Oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
THE COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS will meet in OPEN SESSION, HYBRID FORMAT to conduct a hearing entitled, “Oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.”
Witness:- Gary Gensler, Chair, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Recovery Update: Status of FEMA Recovery Efforts in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands 5 Years After Hurricanes Irma & Maria
At the hearing, members will hear from witnesses on the current status of FEMA’s recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands five years after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-Nev.)
Resolutions of Inquiry on Oil & Gas and Mineral Leasing Programs
The full Committee, led by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), will hold a markup on the following Resolutions of Inquiry:
- H.Res.1247 (Graves) Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the 2023-2028 five-year program for offshore oil and gas leasing.
- H.Res.1248 (Herrell) Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the compliance with the obligations of the Mineral Leasing Act.
- H.Res.1251 (Stauber) Of inquiry directing the Secretary of Agriculture to transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the mineral withdrawal within the Superior National Forest.
- H.Res.1252 (Stauber) Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the mineral withdrawal within the Superior National Forest.
- H.Res.1253 (Westerman) Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the actions of the Department of the Interior’s Departmental Ethics Office.
Fueling the Climate Crisis: Examining Big Oil’s Prices, Profits, and Pledges
On Thursday, September 15, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Ro Khanna, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Environment, will hold a hearing to examine Exxon, Chevron, BP, and Shell’s record-breaking profits, discuss the adequacy of their climate pledges, and hear firsthand accounts from survivors of climate change-induced severe weather events.
In 2021, Exxon’s net profits were more than $23 billion, Chevron reported profits of $15.6 billion, BP netted its highest profits in eight years at $12.8 billion, and Shell brought in $21.1 billion. The fossil fuel industry’s profits have only increased in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the past quarter, since the start of the Ukraine War, five major oil companies raked in $55 billion.
Despite reaping record profits, these companies have not taken the steps that scientists say are needed to prevent the worst climate impacts. Instead, they continue their greenwashing campaign by publicly supporting the Paris Agreement and claiming to be working towards a net-zero future, while issuing incomplete and misleading climate pledges and making inadequate investments in unproven energy sources and technologies.
At the same time, the climate crisis is growing more severe, with record heat waves, droughts, flooding, and other extreme weather harming Americans and people around the world.
The hearing is part of the Committee’s investigation into the fossil fuel industry’s long-running campaign to spread disinformation about climate change and greenwash its role in causing global warming.
At the Committee’s earlier hearing in October 2021, fossil fuel executives finally admitted under oath that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change, which is an existential threat to our planet—but they refused to stop spending money to block climate action.
Earlier this year, the Committee invited five board members from Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP to testify at a hearing about the companies’ climate pledges. They failed to appear. The Committee once again invited the board members to testify, but they once again declined to appear on the date requested.
Witnesses
Panel 1- Kara Boyd, Baskerville, Virginia
- Thomas Joseph, Hoopa Valley Tribe, California
- Roishetta Ozane, Sulphur, Louisiana
- Mary Cromer, Whitesburg, Kentucky
- Isabella M. Weber, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Raya Salter, Esq., Founder and Executive Director, Energy Justice Law and Policy Center, Member, New York State Climate Action Council
- J. Mijin Cha, Ph.D., J.D., Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy, Occidental College, Fellow, Cornell University Worker Institute
Markup of Global Food Security Reauthorization Act and other measures
- H.R. 8446, Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022
- H.R. 2374, Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act
- H. Res. 1240, Requesting the President, and directing the Secretary of State, to transmit to the House of Representatives copies of all documents in their possession referring or relating to certain aspects of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- H. Res. 1266, Requesting the President to transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to any initiative or negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
- H. Res.
-, Reaffirming the importance of diplomacy and development in United States–African Union relations, promoting strategic partnerships and shared objectives between the United States and the African Union, and expressing strong support for the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. - H.R. 4213, YSEALI Act
- H.R. 8681, John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act
- H.R. 8153, Indo-Pacific Engagement Act
Tribal Lands and Law Enforcement Legislation
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, Chair
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 1:00 p.m ET, in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building and via Cisco WebEx, the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States (SCIP) will hold a hybrid legislative hearing on the following bills:
- H.R. 6032 (Rep. Jared Huffman, D-CA), To take certain Federal lands located in Siskiyou County, California, and Humboldt County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Karuk Tribe, and for other purposes. Katimiîn and Ameekyáaraam Sacred Lands Act.
