A fundraiser celebrating 10 Years of the civil rights & environmental justice organization Young, Gifted & Green.
Join Young, Gifted & Green to celebrate 10 years in the Movement for a #LeadFreeUSA and Environmental Justice!
Young, Gifted & Green (formerly Black Millennials 4 Flint), started as a community outreach project in the wake of the Flint Water Crisis with Thursday Network–Greater Washington Urban League Young Professionals. We were officially founded in Washington, DC on February 10, 2016, and we have been blessed to expand our work nationally.
This fundraising event will feature dinner, music by DJ Marvelous & a violin feature by Candice Mott, a silent auction, a cash bar, a photo booth, and a wonderful celebration of Black Excellence. This esteemed event will also honor the lives of Congressmen Donald McEachin & Raul Grijalva with acknowledgement of remarkable EJ leaders upholding their legacy for cleaner and healthier environments with inductees into the Grijalva-McEachin Legacy Circle along with Inaugural Noir et Vert Award Honorees for Lifetime Achievement & Changemaker.
Special Guests: Mari Copeny (AKA “Little Miss Flint”), Dr. Wes Bellamy, AND MORE!
Tickets: $100 to $1000+. All proceeds benefit Young, Gifted, & Green.
Climate change isn’t just transforming our planet — it’s shaping how we think, feel, and show up in the world. In the midst of escalating disasters and uncertainty, what does it truly mean to thrive? And how can we build the emotional resilience needed to face these challenges while staying grounded, hopeful, and engaged?
Join this dynamic webinar with national experts to explore the emotional dimensions of climate change and the powerful connection between individual wellbeing and collective action. Participants will gain practical tools and resources for cultivating emotional resilience, alongside concrete strategies for taking meaningful, values-aligned action in their communities.
Webinar speakers:
Elizabeth Bagley, PhD: Managing Director, Project Drawdown
Larissa Dooley, PhD: Director of Research and Programs, Climate Mental Health Network
Joshua Low, Partnerships Director, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
On February 5, 2026, join the Center for Climate and Security online for a webinar exploring how intensifying climate change impacts are continuing to shape global peace and security dynamics as they strain food security, stress social cohesion, shift migration dynamics, and threaten lives. At the same time, the unfettered growth of AI systems is increasingly prominent in discussions about climate change and how this technology will impact global resilience.
This webinar will bring together experts from the security, technology, and climate communities to explore a range of issues, including the security implications of AI’s water and energy demands; the role of AI in advancing early warning and risk anticipation systems; and the potential for AI to both strengthen—or undermine—energy systems and infrastructure resilience in a changing climate.
CCS Director Erin Sikorsky will moderate the discussion with panelists
Dr. Costa Samaras, Director at the Carnegie Mellon University Scott Institute for Energy Innovation and
Dr. Kyungmee Kim, Associate Senior Lecturer at the Swedish Defense University
Geoffrey Pyatt, Senior Managing Director, Energy and Critical Minerals McLarty Associates, Distinguished Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
Dan Byers, Vice President of Policy, Global Energy Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee
The Subcommittee on Energy will hold a markup on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at
2:00 p.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The markup will consider the following
legislation:
H.R. 7258, Energy Emergency Leadership Act (Reps. Lee-FL and Landsman), to direct the Department of Energy to deepen its participation in the police state
H.R. 7266, Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act (Reps. Miller-Meeks and McClellan), to reauthorize the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program
*H.R. 7257, Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid (SECURE Grid) Act (Reps. Latta and Matsui)
H.R. 7272, Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act (Reps. Weber and Dingell)
H.R. 7305, Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026 (Reps. Castor and Evans)
H.R. 7258, Energy Emergency Leadership Act (Reps. Lee-FL and Landsman)
This legislation would amend the Department of Energy Organization Act to include
energy emergency and energy security among the functions that the Secretary of Energy shall
assign to an Assistant Secretary. The legislation provides that the functions assigned to an
Assistant Secretary under this amendment would include responsibilities with respect to energy
infrastructure, security and resilience, emerging threats, cybersecurity, supply and emergency
planning, coordination, response, and restoration and would include the provision of technical
assistance, support, and response capabilities with respect to energy security threats, risks, and
incidents to State, local, and Tribal governments and the energy sector. The legislation provides
Page 2 Majority Memorandum for February 4, 2026, Subcommittee on Energy Markup
that the Secretary of Energy shall ensure the functions under this amendment are performed in
coordination with relevant Federal agencies. Substantially similar legislation passed the House in
the 116th, 117th, and 118th Congresses. (Rep. Lee introduced this legislation on January 27,
2026.)
