DC Legislative Update: July 19 – 23, 2021

DC Legislative Update: July 19 – 23, 2021

Check here for the 2021 Senate Calendar
Check here for the 2021 House Calendar

Upcoming Congressional Hearings 

  • House Financial Services Committee
    • Tuesday, July 20 at 10am EST: “Building Back A Better, More Equitable Housing Infrastructure for America: Oversight of the Department of Housing and Urban ”
  • House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
  • House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
  • House Natural Resources Committee
    • Tuesday, July 20 at 12pm EST: Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States legislative hearing on R. 442 (Rep. Young), the Alaska Regional Health Consortium Land Transfer Act, and H.R. 3496 (Rep. Gallego), the Urban Indian Health Providers Facilities Improvement Act.
    • Tuesday, July 20 at 3pm EST: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Oversight Hearing titled “Examining the Potential for a Civilian Climate Corps.”
  • Wednesday, July 21 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Oversight hearing on “Examining the President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Proposal for the S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”
  • Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
  • Wednesday, July 22 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight hearing on “Examining Current Issues Adversely Affecting Environmental Justice ”
  • House Agriculture Committee
    • Wednesday, July 21 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry hearing on “The U.S. Wood Products Industry: Facilitating the Post COVID-19 Recovery.”
  • Senate Judiciary Committee
  • Senate Foreign Relations Committee
    • Wednesday, July 21 at 2pm EST: Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy hearing on “Combatting Climate Change in East Asia and the Pacific”

Congressional News 

  • Last week, Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee agreed to a $3.5 trillion top-line spending level to address President Biden’s priorities, laid out in the American Families Plan and American Jobs We expect movement on the budget resolution in the coming weeks.
  • The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 13-7 to pass the bipartisan Energy Infrastructure Act of 2021 which aims to create jobs and put people back to work restoring degraded lands, strengthening community resilience, expanding clean energy and carbon capture technology, and reducing wildfire risk. See here for NWF’s press release, including a link to Collin O’Mara’s previous testimony on the bill.
  • Last week, the Senate voted 72-27 to confirm Nellie Liang as the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for domestic finance and 91-8 to confirm Donald Remy’s nomination to be deputy secretary of Veterans
  • On July 16, Senators Bennet [D-CO] and Heinrich [D-N.M.] introduced S.2369, the Tribal Access to Clean Water Act of 2021. The bill would provide substantial appropriations to federal agencies tasked with addressing clean water infrastructure on tribal lands and would ensure that all Native Americans are able to access clean water for drinking and See here for the Senators’ press release.

Administrative News 

  • On July 15, the U.S. Forest Service announced plans to repeal the Alaska Roadless Rule and to end large-scale old-growth logging on the Tongass as part of the Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy. See here for NWF’s press release.
  • See here for White House resources, including a comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other topics.

What’s Happening This Week 

  • As Congress continues to work on appropriations and budget reconciliation, NWF will continue to advocate for organizational priorities. See NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda for more.
  • NWF, the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and Reimagine Appalachia are hosting an event on Wednesday, July 21, from 2-3pm EST to evaluate the potential for a twenty-first century Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Register here to attend.
  • House is back in session this week and is expected to take up the PFAS Action Act on the floor this week.

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