09.16.22

LIVESTREAMS NEXT WEEK: Grijalva Climate Bill and Castro-Huerta SCOTUS Decision on Tuesday, Markup on Wednesday, and Puerto Rico Energy Oversight on Thursday

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

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, led by Chair Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), will hold a legislative hearing on the following bill:

  • H.R. 8802 (Grijalva), To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Chief of the Forest Service to align management of public lands and waters with the President’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, and for other purposes. Public Lands and Waters Climate Leadership Act of 2022

Witnesses

  • Mr. Andrew Dessler (H.R. 8802), Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Director, Texas Center for Climate Studies; Reta A. Haynes Chair in Geosciences, Texas A&M University
  • Ms. Rosemary Ahtuangaruak (H.R. 8802), Mayor, Nuiqsut, Alaska
  • Ms. Abigail Ross Hopper (H.R. 8802), President and CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association
  • Mr. Kenny Stein (H.R. 8802), Policy Director, Institute for Energy Research

When: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 11:00 a.m. Eastern time

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

SUBCOMMITTEE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE UNITED STATES

The Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, led by Chair Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), will hold an oversight hearing titled, Examining Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta: The Implications of the Supreme Court's Ruling on Tribal Sovereignty.

On June 29, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals’ ruling in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta by determining that the State maintains concurrent jurisdiction with the federal government to prosecute major crimes committed by non-Indians against Indians in Indian Country. The 5-4 opinion led by Justice Kavanaugh held that Indian Country within a state’s territory is part of the State, which therefore confers State jurisdiction to the prosecution of crimes committed in Indian Country unless it is otherwise preempted.

Castro-Huerta overturns nearly 200 years of federal Indian legal precedent and further complicates an already complex framework for the investigation and prosecution of crimes committed in Indian Country. This expansion of State jurisdiction is anticipated to add greater uncertainty over what government entity maintains the authority to deliver public safety services on tribal lands and will likely influence the quality of such services.

The oversight hearing will provide an overview of Castro-Huerta’s national impacts in Indian County and explore how this ruling may pose additional threats to tribal sovereignty.

Witnesses

Panel I: Administration Panel

  • Hon. Bryan Newland, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior

Panel II: Tribal Leader Panel

  • Hon. Jonodev Chaudhuri, Ambassador, Muscogee Creek Nation
  • Hon. Kevin Killer, President, Oglala Sioux Tribe
  • Hon. Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, Chairwoman, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah
  • Hon. Whitney Gravelle, President, Bay Mills Indian Community
  • Hon. Teri Gobin, Chair, Tulalip Tribes
  • Hon. Sara Hill, Attorney General, Cherokee Nation

Panel III: Legal Panel

  • Ms. Mary Kathryn Nagle, Counsel, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
  • Ms. Bethany Berger, Wallace Stevens Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law
  • Ms. Carole Goldberg, Jonathan D. Varat Distinguished Professor of Law Emerita, University of California School of Law
  • Ms. Stacy Leeds, Foundation Professor of Law and Leadership, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
  • Hon. Matthew J. Ballard, District Attorney, Oklahoma District 12
  • Mr. Mithun Mansinghani, Partner, Lehotsky Keller LLP

When: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 11:00 a.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/7e_OpX_DVr8 

FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP

The full Committee, led by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), will hold a markup on the following bill:  

  • H.R. 4690 (Huffman), To reauthorize and amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes. Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act of 2021.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 21, 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/PwFwoy5reww

***POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE***

FULL COMMITTEE (OFFICE OF INSULAR AFFAIRS)

The full Committee, led by Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), will hold an oversight hearing titled, PROMESA and LUMA Energy’s Contract.

The hearing will feature testimony from key stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) and discuss H.R. 7409 – TRUST for Puerto Rico Act to dissolve the Oversight Board. The hearing will also examine LUMA Energy’s contract to manage, operate, and rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric power transmission and distribution system.

Invited Witnesses

Panel I: PROMESA and H.R. 7409

  • The Hon. Pedro Pierluisi, Governor of Puerto Rico
  • The Hon. José Luis Dalmau, President, Puerto Rico Senate
  • The Hon. Rafael “Tatito” Hernández, Speaker, Puerto Rico House of Representatives
  • Mr. David A. Skeel Jr, Chair, Financial Oversight and Management Board
  • Ms. Jessica E. Méndez-Colberg, Attorney, Bufete Emmanuelli, C.S.P.
  • Ms. Cecille Blondet, Executive Director, Espacios Abiertos
  • Ms. Maryln Goyco-García, Puerto Rico Campaign Coordinator, Center for Popular Democracy

Panel II: LUMA Energy’s Contract

  • Mr. Fermín Fontanés, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority 
  • Mr. Josué Colón, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority
  • Mr. Edison Avilés-Deliz, Chair, Puerto Rico Energy Bureau
  • Mr. Wayne Stensby, President & CEO, LUMA Energy Corporation
  • Ms. Ruth Santiago, Attorney & Environmental Policy Expert
  • Ms. Ingrid Vila Biaggi, President, CAMBIO

When: Thursday, Sept. 22, 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/hqivqZuqw9Y

Press Contact

Media Contact: Lindsay Gressard

202-225-6065 | cell: 202-740-4715