Hill Heat

Full committee hearing.

Nominee:

• David Cummins, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration

Cummins worked as a senior vice president of the Citizen Services Business Group at Serco, a government contractor that works with local and federal agencies. He was the Director of Operations Management for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic organizing committee. Cummins holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School, an MA in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a BA in Political Science from Messiah College.

Serco is one of the largest non-government employers of air traffic controllers in the world, managing numerous air traffic control towers for the FAA across the United States, and is a major provider of private prisons. They are known as the “ICE of Europe” for their deportation infrastructure.

07/16/2026 at 10:00AM

Subcommittee hearing.

Legislation:

• S. 1791, Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act of 2025, A bill to designate certain special management areas, wildlife conservation areas, protection areas, recreation areas, wilderness areas, and a scientific research and education area in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes. (Mr. Bennet).
• S. 4200, Douglas County Economic Development and Conservation Act, A bill to promote conservation, improve public land, and provide for sensible development in Douglas County, Nevada, and for other purposes. (Ms. Cortez Masto).
• S. 4239, Plug Offshore Wells Act, A bill to to require the Secretary of the Interior to annually submit to Congress, and make publicly available on a website, a report on decommissioning offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, and pipelines, and for other purposes. (Mr. Welch).
• S. 4383, Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act, A bill to appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman and establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force from within the Bureau of Land Management, and for other purposes. (Ms. Cortez Masto).
• S. 4410, A bill to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to provide for the payment of bonus payments of certain coal leases issued under that Act. (Mr. Barrasso).
• S. 4458, Caja del Rio Protection Act, A bill to establish the Caja del Rio Special Management Area and Caja del Rio National Conservation Area in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes. (Mr. Heinrich).
• S. 4561, CLOSE THE GAP Act, A bill to modernize and streamline the permitting process for broadband infrastructure on Federal land, and for other purposes. (Mr. Barrasso).
• S. 4605, Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2026, A bill to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to provide cost-recovery authority for the Department of the Interior. (Mr. Gallego).
• S. 4715, Offshore Leasing Standards and Accountability Act of 2026, A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to establish fitness to operate standards and decommissioning escrow accounts for offshore oil and gas operators, and for other purposes. (Mr. Schiff).
• H.R. 655, Dalles Watershed Development Act, A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain Federal land to the City of The Dalles, Oregon. (Rep. Bentz).
• H.R. 1687, CLEAN Act, A bill to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to increase the frequency of lease sales, to require replacement sales, and for other purposes. (Rep. Fulcher).
• H.R. 4090, Critical Mineral Dominance Act, A bill to codify certain provisions of certain Executive Orders relating to domestic mining and hardrock mineral resources, and for other purposes. (Rep. Stauber).
• H.R. 5587, HEATS Act, A bill to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to waive the requirement for a Federal drilling permit for certain activities, to exempt certain activities from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes. (Rep. Kim).
• H.R. 5631, Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, A bill to promote responsible geothermal energy development on public lands, and for other purposes. (Rep. Hurd).
• H.R. 7831, License to Drill Act, A bill to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill, and for other purposes. (Rep. Kennedy).

07/15/2026 at 02:30PM

On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources will meet to consider:

• H.R. 726 (Rep. Downing), “Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025” (ANS)
• H.R. 2317 (Rep. Amodei), “Northern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act of 2025” (ANS)
• H.R. 2406 (Rep. Bonamici), “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2025”
• H.R. 2827 (Rep. Cole), To provide for the equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes regarding land in Illinois, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 6251 (Rep. Begich), To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. (ANS)
• H.R. 6893 (Rep. Scott of VA), “Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act”
• H.R. 7889 (Rep. Wittman (R-VA)), “Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act of 2025” or the “AWRC Act of 2025”
• H.R. 8658 (Rep. Kennedy of UT), “Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act”
• H.R. 9436 (Rep. Lawler, Golden), “Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026,” To amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to delay protections for the endangered North Atlantic right whale to 2035 by extending a Biden-era freeze on new rules for the lobster and Jonah crab industries (ANS)

07/15/2026 at 10:00AM

Full committee executive session.

Bills:

• S. 1759, Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act, to allow for the operation of civil supersonic flight in the national airspace system under certain conditions
• S. 3258, Aviation Medication Transparency Act of 2025, to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to publish the list of medications that the Administrator has compiled for purposes of the medical certification of airmen and air traffic control specialists
• S. 3885, Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act, to provide for updates to the Federal Aviation Administration type certification process to support development of new and novel technologies
• S. 4429, Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, to prohibit the importation, manufacture, sale, resale, or introduction into interstate commerce in the United States of connected vehicles and related software and hardware associated with foreign adversaries
• S. 4448, Accelerating Broadband Permits Act of 2026, to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to create tools for tracking the progress of grant recipients under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, to require the Assistant Secretary to help executive agencies improve compliance with the statutory deadline for processing communications use applications
• S. 4691, Disaster Communications Coordination and Preparedness Act, to support improved awareness and coordination of Federal communications resources during disasters and emergencies
• S. 4802, Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act, to provide for the acquisition by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of aircraft for air, atmosphere, and weather reconnaissance and research missions

Nominees:

• Thomas B. Chapman, of Maryland, to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board
• Edward Eppler, of Connecticut, to be Chief Financial Officer, Department of Transportation
• Karen Jean Hedlund, of New York, to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board
• Brien Lorenze, of Virginia, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Karen Sessions, of Texas, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission

07/15/2026 at 10:00AM

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a Business Meeting to consider the following items:

• PN806-5, Kevin Lilly, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife
• S.4949 – Water Resources Development Act of 2026

07/15/2026 at 10:00AM

Full committee hearing.

