This week the House Energy and Commerce Committee will continue to work towards a compromise to gain a majority of votes to have a mark-up of the Waxman-Markey climate change draft bill.  Once done, one can expect a mark up either in the Environment and Energy Subcommittee or at the full committee level.  In the interim, several hearings related to climate change are scheduled this week on Capitol Hill.

Tuesday, May 5

The House Science and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on “Expanding Climate Services at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Developing the National Climate Service” at 10 a.m. in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building.  Nine witnesses will testify.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold a hearing on “The Global Implications of a Warming Arctic” at 2:15 p.m. in Room 419 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.  Witnesses include The Honorable Lisa Murkowski (R-AK); The Honorable Mark Begich (D-AK); David Carlson, Director, International Polar Year International Program Office; Scott Borgerson, Visiting Fellow, Ocean Governance Council on Foreign Relations; Lawson Brigham, Chair, Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment Arctic Council; Lisa Speer, Oceans Program Director, Natural Resources Defense Council; and Mead Treadwell, Chair, US Arctic Research Commission.

Wednesday, May 6

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a Full Committee Business Meeting: to consider legislation on siting of interstate electric transmission facilities, energy finance, and nuclear energy at 10 a.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.  Also that day, the Senate Appropriations Committee has a hearing scheduled to review the range of innovative, non-geologic applications for the beneficial reuse of carbon dioxide from coal and other fossil fuel facilities.  Witnesses include Scott Klara, National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy; Jeff Mush, Utah State University, Executive Director, Center for Biofuels, USU Energy Laboratory; Brent R. Constantz, Chief Executive Officer, Calera Corporation; and Marjorie L. Tatro, Director of Fuel and Water Systems, Sandia National Laboratories.  The hearing will take place at 9 a.m. in Room 192 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

At 11 a.m. in Room 1300 of the Longworth House Office Building, the House Agriculture Committee will commence a hearing on the renewable fuels standard.  Witnesses have not been announced.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a 10 a.m. hearing on “Auctioning under Cap and Trade:  Design, Participation and Distribution of Revenues” in Room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.  Witnesses will be released prior to the hearing.  That afternoon the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to receive testimony on net metering and distributed generation at 2:30 p.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Office Building.

For further information about this topic, please contact Akin Gump.