The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is engaged in a series of
rule-making proceedings of extraordinary scope and ambition—going well
beyond its efforts to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions under the Clean
Air Act. All major EPA decisions are
contentious, but the current flurry of regulatory initiatives raises
unusually serious issues of costs and benefits, feasibility,
methodology, and agency discretion. This event will begin with a
presentation on air-quality trends followed by panel presentations and
discussions on current rule-making proceedings and underlying issues of
science, economics, and risk assessment.
Agenda
8:15 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast
8:30
Introduction:
8:40
Presentation: Trends in Air Quality—1970, Today, and Tomorrow
9:00
Panel I: EPA’s Rule-Making Surge
Panelists:
- PAUL R. NOE, American Forest & Paper
Association “The Challenge of Boiler MACT
and the Cumulative Air Regulatory Burden”
- ARTHUR FRAAS, Resources for the Future
“Banking on Permits: A Risky Business”
- JEFFREY R. HOLMSTEAD, Bracewell & Giuliani
“The Clean Air Act and the Rule of Law”
Moderator: *KENNETH P. GREEN, AEI
10:30
Break
10:40
Panel II: Science and Economics in EPA
Rule-Making
Panelists:
- RICHARD A. BECKER, American Chemistry
Council “The Blurred Lines between Science and Policy”
- RICHARD B. BELZER, Regulatory Checkbook and
Neutral Source “Empirical Analysis of EPA
Compliance with the Information Quality Act”
- JANE LUXTON, Pepper Hamilton
LLP “Polarization on Science Issues in
EPA Risk Assessment”
- BRIAN F. MANNIX, Buckland Mill Associates
“Whose Telescope is Defective? The Role of Discount-Rate Arbitrage in
Energy and Climate Policy”
Moderator:
- SUSAN E. DUDLEY, The George Washington
University
Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI
1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
American Enterprise Institute
District of Columbia
11/08/2010 at 08:30AM
Witnesses
- William J. Lynn III, Deputy Secretary of
Defense
- Ashton B. Carter, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,
Technology and Logistics * General James E. Cartwright,
USMC Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff
Senate Armed Services Committee
G50 Dirksen
09/28/2010 at 10:00AM
“As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I am pleased to hold
this hearing to examine the impact of EPA
regulation on agriculture and rural America to ensure that we are
avoiding unnecessary, duplicative regulation,” Lincoln said. “American
family farmers and ranchers produce the safest, most affordable, and
abundant supply of food and fiber in the world and do so with great
respect for our environment. I look forward to exploring how we ensure
the continued success of our producers by building a more collaborative
relationship between the EPA and American
agriculture.”
Witness List
Panel 1
- Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Panel 2
- Rich Hillman, Vice President, Arkansas Farm Bureau
- Jay Vroom, President and Chief Executive Officer, Croplife America
- Jere White, Executive Director, Kansas Corn Growers Association
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
328A Russell
09/23/2010 at 02:00PM
From New York City to Nashville, Washington to Pakistan, 2010 has seen
it’s fair share of extreme weather events. To probe the long-term trends
of disruptive weather events in a world beset by climate change,
Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the Select Committee on Energy
Independence and Global Warming will hold a briefing to discuss these
issues.
The briefing will feature Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the
United States, who will discuss the historic floods that have displaced
millions of his countrymen. The briefing will also include top climate
scientists.
Witnesses
- Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States
- Michael Oppenheimer, Professor, Princeton University
- Thomas Peterson, Chief Scientist, NOAA’s
National Climatic Data Center
- Michael Wehner, Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
House Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee
2237 Rayburn
09/23/2010 at 11:00AM
Energy Experts, CEOs and Congressmen Convene to Discuss Oil Spill,
Energy Bill, and Electronic Vehicles
President Obama has pledged to end America’s dependence on foreign oil
and his administration is spending billions on greener energy
initiatives. Few issues are considered more urgent by both the White
House and average Americans than securing affordable and cleaner energy.
This timely Washington Post Live conference gathers members of Congress,
oil and energy CEOs and other well-known experts to discuss the impact
of the Gulf oil spill, government energy policy and whether electric
cars are really about to go mainstream.