H.R. 7266, Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act (Reps. Miller-Meeks and McClellan)
This legislation would reauthorize the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced
Cybersecurity (RMUC) Grant and Technical Assistance Program, authorized in section 40124 of
the IIJA,1 through October 31, 2030. The program provides technical and financial assistance to
eligible entities, which include rural electric cooperatives, municipally owned utilities, and small
investor-owned utilities, to protect and harden the systems against cyber threats and to increase
participation in cybersecurity threat information sharing programs. The legislation also amends
the underlying statute to streamline financial assistance application processes to ensure funding
is allocated to small and rural entities that need it most. (Rep. Miller-Meeks introduced this
legislation on January 27, 2026.)
H.R. 7257, Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid (SECURE Grid) Act (Reps. Latta and Matsui)
This legislation would amend requirements for State Energy Security Plans, authorized
by section 366 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, to consider threats to local
distribution alongside bulk-power systems, as well as supply chain and weather-related threats
and vulnerabilities. This bill also requires coordination with suppliers of manufactured
components and infrastructure in the electric grid to improve understanding of supply chain
risks. The bill would also clarify that the Department of Energy is not required to approve State
Energy Security Plans. (Rep. Latta introduced this legislation on January 27, 2026.)
H.R. 7272, Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act (Reps. Weber and Dingell)
This legislation would require the Secretary of Energy, pursuant to the Secretary’s
statutory authorities, to carry out a program that improves coordination among Federal agencies,
States, and the energy sector to ensure the security, resiliency, and survivability of natural gas
pipelines, hazardous liquid pipelines, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. The program
would establish policies and procedures that improve the coordination of analysis and
information sharing; lead coordination of responses to and recovery from physical and cyber
incidents impacting the energy sector; develop for voluntary use cybersecurity applications,
technologies, and analytical tools; perform pilot demonstration projects with the energy sector;
and establish workforce development and security curricula for such pipelines and LNG
facilities.
The legislation does not provide new regulatory authority and further provides that it
shall not be construed to modify the authority of any other Federal agency other than DOE with
respect to natural gas pipelines, hazardous liquid pipelines, and LNG facilities. Substantially
similar legislation was reported favorably by the Committee in the 115th, 116th, and 117th
Congresses. (Rep. Weber introduced this legislation on January 27, 2026.)
H.R. 7305, Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026 (Reps. Castor and Evans)
This legislation would reauthorize the DOE program authorized in section 40125(c) of
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which established an Energy Threat Analysis
Center. The legislation would reauthorize the program through 2031. In addition, the legislation
provides clarifying language for carrying out the program, relating to collaboration and
intelligence sharing between the Federal government and the energy sector to strengthen
collective defense, response, and resilience. (Rep. Castor introduced this legislation on February
2, 2026.)
On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 3276 (Rep. Dingell),“Local Communities & Bird Habitat Stewardship Act of 2025”, to authorize up to $1 million a year to support voluntary urban bird conservation activities
H.R. 6021 (Rep. Begich),“Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act”, to amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act so that it does not ban the possession, sale, or transport of authentic Alaskan Native handicrafts and artwork made with natural materials, such as migratory bird feathers
H.R. 6568 (Rep. Downing),“Lower Yellowstone River Native Fish Conservation Act”, to reduce eastern Montana and western North Dakota farmers’ financial and operational obligations associated with the Lower Yellowstone Fish Bypass Channel
H.R. 7159 (Rep. Gosar),“Protecting Local Zoos Act of 2026”, to make it easier for private entities to own lions, tigers, and other big cats, and to permit the ownership of snow leopards and clouded leopards
Matthew Bryant, Resident in Charge (Retired), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, Midlothian, Texas [H.R. 7159] (Minority Witness)
John Walk, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Nicole Gardner, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Yarisis Rivera-Rojas, Acting Assistant Inspector General for Audit, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Before confirmation, Walk Walk was Judicial Officer at the United States Department of Agriculture. He served as Associate Counsel to President Donald J. Trump at the White House Counsel’s Office from January 2017 until December 2020. At the White House, Walk advised the President and senior White House officials on the exercise of the President’s constitutional authority, regulatory matters, executive actions, and implementation of public policy. Prior to the White House, Walk served as an attorney at the Department of Homeland Security, providing advice on DHS operations and defending against federal litigation as agency counsel as an ally of Stephen Miller. Before entering the legal profession, Walk was a senior government relations advisor at an international law firm and served as a congressional staffer in the House of Representatives. Walk is the son-in-law of Jeff Sessions, married to Sessions’ daughter Ruth.
House Appropriations Committee
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold an oversight hearing titled “Fix Our Forests: The Need for Urgent Action One Year After the L.A. Wildfires.”
The Subcommittee on Energy has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at
10:15 a.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Oversight of
FERC: Advancing Affordable and Reliable Energy for All Americans.” The hearing will examine
the work of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) “to ensure affordable, reliable
electricity and natural gas service throughout the country, as well as its adherence to its core
mission of ensuring just and reasonable rates for energy services.”
