Hill Heat

The hearing will explore the importance of rail to the U.S. economy and as a tool to mitigate climate change.

Hearing page

Witnesses

• Shannon Valentine, Secretary of Transportation, Virginia
• Caren Kraska, President/Chairman, Arkansas & Missouri Railroad
• Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD)
• Tom Williams, Group Vice President for Consumer Products, BNSF Railway

Memorandum

Opening Statement from Chairman Pallone

Opening Statement from Subcommittee Chair DeGette

Witnesses

• Christine Todd Whitman, Administrator (2001-2003), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Carol Browner, Administrator (1993-2001), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, Former Chief of Staff and Region 4 Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Wendy Cleland-Hamnett, Former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• John Deskins, Ph.D., Director, Bureau of Business & Economic Research, West Virginia University

Witnesses

• Eric Garcetti, Mayor, Los Angeles, CA
• Frank Rusco, Director of Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office
• Ben Fowke, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Xcel Energy
• Sandra Snyder, Vice President of Environment, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America
• Jim Wood, Director, Energy Institute at West Virginia University

On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. (EST), the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will host a virtual, fully remote legislative hearing titled, “Modernizing Energy Development Laws for the Benefit of Taxpayers, Communities, and the Environment,” including the following bills and other related measures.

• H.R. 1492 (Rep. Diana DeGette), Methane Waste Prevention Act
• H.R.1503 (Rep. Mike Levin), Restoring Community Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act
• H.R. 1505 (Rep. Alan Lowenthal), Bonding Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act
• H.R. 1506 (Rep. Alan Lowenthal), Transparency in Energy Production Act
• H.R. 1517 (Rep. Katie Porter), Ending Taxpayer Welfare for Oil and Gas Companies Act

Witnesses

Panel I

• Rep. Mike Levin, California, 49th District
• Rep. Katie Porter, California, 45th District
• Rep. Diana DeGette, Colorado, 1st District

Panel II

• Tracy Stone-Manning, Associate Vice President, Public Lands, National Wildlife Federation, Missoula, MT
• Hilary Cooper, Commissioner, District 1, San Miguel County, CO
• Brian Prest, PhD, Fellow, Resources for the Future
• Mark Murphy, President, Strata Production Company, Roswell, NM

On Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. (EST), the Committee on Natural Resources Office of Insular Affairs will hold a remote legislative hearing on Discussion Draft H.R.__, “Insular Area Climate Change Act.”

The proposed legislation would:

• create the Office of Insular Area Energy Policy and Programs to direct energy management, planning, delivery and conservation programs in the territories;
• establish a rebate program for energy-efficient appliances in order to reduce energy demand;
• provide grants to universities and colleges to monitor, collect, synthesize, analyze and publish local climate change data; and
• waive the locally paid portion for federal disaster relief in the territories and the Freely Associated States.

Witnesses

• Gerald M. Zackios – Ambassador to the U.S., Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Ada Monzón – President, EcoExploratorio – Puerto Rico Science Museum
• Jean-Pierre L. Oriol – Commissioner – USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources
• Rafael A. Machargo Maldonado – Secretary, Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources
• Zena Grecni – Sustained Climate Assessment Specialist, East-West Center
• Dr. Austin Shelton – Director, University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability

Legislation:

• H.R. 1087, the Shareholder Political Transparency Act of 2021
• the Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act
• the Climate Risk Disclosure Act
• the Greater Accountability in Pay Act
• the Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2021
• the Paris Climate Agreement Disclosure Act
• the Oil and Minerals Corruption Prevention Act

Witnesses:

• Andy Green, Senior Fellow for Economic Policy, Center for American Progress
• Heather McTeer Toney, Environmental Justice Liaison, Environmental Defense Fund and Senior Advisor, Moms Clear Air Force
• Veena Ramani, Senior Program director, Capital Market Systems, Ceres
• James Andrus, Investment Manager, California Public Employees’ Retirement System

Republican witness:

• Vivek Ramaswamy, Biotech Entrepreneur and Author

Witnesses

• Robin Millican, Director, Breakthrough Energy
• Dr. Colin Cunliff, Senior Policy Analyst, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
• Dr. Shobita Parthasarathy, Professor of Public Policy and Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, University of Michigan
• Rich Powell, Executive Director, ClearPath

The hearing on the nomination of the Honorable Debra Haaland to be the Secretary of the Interior, previously announced on February 16, will resume at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, in Room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. To watch Part 1 of the nomination hearing, please click here.

Members of the committee may participate in person or online. The committee will follow guidelines developed in consultation with the Office of the Attending Physician and the Senate Rules Committee to protect the health of members, staff, and the public. This includes maintaining six-foot social distance spacing in the hearing room. Pursuant to this guidance, Senate office buildings are not open to the public other than official business visitors and credentialed press at this time. Accordingly, in-person visitors cannot be accommodated at this hearing.

The hearing will be webcast live on the committee’s website, and an archived video will be available shortly after the hearing is complete.