Ensuring Equitable Delivery of Disaster Benefits to Vulnerable Communities and Peoples: An Examination of GAO's Findings of the CDBG Program
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a virtual hearing entitled, “Ensuring Equitable Delivery of Disaster Benefits to Vulnerable Communities and Peoples: An Examination of GAO’s Findings of the CDBG-DR Program.” on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. via Cisco WebEx.
Increasingly, large-scale natural disasters have resulted in catastrophic damage around the United States, often with disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations and contributing to wealth inequality. This hearing will assess a study2 of aspects of the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program undertaken by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) at the request of Chairwoman Maxine Waters and Representative Al Green in January 2020.
Witnesses- Daniel Garcia-Diaz, Managing Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, U.S. Government Accountability Office
- Diane Yentel, President and CEO, National Low Income Housing Coalition
- Chrishelle Calhoun-Palay, Director, HOME Coalition
- Andreanecia Morris, Executive Director, Housing NOLA
- Stephen Begg, Deputy Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General
WOTUS Public Hearing
Join the U.S. EPA and U.S. Department of the Army for an opportunity to comment on the proposed “Waters of the United States” definition. This is the third of three public hearings.
Please visit Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0602 on Regulations.gov for additional information about how to submit a public comment. The comment period on this proposed rule will close on February 7, 2022.
A public hearing to provide interested parties the opportunity to present data, views, or arguments concerning the proposed rule typically consists of morning, afternoon and evening sessions. In a virtual environment, these hearing sessions will be held on different days. To allow more time for speakers, the agencies prerecorded a video introduction and overview of the rule.
Speaker list:
Hearing Session 1: 5:00 PM – 6:25 PM ET- Kristine Oblock, Environment America
- Jen Pelz, Rio Grande Waterkeeper/WildEarth Guardians
- David Brooks, Montana Trout Unlimited
- Ryan Yates, American Farm Bureau Federation
- Chris Edgington, National Corn Growers Association
- David Simpson, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
- Lauren Williams, New York Farm Bureau
- Anne Coan, NC Farm Bureau Federation
- Carl Harris, Carl Harris Co., Inc.
- Gregory Ugalde, National Association of Home Builders
- Tim Kellogg, WDH Real Estate
- Kaitlynn Glover, Public Lands Council/ National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
- Brandon Reeves, Virginia Cattlemen’s Association
- Sparky Wellman, independent cattle producer; Iowa Cattlemen’s Association Member
- Jim Magagna, Wyoming Stock Growers Association
- Lucy Evert
- Kelly Moser, Southern Environmental Law Center
- Garrett Hawkins, Missouri Farm Bureau
- Lowry Crook, Best Best & Krieger LLP
- Alex Ortiz, Sierra Club
- Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper
- Victoria Okula, Arizona Farm Bureau
- Thomas Allen, Cook Allen Engineers and Surveyors
- Mervin Wright, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
- Alexander Funk, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
- Michelle Diffenderfer, Lewis Longman & Walker
- Charlie Besher , Besher Farms
- Kim Bednarek, Okefenokee
- Aaron Mintzes, Earthworks
- Lisa Gover
- Alan Hunt, Musconetcong Watershed Association
- Vicki Watson, University of Montana
Nominations of Lael Brainard to be Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and Sandra L. Thompson to be Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency
- Lael Brainard, Vice Chairman Designate, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Sandra Thompson, Director Designate, Federal Housing Finance Agency
Water Resources Development Act Oversight: USACE Implementation of Water Infrastructure Projects, Programs and Priorities
- Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works
- Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon, Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
Nominations of David Uhlmann to be EPA Assistant Administrator of Enforcement, Martha Williams to be U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director; Chris Frey to be EPA Assistant Administrator for R&D
- Eighteen GSA Resolutions
- David Uhlmann to be Assistant Administrator of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, of the Environmental Protection Agency
- Martha Williams to be Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, of the Department of the Interior
- Henry Christopher Frey to be Assistant Administrator for Research and Development of the Environmental Protection Agency
Proposals for a Water Resources Development Act of 2022: Administration Priorities
During this hearing, members will receive testimony from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the administration’s priorities for a new water resources development act for 2022. This hearing is also intended to provide members with an opportunity to review the 2021 Report to Congress on Future Water Resources Development and several reports of the Chief of Engineers on individual water resources projects that have been submitted to Congress for authorization. These reports and administration priorities will inform the committee in its development of a new WRDA, which the committee expects to develop and approve in 2022.
Witnesses- Michael L. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works
- Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon, Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Implications of Electric Vehicle Investments for Agriculture and Rural America
- David Strickland, Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs, General Motors, Washington, D.C.
- Lincoln Wood, Electrification Policy Manager, Southern Company, Atlanta, GA
- Matthew Laughridge, President and Managing Partner, Terry Reid Automotive Group, Cartersville, GA on behalf of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)
- Trevor Walter, Vice President of Petroleum Supply Management, Sheetz, Inc., on behalf of National Association of Convenience Stores, Altoona, PA
- Geoff Cooper, President & Chief Executive Officer, Renewable Fuels Association, Ellisville, MO
- Josh Nassar, Legislative Director, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), Washington, D.C. Republican witness:
- Mark Mills, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute, Chevy Chase, MD
Hydropower
The purpose of the hearing is to examine the opportunities and challenges for maintaining existing hydropower capacity, expanding hydropower at non-powered dams, and increasing pumped storage hydropower.
Witnesses:- Jennifer Garson, Acting Director of the Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy
- Camille Touton, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
- Scott Corwin, Executive Director, Northwest Public Power Association
- Malcolm Woolf, President and CEO, National Hydropower Association
Oversight of the Smithsonian Institution: Protecting Smithsonian Facilities and Collections Against Climate Change
- “Saving History With Sandbags: Climate Change Threatens the Smithsonian” – New York Times
- “Smithsonian says its treasures are threatened by floods, storms, and climate change – as Congress hears more alarms” – WUSA9
- Nancy J. Bechtol, Facilities Director, The Smithsonian Institution
- Cathy Helm, Inspector General, The Smithsonian Institution
- Phetmano Phannavong, Senior Project Manager, Atkins North America