Hearings for Week of April 29: DOI Reorganization, Public Lands Bills, Renewable Energy, Seafood Slavery, Puerto Rico Recovery, May 1 Markup

Washington, D.C. – The Committee on Natural Resources is holding five hearings and a markup for the week of April 29. Among other bills, the markup will include Rep. Jared Huffman’s (D-Calif.) proposal to eliminate oil drilling authorization in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Trump administration’s promise to reorganize the Department of the Interior (DOI) has been met with skepticism and controversy, especially because of former Secretary Ryan Zinke’s failure to present any reorganization plan or budget request to Congress. His successor, Secretary David Bernhardt, has yet to articulate his plans for reorganization. One of his deputies, Scott Cameron, will testify next Tuesday before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on how DOI is moving forward.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee will hold a hearing next Tuesday on the need to transition to clean energy development on public lands rather than remaining focused on fossil fuel extraction. The hearing comes in the wake of the administration’s recently announced pause on developing a new five-year offshore drilling plan, which underscored the tenuous legal and political landscape for the administration’s industry dominance energy agenda.

The National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee will hold a legislative hearing next Tuesday on four national heritage area bills.

The Committee will hold its first markup of the 116^th Congress next Wednesday, featuring 13 bills across a broad range of the Committee’s jurisdiction. Highlights include a fix for the Supreme Court’s Carcieri ruling, which has hurt many Native American tribes’ ability to take land into trust; a bill to reverse the Trump administration’s decision to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling; a bill to protect the North Atlantic right whale; and a mining reclamation bill called the RECLAIM Act that Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and other Democrats have promoted for years.

The Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee will hold a hearing next Wednesday on the status of American fisheries, including persistent slavery and human trafficking in parts of the industry. The hearing will feature testimony on industry labor practices and on the effectiveness of the Magnuson-Stevens Act in protecting fishery quotas and habitat quality.

Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led a congressional delegation to Puerto Rico in March to focus on hurricane recovery and the damaging effects of economic austerity. Island residents participated in a historic public listening session on March 15, and Grijalva promised to take what he heard back to Washington. On Thursday, May 2, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, the next phase of the Committee’s assistance to Puerto Rico begins as Grijalva leads a hearing titled The Status of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA): Lessons Learned Three Years Later.

Witness lists are available below. As with all hearings, these events are open to media and the public.

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Hearing: No Road Map, No Destination, No Justification: The Implementation and Impacts of the Reorganization of the Department of the Interior

When: Tuesday, April 30, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Where: Longworth 1324

Livestream: http://bit.ly/2ZDI6qY

Witness List

Mr. Scott Cameron, Principal Deputy Secretary, DOI Office of Policy Management and Budget
Ms. Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife
Mr. Michael Bromwich, The Bromwich Group; Former Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Former Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
Mr. Harold Frazier, Chairman, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands

Hearing: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 642, H.R. 1049, H.R. 1990, And H.R. 2288

When: Tuesday, April 30, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time

Where: Longworth 1324

Livestream: http://bit.ly/2PvonF6

Bills Considered

H.R. 642 (Rep. Glenn Thompson), To amend the Oil Region National Heritage Area Act to reauthorize the Oil Region National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. “Oil Region National Heritage Area Reauthorization Act”
H.R. 1049 (Rep. Paul Tonko), To authorize a National Heritage Area Program, and for other purposes. “National Heritage Area Act of 2019”
H.R. 1990 (Rep. Michael Turner), To amend the National Aviation Heritage Act to reauthorize the National Aviation Heritage Area, and for other purposes. “National Aviation Heritage Area Reauthorization Act”
H.R. 2288 (Rep. Paul Tonko), To increase the total authorization of appropriations for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. “Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act”

Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

Hearing: Public Lands and our Clean Energy Future

When: Tuesday, April 30, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Where: Longworth 1334

