Hill Heat

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, will convene a full committee hearing on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 10 A.M. EDT to consider the following Presidential nominations:

Nominees:

• Carl Bentzel to serve another term as a Commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission
• Thomas Chapman to serve another term as a Member on the National Transportation Safety Board
• Lanhee Chen to be a Director on the Amtrak Board of Directors

Full committee markup of:

• H.R. 9671, Department of Energy Artificial Intelligence Act of 2024. Provides guidance for and investment in the research and development activities of artificial intelligence at the Department of Energy.
• H.R. 9710, Small Modular Reactor Demonstration Act of 2024. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to support a program to advance the research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of small modular reactors and micro-reactors in order to accelerate the availability of United States-based technologies.
• H.R. 9720, AI Incident Reporting and Security Enhancement Act. Directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to update the national vulnerability database to reflect vulnerabilities to artificial intelligence systems and study the need for voluntary reporting related to artificial intelligence security and safety incidents.
• H.R. 9723, National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2024. Reauthorizes the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP), providing critical funding for the program to continue its research into how to mitigate the injuries and property damage caused by windstorms.

The Committee on Rules will meet Monday, September 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM ET in H-313, The Capitol on the following emergency measure:

• H.R. ___ – Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025

The Committee on Rules will meet Monday, September 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM ET in H-313, The Capitol on the following measures:

• H.R. 3334 – Sanctioning Tyrannical and Oppressive People within the Chinese Communist Party Act
• H.R. 8205 – Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act
• H.R. 8790 – Fix Our Forests Act
• H. Res. 1469 – Ensuring accountability for key officials in the Biden-Harris administration responsible for decisionmaking and execution failures throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

H.R. 8790 would fast-track logging on public lands, bypassing essential environmental reviews and endangering wildlife, clean air, water, and the health and safety of our communities, explains the John Muir Project.

• NEPA Rollbacks: This bill weakens the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), limiting environmental reviews and public input—key goals of Project 2025.
• Endangered Species Act (ESA): Provisions in H.R. 8790 undermine ESA protections for wildlife habitats, reflecting Project 2025’s push for economic interests over environmental safeguards.
• Federal Land Management: H.R. 8790 promotes increased logging on BLM and National Forest lands, aligning with Project 2025’s priorities for extraction industries.
• Anti-Climate Science Rhetoric: This bill misuses wildfire narratives to justify logging, despite the fact that most fires this year have occurred in grass, rangeland, and shrublands—not forests. This highlights that logging is not a solution to the real causes of wildfire activity, such as climate change and urban development. For detailed fire data, please refer to this tool.

The purpose of this hearing is to examine fusion energy technology development and commercialization efforts.

Witnesses:

• Dr. Jean Paul Allain, Associate Director of the Office of Fusion Energy Services, United States Department of Energy
• Jackie Siebens, Director of Public Affairs and Helion Energy Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center
• Dr. Patrick White, Research Director, Nuclear Innovation Alliance

Subcommittee hearing titled “Holding the Biden-Harris EPA Accountable for Radical Rush-to-Green Spending.”

Hearing memo

Witness:

• Sean W. O’Donnell, Inspector General, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Full committee hearing entitled “The Cost of the Biden-Harris Energy Crisis.”

Witnesses:

• Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment, The Heritage Foundation
• Alex Epstein, President and Founder, Center for Industrial Progress
• Donna Jackson, Director of Membership Development, Project 21

Furchtgott-Roth is the author of the Department of Transportation chapter for Project 2025.

Epstein recently participated in the Alliance For Responsible Citizenship conference convened by Jordan Peterson with support from the Heritage Foundation.

Project 21 is a project of the National Center for Public Policy Research, a Project 2025 partner. Donna Jackson served on the advisory board for Project 2025.

The purpose of this hearing is to explore the benefits and risks of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches as they relate to carbon capture and sequestration. In addition, this hearing will inform members on research and development of this technology and address scientific gaps and deficiencies facing researchers and scientists today.

