On Thursday, February 15, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., in room 1324 Longworth
House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee
on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight
hearing
titled “Bidenomics & Land Management: The Misguided National Strategy to
Develop Environmental Economic Decisions.”
Henry
Wykowski,
Advisor, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
President Biden has pushed the federal government to develop its
framework for environmental-economic accounting, laying the groundwork
through executive order (E.O.), guidance from his administration, and
requests for information.
On April 22, 2022, President Biden issued E.O. 14072—Strengthening the
Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies—which ordered the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance
on the valuation of ecosystem and environmental services and natural
assets in Federal regulatory decision-making. On July 22, 2022,
OMB issued the guidance in a memorandum for
the heads of executive Departments and Agencies regarding research and
development priorities for the Fiscal Year 2024 budget (OMB Natural
Capital Memo). The OMB Natural Capital Memo
instructed agencies to promote efforts to account for ecosystem and
natural capital services. The OMB Natural
Capital Memo also instructed agencies to “identify and prioritize R&D
investments that advance… the ability to evaluate and track the
effects of policies, projects, and programs on climate mitigation,
resilience, and ecosystem services.”
A month later, on August 22, 2022, OMB
continued to execute its marching orders by issuing a request for
information to help inform the development of “Government-wide natural
capital accounts and standardized environmental-economic statistics”
(OMB RFI). The OMBRFI stated that international interest in
“developing natural capital accounting methodologies” has led to “demand
for U.S. Federal leadership to develop natural capital accounts and
standardized environmental-economic statistics to provide a centralized
domestic framework and to promote international norms.”
A month later, on October 31, 2022, the Office of Science and Technology
Policy (OSTP) issued its own request for information—on behalf of the
United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)—to help “inform
the framing, development, and eventual use of the first National Nature
Assessment” (USGCRP RFI). The
USGCRP RFI stated that the National Nature
Assessment “will assess the status, observed trends, and future
projections of America’s lands, waters, wildlife, biodiversity and
ecosystems and the benefits they provide, including connections to the
economy, public health, equity, climate mitigation and adaptation, and
national security.” In doing so, the USGCRP
RFI declared the U.S. currently “lacks comprehensive knowledge on
these major aspects of global change.
On January 19, 2023, the Biden administration released a national
strategy for Natural Capital Accounting and
ESV, the National Strategy to Develop
Statistics for Environmental-Economic Decisions: A
U.S. System of Natural Capital Accounting and Environmental
Economic Statistics (National Strategy for Natural Capital Accounting).
This month’s commission meeting will be at 1 p.m. at Howard University
School of Law, Damon J. Keith Moot Court Room, Houston Hall, Level
B 2900 Van Ness Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
20008.
Among agenda items is the Saguaro Connector
Pipeline
for the export of natural gas between the United States, in Hudspeth
County, Texas, to Chihuahua, Mexico.
Subcommittee
hearing
on EPA’s NAAQS
standards, including the new PM2.5 standard,
entitled “Safeguarding Jobs and the Economy: Legislation to End
EPA’s Attack on American Manufacturing,”
originally titled “Safeguarding American Prosperity and People’s
Livelihoods: Legislation to Modernize Air Quality Standards.”
Legislation to be considered:
H.R.
___,
the Air Quality Standards Implementation Act of 2024
Witnesses:
Christopher
Netram,
Managing Vice President, Policy, National Association of Manufacturers
John
Eunice,
Deputy Director, Georgia Environmental Protection Division
Paul Noe, Vice President of Public Policy, American Forestry and Paper
Association
Join
us
to learn about new clean energy research and message testing conducted
by the Rural Climate Partnership and Global Strategies Group. In late
2023, rural focus groups assessed community attitudes towards clean
energy and tested an array of pro- and anti-clean energy messages and
messengers.
With the rise of clean energy bans across rural America, this research
provides valuable insight into how to address real community concerns
and lessen opposition to wind and solar projects.
During the
webinar,
we’ll cover what drives community skepticism and how to build more
comfort and interest in clean energy projects through specific
research-tested messages and trusted, local rural messengers.
Jim
Huston,
Chairman, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
Nick
Myers,
Commissioner, Arizona Corporation Commission
Tricia Pridemore, Commissioner, Georgia Public Service Commission
Keith Hay, Senior Director of Policy, Colorado Energy Office
The following issues may be examined at
the hearing:
The changes in regulatory structures in the United States and their
impact on the roles and responsibilities of State utility commissions.
The current state of electricity costs and electric reliability.
The pace of electric generating unit retirements and the costs to
ratepayers associated with retiring resources and building new
infrastructure.
The impacts of the proposed standards on State responsibilities
concerning the power sector and regulation of existing electric
generating sources.
The technical challenges and cost considerations relating to the
implementation of EPA regulations (proposed
and final) on the power sector, including the Clean Power Plan 2.0.
On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 10:15 a.m. in room 1324 Longworth
House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee
on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative
hearing
on the following bills:
H.R.
3119
(Rep. Soto, D-Fla.), To provide for the issuance of a Manatee
Semipostal Stamp;
Alexander von Bismarck, Executive Director, Environmental
Investigation Agency
Legislative summaries:
H.R. 3119 (Rep. Soto, D-FL), To provide for the issuance of a Manatee
Semipostal Stamp
Creates a manatee postal stamp administered by the United States
Postal Service, with funds made available from the stamp transferred
to the USFWS to conserve the United States’
manatee population. Funds generated from this stamp shall be
transferred at least twice a year; the legislation does not require
these funds to be considered as part of the annual appropriations
process. The stamp must be made available for sale within one year of
enactment for at least two years.
Amends Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act to provide greater
flexibility between species classified as endangered or threatened,
granting the Secretary of the Interior the ability to promulgate rules
under Section 4(d) for both threatened and endangered species.
Specifically, the endangerment finding for the Northern Long-Eared Bat
restricts logging of its habitat. This would allow the Secretary to
permit logging, under the argument the bat is endangered because of
white-nose syndrome, not habitat destruction. Supportive organizations
included the American Farm Bureau, the Independent Petroleum
Association of America, the Forest Resources Association, and the
National Mining Association.
H.R. 6854 (Rep. Fischbach (R-MN), “Habitat Enhancement Now Act”
Seeks to protect migratory waterfowl by establishing two separate
grant programs that can be used by local governments or individuals:
one to build and maintain hen houses and another to develop breeding
ground for migratory waterfowl in California. It also establishes
Congressional findings recognizing the importance of managing wetland
ecosystems, the need to deploy new tools to sustain waterfowl
populations, and the importance of investments and incentives for
landowners to conduct these activities.
Places timelines on enforcement actions related to the Lacey Act.
Enforcing agencies must:
Not later than 5 days after the date on which merchandise is
detained, issue the importer a notice of detention or release the
detained merchandise.
Not later than 10 days after the date on which the enforcing agency
issues a notice of detention, the agency must allow the importer to
transport the merchandise to a location not controlled by the U.S.
Government.
Not later than 30 days after the date on which merchandise is
detained for inspection, the enforcing agency must release or seize
such merchandise.
allows importers to sue the enforcing agency if the agency decides to
seize the merchandise or fails to release the merchandise within those
30 days.