06.04.21

Livestreams Next Week: DDT Dumping in the Pacific Ocean, Public Lands Legislative Hearing on Tuesday

Washington, D.C. – The Natural Resources Committee is holding two livestreamed events next week.

Tuesday, June 8

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands

The Subcommittee, led by Chair Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), will host a virtual, fully remote legislative hearing on the following bills:

  • H.R. 3113 (Rep. Blake Moore), To require the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to digitize and make publicly available geographic information system mapping data relating to public access to Federal land and waters for outdoor recreation, and for other purposes. Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act.
  • H.R. 3670 (Rep. Joe Neguse), To improve access for outdoor recreation through the use of special recreation permits on Federal recreational lands and waters, and for other purposes. Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act.
  • H.R.___ (Rep. Ann McLane Kuster), To amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to provide for the establishment of a Ski Area Fee Retention Account, and for other purposes. Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development (SHRED) Act.
  • H.R.___ (Rep. Rashida Tlaib), To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to complete an interagency report on the effects of special recreation permits on environmental justice communities, and for other purposes. Environmental Justice in Recreation Permitting Act.

Witnesses

Panel I (Congressional Panel)

  • Rep. Joe Neguse (SOAR Act)
  • Additional Members TBA

Panel II (Administration Panel)

  • Mark Lambrecht

Assistant Director, National Conservation Lands and Community Partnerships

Bureau of Land Management (All Bills)

  • Jennifer Eberlien

Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System

U.S. Forest Service (All Bills)

Panel III (Expert Witness Panel)

  • Rue Mapp

Founder and CEO, Outdoor Afro (EJ in Rec Permitting)

  • Betsy Robblee

Conservation and Advocacy Director, The Mountaineers (SOAR Act)

  • Alan Henceroth

Chief Operating Officer, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area (SHRED Act)

  • Joel Pedersen

President and CEO, Mule Deer Foundation (H.R. 3113)

When: 12:00 p.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/bkSs7BHScnU

Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

The Subcommittee, led by Chair Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), will hold a virtual, fully remote oversight hearing titled DDT Dumping Off the Southern California Coast: Ecological Impacts, Scientific Needs, and Next Steps. The hearing will examine potential federal remedies for the ecological damage done by years of DDT ocean dumping off the southern California coast into marine habitats near populated areas.

The dumping range, first publicly reported by the Los Angeles Times, was recently discovered to be even larger than previously thought. The hearing will give Committee members their first chance to take expert testimony on how Congress should address the potentially severe impacts of toxic pollution in the region.

Witnesses

  • Jared Blumenfeld

Secretary for Environmental Protection

California Environmental Protection Agency

  • Dr. Eunha Hoh

Professor, Environmental Health

San Diego State University

  • Dr. Lihini Aluwihare

Professor, Geosciences Research Division

Scripps Oceanographic Institution, University of California San Diego

  • Minority witness to be announced

Dumping of DDT barrels and other waste materials is now known to have occurred regularly from the 1930s to the 1970s in federal waters off the shore of Southern California. A recent study found more than 100,000 debris objects, including more than 27,000 barrel-shaped objects, in just one of 14 assigned dumpsites in the Southern California Bight.

Scientists have recorded high levels of DDT in marine wildlife in the Southern California Bight for decades. The impacts on the offshore ecosystem, environment, and human health remain unknown, and further study is necessary.

While Congress banned ocean dumping decades ago, there is no comprehensive law that addresses the destructive, wide-ranging impacts of legacy dumping in deep ocean waters. The Southern California barrel dumping site is not unique—legacy ocean dumpsites exist throughout the United States—and the Committee is holding this hearing to begin the process of addressing what is clearly a major federal environmental issue.

When: 3:00 p.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/EmTHnOYw6EY

Press Contact

Media Contact: Adam Sarvana

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