Molly
Phee,
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of
State
Celeste
Wallander,
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs,
Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of
Defense
Robert
Jenkins,
Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Conflict Prevention and
Stabilization, U.S. Agency for International Development
Jenkins:
Climate shocks – dangerously high temperatures, changing rainfall
patterns, and frequent droughts – exacerbate conflict by pushing
people to herd, farm, or fish in areas controlled by violent
extremists like Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), the
Islamic State, and Boko Haram. This not only exacerbates vulnerability
to climate but also reduces economic opportunities for youth, driving
them into the arms of violent extremists who provide a crude semblance
of stability and prosperity.
Phee:
The recent coups and conflicts are primarily a result of the enormous
challenges facing the Sahel, notably a weak tradition of democratic
governance, an acute terrorist threat and insecurity, insufficient
economic opportunities for the region’s young population, and
climate-related water and land shortages, which contribute to food
insecurity.
On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., in room 1334 Longworth
House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee
on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing titled
“Limiting Access and Damaging Gateway Economies: Examining the National
Parks Air Tour Management Program.”
Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee
hearing
titled “America’s Future: Leading a New Era of Energy Dominance,
Security, and Environmental Stewardship.”
A Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management
and Technology
hearing
entitled “Protecting our Preparedness: Assessing the Impact of the
Border Crisis on Emergency Management”.
On Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. ET, the Subcommittee on
Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs will hold a
hearing
titled “Digging Deeper: Ensuring Safety and Security in the Critical
Mineral Supply Chain.”
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee
The Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight and the Subcommittee on
Environment will hold a
hearing
entitled “Missing the Target: CEQ’s Meritless
Selection of SBTi,” to examine the Administration’s recently proposed
regulation
titled “Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related
Financial Risk.” The proposed regulation would require that federal
contractors disclose their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to a foreign
entity and set science-based targets to reduce their
GHG emissions. The hearing will examine the
selection process of Science Based Targets
Initiative (SBTi), a partnership
between CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure
Project), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute
(WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Andrew Mayock, Chief Sustainability Officer, Council on Environmental
Quality
On May 20, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14030 (E.O.
14030), Climate-Related Financial Risk. E.O. 14030 seeks to require
major federal suppliers to, “publicly disclose greenhouse gas emissions
and climate-related financial risks.” On November 14, 2022, the Federal
Acquisition Regulation Council (FAR Council) in coordination with the
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) published a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPRM) to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulations to
implement E.O. 14030. If implemented, the proposed rule would separate
major federal suppliers into several categories: significant contractors
and major contractors. The proposed rule loosely defines a significant
contractor as a contractor that received between $7.5 million and $50
million in federal funds during the prior fiscal year. A major
contractor is defined as a contractor that received more than $50
million in fiscal funds during the prior fiscal year. The rule would
require both significant and major contractors to disclose Scope 1 and
Scope 2 GHG emissions, while requiring major
contractors to disclose Scope 3 GHG emissions
and set science-based reduction targets.
On September 20, 2023, the Committee held a
hearing
entitled, “A Bar Too High: Concerns with CEQ’s
Proposed Regulatory Hurdle for Federal Contracting,” in which
stakeholders who would be subject to the rule testified on its impacts.
However, this hearing did not have any witness from the Administration
and garnered little information on the internal processes leading to the
selection of SBTi.
CEQ has agreed to testify about the process
used in selecting SBTi as well as the overall goals of the proposed
rule. However, to protect the integrity of the rulemaking process,
CEQ indicated to the Committee by phone that
it will not testify to internal deliberations that are currently
ongoing, what the final rule would look like, or actions taken by the
FAR Council in relation to this proposed rule.
Full committee
hearing
to consider the following nominations.
Nominees:
Dr. Basil Ivanhoe Gooden, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of
Agriculture for Rural Development, vice Xochitl Torres Small
Summer K. Mersinger, of South Dakota, to be a Commissioner of the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission for a term expiring April 13,
2028 (Reappointment)
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee