Climate science, policy, politics, and action
Business meeting agenda:
This is the organizational meeting of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 118th Congress.
Immediately following the organizational meeting, the full Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold its first hearing of the 118th Congress on “The State of Transportation Infrastructure and Supply Chain Challenges.”
Hearing Witness List:
The Environmental Protection Agency will host a training on January 31, 2023 to provide an overview of the proposed rule to update the Agency’s regulations governing the timelines and other requirements for state plans to limit pollution from existing sources under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. It will also provide information on how to effectively engage in the regulatory process and an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. Although this training is open to the public, it will include information tailored to specific groups: communities with environmental justice concerns, tribal nations, tribal environmental professionals, and small business stakeholders. This virtual event is FREE and open to the public. The event will be held using Zoom, and a toll-free call-in number will be available.
Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Time: 6:00PM – 8:00PM (Eastern time)
Read the proposed rule and an accompanying fact sheet. EPA will take public comment on the proposed updates through Feb. 27, 2023.
Background: On December 14, 2022, the EPA Administrator signed the proposed updates to the Agency’s regulations governing the timelines and other requirements for state plans to limit pollution from existing sources under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. EPA’s “Implementing Regulations” apply to states that must submit plans for existing sources of pollution covered by Emissions Guidelines and to eligible Tribal Nations that choose to develop their own plans. The proposed updates would revise several timing requirements for state plans, including the allowed time for states to submit plans and for EPA to review them, among others. The proposal also would provide states clear guidance on when they can apply a less-stringent standard to a facility or class of facilities. In addition, it would require states and EPA to conduct meaningful engagement as part of state plan and federal plan development, including with communities and Tribal Nations most affected by, and vulnerable to, the plans’ impacts.
The hearing will explore the benefits, opportunities, and approaches to expanding American energy and energy technology.
Opening Remarks:
Witnesses:
Our first session in EESI’s Congressional Climate Camp series will bring you up to speed on the budget and appropriations process already underway for fiscal year 2024. Panelists will draw on examples of funding for climate, energy, and environment programs to bring the process to life and show how it plays out in practice. Panelists will also describe how annual appropriations have been impacted by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Speakers
The briefing is open to the public at SCV-200 in the Capitol Visitor Center with an RSVP. A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast.
Contact Daniel O’Brien ([email protected] | (202) 662-1880) for more information.
When it comes to reducing waste, we were taught the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle; however, the reality for plastics is the three Bs: buried, burned, or borne out to sea,” said Sen. Merkley. “My Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act is a comprehensive plan to reduce plastic production, improve our recycling systems, and protect frontline communities. It’s not just enough for us to curb our own individual plastic use, we must take action at the federal and international level to solve this environmental and public health crisis.”
Recent polling shows that two-thirds of Americans believe that businesses that produce or use plastics in their products should pay for collecting, sorting, and recycling plastics; 86 percent of Americans support requiring new plastic to contain at least some recycled material; and 80 percent of Americans support phasing out certain non-recyclable plastics altogether.
The Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act — led by Sen. Merkley and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) — would reduce plastic production, increase recycling, and protect frontline communities from the burden of toxic emissions from plastic waste by changing the incentives of the industry. The bill would shift the burden of cleanup to the corporations that produced the plastics so they have financial motivation to end the burning and dumping; strengthening environmental justice protections; eliminating waste export loopholes; and extending across the nation existing laws that have been proven to work on the state and local level, among other steps.
Witnesses:
Richard Glick’s final meeting as a FERC commissioner.
