09.03.20

Livestreams Next Week: Environmental Justice on Tuesday, Pendley’s Unfitness for Office on Wednesday, Native American School Reopenings on Thursday

This has been updated to reflect a rescheduled time for the SCIP hearing.

Washington, D.C. – The House Natural Resources Committee will hold three livestreamed events next week.

Tuesday, Sept. 8

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will lead a livestreamed forum titled Environmental Justice Now Tour: New Mexico as part of his ongoing campaign with Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) to build support for their Environmental Justice for All Act. The bill continues to gather momentum, with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) introducing a Senate companion bill on July 30.

Tuesday’s speakers include:

  • Richard Moore, Co-Coordinator, Environmental Justice Health Alliance
  • Leona Morgan, Co-founder, Nuclear Issues Study Group
  • Elder Kathy Sanchez, Tewa Women United
  • Sofia Martinez, Concerned Citizens of Wagon Mound and Mora County
  • Arturo Uribe, Mesquite Community Action Committee

Speakers will highlight the impacts of fossil fuel extraction and other polluting industries in New Mexico, especially in rural areas with low incomes and high propensities for pre-existing health conditions. The event will feature a discussion of how the Environmental Justice for All Act would restore power to local communities to protect their environmental quality, increase funding for waste cleanup and economic transition, and restore balance to natural resource extraction laws in communities that have been used for decades as pollution dumping grounds.

The forum follows the Committee’s July 30 Environmental Justice Now Tour: Michigan event. The Committee postponed recent events planned in Louisiana and Houston due to Hurricane Laura, and makeup dates for those events will be announced as soon as they’re available.

When: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://bit.ly/2EV0O7U (Facebook) or https://youtu.be/g231fWwtLao (YouTube)

Wednesday, Sept. 9

On Wednesday, Sept. 9, Vice Chair Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) will lead a livestreamed roundtable titled William Pendley’s Unfitness to Lead the Bureau of Land Management with Chair Grijalva and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. The event will feature a range of stakeholders discussing the damage Pendley has done as acting head of the agency since taking over more than a year ago.

President Trump nominated Pendley to serve in a formal role but withdrew the nomination on August 15, which led the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to cancel its planned confirmation hearing. The roundtable is part of the Committee’s larger effort to scrutinize Pendley’s record, which is especially necessary in the absence of oversight from the Republican-controlled Senate.

Wednesday’s speakers include:

  • Collin O’Mara, President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation
  • Angelo Baca, Cultural Resources Coordinator, Utah Diné Bikéyah
  • Tim Whitehouse, Executive Director, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
  • Sarah Thomas, Land Program Manager, Conserve Southwest Utah

When: 12:00 p.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://bit.ly/2DvYUdi (Facebook) or https://youtu.be/ucqmU9OEYxE (YouTube)

Thursday, Sept. 10

On Thursday, Sept. 10, the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States will hold an official hearing titled Examining the Bureau of Indian Education's School Reopening Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The formal event will feature expert testimony on school funding, inconsistent guidelines for reopening, the safety of students and employees, and the administration’s failure to address the needs of students with disabilities in Indian Country.

Thursday’s speakers include:

  • The Honorable Joe Garcia, Co-Chair, Tribal Interior Budget Council; Education Subcommittee, National Congress of American Indians
  • Lance Witte, Superintendent & Principal, Lower Brule Schools
  • Sue Parton, President, Federation of Indian Service Employees
  • Therese Yanan, Executive Director & Attorney, Native American Disability Law Center

When: 3:00 p.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://bit.ly/2RqG6j3 (Facebook) or https://youtu.be/MP2sf_-288M (YouTube)

Press Contact

Media Contact: Adam Sarvana

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