Nominees:

• Sean Kaufman, M.P.H., Woodstock, GA to be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response for the Department of Health and Human Services
• Erica Schwartz, M.D., Naples, FL to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

07/15/2026 at 10:00AM

Subcommittee markup.

Hearing memo

Items to be considered:

• H.R. 2140, Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2025 (Reps. Matsui (D-CA) and Langworthy (R-NY)), to extend the DERA program of voluntary retrofitting or replacement of older, high-polluting diesel engines to 2029
• H.R. 3194, Lifting Overburdensome Commerce Obstructions and Motives (LOCOMOTIVES) Act (Rep. Moolenaar)
• H.R. 9317, Buses Utilizing Safety and Environmental Standards (BUSES) Act (Reps. Langworthy and Gottheimer), to overturn local anti-idling municipal ordinances such as NYC’s citizen enforcement policy and to block civil suits against bus-idling pollution
• H.R. 9615, Battery Recycling for America’s Competitive Economy (BRACE) Act (Rep. Miller-Meeks)
• H.R. 9616, Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative (EMRTAI) Act of 2026 (Reps. Pfluger and Landsman) to encourage mineral extraction from Superfund sites
• H.R. 9617, Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals (CHARM) Act (Reps. Palmer and Tonko)
• H.R. 9618, Diesel Engine Flexibility (DEF) Act (Reps. Fedorchak and Davis (NC))

07/14/2026 at 02:00PM

Subcommittee markup.

Hearing memo

Legislation:

• H.R. 3978, Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act (Reps. Latta and Peters)
• H.R. 9612, American Enrichment Deployment Act (Reps. Fry and Schrier)
• H.R. 5549, Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act (Reps. Griffith and Schrier)
• H.R. 9613, Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act (Rep. Harshbarger)
• H.R. 9614, NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act (Rep. Menendez)
• H.R. 9084, Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act (Rep. Castor)

07/14/2026 at 10:15AM

The Committee on Rules will meet Monday, July 13, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET in H-313, The Capitol on the following measures:

• H.R. 139 – Sunshine Protection Act of 2025
• H.R. 8595 – National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027 [Rule Markup Only]
• H.R. 9237 – Take Care of America’s Veterans Act [Rule Markup Only]
• H.R. 1181 – Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act [Rule Markup Only]

Motion by Ms. Scanlon to make in order amendment #1 to H.R. 139, offered by Representative Scanlon, which would strike the language of the Sunshine Protection Act and replace it with the full language of the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, which would make Standard Time permanent while allowing states to pass their own legislation enacting permanent Daylight Saving Time if they choose. Defeated: 4–6 on party lines.

07/13/2026 at 04:00PM

The world is in the midst of a climate backlash. But DeSmog isn’t backing down.

​We are celebrating 20 years of high-impact journalism investigating the companies, politicians and science deniers blocking progress on fixing the climate emergency.

​Join DeSmog – along with special guests Naomi Klein, Michael E. Mann and Jim Hoggan – as we look back on two decades of climate accountability wins and reflect on what we need to do to ensure that the next 20 years usher in the end of climate denial and obstruction.

​This online celebration is free and open to all!

​Program:

​Let DeSmog’s Global Investigations Editor, Matthew Green, be your guide to the behind-the-scenes history of how DeSmog and friends put climate deniers “on the map”, inspired Congressional inquiries, changed the historical record on when oil companies knew about climate dangers, strengthened legal protections for journalists, and so much more.

​Together we’ll gather energy and inspiration from this legacy to keep pushing back against anti-climate forces, new and old alike!

​Featuring:

​Best-selling author, activist and University of British Columbia Professor of Climate Justice Naomi Klein in conversation with DeSmog Canada Editor Mary Stuart on what the rise of the AI-fossil fuel axis and the resurgence of fascism means for climate accountability.

​World-leading climate scientist Michael E. Mann and DeSmog U.S. editor Ashley Braun discuss the evolving climate denier playbook and the tactics that have helped the climate movement to successfully fight back.

​Public relations guru Jim Hoggan speaks with DeSmog’s Executive Director Brendan DeMelle on his inspiration for founding DeSmog and its critical role in exposing the advertising and public relations industry’s role in fuelling the climate crisis.

​Brendan DeMelle, DeSmog UK Editor-in-Chief Hazel Healy and DeSmog Global Managing Editor Geoff Dembicki reflect on what’s next for DeSmog as we move into the next 20 years louder and more impactful than ever.

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07/08/2026 at 03:00PM