Panels
Congressional Energy Bill (9am):
- Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
- Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine)
- Senator Byron Dorgon (D-N.D.)
- Congressman Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
Beyond the Gulf Oil Spill (10:30am):
- Daniel Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy and Research Associations
- Jack Gerard, president of American Petroleum
- Jacqueline Savitz, senior campaign director of Oceana
Are Electric Vehicles Really Going Mainstream? (1:15pm):
- David Crane, president and CEO of
NRG Energy Inc.
- David Vieau, president and CEO of
A123Systems
- Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for General Motors/Chevy Volt;
Carlos Tavares, executive vice president of Nissan Mortor Co, Ltd.
- Alan Crane, board of energy and environmental systems for the National
Research Council
The panel discussions and keynote address will be streamed live on
washingtonpostlive.com.
The Washington Post, 1150 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC
The Washington Post
District of Columbia
09/23/2010 at 09:00AM
Witnesses
- Rebeccs M. Blank, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, U.S.
Department of Commerce
- John Fernandez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic
Development, Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce
Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
428A Russell
09/16/2010 at 10:00AM
Last week an ice sheet covering 100 square miles broke off Greenland.
This dramatic sea ice event follows the warmest six months on record and
is the largest piece of Arctic ice to break free since 1962.
On Tuesday, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global
Warming will hold a briefing with scientists and experts who study the
Arctic region to discuss this event and its relationship to climate
change.
Witnesses
- Dr. Richard B. Alley, Professor of Geosciences, and Earth and
Environmental Systems, The Pennsylvania State University
- Dr. Robert Bindschadler, Senior Research Scientist at University of
Maryland Baltimore County, who has 30 years of service with
NASA
- Dr. Andreas Muenchow, Professor of Physical Ocean Science and
Engineering, University of Delaware
House Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee
2123 Rayburn
08/10/2010 at 09:30AM
The purpose of this hearing is to evaluate preparedness and mitigation
efforts among flood-prone communities and responsible federal agencies,
by evaluating the accuracy of the FEMA flood
map modernization process, its impact on states and localities,
mechanisms for dispute resolution, and the impact of levee inspections
and certifications on determinations of flood risk.
Since the epic failure of the federal levees in New Orleans in August
2005, additional levee failures occurred during the Midwest floods in
2008 and the historic spring floods earlier this year in Rhode Island
and Tennessee.
On March 18, 2010, 16 Senators signed a letter to
FEMA and the Corps of Engineers citing
challenges in the ongoing flood map modernization process. Among the
areas listed were: a lack of communication and outreach with local
stakeholders; a lack of coordination between
FEMA and USACE in
answering questions about both flood mapping, flood insurance and flood
control infrastructure repairs; a lack of recognition of locally funded
flood control projects when determining flood zones; the affordability
of flood insurance; inadequate time and resources to complete repairs to
flood control structures before flood maps are finalized; and potential
impacts new flood maps might have on economic development.
This hearing will provide an opportunity for the subcommittee to
evaluate mapping methodologies and map dispute resolution mechanisms,
hear suggestions for improved outreach to local residents and
stakeholders, and determine options for local governments to finance
levee inspections and repairs.
Witnesses
Panel 1
- The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil
Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Sandra Knight, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Federal Insurance &
Mitigation Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security
Panel 2
- The Honorable Bob Mehlhoff, District 26, Montana House of
Representatives
- Dr. David Maidment, Director of the Center for Research in Water
Resources & the Hussein M. Alharthy Centennial Chair in Civil
Engineering The University of Texas at Austin
- Sam Riley Medlock, JD, CFM, Policy Counsel,
Association of State Floodplain Managers, Member, National Committee
on Levee Safety
- Robert Rash, P.E., P.L.S., Chief Executive Officer & Chief Engineer,
St. Francis Levee District of Arkansas
- Dr. Joseph Suhayda, Interim Director, Louisiana State University
Hurricane Center
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Disaster Recovery Subcommittee
State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration Subcommittee
342 Dirksen
07/28/2010 at 03:00PM