Subcommittee hearing titled “Powering America’s AI Future: Assessing Policy Options to Increase Data Center Infrastructure.” This hearing will examine the structure, implementation, and oversight of federal permitting frameworks governing the development of energy and data center infrastructure that support artificial intelligence (AI).
Paige Lambermont, Research Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Marsden Hanna, Head of Energy and Sustainability Policy, Global Affairs Team, Google, LLC
Dr. Eric Masanet, Professor and Mellichamp Chair in Sustainability Science for Emerging Technologies, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara
H.R. 4626, formerly the ‘‘Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances Act,’’ will
raise electricity costs. The bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to add burdensome, duplicative, and contradictory procedures to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) processes for issuing energy efficiency standards. It also
gives future administrations the ability to revoke existing standards, potentially violating the statute’s anti-backsliding provisions. The bill
would also prohibit the banning of a product based on a type of fuel
and ban DOE from factoring in social costs of greenhouse gas emissions in its determination. H.R. 4626 was amended in the Subcommittee Markup to further
weaken energy efficiency standards. Language was added to the
bill to extend compliance dates for all products, delaying cost savings for consumers. Moreover, additional cumbersome considerations were included for DOE to examine when issuing efficiency
standards.
H.R. 4758, the
Homeowner Energy Freedom Act, repeals three programs created
by the Inflation Reduction Act: the High-Efficiency Electric Home
Rebate Program, the State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grants, and Assistance for Latest and Zero Building Energy Code Adoption. The bill also rescinds all unobligated
funds for the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program and
Assistance for Latest and Zero Building Energy Code adoption.
Dr. Wesley Brooks, of Florida, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Jeremy Carl, of Montana, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (International Organizations)
Billy Long, of Missouri, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iceland
Robert Sweeney, of Texas, to be United States Director of the Asian Development Bank, with the Rank of Ambassador
Brooks has been the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory & Scientific Affairs, Office of Water, EPA since May 2025. He was the Director of Federal Affairs for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (2020-2021) and then the Chief Resilience Officer, in charge of programs to respond to sea level rise, (Nov. 2021-May 2025) under Gov. Ron DeSantis. Previously, he was a staffer for a series of Florida Republicans, first for Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (2013-2017, then Rep. Brian Mast (2017), then Sen. Marco Rubio (2017-2020). He first joined Ros-Lehtinen’s staff as a congressional fellow funded by Shell. He received a Ph.D. in 2013 from Rutgers University in ecological science. His academic work has included assessments of ecosystem damage caused by climate change, invasive plants, invasive fish, and citizen-science initiatives.
In his testimony, Brooks advocated for deep-sea mining and protecting the U.S. plastics industry from global regulation.
Billy Long is an auctioneer and former Republican congressman who had a brief and ignominious tenure as IRS Commissioner from June 16, 2025 to August 8, 2025.
Robert Sweeney was the CEO of Mission National Bank and is an executive with Texas-based Accelex Resources. He is an advocate of geothermal energy and modular nuclear reactors.
The purpose of this hearing is to examine the current state of U.S. surface transportation research
and to better understand the research and development issues relevant to authorizing surface
transportation programs. The hearing will explore the breadth of existing surface transportation
research efforts. Reviewing the scope of this work will help inform future legislative actions the
Committee may consider to advance surface transportation innovation
Location: 2318 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee: Subcommittee on Research and Technology
Diana Furchtgott-Roth, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at U.S. Department of Transportation former Director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment, The Heritage Foundation
Greg Winfree, Agency Director, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Dr. Henry Liu, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director of the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation, Mcity and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI)
A Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology hearing entitled “Surveying the Threat of Agroterrorism, Part II: Assessing Federal Government Efforts.”
Witnesses:
Suzette Kelly, Acting Executive Director, Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Matt Allen, Director, Office of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Jeff Cooper, Program Manager, Probabilistic Analysis for National Threats Hazards and Risks, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Dr. Ashley Grant, Senior Health Security and Biodefense Advisor, Office of Health Security, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 1:45 p.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources will meet to consider:
H.R. 755 (Rep. Ciscomani), “Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025”
H.R. 1352 (Rep. Subramanyam), To designate the General George C. Marshall House, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1945 (Rep. Onder), “America’s National Churchill Museum National Historic Landmark Act”
H.R. 219 (Rep. Hudson), To provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs.
H.R. 3706 (Rep. Babin), “Standards for Understanding Source and Habitat Identification Act” or the “SUSHI Act”
H.R. 5497 (Rep. Tiffany), “Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act” (Amendments to H.R. 5497 must be drafted to the amendment in the nature of a substitute)
H.R. 6380 (Rep. Ciscomani), “Chiricahua National Park Act”
H.R. 755 modifies the Energy Act of 2020 to expand the definition of critical minerals to include critical materials designated by the Department of Energy (DOE). By expanding the definition of critical minerals, this bill requires the USGS to include on its list the materials on DOE’s list. Within 45 days of DOE adding a mineral, element, substance, or material to its critical materials list, the USGS must update its list to include such mineral, element, substance, or material.