Hill Heat

The purpose of this hearing is for Members of the Subcommittee to discuss the safety of our nation’s roadways, explore programs and policies included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve roadway safety, and learn from key stakeholders about their role in implementing these programs and other roadway safety strategies.

Witnesses:

• Elaine Clegg, City Council President, Boise, Idaho, on behalf of the National League of Cities
• Shawn Wilson, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, on behalf of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• Ludwig P. Gaines, Executive Director, Washington Area Bicyclist Association
• Billy Hattaway, Principal, Fehr & Peers
• Cindy Williams, President, Time Striping, Inc., Board of Directors Member, American Traffic Safety Services Association; on behalf of the American Traffic Safety Services Association

The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:

• S. 387, to protect, for current and future generations, the watershed, ecosystem, and cultural heritage of the Grand Canyon region in the State of Arizona, to provide for a study relating to the uranium stockpile in the United States, and for other purposes
• S. 1264, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to improve the management of grazing permits and leases, and for other purposes
• S. 1412, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land in Carson City, Nevada, and for other purposes
• S. 1750, to redesignate land within certain wilderness study areas in the State of Wyoming, and for other purposes
• S. 2254, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain streams in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and Smith River system in the State of Montana as components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes
• S. 2568, to establish the Open Access Evapotranspiration (OpenET) Data Program
• S. 2708, to provide for greater consultation between the Federal Government and the governing bodies and community users of land grant-mercedes in New Mexico, to provide for a process for recognition of the historic-traditional uses of land grant-mercedes, and for other purposes
• S. 2980, to authorize the voluntary donation of grazing permits and leases in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes
• S. 2996, to provide for the distribution of certain outer Continental Shelf revenues to the State of Alaska, and for other purposes (Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska))
• S. 3046, to codify the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to conduct certain landscape-scale forest restoration projects, and for other purposes
• S. 3129, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes
• S. 3144, to establish the Sutton Mountain National Monument, to authorize certain land exchanges in the State of Oregon, to convey certain Bureau of Land Management land in the State of Oregon to the city of Mitchell, Oregon, and Wheeler County, Oregon, for conservation, economic, and community development purposes, and for other purposes
• S. 3269, to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other purposes;
• S. 3370, to release the reversionary interest of the United States in certain non-Federal land in Salt Lake City, Utah, and for other purposes
• S. 3404, to provide the consent of Congress to an amendment to the Constitution of the State of New Mexico
• S. 3644, to require the collection of certain data relating to Bureau of Land Management land acquisitions, and for other purposes
• S. 3709, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out vegetation management projects and timber production projects on certain National Forest System land in the States of Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, and for other purposes
• S. 3997, to amend the Land Between the Lakes Protection Act of 1998 to clarify the administration of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, and for other purposes
• S. 4062, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to authorize the sale of certain Federal land to States and units of local government to address housing shortages, and for other purposes
• S. 4080, to modify the boundary of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include certain Federal land in Lake County, California, and for other purposes; and
• S. 4227, to streamline the oil and gas permitting process and to recognize fee ownership for certain oil and gas drilling or spacing units, and for other purposes (Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.))

Opening Remarks

• Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Subcommittee Chair, Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests & Mining
• Sen. Mike Lee, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests & Mining

Witness Panel 1

• Nada Culver, Deputy Director, Policy and Programs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Christopher French, Deputy Chief, National Forest System, USDA Forest Service
• Jake Garfield, Deputy Director, Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office
• Dr. Sean McKenna, Executive Director, Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute
• Jerimiah Rieman, Executive Director, Wyoming County Commissioners Association

The United States and European allies have largely cut Russia out of the global economy following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, given European reliance on Russian natural gas and oil, sweeping energy sanctions have lagged. The European Union spends nearly a billion euros a day on Russian energy, and several EU Member States are struggling to wean themselves off Russian resources in order to implement a full embargo.

This hearing will examine plans to create a Europe that is wholly free from Russian oil and gas. Witnesses will discuss the importance of a robust energy embargo to starving the Russian war machine; options to ensure that Ukraine’s energy needs are met; alternative sources of energy for Europe; and the perspective of Germany, which plays an outsize role as the most powerful economy in Europe and a primary consumer of Russian natural resources.

Witnesses:

• Yuriy Vitrenko, CEO, Naftogaz Ukraine
• Constanze Stelzenmüller, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution
• Benjamin Schmitt, Research Associate, Harvard University, Senior Fellow, Democratic Resilience Program, Center for European Policy Analysis

Hearing page

Witnesses:

• Andy Mueller, General Manager, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Glenwood Springs, CO
• Tom Willis, Owner/Manager, Kansas Farmer with the KSU Water Farm, Liberal, KS
• Dr. Courtney Schultz, Associate Professor, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
• Earl Lewis, Chief Engineer, Western States Water Council Manhattan, KS
• Dr. Ellen Herbert, Senior Scientist, Ducks Unlimited, Memphis, TN

Hearing page

Chair: Jon Tester (D-Mont.)

