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Chair Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.)

07/20/2022 at 10:00AM

On Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. ET, Rep. Ro Khanna, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, will hold a hybrid hearing to examine regenerative agriculture, the role it can play in preventing the worst of the climate crisis while protecting food supply, and the urgent need to reform federal policies that unjustly favor corporate agribusiness, often at the expense of family farmers.

Witnesses:

• Bonnie Haugen, Dairy Farmer, Filmore County, Minnesota
• Doug Doughty, Grain Farmer and Cattle Producer, Livingston County, Missouri
• Kara Boyd, President, Association of American Indian Farmers
• Dr. Rachel E. Schattman, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Maine
• Brian Lacefield – Minority witness, Director, Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy

Climate change fundamentally threatens the world’s food supply as extreme weather events, water scarcity, pests, and warming make it harder to grow staple crops and renders farmland unusable. Regenerative agricultural practices, such as rotating crops, can help reduce and reverse the desertification of farmland, increase nutrients in the soil, and enhance food security.

The unfair market power held by corporate agribusiness, however, limits the freedom for small- and medium-sized farmers to adopt regenerative agricultural practices. While a small number of companies control most of the market for beef, pork, and grain, family farmers earn just 16 cents of every dollar spent on food.

The federal government already supports regenerative agriculture and conservation methods, but many of these programs are oversubscribed and under resourced. Some federal policy, however, supports inherently unsustainable practices, such as concentrated feeding operations, which produce large amounts of waste that cause significant greenhouse gas emissions and can runoff into water resources.

The hearing will examine how Congress can amend federal policies that unjustly protect corporate agribusiness, often at the expense of family farmers, and fully fund farm conservation programs.

07/19/2022 at 02:00PM

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, led by Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:

• H.R. 3681 (Soto), To direct the United States Geological Survey to establish a program to map zones that are at greater risk of sinkhole formation, and for other purposes. Sinkhole Mapping Act of 2021.
• H.R. 5522 (Kind), To require the Secretary of the Interior to develop and maintain a cadastre of Federal real property. Federal Land Asset Inventory Reform Act.
• H.R. 5805 (Stansbury), To withdraw certain Bureau of Land Management Land from mineral development. Buffalo Tract Protection Act.
• H.R. 5350 (Fulcher), To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to promote timely exploration for geothermal resources under geothermal leases, and for other purposes. Enhancing Geothermal Production on Federal Lands Act.

Witnesses

Panel I: Administration Panel

• Michael D. Nedd (H.R. 5805, H.R. 5350), Deputy Director for Operations, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior

Panel II: Expert Witness Panel

• Jonathan Arthur (H.R. 3681), Executive Director, American Geosciences Institute
• Mary-Rose de Valladares (H.R. 5805), Chair, Land Use Protection Trust
• John Byrd (H.R. 5522), President, Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies
• Sarah Jewett (H.R. 5350), Director of Strategy, Fervo Energy, on behalf of Geothermal Rising

07/19/2022 at 10:00AM

The purpose of the hearing is to examine federal regulatory authorities governing the development of interstate hydrogen pipelines, storage, import, and export facilities.

Witnesses:

• Dr. Holly Krutka, Executive Director of the School of Energy Resources, The University of Wyoming
• Andy Marsh, President & CEO, Plug
• Richard E. Powers, Jr., Esq., Partner and Head of the Energy Practice Group, Venable LLP
• Chad Zamarin, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategic Development, Williams

07/19/2022 at 10:00AM

Hearing page

Witness:

• Alan F. Estevez, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce

07/19/2022 at 10:00AM

The purpose of this hearing is for Members to hear from U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Buttigieg on the administration’s ongoing efforts to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Witness:

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

07/19/2022 at 10:00AM

Hearing page

Witnesses

• Barbara Ammirati, Senior Advisor, Child Protection, Save the Children
• Marcie Roth, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, World Institute on Disability
• Denise Bottcher, State Director, AARP Louisiana
• Antoine B. Richards, Chief of Staff, Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management
• Preston Bowlin, Emergency Management Director, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County

07/19/2022 at 09:00AM

The National Park Service is proposing to reopen the upper portion of Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park to vehicular traffic after closing it for more than two years. The road would reopen on weekdays most of the year, but NPS wants to continue to close that stretch of road to cars from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Last year, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) requested banning cars on upper Beach Drive, as did the D.C. City Council.

Of the 2400 comments received during the initial comment period, over 76% of commenters supported full-year closure of the road to vehicular traffic; only 14% of commenters supported returning the road to vehicular use.

The NPS will host a live, virtual public meeting on July 18, 2022 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Join the Microsoft Teams meeting by clicking this link.

To connect via phone only dial, +1 202-640-1187, 146280403#. A recording of the meeting will also be available to view here after the meeting.  

07/18/2022 at 06:30PM

The Committee on Rules will also meet on Monday, July 18, 2022 at 1:00 PM EDT in H-313, The Capitol on the following emergency measures:

• H.R. 8404—Respect for Marriage Act
• H.R. 8373—Right to Contraception Act As well as the following measure:
• H.R. 8294—Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023 [Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2023]
  • Rules Committee Print
  • H. Rept. 117-402, Report from the Committee on Appropriations to accompany H.R. 8294 (THUD)
  • H. Rept. 117-392, Report from the Committee on Appropriations to accompany H.R. 8239 (Agriculture/Rural Development)
  • H. Rept. 117-394, Report from the Committee on Appropriations to accompany H.R. 8255 (Energy & Water)
  • H. Rept. 117-393, Report from the Committee on Appropriations to accompany H.R. 8254 (FSGG)
  • H. Rept. 117-400, Report from the Committee on Appropriations to accompany H.R. 8262 (Interior and Environment)
  • H. Rept. 117-391, Report from the Committee on Appropriations to accompany H.R. 8238 (Military Construction and VA)
  • Amendment list

07/18/2022 at 01:00PM

Rescheduled from May 18th and May 24th.

This hearing will examine pathways to create a sustainable food system that is resilient in the face of climate change. It will also explore solutions to reduce heat-trapping pollution in the food chain supply, while ensuring access to affordable, safe, and healthy food for all Americans.

Witnesses:

• Dana Gunders, Executive Director, ReFED. Gunders leads ReFED’s work to end food waste and loss across the U.S. food system. She authored a landmark 2012 report, “Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill,” and wrote the Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook. Gunders previously worked as a Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
• Kent Swisher, President & CEO, North American Renderers Association (NARA). Swisher leads NARA’s work to represent the rendering industry, which repurposes inedible meat products such as fat and bone. He is a member of the USDA’s Trade Advisory Committee on Animals and Animal Products, and previously worked at the Continental Grain Company, U.S. Grains Council, and the American Seed Trade Association.
• Dr. Melinda Cep, Vice President for Natural Solutions and Working Lands, National Audubon Society. Dr. Cep works to advance natural climate solutions and conservation on working lands, such as rice fields, ranchlands, and forests. A trained veterinarian, she previously served as a senior advisor and deputy chief of staff at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• Elly Brown, Co-Executive Director, San Diego Food System Alliance. Brown co-leads the Alliance’s work to build a healthy and sustainable food system in San Diego. Prior to joining the Alliance, Brown worked in nonprofit consulting at Root Cause and as an independent advisor to nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises.

07/15/2022 at 09:00AM