Hill Heat

Climate change might well be the greatest danger to the survival of humanity, that we have ever faced. Indigenous peoples, and Black and Brown communities on the frontlines of the interlinked economic, democratic and climate crises, have been leading the resistance to extraction and pollution, fighting to protect Mother Earth, by centering traditional ecological and cultural knowledge and creating pathways for a regenerative future. Students and young people have always been on the forefront in the struggle for climate justice.

Youth leaders from around the world have called for a climate strike and global week of action from September 20th-27th. They have been taking the lead so far, but now they are calling on all of us to take action. In Washington, DC we will be answering the call and building on the momentum of the youth climate strikes in a major way:

On September 23rd, we are going to shut down DC.

RSVP

Friends Meeting House• 2111 Florida Ave NW

Hearing memorandum

Witnesses:

• Julio Friedmann, Ph.D., Senior Research Scholar, Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy
• Jason Walsh, Executive Director, BlueGreen Alliance
• Gaurav N. Sant, Ph.D., Professor and Henry Samueli Fellow, UCLA Samueli School of Engineering
• Bob Perciasepe, President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)
• Jeremy Gregory, Ph.D., Executive Director MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, On behalf of Portland Cement Association
• Ross E. Eisenberg, Vice President, Energy and Resources Policy, National Association Manufacturers

Hearing Memorandum

Legislation:

• H.R.__, To require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Securities and Exchange Commission to each issue an annual report to the Congress projecting and accounting for the economic costs directly and indirectly caused by the impacts of climate change. [DRAFT]

Witnesses

• Andy Karsner, Board Member, Conservation International
• General Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret.), President of the American Security Project
• Veronica Eady, Assistant Executive Officer for Environmental Justice of the California Air Resources Board
• Alicia Seiger, Managing Director of Stanford’s Sustainable Finance Initiative
• Dr. Marshall Burke, Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of Stanford’s Center on Food Security and the Environment
• Richard Powell, Executive Director, ClearPath
• John Kotek, Vice President of Policy Development and Public Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute

Legislation

• H.R. 4091, the “ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019” -reported favorably to full Committee
  • Amendment to H.R. 4091 offered by Mr. Foster (D-IL) – offered and withdrawn from consideration
  • Amendment to H.R. 4091 offered by Mr. Baird (R-IN) – failed by voice vote

• H.R. 4230, the “Clean Industrial Technology Act of 2019” -reported favorably to full Committee
  • Amendment to H.R. 4230 offered by Mr. Weber (R-TX) – failed by voice vote
  • Amendment to H.R. 4230 offered by Mr. Lipinski (D-IL) – passed by voice vote
  • Amendment #02 to H.R. 4230 offered by Mr. Weber (R-TX) – failed by voice vote
  • Amendment to H.R. 4230 offered by Mr. Norman (R-SC) – failed by voice vote
  • Amendment #01 to H.R. 4230 offered by Mr. Weber (R-TX) – withdrawn from consideration

The hearing will focus on boosting U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies and creating new manufacturing jobs.

Witnesses

• Zoe Lipman, Director, Vehicles and Advanced Transportation Program at the BlueGreen Alliance. BGA unites America’s largest labor unions and environmental organizations. Lipman previously led work on fuel economy standards at the National Wildlife Federation and is a former trade union official.
• Tarak Shah, consultant and former Department of Energy chief of staff to the Undersecretary for Science and Energy. Shah previously worked for the Department of Defense and the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
• Josh Nassar, Legislative Director for the United Auto Workers. The UAW has more than 400,000 active members and 600 local unions. Nassar previously worked for the Service Employees International Union.
• Edward Stones, Global Business Director for Energy and Climate Change at Dow Chemical Company. Stones leads Dow’s energy conservation and carbon pollution reduction efforts and participates in the company’s global advocacy on climate and energy issues.

Witnesses:

• Monica de Bolle, PhD, Director, Latin American Studies Program, School of Advanced, International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
• Daniel Nepstad, PhD, President and Executive Director, Earth Innovation Institute
• Bill Millan, Chief Conservation Officer and Director of Policy, International Conservation Caucus Foundation

From installing solar panels, to building wind farms and revolutionizing the auto industry, the clean energy economy is a driving force for small business innovation and job growth. Energy efficiency jobs make up most of the green economy, supporting at least 2.2 million jobs ranging across various industries. Small businesses are directly involved in this economy in a wide variety of ways. This hearing will bring together some small business innovators in the clean energy and green economy to discuss the importance of their businesses, the challenges they face, and what Congress can do to support small business innovation for the 21st century.

Witnesses

• Dr. Lynn Abramson, President, Clean Energy Business Network
• Thomas R. Brooks, General Manager, Western Dubuque Biodiesel
• Michael G. Williams, Deputy Director, BlueGreen Alliance
• David J. Spigelmyer, President, Marcellus Shale Coalition

• H.R. 205 — Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act of 2019
• H.R. 1146 — Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act
• H.R. 1941 — Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene an executive session on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in Hart Senate Office Building 216 to consider the following legislative measures.

Agenda

• S. 2297, Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2019, Sponsor: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
• S. 2299, Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2019, Sponsors: Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)

Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.) are scheduled to move July 30 a bipartisan bill, entitled the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act (ATIA), out of their committee. ATIA would authorize $287 billion in state highway spending authority from Fiscal Years 2021 through 2025.

ARTBA staff has attended multiple briefings with EPW committee staff, who shared some details of the legislation. It includes:

Of the $287 billion in budget authority, 90 percent will be provided to the states via formula;

• A new $6 billion bridge program would be funded by a mix of Highway Trust Fund and General Fund revenues;
• New climate change and safety incentivization programs;
• Additional streamlining provisions, including the codification of “One Federal Decision”, the Trump administration executive order requiring all agencies to work together on a single decision for environmental project reviews;
• Resources to build alternative fuel fueling stations along identified corridors;

The EPW committee, which has jurisdiction over most highway programs, is the first in either the House or Senate to move forward on reauthorizing the 2015 FAST Act surface transportation law, which expires Sept. 30, 2020.

The committee will also consider S. 1992, A bill to amend the FAST Act to repeal a rescission of funds and 6 General Services Administration resolutions.