It is a largely quiet week on the Hill, as far as climate legislation or hearings go.  The big news this week will be roll out of the President’s budget and the expected votes to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.  All of which will overshadow the one truly interesting hearing on climate science that will be held in the House Science and Technology Committee on Thursday.  The hearing will be the first real Congressional examination of geoengineering and whether it would work to reverse climate trends.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing for the FY 2011 budget at 10:00 a.m. in Room 608 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The House Budget Committee will also hold a hearing for FY 2011 budget at 2:00 p.m. in Room 210 of the Cannon House Office Building. The Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag will testify for the budget committee hearings.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold nomination hearings for Larry Persily and Patricia Hoffman at 2:30 p.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Persily has been nominated to serve as federal coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects and Hoffman has been nominated to be assistant secretary of Energy for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

The House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment will hold a hearing in Room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building to continue to explore the science and engineering specifics of the geoengineering concept, which many scientists say is a potential “Plan B” to cool the planet.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to receive testimony by the Secretary of Energy Steven Chu on the U.S. Department of Energy’s budget for fiscal year 2011. The hearing will be at 10:00 a.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Another hearing on the Fiscal 2011 Budgets, as previously mentioned, will be held by the Senate Finance Committee at 10:00 a.m. in Room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

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