Table Of Content
- Wall Street rises to start a week full of earnings reports and a Fed meeting
- New NEPA Rule Deepens Permitting Quagmire
- Fossilized Finances: State and Federal Oil and Gas Subsidies in the Permian Basin
- Law that ended single-family zoning is struck down for five Southern California cities
- Latest News & Commentary
In recent years, Republicans have worked to undermine our nation’s bedrock species protection laws, decrease funding for conservation initiatives and even permit drilling in precious places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Democrats are working to strengthen laws like the ESA and MBTA, increase funding for conservation efforts, expand the National Wildlife Refuge System, and secure funding for the recovery of imperiled species[MB1] . The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (also referred to as the Magnuson-Stevens Act or MSA) is the preeminent law governing the management and conservation of our fisheries in federal waters, which generally extend between 3 and 200 nautical miles offshore. “The gray wolf is an Endangered Species Act success story, and it shouldn’t languish on the endangered species list any longer, especially as such listings defy common sense and science,” Boebert said a hearing on her bill last year. 2925 would address a 2019 federal court ruling concerning the Rosemont copper mine project in Arizona, which barred mining companies from storing waste on public land without first proving valuable minerals exist.
Wall Street rises to start a week full of earnings reports and a Fed meeting
But, the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide is changing the ocean’s chemistry, causing it to acidify at an alarming rate. Ocean acidification threatens the growth and reproduction of many marine species. The long-running debate over the gray wolf’s Endangered Species Act status will also take center stage this week — both on the House floor and in a subcommittee field hearing in Minnesota. 2925, the “Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2023,” which would allow companies to do things like store waste, construct buildings or process mined materials on lands that don’t contain economically valuable minerals. They could make drilling on those lands more difficult, with stiffer rules to mitigate any impacts that industry has on the tundra ecosystem and wildlife. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), would remove the recovered gray wolf from the endangered species list.
New NEPA Rule Deepens Permitting Quagmire
For added measure, the bill would exempt this action from further judicial review. Currently, the species is listed as threatened in Minnesota and endangered in the other lower 48 states except for the northern Rocky Mountains population. It would force the issue by requiring the service to reissue a 2020 rule that delisted the gray wolf in the lower 48 states. The House already had an energy week and planned a separate push this month focused on attacking Department of Energy efficiency rules. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), which would revoke a withdrawal banning mineral extraction in an extensive portion of Northern Minnesota, reinstate mineral leases and permits in the Superior National Forest and ensure timely review of Mine Plans of Operations.
Fossilized Finances: State and Federal Oil and Gas Subsidies in the Permian Basin
Negotiated settlements relieve taxpayers from significant legal liability; support cooperative solutions that benefit all stakeholders; and prevent costly, protracted, and divisive water rights litigation across the western states. Settlements also help tribal communities move past the health and economic consequences caused by a lack of secure access to water. Subcommittee Democrats are actively working to protect at-risk wildlife species, habitats, and communities from the negative impacts of climate change. This work includes upholding the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and supporting other legislation and agency actions that protect and conserve our natural resources for future generations. The federal government has a trust responsibility to protect tribes’ rights to access and use the water resources they are legally entitled to.
In the century since his presidency, conservationists and sportsmen have worked together to implement sound environmental policies that enhance habitat protection and increase public lands access. Promoting outdoor activities, including ethical hunting and fishing, is key to encouraging Americans to spend time outdoors. Democrats prioritize improving and developing land, water, and wildlife conservation efforts through public programs and private partnerships.
Field Hearing Highlights Border Crisis, Exposes Destruction of Federal Lands - Hearing Committee Activity The House Committee on Natural Resources
Field Hearing Highlights Border Crisis, Exposes Destruction of Federal Lands.
Posted: Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Exterior pavers highlight some of California’s threatened species and serve as a reminder to the importance of our work. Get Boiling Point, our new newsletter exploring climate change and the environment, and become part of the conversation — and the solution. But Sempra executives see gas exports as a potential growth opportunity under Biden, especially if they can make the case that the fossil fuel would help reduce emissions at home and abroad. Pembina Pipeline Corp. has gotten closer than any company thus far to building an export terminal on the U.S. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Pembina’s planned Jordan Cove project in Oregon last year but more recently upheld a decision by Oregon officials to block the facility over its potential harm to water quality. It’s up to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, to approve or reject the construction of gas export terminals within U.S. borders.
Dams undergoing the relicensing process are eligible for year-to-year license extensions, which allow aging dams to continue operating without the facility upgrades necessary to comply with current law. This issue will likely gain urgency in the years to come as nearly a fifth of all federal hydropower licenses are set to expire by December 2026. Committee Democrats are working to ensure robust environmental and tribal protections for existing and future hydropower projects.
