Climate science, policy, politics, and action
Hearing examining the implementation of the Great American Outdoors Act and the growing National Park Service deferred maintenance backlog.
Federal land management agencies’ deferred maintenance backlogs have nearly doubled from roughly $22 billion in 2019 to $38.6 billion in 2022.
Witness:
The purpose of this hearing is to examine the President’s budget request for the U.S. Forest Service for Fiscal Year 2024.
US Forest Service Congressional Budget Justification: $9.7 billion. The 2024 Budget dedicates $323 million toward management for “hazardous fuels reduction”, an increase of $116 million from the 2023 enacted level. The 2024 Budget request for workforce salaries and expenses is $1.42 billion, a $509 million increase above the 2023 enacted level to fund the costs of pay reforms for Federal wildland firefighters and increase Federal firefighting capacity.
The Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee hearing on the U.S. Forest Service took place last month.
Chair Jon Tester (D-Mont.)
Of the $215.1 billion Air Force budget request, $942 million (0.4%) is seen as mitigating climate risk.
Of the $30 billion Space Force budget request, $6 million (0.02%) is seen as mitigating climate risk
Chairman: Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.)
Witness:
Budget request for USAID: $2.3 billion
Witness:
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 $1.5 billion in following investments will help HUD achieve this goal:
Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2024 Federal Trade Commission budget.
Budget request: $590 million.
Witnesses:
The FTC’s Green Marketing program focuses on advertising claims that tout the environmental benefits of products and services. Enforcement administers the program by developing the Commission’s Environmental Marketing Guides, litigating enforcement actions, and conducting consumer research and other studies to better understand the marketplace.
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on its “Green Guides,” which seek to prevent companies from making deceptive environmental claims, as it updates them for the first time in a decade.
Oversight hearing of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This hearing will examine the regulatory developments, rulemakings, and activities that the SEC has undertaken in the period since the last hearing on October 5, 2021.
This includes: On March 21, 2022, the SEC proposed a 500-page climate disclosure rule that would require publicly traded firms to disclose detailed emissions data and climate risk management strategies. Among other details, the rule would also require certain publicly traded firms to disclose direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions that emanate from their supply chains.
Witness:
Hearing on legislation to establish an independent NOAA. Former Republican NOAA administrators have been invited to testify.
Witnesses:
Legislation:
The NOAA Organic Act proposed by Chairman Lucas would establish NOAA as an independent agency within the executive branch, give it formal statutory authority, and authorize its mission. Additionally, the NOAA Organic Act ensures the National Weather Service will continue to operate within NOAA. It also consolidates NOAA’s work by refocusing on its core mission areas. It moves the Office of Commercial Space out of NOAA and elevates the office within the Department of Commerce, making it an individual office with an Undersecretary reporting directly to the Secretary of Commerce. Additionally, the bill directs a study from the National Academy of Public Administration on transferring part or all of NOAA’s work on endangered species and marine mammal protection to the Department of the Interior.
Hearing for members of Congress to testify on priorities and earmarks for their districts.
Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.)
Founding executive director Varshini Prakash is stepping down and will join the board of the Sunrise Movement. To hear about this transition from her directly and how our membership will be involved in the search for a new executive director, join us for our April 11th National Membership Call.
The call is a place where members and leaders, monthly, will come together to build community and relationships, hear about what’s happening (e.g., trainings, programs, what hubs, chapters and volunteer teams are up to) across Sunrise, discuss core questions coming up in the movement, and reground in strategy, campaigns, culture and work as a movement.