| Meeting agenda | ||
|---|---|---|
| Item No. | Docket No. | Company |
| ADMINISTRATIVE | ||
| A-1 | AD23-1-000 | Agency Administrative Matters |
| A-2 | AD23-2-000 | Customer Matters, Reliability, Security and Market Operations |
| A-3 | AD21-18-0002021 | Cold Weather Event in Texas and the South Central U.S. |
| ELECTRIC | ||
| E-1 | RM22-7-000 | Applications for Permits to Site Interstate Electric Transmission Facilities |
| E-2 | EL22-34-000 | Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel v. American Electric Power Service Corporation, American Transmission Systems, Inc., and Duke Energy Ohio, LLC |
| E-3 | ER22-2476-000 | Arizona Public Service Company |
| ER22-2476-001 | ||
| ER22-2488-000 | ||
| E-4 | ER22-2844-000 | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC |
| E-5 | EL22-88-000 | Duke Energy Florida, LLC |
| E-6 | ER22-109-000 | Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power Company |
| ER22-109-001 | ||
| ER22-110-000 | ||
| E-7 | ER22-477-002 | Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. |
| E-8 | ER22-995-001 | Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. |
| E-9 | ER22-2730-000 | California Independent System Operator Corporation |
| E-10 | ER21-2695-001 | Lincoln Land Wind, LLC |
| ER21-2695-002 | ||
| E-11 | ER21-2459-000 | Tenaska Power Services Co. |
| E-12 | ER21-2380-000 | EDF Trading North America, LLC |
| E-13 | EL19-38-002 | City and County of San Francisco v. Pacific Gas and Electric Company |
| E-14 | ER22-1105-000 | Arizona Public Service Company, Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC, Black Hills Power, Inc., Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power Company, El Paso Electric Company, Public Service Company of Colorado, Public Service Company of New Mexico, Tucson Electric Power Company, and UNS Electric, Inc. |
| E-15 | ER22-2494-000 | FirstEnergy Service Company |
| E-16 | EC22-78-000 | Fortistar North Tonawanda LLC |
| E-17 | EL21-105-000 | Complaint of George R. Cotter Seeking Modifications to Critical Infrastructure Security Standards |
| E-18 | EL22-59-000 | Tenaska Clear Creek Wind, LLC v. Southwest Power Pool, Inc., Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Tennessee Valley Authority |
| E-19 | EL23-2-000 | Pacific Gas and Electric Company |
| E-20 | ER21-2592-000 | Pacific Gas and Electric Company |
| ER21-2592-001 | ||
| E-21 | EL15-70-003 | Public Citizen, Inc. v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. |
| EL15-71-003 | The People of the State of Illinois, By Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. | |
| EL15-72-003 | Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., Dynegy, Inc., and Sellers of Capacity into Zone 4 of the 2015-2015 MISO Planning Resource Auction | |
| E-22 | EC22-26-000 | Liberty Utilities Co., Kentucky Power Company, and AEP Kentucky Transmission Company, Inc. |
| E-23 | ER21-502-004 | New York Independent SystemOperator, Inc. |
| E-24 | EL18-152-001 | Louisiana Public Service Commission v. and System Energy Resources, Inc., and Entergy Services, Inc. |
| E-25 | ER18-1182-001 | System Energy Resources, Inc. |
| EL23-11-000 | ||
| E-26 | EL22-53-000 | UBS Asset Management Inc. |
| GAS | ||
| G-1 | PL23-1-000 | Oil Pipeline Affiliate Committed Service |
| G-2 | OR17-2-001 | Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. |
| G-3 | OR20-13-001 | Enerplus Resources (USA) Corporation v. Targa Badlands LLC, Targa Assets LLC, and Targa Fort Berthold LLC |
| OR23-2-000 | Targa Badlands LLC, Targa Assets LLC, and Targa Fort Berthold LLC | |
| G-4 | OR23-1-000 | Rough Rider Operating LLC |
| G-5 | OR18-30-001 | Targa NGL Pipeline Company LLC |
| G-6 | RP19-78-000 | Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company, LP |
| RP19-78-001 | ||
| RP19-1523-000 | ||
| RP19-257-005 (consolidated) | Southwest Gas Storage Company | |
| HYDRO | ||
| H-1 | P-1333-066 | Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Tule Hydro LLC |
| CERTIFICATES | ||
| C-1 | CP17-40-006 | Spire STL Pipeline LLC |
| C-2 | CP22-40-000 | Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company |
| C-3 | CP21-29-001 | Gas Transmission Northwest LLC |
| C-4 | CP21-94-000 | Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC |
| C-5 | CP20-312-001 | Equitrans, L.P. |
| RP21-882-001 | ||
| CP22-497-000 | Big Dog Midstream, LLC | |
The holidays are a time to spend time with family, cook meals and enjoy each other’s company. Want to make sure your holiday meal doesn’t come with a side of air pollution? Join us for “Pollution-free cooking for the holidays,” to learn more about the health dangers of gas stoves, hear about the benefits of induction stoves and get information about incentives that are now available to help you make the switch.
We’ll also have a chef show us how to make one of their favorite holiday recipes on an induction stove, so you can see the benefits of pollution-free cooking. RSVP to receive the Zoom webinar information.