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To members: Please submit requests to testify to Elizabeth Markus, at elizabeth.markus@mail.house.gov, by Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Written testimony will be due to the subcommittee by Friday, March 24, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.

All outside witness testimony must be received by April 14, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

The Department of Commerce’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget proposes $12.3 billion in discretionary funding and $4 billion in mandatory funding. $6.8 billion is for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The budget also includes $97 million for NIST’s activities on Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability

The Department of Justice FY2024 budget request is $39.7 billion, including $156.5 million for the Environment and Natural Resources Division

The National Science Foundation FY2024 budget request is $11.314 billion, including $1 billion for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, $550.5 million for clean energy research, $30 million for the National Discovery Cloud for Climate, and $15 million for climate equity fellowships.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration FY2024 budget request is $27.2 billion, including $2.5 billion for earth science.

Analyzing climate change and proposing solutions at the nation-state level can obscure the path forward, as ambition varies widely across countries and can change dramatically as soon as the next election. Furthermore, coordinating the actions of nearly 200 nations (including more than a dozen major emitters) presents its own challenges. Viewing climate solutions as sectoral rather than “national,” may be more productive and give a clearer of how to cut the most emissions in the fastest manner.

This webinar series, sponsored by American University’s Center for Environmental Policy (CEP) and the not-for-profit think tank Energy Innovation, reframes causes and solutions of climate change as “sectoral” issues.

Among the most evident sectors to most consumers, transportation and buildings both involve high expenditures on infrastructure to retrofit extant systems and build new ones. What are the successes and obstacles to date in these sectors? What is needed in these sectors to generate more effective climate mitigation?

Speakers:

• Sarah Baldwin, Energy Innovation
• Chris Busch, Energy Innovation
• Discussant: David Levy, Director of Planning and Zoning, Town of Vienna, VA (confirmed)
• Moderator: Danielle Wagner, Center for Environmental Policy, School of Public Affairs

Sara Baldwin is the Director of Electrification Policy at Energy Innovation Policy & Technology LLC®, where she leads the firm’s electrification policy practice area to advance economy-wide decarbonization through the electrification of buildings, transportation, and industry. She provides policy analysis and original research to support policymakers at the state, federal, and local levels. She previously served as Vice President of Regulatory for the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and as a Senior Policy Associate for Utah Clean Energy. Sara is a member of GridLab’s advisory board and hosts Energy Innovation’s Electrify This! podcast.

Chris Busch is Director, Transportation and Senior Economist at Energy Innovation, where he leads the firm’s Transportation Program and the firm’s carbon market analysis for regions including California and China. Chris previously served as EI’s California lead and in this role, he led development of the California Energy Policy Simulator to strengthen policies in all major sectors, accelerating decarbonization while delivering social and economic benefits worth tens of billions. Chris is an expert in energy economics and carbon pricing policy, and his research accurately predicted the buildup in excess tradeable permits in California’s cap-and-trade program. Chris previously worked for the BlueGreen Alliance, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

David Levy is Director of Planning and Zoning for the Town of Vienna, VA. He has extensive experience both in government and the private sector. Before coming to Vienna, he served as Assistant Director and Chief of Long-Range Planning for the City of Rockville, MD. Previously, he served as Assistant Commissioner for Land Resources in Baltimore’s Department of Housing & Community Development; and as a consultant with both ICF International (a global consulting and technology-services company) and PA Consulting (formerly Hagler Bailly); as Brownfields Project Coordinator for the Baltimore City Department of Planning; and as Special Assistant to the Mayor of Quito, Ecuador. He has been Chair of the Planning Director’s Technical Advisory Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and Vice President of the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and of the Urban Land Institute.

Danielle Miller Wagner serves as the Program Director of the Center for Environmental Policy at American University, School of Public Affairs. She brings more than 20 years of experience working with local governments, universities, NGOs and federal agencies to facilitate collaborative solutions to complex environmental challenges. In her current role, Wagner works across the university as well as with a broad array of external stakeholders to research and communicate about data-driven equitable environmental solutions. Prior to joining American University, Danielle served as Program Director of Smart Cities Week, Brownfields Program Manager at ICMA and International Policy Manager at the GLOBE Program, among other positions.

RSVP

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Witness:

• Rostin Behnam, Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission

The Commission requests $411 million and 764 full-time equivalents (FTE) to operate the Commission and advance priority initiatives in FY 2024. This request is an increase of $46 million, or 12.6%, above the FY 2023 Enacted Budget and includes an additional 5 FTE, or 0.7%, above the FY 2023 Congressional Spend Plan.

