Hill Heat

Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit hearing on Producer Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill.

This will be a two panel hearing. The second panel is expected to begin at 2:00 PM ET.

Our energy system is broken, and investor-owned monopoly utilities don’t want us to fix it. In fact, they’re entrenching our dependence on toxic and volatile fossil fuels, sending us further toward complete climate catastrophe. And communities — disproportionately those of color and lower wealth — are left to bear the costs, from skyrocketing utility prices and more frequent shutoffs to hazardous pollution and higher rates of asthma and cancer. On top of all that, intensifying climate disasters leave millions without essential utilities.

Clearly, to solve this crisis we must immediately transition to renewable energy. But that’s not enough on its own. The profit-driven utility model is incompatible with a resilient, affordable, just energy future. So activists, communities and organizations across the country are reclaiming their power — of all kinds — to move beyond that model with community-controlled renewable energy systems.

Want to help? Join our webinar.

We’ll discuss the groundbreaking work to break free from the harmful old utility model and what it will take to transition to the renewable energy future we all need and deserve.

Panelists:

• Johanna Bozuwa, executive director at Climate and Community Project
• Arturo Massol-Deyá, executive director at Casa Pueblo
• Patrick Robbins, coordinator at New York Energy Democracy Alliance
• Seth Berry, former Maine House representative

RSVP to join

On Earth Day 2023, we declare the era of fossil fuels OVER.

Humanity is at a crossroads. Now is when we decide how we want to go on as a civilization. Will we create a livable, just, equitable future for everyone? Or will we let present and future generations live with chaos and destruction? The planet’s life supporting systems are disintegrating, and our environment needs to be restored.

Our biggest challenge is ending our reliance on fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy. To secure a livable future, we cannot afford new fossil fuel projects. We need the U.S. government in particular to say NO to fossil fuels. Our planet is on fire, and we can’t feed this fire any longer.

We come from all different backgrounds, fighting for a huge variety of intersecting causes. From plastics and biodiversity, to housing, anti-war, immigrant rights and gender and racial equality—our crises are interconnected, and our movement is stronger together.

To make the biggest difference, we need not just individual actions, but system change like we’ve never seen before.

This April we come together, fighting for climate justice and real change from decision-makers. We are demanding the federal government and other decision-makers end the era of fossil fuels to protect people and the planet.

2023 will be the most critical year yet for action on climate. It will be one of our last chances to mitigate the interlocking crises we face. We are fighting for a systemic change—and it can begin with you. There’s no time to waste.

12 noon – Youth-led rally in Freedom Plaza

Join us at 12 noon for a youth-led (but everybody included!) rally in Freedom Plaza. This one-hour rally will feature voices of young people from around DC and across the country, front line leaders fighting the worst impacts of climate change, and music from the Too Much Talent Band.

1pm – March to the White House

At 1pm we’re taking to the streets and marching to the White House to demand that President Biden take bold action to follow through with his promises to End the Era of Fossil Fuels! The full march is about 1 mile and we will be stopping to make some noise and hold a brief program on Pennsylvania Ave. in front of the White House

3pm – Earth Day Organizing Fair

This year’s Earth Day mobilization will be a powerful moment, we know that this is only the beginning. Join us for an organizing fair in Freedom Plaza, from 3-5pm on April 22nd to get connected and make plans to continue the work going forward. Organizational partners are making plans to hold climate cafe’s, participatory art projects, teach-ins, dance parties and other activities.

RSVP

During Earth Week and on the four-year anniversary of the Green New Deal Resolution, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) will reintroduce the resolution at a press conference at the Senate Swamp on THURSDAY, April 20th at 12:00 PM. Senator Markey will also join Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) to announce new legislation focused on tackling the intersecting climate and public health crises.

The lawmakers will be joined by Green New Deal members of Congress and labor, health, climate, and justice advocates to celebrate the intersectional coalition’s achievement in getting the Inflation Reduction Act passed—the federal government’s largest-ever investment in climate and clean energy—while outlining the fight ahead to deliver a just, Green New Deal future that upholds the promise of the resolution and the movement that it inspired.

Participants:

• Senator Edward J. Markey
• Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
• Representative Ro Khanna
• Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)
• Representative Greg Casar (TX-35)
• Representative Jamaal Bowman (NY-16)
• Representative Maxwell Frost (FL-10)
• Representative Delia Ramirez (IL-03)
• Representative Robert Garcia (CA-42)
• Representative Becca Balint (VT)
• Kaniela Ing, National Director of the Green New Deal Network
• Sara Nelson, President of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
• Dr. Colleen Achong, SEIU Healthcare, Committee of Interns and Residents
• Jacqui Patterson, Executive Director of the Chisholm Legacy Project and Climate Justice Alliance member

WHEN: THURSDAY, April 20th at 12:00 PM

WHERE: Senate Swamp, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

The purpose of this hearing is to examine the President’s budget request for the U.S. Department of Energy for Fiscal Year 2024.