Livestream: http://bit.ly/2IJaT89

Witness List

Mr. Lyle Jack, Chairman, Oceti Sakowin Power Authority
Ms. Erica Brand, Director, California Energy Strategy, The Nature Conservancy
Mr. Michael Gerrard, Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia Law School
Mr. Jim Lamon (Minority Witness), Chief Executive Officer, DEPCOM Power

Full Committee Markup

Hearing: Markup on H.R. 255, H.R. 278, H.R. 312, H.R. 315, H.R. 375, H.R. 434, H.R. 537, H.R. 1014, H.R. 1146, H.R. 1261, H.R. 1568, H.R. 1809, H.R. 2156

When: Wednesday, May 1, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Where: Longworth 1324

Livestream: http://bit.ly/2GJJlgA

Bills Considered

H.R. 255 (Rep. Cook), To provide for an exchange of lands with San Bernardino County, California, to enhance management of lands within the San Bernardino National Forest, and for other purposes.
H.R. 278 (Rep. Newhouse), To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain facilities, easements, and rights-of-way to the Kennewick Irrigation District, and for other purposes.
H.R. 312 (Rep. Keating), Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act
H.R. 315 (Rep. LaHood), To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to authorize partnerships between States and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of reclaiming and restoring land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining activities before August 3, 1977, and for other purposes.
H.R. 375 (Rep. Cole), To amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian Tribes, and for other purposes.
H.R. 434 (Rep. Jackson-Lee), To designate the Emancipation National Historic Trail, and for other purposes.
H.R. 537 (Rep. Lamborn), To amend the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to authorize pumped storage hydropower development utilizing multiple Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs. (Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act)
H.R. 1014 (Rep. González-Colón), To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to apply to territories of the United States, to establish offshore wind lease sale requirements, to provide dedicated funding for coral reef conservation, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1146 (Rep. Huffman), To amend Public Law 115-97 (commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) to repeal the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas program, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1261 (Rep. DelBene), To establish a national program to identify and reduce losses from landslide hazards, to establish a national 3D Elevation Program, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1568 (Rep. Moulton), To assist in the conservation of the North Atlantic right whale by supporting and providing financial resources for North Atlantic right whale conservation programs and projects of persons with expertise required for the conservation of North Atlantic right whales, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1809 (Rep. Sablan), To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act, to provide parity for United States territories and the District of Columbia, to make technical corrections to such Acts and related laws, and for other purposes.
H.R. 2156 (Rep. Cartwright), Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More Act Of 2019 (RECLAIM)

Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

Hearing: The State of Fisheries

When: Wednesday, May 1, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time

Where: Longworth 1324

Livestream: http://bit.ly/2XNkj6i

Witness List

Panel I: Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing

Ms. Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly, Director of Global Fisheries and Aquaculture, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Ms. Beth Lowell, Deputy Vice President, U.S. Campaigns, Oceana
Ms. Judy Gearhart, Executive Director, International Labor Rights Forum

Panel II: The State of U.S. Fisheries

Dr. Rebecca Selden, Postdoctoral Associate, Rutgers University
Captain John McMurray, President, American Saltwater Guides Association
Mr. Bob Dooley, Associate Member, Seafood Harvesters of America

Full Committee Hearing

Hearing: The Status of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA): Lessons Learned Three Years Later

When: Thursday, May 2, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Where: Longworth 1324

Livestream: http://bit.ly/2W77IKv

Witness List

Panel I

The Honorable Ricardo A. Rosselló, Governor, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

Panel II

Ms. Natalie A. Jaresko, Executive Director, Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico
Mr. Martín Guzmán, Non-Resident Senior Fellow for Fiscal Policy, Espacios Abiertos
Ms. Amanda Rivera, Executive Director, The Institute for Youth Development of Puerto Rico
Dr. Ana Cristina Gómez-Pérez, Associate Professor, University of Puerto Rico

Press Contact

Media Contact: Adam Sarvana

(202) 225-6065 or (202) 578-6626 mobile

Next Article Previous Article