Climate science, policy, politics, and action
THE COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS will meet in OPEN SESSION, HYBRID FORMAT to conduct a hearing entitled, “Oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.”
Witness:
At the hearing, members will hear from witnesses on the current status of FEMA’s recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands five years after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-Nev.)
The full Committee, led by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), will hold a markup on the following Resolutions of Inquiry:
On Thursday, September 15, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Ro Khanna, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Environment, will hold a hearing to examine Exxon, Chevron, BP, and Shell’s record-breaking profits, discuss the adequacy of their climate pledges, and hear firsthand accounts from survivors of climate change-induced severe weather events.
In 2021, Exxon’s net profits were more than $23 billion, Chevron reported profits of $15.6 billion, BP netted its highest profits in eight years at $12.8 billion, and Shell brought in $21.1 billion. The fossil fuel industry’s profits have only increased in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the past quarter, since the start of the Ukraine War, five major oil companies raked in $55 billion.
Despite reaping record profits, these companies have not taken the steps that scientists say are needed to prevent the worst climate impacts. Instead, they continue their greenwashing campaign by publicly supporting the Paris Agreement and claiming to be working towards a net-zero future, while issuing incomplete and misleading climate pledges and making inadequate investments in unproven energy sources and technologies.
At the same time, the climate crisis is growing more severe, with record heat waves, droughts, flooding, and other extreme weather harming Americans and people around the world.
The hearing is part of the Committee’s investigation into the fossil fuel industry’s long-running campaign to spread disinformation about climate change and greenwash its role in causing global warming.
At the Committee’s earlier hearing in October 2021, fossil fuel executives finally admitted under oath that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change, which is an existential threat to our planet—but they refused to stop spending money to block climate action.
Earlier this year, the Committee invited five board members from Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP to testify at a hearing about the companies’ climate pledges. They failed to appear. The Committee once again invited the board members to testify, but they once again declined to appear on the date requested.
Witnesses
Panel 1
Panel 2
Measures:
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, Chair
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 1:00 p.m ET, in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building and via Cisco WebEx, the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States (SCIP) will hold a hybrid legislative hearing on the following bills:
Witnesses
Panel I: Congressional Panel
Panel II: Tribal Leader Panel
Rep. Joe Neguse, Chair
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET, in Longworth 1334 and via Cisco WebEx online conferencing, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands (NPFPL) will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
The hearing for these three bills was recently announced in conjunction with a letter that Chair Grijalva and 42 other members of Congress sent to President Joe Biden asking him to seek opportunities to expand tribal co-management of U.S. public lands, waters, and resources.
Witnesses
Panel I: Congressional Panel
Panel II: Administration Panel
Panel III: Expert Witness Panel
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. ET, the Subcommittee Oversight & Investigations will hold a hybrid oversight hearing titled, “The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change.”
Rep. Katie Porter, Chair
For decades, the fossil fuel industry publicly denied climate change, despite privately acknowledging the scientific evidence and knowing the harm their operations caused. As the reality of the climate crisis has become more widely accepted, the industry’s disinformation messaging and tactics have become more subtle and sophisticated. Fossil fuel companies now outsource much of this work to public relations (PR) firms, who use a wide array of meticulously designed strategies to delay or prevent action and change public perceptions of the issue. Viewed collectively, evidence strongly suggests industry’s advertising, lobbying, and other influence work has played a significant role in hindering legislative action to address climate change.
The Natural Resources Committee is investigating this critical—yet often overlooked—role that PR firms play in helping industry spread climate disinformation and obstruct solutions to the crisis. The Committee’s investigation on the topic is ongoing; this hearing will examine some of the Committee’s findings thus far. Of note, PR firms Singer Associates, Story Partners, and Pac/West Communications were invited but refused to attend.
Witnesses