Witnesses:

• General Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief Of The National Guard Bureau
• Lieutenant General Jody J. Daniels, Chief Of The Army Reserve
• Vice Admiral John B. Mustin, Chief Of The Navy Reserve
• Lieutenant General David G. Bellon, Commander, Marine Corps Forces Reserve
• Lieutenant General Richard W. Scobee, Chief Of The Air Force Reserve

The Department of Defense $773 billion budget request includes $56.5 billion for air power platforms and systems; more than $40.8 billion for sea power, to include nine more battle force ships, and nearly $12.6 billion to modernize Army and Marine Corps fighting vehicles; more than $130.1 billion for research and development; and more than $3 billion to address the effects of climate change, bolstering our installation resiliency and adaptation to climate challenges.

The FY 2023 DoD Budget request of $773.0 billion is a $30.7 billion, or 4.1% increase, from the FY 2022 enacted amount.

Hearing page

Witness:

• Janet L. Yellen, Secretary, United States Department of the Treasury

The proposed FY 2023 budget includes “a total of $44.9 billion in discretionary budget authority to tackle the climate crisis, $16.7 billion more than FY 2021 or an increase of nearly 60 percent.”

From May 24th-June 6th we will be traveling along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We seek to amplify the voices of frontline Appalachian communities and others in their fight for environmental justice and renewable energy. We will be working to challenge the environmental damages being done by all fossil fuels, and to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the MVP Southgate extension, whose construction has already devastated parts of WV, VA and NC.

Updates on the Walk’s progress are being posted on Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtag #AppalachiaWalk.

Starting points:

• 5/24, Noon: 65 Community Drive, Ireland, WV
• 5/25, 9 AM: West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV
• 5/26, 9 AM: National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur, WV
• 5/27, 9 AM: Greenbrier River, WV
• 5/28, 9 AM: Base of Peters Mountain, on the VA/WV border
• 5/29, 9 AM: Newport, VA
• 5/30, 9 AM: Roanoke, VA
• 5/31-6/1: Bent Mountain, VA
• 6/2-6/4: Richmond, VA

If you are trying to find the Walk, call Steve at (828) 777-7816 or Ted at (973) 460-1458 or email actions@beyondextremeenergy.org.

All along the pipeline route we will inspect damages to water, air, animals, and the Earth, and the people who depend on them; and we will every morning have ceremonies honoring the heroes in our states who have died during these fights to protect our Appalachia.

Communities affected by the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other destructive/extractive industries are invited to participate in the event in whatever way is best or most advantageous to them. For example, they can join our walk or have the walk come to them.

We plan to use the two-week journey on foot and by vehicle to support frontline communities first and foremost by listening. As appropriate, walkers may be called upon to support local campaigns for economic, racial and climate justice by amplifying their voices in various media, standing alongside them at rallies and protests, participating in and hosting workshops, and honoring the heroes of the struggle who are no longer with us.

Walk organizers consist of dedicated environmental justice workers from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and beyond, and members of seasoned organizations such as 7 Directions of Service, POWHR, Beyond Extreme Energy, Th!rd Act, NC Alliance to Protect the People and the Places We Live, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and others.

Join us!

Donate to support the Walk.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Rostin Behnam today announced the first-ever Voluntary Carbon Convening on June 2. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss issues related to the supply and demand for high quality carbon offsets, including product standardization and the data necessary to support the integrity of carbon offsets’ greenhouse gas emissions avoidance and reduction claims. Panelists will also discuss issues related to the market structure for trading carbon offsets and carbon derivatives as well as perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in these markets.

“As companies increasingly turn to the derivatives markets to manage risk and keep pace with global efforts to decarbonize, I look forward to the CFTC’s facilitating these discussions,” said Chairman Behnam in prepared remarks to the ISDA Annual General Meeting. “Our goal is to foster innovation in crafting solutions to the climate crisis while ensuring integrity and customer protection.”

The further goal of the convening is to gather information from a wide variety of market participants in the voluntary carbon markets to better understand the potential role of the official sector in these markets, particularly as we see the emergence of CFTC regulated derivatives referencing cash offset markets. The convening will include participants from carbon offset standard setting bodies, a carbon registry, private sector integrity initiatives, spot platforms, designated contract markets, intermediaries, end-users, public interest groups, and others.

