaten the health and safety of all communities. This request allows the EPA to continue working toward commitments made under EPA’s 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap, including: increasing our knowledge of PFAS impacts to human health and ecological effects, restricting use to prevent PFAS from entering the air, land, and water, and remediating PFAS that have been released into the environment.

Enforcing and Assuring Compliance with the Nation’s Environmental Laws. The Budget provides $246 million for civil enforcement efforts, crucial funding for enforcement in communities with high pollution exposure, and for preventing the illegal importation and use of climate super-pollutant HFCs in the United States. The Budget also includes: $165 million for compliance monitoring efforts, including funds to conduct inspections in underserved and overburdened communities, and funds to rebuild the agency’s inspector corps; and $75 million for criminal enforcement efforts, which includes funding to increase outreach to victims of environmental crimes and develop a specialized criminal enforcement task force to address environmental justice issues in partnership with the Department of Justice. Restoring Critical Capacity to Carry Out EPA’s Core Mission. To position the Agency with the workforce required to address emerging and ongoing challenges, the Budget added nearly 2,000 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) relative to the current level, for a total of more than 17,000 FTEs, to help rebuild the Agency’s workforce. Developing staffing capacity across the Agency would enable EPA to better protect our Nation’s health, while also providing avenues to strengthen and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Staffing resources would additionally fund a significant expansion of EPA’s paid student internship program to develop a pipeline of qualified staff.

The Budget makes these smart investments to address emerging and ongoing environmental challenges while creating good-paying jobs and improving our country’s long-term fiscal outlook.

Building on the President’s strong record of fiscal responsibility, the Budget more than fully pays for its investments — reducing deficits by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade by asking the wealthy and big corporations to pay their fair share.

Subcommittee hearing on the FY2024 budget request for East Asia and the Pacific.

Witnesses:

• Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Michael Schiffer, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Asia, United States Agency for International Development

The full budget request for the Department of State and USAID is $63.1 billion.

On Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. (CDT) the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a field oversight hearing entitled “Examining the Mineral Wealth of Northern Minnesota.” The hearing will examine the vast mineral potential of Northern Minnesota, including the local and national benefits of mining in the region.

This hearing will be held in the auditorium of the Mountain Iron-Buhl Public School, 8659 Unity Drive, Mountain Iron, MN 55768.