The Chairman’s office provides leadership to the Climate Risk Unit (CRU) which continues to evaluate the role of derivatives in understanding, pricing, and mitigating climate-related risk, and supports the orderly transition to a low-carbon economy through market-based initiatives.

Toxic soot pollution affects millions, but it doesn’t need to be this way.

Right now thousands people are fighting hard to ensure the EPA doesn’t let big polluters off the hook when it comes to setting the strongest possible standards on soot pollution.

Join us at the EPA HQ for our final public testimony as the comment window on national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) closes.

And please spread the word about this event demanding clean air and healthier communities now

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

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To members: Requests to testify must be received by noon on Thursday, March 23rd. Please email the request to Scott Prutting at scott.prutting@mail.house.gov with the Member’s name in the email subject line.

The Subcommittee is currently accepting only written testimony from outside witnesses, which should be emailed to ew.approp@mail.house.gov no later than 6:00 p.m. on April 17, 2023.

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

Bureau of Reclamation FY 2024 Budget: $1.4 billion

• The budget proposal includes a $49 million request for the Lower Colorado River Operations Program, including $16.8 million to build on the work of Reclamation, Colorado River basin partners and stakeholders to implement drought contingency plans. It also includes $2.7 million for the Upper Colorado River Operations Program to support Drought Response Operations and $200.3 million to find long-term, comprehensive water supply solutions for farmers, families, and communities in California. The budget includes $62.9 million for the WaterSMART Program to support Reclamation’s collaboration with non-federal partners in efforts to address emerging water demands and water shortage issues in the West.
• A request of $57.8 million advances the construction and continues the operations and maintenance of authorized rural water projects. The budget request also provides $35.5 million for the Native American Affairs Program, which provides technical support and assistance to tribal governments to develop and manage their water resources. 
• The budget includes $210.2 million for the Dam Safety Program to effectively manage risks to the downstream public, of which $182.6 million is for modification actions. Another focus area for infrastructure is $105.3 million requested for extraordinary maintenance activities across Reclamation.
• These funding amounts are included in the $1.3 billion budget request for Reclamation’s principal operating account (Water and Related Resources), which funds planning, construction, water conservation, efforts to address fish and wildlife habitat needs, and operation, maintenance and rehabilitation activities at Reclamation facilities.
• Additionally, funding of $33 million is requested to implement the California Bay-Delta Program and address California’s current water supply and ecological challenges, while $48.5 million is for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund to protect, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and associated habitats in California’s Central Valley and Trinity River Basins.
• The request also provides $66.8 million for Policy and Administration to develop, evaluate, and directly implement Reclamation-wide policy, rules and regulation as well as other administrative functions.

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.

Hearing page

Witnesses:

• Denise Flanagan, Director of Budget, Department of the Interior
• Deb Haaland, Secretary, Department of the Interior
• Joan M. Mooney, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of the Interior

The Department’s 2024 budget totals $18.9 billion in current authority ($18.3 billion in net discretionary authority)—an increase of $2.0 billion, or 12 percent, from the 2023 enacted budget.

Hearing page

Witnesses

• General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force
• Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force
• General B. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force

Of the $215.1 billion Air Force budget request, $942 million (0.4%) is seen as mitigating climate risk.

Of the $30 billion Space Force budget request, $6 million (0.02%) is seen as mitigating climate risk

The purpose of the hearing is to examine improvements in the fields of weather modeling and forecasting. This hearing will have testimony from leading private sector companies in the U.S. weather enterprise on the data and services they can provide to benefit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This will be the first hearing in a series that looks at legislation to reauthorize the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017.

Hearing charter

Opening Statements:

• Subcommittee Chairman Max Miller

Witnesses:

• Richard Jenkins, Founder & CEO, Saildrone, Inc.
• Meredith Bell, Atmospheric Program Manager, FLYHT Inc.
• Dr. Antonio J. Busalacchi Jr, President, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
• Michael Eilts, General Manager, Weather and Earth Intelligence, Spire Global

Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) announced that the Subcommittee will hold its first hearing of the 118th Congress focused on overseeing the Biden Administration’s implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs (IIJA) Act.

Witnesses:

• Marc D. Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, On Behalf of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• Dwayne Boyd, Regional President, CRH, On Behalf of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association
• Aric Dreher, Assistant General Manager, Cianbro, On Behalf of the Associated Builders and Contractors
• Paula Hammond, Senior Vice President, WSP USA, On Behalf of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association

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Witnesses:

• Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy, United States Navy
• Admiral Michael M. Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy
• General David H. Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps, United States Marine Corps

The FY2024 Navy budget request is $255.8 billion, of which $1.5 billion (0.7%) is climate-related.