This Week on the Hill
Capitol hill remains a busy place in the climate space, with six committee hearings on issues varying from the affect of climate legislation on trade policy to consumer protections in climate policy. At the same time, the Senate continues its debate of the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill.
On Tuesday, March 10th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee meets to discuss the conduct of a study examining the effects energy development will have on the waters of the U.S. The hearing will take place in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building and will be webcast live here. Witnesses include Carl Bauer, Director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory, US Department of Energy, Stephen Bolze from GE Power & Water, Dr. Michael Webber of The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Peter Gleick from the Pacific Institute and Dr. Lon House of Water and Energy Consulting. Also in the Senate, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe will hold a hearing on the “impact[s] of potential climate remediation policies on carbon-intensive United States industries and creating climate-friendly economic and trade polices, focusing on how the financial crisis impacts the implementation of climate-friendly policies within the United States and among trading partners.” The hearing will take place at 10:00am in room 428-A of the Russell Senate Office Building. Three witnesses are scheduled to testify: Robert Bradley, Director of International Climate Policy at the World Resources Institute, Trevor Houser a Visiting Fellow at Peterson Institute for International Economics and Richard D. Morgenstern, a Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future.
In the House of Representatives, the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hearing entitled “The Future of Coal Under Climate Legislation.” That hearing will take place at 9:30am in room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Read a briefing memo on that hearing here.
On Thursday, March 12th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds two hearings. The first, at 10:00 in Dirksen 366, will examine new legislation on power transmission line siting, and whether more siting authority should be given to the federal government. The second hearing will consider the nomination of David Hayes to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior. That hearing will take place at 2:30pm, once again in Dirksen 366.
In the House, the Energy and Environment Subcommittee will once again hold at hearing, this time on consumer protection under climate legislation. The hearing will begin at 10:00am, in 2322 Rayburn.