DC Legislative Update: May 24-28, 2021

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

Upcoming Congressional Hearings

House Natural Resources Committee

Monday, May 24 at 1pm EST: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hearing on “Expanding Clean Energy on Public Lands.”
Tuesday, May 25 at 1pm EST: Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife hearing on “The Status of Drought Conditions Throughout the Western United ”
Wednesday, May 26 at 11am EST: “Markup of Markup of: HR 164, HR 438, HR 1146, HR 1619, HR 1733, HR 1734, HR 2415, and HR ”
Thursday, May 27 at 1pm EST: Subcommittee on Parks, Forests, and Public Lands “Legislative hearing on H.R. 1664, H.R. 1931, H.R. 2278, and H.R. 2444. “

House Appropriations Committee

- Monday, 24 at 2pm EST: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development hearing on “FY 2022 Budget Request for the S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation.”
- Wednesday, May 26 at 1pm EST: Subcommittee on Defense hearing on “Defense Environmental Restoration.”

Senate Finance Committee

- Tuesday, May 25 at 9:30am EST: “Hearing to Consider the Pending Nominations of Lily Lawrence Batchelder to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Benjamin Harris to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Jonathan Davidson to be Deputy Under Secretary of the ”
- Wednesday, May 26 at 2:30pm EST: “Open Executive Session to Consider an Original Bill Entitled The Clean Energy for America ”

House Energy and Commerce Committee

- Tuesday, May 25 at 11:30am EST: Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change hearing on “The Clean Future Act and Drinking Water: Legislation to Ensure Drinking Water is Safe and Clean.”

House Financial Services Committee
- Tuesday, May 25 at 12pm EST: Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion hearing on “The Legacy of George Floyd: An Examination of Financial Services Industry Commitments to Economic and Racial ”

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

- Wednesday, May 26 at 9:45am EST: “Business Meeting to consider the following items: Shannon Aneal Estenoz to be Assistant Secretary of Fish and Wildlife and Parks of the Department of the Interior; Radhika Fox to be Assistant Administrator for Water of the Environmental Protection Agency; Michal Ilana Freedhoff to be Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention of the Environmental Protection Agency; 10 General Services Administration Resolutions; and the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021

Senate Appropriations Committee

Wednesday, May 26 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment hearing on “Rethinking Resiliency: Budgeting for the Future of Forest Management.”
Wednesday, May 26 at 2pm EST: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science hearing on “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Funding Request for the U.S. Department of ”
Wednesday, May 26 at 2pm EST: Subcommittee on Homeland Security hearing on “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Funding Request for the U.S. Department of Homeland ”

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

- Wednesday, May 26 at 10am EST: “Subcommittee hearing on the State of the National Park ”

House Agriculture Committee

- Wednesday, May 26 at 12pm EST: Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations hearing on “The Future of SNAP: Moving Past the ”

House Oversight and Reform Committee

- Wednesday, May 26 at 2pm EST: “Confronting Violent White Supremacy (Part V): Examining the Rise of Militia Extremism.”

Senate Agriculture Committee

- Thursday, May 27 at 9:30am EST: To consider the following nomination: Janie Simms Hipp, of Arkansas, to be General Counsel of the Department of House Judiciary Committee

- Thursday, May 17 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing on “Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: A Continuing Record of Discrimination”

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee

- Thursday, May 27 at 1pm EST: Hearing on “Overview of the Science and Energy Research Enterprise of the S. Department of Energy” featuring witness Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy.

On Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee approved, in a bipartisan voice vote. the nomination of Eric Lander to be the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. In the same hearing, the Committee approved and advanced the nomination of Rick Spinrad for Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Senator Heinrich [D-NM] introduced the “Schools and State Budgets Certainty Act, with the purpose of ensuring communities, schools, workers and other essential services are provided with needed resources and support during the transition to the clean energy economy. Read NWF’s press release here.
This weekend, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released a draft, bipartisan bill calling for $303.5 billion in investments into surface transportation infrastructure, including $350 million for wildlife crossings and billions in climate-targeted investments. See here for NWF’s press release and here for the Committee’s press release. The Committee will mark up the bill on Wednesday, when they will also vote on the nominations of Shannon Estenoz, Michal Freedhoff, and Radhika

The Administration is expected to release a full fiscal year 2022 discretionary budget request later this week. The request is expected to contain specific provisions to enforce a whole-of-government approach to climate change and related issues.
Last week, President Biden signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to consider climate financial risks in economic assessments. See here for President Biden’s comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other

This week, the House is in a committee work period, and the Senate is continuing floor consideration of various nominees, including Kristen Clarke to be Assistant Attorney General, as well as continued votes on the Endless Frontiers Act.
This week, NWF’s Environmental Justice Team is hosting partners and congressional staff to launch the Clean Economy Coalition of Color (CECC). This event will focus on providing discussion around ensuring federal commitments are realized through an equitable process aimed at building wealth among vulnerable Register here to attend the event on May 26 from 6-8pm EST.
The White House has been conducting meetings with bipartisan, bicameral Members of Congress to discuss deals around key infrastructure priorities. We expect movement on, and markup of, a bipartisan surface infrastructure package in the coming in the coming weeks.
Senator Heinrich has been circulating a letter calling for investments in natural infrastructure, resilience, and habitat conservation in any upcoming infrastructure package. NWF strongly supports the letter, and urges Senators to sign-on, as the recommendations align with our Restoration and Resilience report – located here and in our press release here.