04.01.22

LIVESTREAMS NEXT WEEK: Opioid Crisis in Tribal Communities and Wildfire Management on Tuesday, Committee Markup on Wednesday, Russian Seafood Ban on Thursday

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

TUESDAY, APRIL 5

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led by Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.), will hold an oversight hearing titled, The Opioid Crisis in Tribal Communities.

Nationally, tribal communities have been among the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic; Native Americans are almost 50% more likely to die of an opioid overdose than any other group. The number of overdose deaths has spiked even higher during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government has a fiduciary trust obligation to provide healthcare to all American Indians and Alaska Natives, but prevention and treatment programs for tribal communities are chronically and significantly underfunded, even with budget increases in recent years. Tribally-run health services and Urban Indian Organizations administer a significant portion of healthcare services, but federal funding for these programs is often too restrictive or difficult to access.

This hearing will examine how the federal government can fulfill its trust responsibility and support self-determination by providing resources to support programs that address the opioid crisis in tribal communities.

Witnesses

  • The Honorable Chuck Hoskin, Jr., Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation
  • Ms. Maureen Rosette, Board Member, National Council of Urban Indian Health
  • Mr. Wayne Cortez, Peer Support Specialist, Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc.
  • Mr. Art Del Cueto, Vice President, Western Region, National Border Patrol Council (minority witness)

When: 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/fFantM2T6rE

 

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands

The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, led by Chair Joe Neguse (D-Colo), will hold an oversight hearing titled, Investing in Wildfire Management, Ecosystem Restoration, and Resilient Communities: Examining Implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), signed by President Biden on Nov. 15, 2021, provides $28.1 billion to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to restore critical habitats, address drought, assist with wildland fire management, support communities, and help them prepare for extreme weather events. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) received approximately $5.5 billion. 

This hearing will examine DOI’s and USFS’ implementation of BIL funding for wildfire management, with a particular focus on policies and investments that address climate change, support ecosystem restoration and reforestation, facilitate collaboration towards fire-adapted landscapes, and confront wildfire and public lands workforce needs.

Witnesses

  • Mr. Jeff Rupert, Director, Office of Wildland Fire, U.S. Department of the Interior
  • Ms. Jaelith Hall-Rivera, Deputy Chief, State and Private Forestry, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Mr. Brian Ferebee, Chief Executive of Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

When: 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/228aA4kBgA0

 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6

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

  • H.R. 920 (Clyburn), To amend the Act entitled “Act to provide for the establishment of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in the State of Kansas, and for other purposes” to provide for inclusion of additional related sites in the National Park System, and for other purposes. Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site Expansion Act.
  • H.R. 1638 (Johnson), To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer certain National Forest System land to the State of South Dakota, and for other purposes. Gilt Edge Mine Conveyance Act.
  • H.R. 2626 (Robin Kelly), To redesignate the Pullman National Monument in the State of Illinois as the Pullman National Historical Park, and for other purposes. Pullman National Historical Park Act.
  • H.R. 5093 (Beutler), To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer certain National Forest System land in the State of Washington to Skamania County, Washington. Wind River Administrative Site Conveyance Act.
  • H.R. 6651 (Young) To establish an Alaska Salmon Research Task Force. Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act.

When: 10:00 a.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/bktRIZFx2Ac

 

THURSDAY, APRIL 7

Subcommittee Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

The Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, led by Chair Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), will hold an oversight hearing titled, Russian Seafood Ban Implementation and Seafood Traceability.

Following Vladimir Putin’s deadly attack on Ukraine, President Biden issued Executive Order 14068 restricting imports of certain Russian products, including seafood, into the United States. However, a significant portion of Russian-caught seafood is first sent to other countries for processing before coming to the U.S.; China alone is responsible for processing over a quarter (26 percent) of seafood caught in Russia. Without traceability and transparency requirements for all seafood imports, the executive order will be ineffective in stopping the import of Russian-caught seafood into the U.S.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requires traceability and transparency for 13 species groups of seafood through its Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP). To effectively block all Russian-caught seafood from entering the U.S., expanding SIMP to require traceability for all species is critical.

Witnesses

Panel I: Administration

  • Administration Witness TBD

Panel II: Expert Witnesses

  • Ms. Sally Yozell, Senior Fellow and Director of Environmental Security, Stimson Center
  • Dr. Tabitha Grace Mallory, Founder and CEO, The China Ocean Institute
  • Mr. Austin Brush, Senior Analyst, The Center for Advanced Defense Studies
  • Minority Witness TBD

When: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/LxSws01k4Dw

Press Contact

Media Contact: Lindsay Gressard

(202) 225-6065 or (202) 740-4715 mobile