Hearing charter

Witnesses:

• Noah Deich, Senior Advisor, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, U.S. Department of Energy
• Dr. Sarah Kapnick, Chief Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Ben Tarbell, CEO and Co-Founder, Ebb Carbon
• Dr. Scott Doney, Joe D. and Helen J. Kington Professor in Environmental Change, The University of Virginia

The ocean is the Earth’s largest carbon sink, holding 42 times the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is in the atmosphere and absorbing 25% of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions each year. Global atmospheric carbon reduction efforts have led scientists to try to enhance the ocean’s natural sequestration abilities by developing mCDR techniques. Leveraging the ocean can help diversify the range of carbon dioxide removal approaches, reducing the pressure on land-based approaches.1 Marine CDR can also have non-carbon environmental benefits, such as reducing ocean acidification, replenishing ecosystems, and providing jobs. However, most mCDR techniques have not been tested at scale, and a few are at the earliest stages of research. Dedicated resources, including streamlined permitting, to enable research will help clarify the uncertainties associated with mCDR.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is home to the Ocean Acidification Program (OAP), established to better understand impacts of ocean acidification and adaptation. In May 2023, the program, in collaboration with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, published their paper Strategy for NOAA Carbon Dioxide Removal Research: A White Paper documenting a potential NOAA CDR Science Strategy as an element of NOAA’s Climate Interventions Portfolio. In September 2023, OAP announced $23.4 million in funding for public and private research in mCDR, with a focus on understanding uncertainties and filling knowledge gaps for different mCDR approaches. These awards support 17 projects with partners from 47 institutions to further enhance efficiency of marine research and provide NOAA with funding and information sharing opportunities to advance mCDR development.

The Department of Energy (DOE) supports mCDR as a key technology development area. It is a central component of DOE’s Carbon Negative Shot — calling for innovation in CDR pathways that can capture CO2 and store it at gigaton scales for less than $100/net metric ton of CO2-equivalent. In October 2023, DOE announced $36 million for 11 projects across 8 states, funneled through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Sensing Exports of Anthropogenic Carbon through Ocean Observation (SEA-CO2) program, to accelerate the development of mCDR technologies. The focus of the projects receiving these funds is to advance sensing and modeling techniques that more accurately measure the impacts of mCDR technologies. Supported projects include development of fiber optic sensor cables, micro-electronic seafloor probes, and ocean carbon flux monitoring. If successful, SEA-CO2 measurement, reporting, and verification technology innovations will ensure that the quantity and quality of emission removals are correctly valued. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. ET, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Democrats will host a roundtable discussion with expert panelists titled, “Holding Big Oil Accountable for Extortion, Collusion, and Pollution.”

A recent Federal Trade Commission complaint and multiple class action lawsuits allege that Big Oil has colluded with OPEC to pad their profits by raising energy prices for Americans. This price-gouging adds to the hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies Big Oil already receives annually through direct tax breaks and by passing along health and environmental cleanup costs to taxpayers and communities.

Meanwhile, House Republicans continue to put polluters over people, pushing additional handouts and giveaways for the fossil fuel industry, many of which mirror proposals in Trump’s Project 2025. Former President Trump also recently requested $1 billion in campaign contributions from Big Oil executives, promising to roll back environmental regulations, fast-track fossil fuel project permitting, and enhance tax breaks even further.

Roundtable panelists will discuss these issues, the impacts on American communities, and how Congress can support the American people by holding Big Oil accountable for its extortion, collusion, and pollution.

Members:

• Vice Ranking Member Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.)

Panelists:

• Kristina Karlsson, Deputy Director of Climate Policy, Roosevelt Institute
• Alex Witt, Senior Advisor on Oil & Gas, Climate Power
• Bekah Hinojosa, Co-Founder, South Texas Environmental Justice Network
• Chris Marshall, Director, Energy & Environment Program, Accountable.US

On Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 10:15 a.m. in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:

• H.R. 1479 (Rep. Ciscomani), “Chiricahua National Park Act”, to redesignate the Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona as the Chiricahua National Park;
• H.R. 1504 (Rep. Horsford), “Apex Area Technical Corrections Act”;
• H.R. 8931 (Rep. Stefanik), To redesignate Saratoga National Historical Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park;
• H.R. 8946 (Rep. Matsui), “Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act”;
• H.R. 9159 (Rep. Lawler), “Appalachian Trail Centennial Act”;
• H.R. 9492 (Rep. Valadao), To amend Public Law 99-338 with respect to Kaweah Project permits;
• H.R. 9516 (Rep. Chavez-DeRemer), “Military Families National Parks Access Enhancement Act”, to provide for lifetime National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes for family members of members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives while serving their country; and
• S. 612 (Sen. Cortez Masto), “Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act”.

All aboard for an unforgettable night of train stanning, neighborly vibes, and power building!

Join Train Lovers for Harris/Walz and the Green New Deal DC Happy Hour at the trainiest bar in town, Metrobar.

This free event is it for transit enthusiasts, Green New Dealers, supporters of Harris/Walz, or anyone who loves a good time on the rails, or beer!

We’ll have a few special guests too.

RSVP

Location: Metrobar, 640 Rhode Island Ave NE