2024 Department of Energy Budget Justification: $52 billion ($32.5 military)

Hearing to examine the Farm Bill, focusing on making conservation programs work for farmers and ranchers.

Witnesses:

• Joseluis Ortiz y Muniz, Vice President, La Merced de San Antonio del Embudo Land Grant, Mayordomo, Acequia del Llano del Embudo, Dixon, NM
• Jeff Rutledge, Partner, Rutledge Farms, Newport, AR
• Dr. Sara Porterfield, Western Water Policy Advisor, Government Affairs, Trout Unlimited

Hearing page

Chair Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)

Witness:

• Marcia Fudge, Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development

FY 2024 Budget request of $73.3 billion.

STRATEGIC GOAL 4: ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Advance sustainable communities by strengthening climate resilience and energy efficiency, promoting environmental justice, and recognizing housing’s role as essential to health

The following investments will help HUD achieve this goal:

• Public Housing Fund: $300 million for the installation of measures to increase energy efficiency, reduce water consumption, and promote climate resilience in public housing. In addition, the Budget includes $85 million to evaluate and reduce residential health hazards in public housing, including lead-based paint, and an increase of $25 million for public housing capital funds (under the Public Housing Fund), which will be critical to improving the quality of public housing.
• Native American Programs: $150 million awarded to eligible Indian Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) that rehabilitate and construct new housing units with the focus on increasing energy efficiency, improving water conservation, and furthering climate resilience in housing developments within Indian Country.
• Choice Neighborhoods: $185 million to help communities develop and implement locally-driven, comprehensive neighborhood plans to transform underserved neighborhoods. The program advances climate resilience and environmental justice by redeveloping and replacing distressed public and multifamily housing and neighborhood amenities with resilient and energy-efficient structures.
• Community Development Loan Guarantee (Section 108): $400 million of loan guarantees, a $100 million increase from 2023, so communities can leverage their Community Development Block Grant to tackle large-scale community and economic development projects. This proposal is in response to the increase in demand for this low-cost, flexible financing for physical and economic revitalization projects.
• Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes: $410 million to mitigate lead hazards in low-income, unassisted households, as well as identify and mitigate multiple health hazards.

Hearing page

Witness:

• Pete Buttigieg, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation

• Budget Highlights: $108.5 billion

Includes

• FAA ($19.8 billion): $4.2 million to enhance sustainability by reducing the agency’s environmental footprint at FAA-owned facilities and $11.2 million to support climate goals through the analysis and testing of alternative fuels
• Federal Highway Administration ($60.8 billion): $1.8 billion for the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) program, which aims to make transportation infrastructure more resilient to future weather events and other natural disasters, and $60.0 million in unobligated balances to fund the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program, which would provide competitive grants for the construction of active transportation networks, including sidewalks, bikeways, and pedestrian and bicycle trails
• Federal Transit Administration ($17 billion): $2.9 billion for Capital Investment Grants (CIG), along with $1.6 billion in advance appropriations from BIL, which will provide a significant investment in the construction of major capital projects and new and expanded transit service to many local communities, $14.0 billion for Transit Formula Grants, which provide critical funding to public transportation systems across the U.S. through existing formula grant programs
• Federal Railroad Administration ($4.8 billion)
• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ($387.3 million)

Hearing page

Witnesses:

• Dr. Ravi I. Chaudhary, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Energy, Installations, and Environment, Department of the Air Force
• Brigadier General Brian S. Hartless, Air Force Director of Civil Engineers, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, United States Air Force
• Bruce E. Hollywood, Associate Chief Operations Officer, Office of the Chief Operations Officer, United States Space Force

Budget request of $3.2 billion for Air Force construction, $292 million for Air Force Reserve construction, and $179 million for Air National Guard construction

Hearing page

Witnesses:

• Brendan M. Owens, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment
• Rachel L. Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, and Environment
• Meredith A. Berger, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment
• Ravi I. Chaudhary, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment
• Elizabeth A. Field, Director of Defense Capabilities and Management, Government Accountability Office

• Budget request for military construction: $16.7 billion
• Base realignment and closure plan
• Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program budget request: $634 million