House Passes Bipartisan Bills Investing in Outdoor Recreation, Promoting Tribal Sovereignty - Hearing Committee Activity The House Committee on Natural Resources
House Passes Bipartisan Bills Investing in Outdoor Recreation, Promoting Tribal Sovereignty.
Posted: Wed, 20 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Congress must continue to work towards protecting wildlife at home and abroad to preserve biodiversity for future generations. Democrats have sought to strengthen protections for endangered and threatened species by requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to certify that any international trophy hunting of those species can be proven to enhance the conservation of the species before permitting the import of a trophy. Climate change is also warming the world’s oceans, which have already absorbed over 90% of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases humans emit into the atmosphere. Warmer ocean temperatures cause sea level rise, increase the frequency and severity of storms, and harm marine ecosystems, threatening coastal communities across the U.S. and its territories. While the Fish and Wildlife Service continues to study the idea of removing the iconic animal from the ESA list of threatened and endangered species, with a belated decision possibly coming at any time, lawmakers led by Western Republicans want action now.
Sempra is a Fortune 500 company best known for its ownership of two major utilities, Southern California Gas Co. and San Diego Gas & Electric. But it has also made big investments in liquefied natural gas, including the $10-billion Cameron export terminal in Louisiana, which opened in 2019 with a launch event featuring lengthy remarks from President Trump. A few days after Joe Biden claimed victory in the presidential election, a San Diego company quietly asked federal officials for permission to send 5 million tons of natural gas each year across the U.S.-Mexico border to an export terminal the company hopes to build along the Gulf of California. Committee Democrats support responsible approaches to hydropower production that adhere to environmental laws. Most hydropower dams—whether owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, other governmental agencies, or private entities—were built several decades ago, before a recognized need to consider climate change and fish passage in construction.
Tell the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission to support the Advanced Clean Truck and Low NOx rules. Gas] to the world, we think, ultimately is going to be a compelling proposition to a Biden administration that does want to re-engage globally,” Lloyd said. A federal judge in Northern California in February 2022 vacated the service’s 2020 delisting, thereby restoring the federal protections that Boebert and her allies now seek to roll back.
Department of Agriculture from prohibiting or regulating the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal land or water that is under their jurisdiction and made available for hunting or fishing without the necessary science to support such action. The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources considers legislation and conducts congressional oversight on all issues within the Committee’s jurisdiction (see below). The Committee's responsibilities include promoting environmental stewardship, sustainable resource management, and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.
Gray wolves have greatly exceeded their recovery goals, today numbering over 6,000 wolves in the lower-48 states. Today, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced a final National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rule that will further complicate the NEPA process and drive increased litigation that will delay future projects. Under the leadership of Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva, House Natural Resources Committee Democrats advance meaningful, justice-oriented solutions to fight climate change, pursue a healthier, more sustainable planet,and elevate the interests of Indigenous Peoples and residents of U.S.
Under Chair Grijalva’s leadership last Congress, Committee Democrats helped enact new tribal water settlements and deliver significant investments for tribal water projects, including $2.5 Billion for tribal water rights ssettlements in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. To improve clean water access and address the federal government’s legal obligations, Congress has historically approved and funded Indian water rights settlements, which are negotiated legal agreements that secure tribal water rights and provide the water infrastructure needed to treat and deliver water. The MSA ensures long-term sustainability for American fisheries, giving consumers a growing supply of domestic seafood. However, long-term fisheries management must now consider the impacts of climate change. Subcommittee Democrats secured historic funding for Climate Ready Fisheries in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Settlements quantify and secure legal recognition of these rights, protecting the water supply for tribes and providing certainty to all water users in a basin. Indian water rights settlements help ensure water security for entire communities, a matter of paramount importance for regions combating severe drought exacerbated by climate change. Republicans on the Subcommittee support an all-of-the-above energy approach that includes alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, hydropower, biomass and nuclear, geothermal, along with American-made oil, clean coal, and natural gas. After this kick-off webinar, we hosted virtual workshops organized around California’s eight natural and working landscapes. Our goal was to gather input on how the strategy can best drive climate smart land management to deliver on California’s climate goals – achieving carbon neutrality and building resilience to climate impacts.
In conjunction with these efforts, Democrats support improving access for recreation on federal lands, including increasing opportunities for hunters and anglers who engage in ethical practices such as using non-toxic materials. The House will vote on legislation that would restore canceled oil and gas leases in Alaska, remove the gray wolf from federal protection, and allow hunters and anglers to continue using lead ammunition and tackle on public lands. As part of his ambitious climate agenda, Biden has supported policies that would drive down demand for natural gas, at least domestically.
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