The convening will be held in the Conference Center at CFTC’s headquarters at Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW, Washington, D.C. beginning at 9.00 a.m. for participants only. Participants will also have an option to participate virtually. In accordance with the agency’s implementation of COVID-19 related precautions, the general public will have access to the convening by webcast on the CFTC’s website or may also listen by telephone.

To access the live meeting feed, use the dial-in numbers below or stream at www.cftc.gov. A live feed can also be streamed through the CFTC’s YouTube channel. Call-in participants should be prepared to provide their first name, last name, and affiliation, if applicable. Materials presented at the meeting, if any, will be made available online.

Domestic Toll-Free:

1-669-254 5252 or 1-646-828-7666 or

1-669-216-1590 or 1-551-285-1373

International Access:

https://cftc-gov.zoomgov.com/u/amybg62Jw

Webinar ID:

Passcode:

161 174 6177

144701

9:00am ET

Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Chairman Rostin Behnam
• Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson
• Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero
• Commissioner Summer K. Mersinger
• Commissioner Caroline D. Pham

9:15am ET

Keynote Speakers

• U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
• U.S. Congressman David Scott (D-GA-13), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee

09:30am ET

Panel 1: Carbon Offset Standards and Quality Initiatives:

The discussion will include an introduction to the carbon offsets markets; carbon offsets standards; and a private sector supply-side initiative.

Moderator: Kelley Kizzier, Fellow, Bezos Earth Fund

• Stephen Donofrio, Director, Ecosystem Marketplace of Forest Trends
• David Antonioli, Chief Executive Officer, Verra
• Mary Grady, Executive Director, American Carbon Registry
• Kristen Gorguinpour, Vice President of Programs, Climate Action Reserve
• Sonja Gibbs, Managing Director and Head of Sustainable Finance, IIF; Board Member, Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market
• Thomas Hale, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Public Policy (Global Public Policy), Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

10:45am ET

Panel 2: State and Federal Regulatory Updates

The discussion will highlight the role of carbon offsets accepted in a domestic compliance market; provide an overview of recent regulatory initiatives which may directly or indirectly impact the markets for carbon offsets; and perspectives on the role of carbon offsets within a whole-of- government approach to mitigating climate change.

Moderator: Nathanial Keohane, President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

• Jason Gray, Project Director of the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force, Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA School of Law (V)
• John E. Morton, Climate Counselor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of the Treasury
• Sean Babington, Senior Advisor for Climate, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Carol A. (Annie) Petsonk, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation
• Philip B. Duffy, Ph.D., Climate Science Advisor, Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House (V)
• Christine Dragisic, Branch Chief, Partnerships and Initiatives, Office of Global Change, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State (V)

11:45am ET

Lunch Break

12:45pm ET

Panel 3: Carbon Offsets Trading and Infrastructure

The discussion will provide an overview of carbon offset spot markets; exchange-listed derivatives; registry infrastructure; and OTC intermediation.

Moderator: Eric Pitt, Consultant, Climate Finance, Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets

• Kathy Benini, Managing Director, Sustainable1, S&P Global
• John Melby, President and Chief Operating Officer, Xpansiv
• Dan Scarbrough, Co-founder, President & Chief Operating Officer, IncubEx, Inc.
• John Frederick, Chief Financial Officer, Indigo Agriculture
• Evan Ard, Chief Executive Officer, Evolution Markets
• Mike Kierstead, Head of Environmental Products, Intercontinental Exchange Pete Keavey, Managing Director of Energy and Environmental products, CME

2:00pm ET

Panel 4: Market Participants

Recommendations for the CFTC – Part 1 The panel will discuss perspectives on carbon offset projects from industry and the public interest. The panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities of trading carbon offsets and/or carbon offset derivatives; documentation issues; and recommendations for the role of the CFTC in these markets.

Moderator: Janet Peace, Chief of Advisory Services, BlueSource

Part I:

• Mark Kenber, Co-Executive Director, External Affairs, Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative and Managing Director, Climate Advisers
• Bella Rozenberg, Senior Counsel/Head of Regulatory and Legal Practice Group, International Swaps and Derivatives Association
• Linda French, Global Head of ESG Policy & Regulation, Sustainability and Global Government Relations, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Aoife Kearney, Assistant General Counsel, Neuberger Berman
• Darcy Bradbury, Managing Director, head of Global Public Policy, the D. E. Shaw group
• Alexia Kelly, Director, Net Zero + Nature, Netflix

3:00pm ET

Panel 4: Market Participants

Recommendations for the CFTC – Part 2

The panel will discuss perspectives on carbon offset projects from industry and the public interest. The panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities of trading carbon offsets and/or carbon offset derivatives; documentation issues; and recommendations for the role of the CFTC in these markets.

