Below, please find the House Natural Resources Committee Dems updates for this week.
What happened the last few weeks:
- 10.20.23 – Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva Rep Jared Huffman sent two letters—one to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and one to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—responding to recent investigative reporting in The New Yorker by Ian Urbina which documents major human rights abuses perpetrated by illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices by the People’s Republic of China’s fishing fleet and seafood processing centers. Read press release HERE.
- BILL INTROS 11.01.23 – Rep. Grijalva and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced two House and Senate companion bills to advance Tribal management of public lands and to improve the protection of sacred and cultural sites: The Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land Act and the Tribal Cultural Areas Protection Act. Read about these bills HERE and HERE.
- 11.02.23 – The Department of Energy (DOE) announced recipients for $440 million in funding for rooftop solar and battery storage in Puerto Rico. The funding will support rooftop solar and battery storage systems for 30,000-40,000 vulnerable households on the island. Read Rep. Grijalva’s statement HERE.
Resources (not endorsements):
- Please see this FACT SHEET
created by HNRC Dems regarding FY 2024 Appropriations Bill: Interior
Department, Environment and Other Related Agencies. Access that HERE.
- Interior Department Announces
Nearly $22 Million for Local Parks and New Actions to Increase Outdoor
Access in Urban Areas. Read more HERE.
- Bullard Center Re-launches People
of Color Environmental Groups Directory to Connect Environmental and
Climate Justice Communities. Read more HERE.
- PUBLIC INPUT -
US Army Corps of Engineers seeks public comments on Dakota Access
Pipeline Draft Environmental Impact Statement. More information HERE.
- Deadline extended to December 13!
- A call for Tribal governments!
The Environmental Law Institute and Native
American Rights Fund/National Indian Law Library are actively seeking the
permission of Tribes across the U.S. to include their consultation policies (or
redacted versions) in a digital consultation hub. The hub is intended to assist
Tribal governments and agencies in developing Tribal consultation policies and
engaging in best practices for consultation. Read more HERE.
- A call for organizations in North Central & the
Southwest!
Qualified organizations
are invited to apply to host and, as applicable, serve as consortium partners
for the North Central and Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs).
Deadline February 1,
2024 by 4pm ET.
More information HERE.
- Grant opportunities! EJ4Climate Grant and Information Session. “Community
empowerment strategies to improve resilience to extreme weather events in
urban settings”. The deadline to apply is November 9th
and applicants can submit proposals up to C$200,000. The call for
proposals can be found HERE.
To register for the online information session click HERE.
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Week Ahead: Your comments in writing are welcomed about this week’s hearings. When you send your statements, they can be used to inform legislation and be submitted to the Congressional Record - please email to me or let me know if you have questions about how to do this.
|
Week of
Nov. 13-17 |
|||
|
Date |
Subcommittee |
Activity
Type |
Toplines |
|
M
13 |
|
|
|
|
Tu
14 |
Energy
& Mineral Resources
Federal
Lands
Indian
& Insular Affairs
|
10:15 a.m Oversight Hearing “Examining the Biden Administration’s Abandoned Mine Lands and
Active Mining Programs”
Watch here.
10:30 a.m Legislative Hearing
2:15 p.m Oversight Hearing “Opportunities and Challenges for Improving Public Safety in
Tribal Communities.”
|
•
Coal is a dying industry, putting rural and tribal communities near mines on
the frontlines of the transition away from coal. Without strengthened
safeguards, bankrupt coal companies will continue to shed healthcare,
pension, and cleanup responsibilities, further devastating communities and
the environment and shifting their financial liabilities to taxpayers. •
Federal and state regulations were not designed for the collapse of coal and
have never adequately protected our environment or our health from the
impacts of mining.
With targeted reforms, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement (OSMRE) at Interior can better manage the transition away from
coal in a way that promotes environmental justice, protects workers, and
creates long-term economic development opportunities. •
By leveraging funds secured by Natural Resources Democrats in the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we can clean up Abandoned Mine Land
sites while also creating thousands of jobs for former fossil fuel workers,
reducing local pollution, & restoring lands.
• This hearing is on seven bills, most of which relate to
the nexus between wildfire and forest management. While none
of the bills on the agenda directly undermine bedrock environmental laws,
Committee Republicans will likely argue that public participation and
environmental review under NEPA is the main barrier to active management,
ignoring the fact that climate change is a main driver of worsening fire
conditions. • Fortunately, Democrat-led public lands legislation and
historic investments in landscape-scale preservation, conservation,
restoration, and resiliency-based activities and tools continue to mitigate
and respond to climate adaptation. IIJA investments include:
•
Democrats have also introduced legislation that aligns with the
WFMMC report, including the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration
Program Reauthorization Act of 2023 (Neguse) and continue to
explore new opportunities to translate the report’s recommendations into
action.
•
The federal government has a trust responsibility to promote tribal
self-government and support the general well-being of American Indians and
Alaska Natives. •
There is a need for increased recruitment and retention incentives among
tribal law enforcement agencies and parity for tribal law enforcement
officers who enforce federal laws on tribal lands. •
Federal programs designed to support the social and economic well-being of
Native Americans have been chronically underfunded for decades, which
continues to leave many basic needs in the Indian Country unmet, exacerbating
the observed inequities. •
Until
infrastructure concerns across BIA, BIE, & IHS are fully addressed,
tribal communities will continue to face steep disparities in quality of
education, healthcare, & public safety services. |
|
W
15 |
Full
Committee
|
Markup Regular Order
Unanimous Consent
Watch here.
|
|
|
Th
16 |
Oversight
& Investigations
|
9 a.m. Oversight Hearing “Reporting for Duty: Examining the Impacts of the Department of
the Interior’s Remote and Telework Policies.”
Watch here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F
17 |
|
Adverting a government shut down? |
|
Hope
this has been helpful. Let me know if you have any questions – we are here!
Marilyn Zepeda Salazar (Mar)
Director of Public Engagement
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