- H.R. 6964 (Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-WA), To authorize leases of up to 99 years for lands held in trust for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.
- H.R. 7581 [Discussion Draft ANS to H.R. 7581 – attached] (Rep. Jared Huffman, D-CA), To recognize tribal cooperation in the environmental review of proposed actions affecting the revised Yurok Reservation, and for other purposes. Yurok Lands Act of 2022.
- H.R. 8115 (Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-CA), To amend the Recreation and Public Purposes Act to authorize sales and leases of certain Federal land to federally recognized Indian Tribes, and for other purposes. Recreation and Public Purposes Tribal Parity Act.
- H.R. 8286 (Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-WA), To take certain Federal land in the State of Washington into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 8380 (Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García, D-IL), To provide for the settlement of claims relating to the Shab-eh-nay Band Reservation in Illinois, and for other purposes. Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Shab-eh-nay Band Reservation Settlement Act of 2022.
- H.R. 8387 (Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-WA), To amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to provide for advancements in public safety services to Indian communities, and for other purposes. Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act.
Witnesses
Panel I: Congressional Panel- Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García, Illinois, 4th District
- Rep. Derek Kilmer, Washington, 6th District
- Rep. Jared Huffman, California, 2nd District
- Rep. Marilyn Strickland, Washington, 10th District
- Russell Attebery (H.R. 6032), Chairman, Karuk Tribe
- Harry Pickernell, Sr. (H.R. 6964), Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation
- Joe James (H.R. 7581), Chairman, Yurok Tribe
- Frances Charles (H.R. 8286), Chairwoman, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
- Joseph Rupnick (H.R. 8380), Chairman, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
- Arain Hart (H.R. 8115), Chairman, Susanville Indian Rancheria
- Jarred-Michael Erickson (H.R. 8387), Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
Tribal Cultural Protection Legislation
Rep. Joe Neguse, Chair
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET, in Longworth 1334 and via Cisco WebEx online conferencing, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands (NPFPL) will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
- H.R. 8108 (Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-AZ), To protect Native cultural sites located on Federal land, to improve consultation with Indian Tribes, to bring parity to Indian Tribes with regard to Federal public land management laws, and for other purposes. Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land Act.
- H.R. 8109 (Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-AZ), To establish the Tribal Cultural Areas System, and for other purposes. Tribal Cultural Areas Protection Act.
- H.R. 8719 (Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-AZ), To establish the Great Bend of the Gila National Conservation Area in the State of Arizona, and for other purposes. Great Bend of the Gila Conservation Act.
The hearing for these three bills was recently announced in conjunction with a letter that Chair Grijalva and 42 other members of Congress sent to President Joe Biden asking him to seek opportunities to expand tribal co-management of U.S. public lands, waters, and resources.
Witnesses
Panel I: Congressional Panel- Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Arizona, 3rd District
- Witness TBA
- Tina Marie Osceola (All bills), Director, Tribal Historic Preservation Office, Seminole Tribe of Florida
- Fawn Sharp (All bills), President, National Congress of American Indians
- Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis (All bills), Governor, Gila River Indian Community
- Minority Witness TBA
The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. ET, the Subcommittee Oversight & Investigations will hold a hybrid oversight hearing titled, “The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change.”
Rep. Katie Porter, Chair
For decades, the fossil fuel industry publicly denied climate change, despite privately acknowledging the scientific evidence and knowing the harm their operations caused. As the reality of the climate crisis has become more widely accepted, the industry’s disinformation messaging and tactics have become more subtle and sophisticated. Fossil fuel companies now outsource much of this work to public relations (PR) firms, who use a wide array of meticulously designed strategies to delay or prevent action and change public perceptions of the issue. Viewed collectively, evidence strongly suggests industry’s advertising, lobbying, and other influence work has played a significant role in hindering legislative action to address climate change.
The Natural Resources Committee is investigating this critical—yet often overlooked—role that PR firms play in helping industry spread climate disinformation and obstruct solutions to the crisis. The Committee’s investigation on the topic is ongoing; this hearing will examine some of the Committee’s findings thus far. Of note, PR firms Singer Associates, Story Partners, and Pac/West Communications were invited but refused to attend.
Witnesses- Anne Lee Foster, Former Director of Communication and Community Engagement, Colorado Rising (Testifying on her own behalf)
- Christine Arena, Founder and CEO, Generous Ventures, Inc.
- Dr. Melissa Aronczyk, Associate Professor, School of Communications & Information, Rutgers University
- Minority Witness TBA