Moderator: Janet Peace, Chief of Advisory Services, BlueSource

Part II:

• Chuck Conner, President & CEO, National Council of Farm Cooperatives
• Shelby Swain Myers, Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation
• Tyson Slocum, Director, Energy Program, Public Citizen
• Jeff Swartz, Vice President Low Carbon Strategy, Regulatory Affairs and Partnerships, BP
• Michael LeMonds, Vice President, Environment, Land and Government Affairs, Holcim US

4:00pm ET

Closing Remarks

Chairman Rostin Behnam

4:15pm ET

Adjournment

From May 24th-June 6th we will be traveling along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We seek to amplify the voices of frontline Appalachian communities and others in their fight for environmental justice and renewable energy. We will be working to challenge the environmental damages being done by all fossil fuels, and to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the MVP Southgate extension, whose construction has already devastated parts of WV, VA and NC.

Updates on the Walk’s progress are being posted on Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtag #AppalachiaWalk.

Starting points:

• 5/24, Noon: 65 Community Drive, Ireland, WV
• 5/25, 9 AM: West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV
• 5/26, 9 AM: National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur, WV
• 5/27, 9 AM: Greenbrier River, WV
• 5/28, 9 AM: Base of Peters Mountain, on the VA/WV border
• 5/29, 9 AM: Newport, VA
• 5/30, 9 AM: Roanoke, VA
• 5/31-6/1: Bent Mountain, VA
• 6/2-6/4: Richmond, VA

If you are trying to find the Walk, call Steve at (828) 777-7816 or Ted at (973) 460-1458 or email actions@beyondextremeenergy.org.

All along the pipeline route we will inspect damages to water, air, animals, and the Earth, and the people who depend on them; and we will every morning have ceremonies honoring the heroes in our states who have died during these fights to protect our Appalachia.

Communities affected by the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other destructive/extractive industries are invited to participate in the event in whatever way is best or most advantageous to them. For example, they can join our walk or have the walk come to them.

We plan to use the two-week journey on foot and by vehicle to support frontline communities first and foremost by listening. As appropriate, walkers may be called upon to support local campaigns for economic, racial and climate justice by amplifying their voices in various media, standing alongside them at rallies and protests, participating in and hosting workshops, and honoring the heroes of the struggle who are no longer with us.

Walk organizers consist of dedicated environmental justice workers from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and beyond, and members of seasoned organizations such as 7 Directions of Service, POWHR, Beyond Extreme Energy, Th!rd Act, NC Alliance to Protect the People and the Places We Live, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and others.

Join us!

Donate to support the Walk.

From May 24th-June 6th we will be traveling along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We seek to amplify the voices of frontline Appalachian communities and others in their fight for environmental justice and renewable energy. We will be working to challenge the environmental damages being done by all fossil fuels, and to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the MVP Southgate extension, whose construction has already devastated parts of WV, VA and NC.

Updates on the Walk’s progress are being posted on Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtag #AppalachiaWalk.

Starting points:

• 5/24, Noon: 65 Community Drive, Ireland, WV
• 5/25, 9 AM: West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV
• 5/26, 9 AM: National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur, WV
• 5/27, 9 AM: Greenbrier River, WV
• 5/28, 9 AM: Base of Peters Mountain, on the VA/WV border
• 5/29, 9 AM: Newport, VA
• 5/30, 9 AM: Roanoke, VA
• 5/31-6/1: Bent Mountain, VA
• 6/2-6/4: Richmond, VA

If you are trying to find the Walk, call Steve at (828) 777-7816 or Ted at (973) 460-1458 or email actions@beyondextremeenergy.org.

All along the pipeline route we will inspect damages to water, air, animals, and the Earth, and the people who depend on them; and we will every morning have ceremonies honoring the heroes in our states who have died during these fights to protect our Appalachia.

Communities affected by the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other destructive/extractive industries are invited to participate in the event in whatever way is best or most advantageous to them. For example, they can join our walk or have the walk come to them.

We plan to use the two-week journey on foot and by vehicle to support frontline communities first and foremost by listening. As appropriate, walkers may be called upon to support local campaigns for economic, racial and climate justice by amplifying their voices in various media, standing alongside them at rallies and protests, participating in and hosting workshops, and honoring the heroes of the struggle who are no longer with us.

Walk organizers consist of dedicated environmental justice workers from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and beyond, and members of seasoned organizations such as 7 Directions of Service, POWHR, Beyond Extreme Energy, Th!rd Act, NC Alliance to Protect the People and the Places We Live, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and others.

Join us!

Donate to support the Walk.