Newhouse Statement on the Biden Administrations Plan for the Four Lower Snake River Dams

Table Of Content

• Washington State Passes Cutting-edge Policies to Reduce Climate Pollution
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• Westerman Stands with Local Communities as Biden Bends to Radical Environmental Agenda
• Committee Republicans Take Action Against Radical Activists in Biden's Departmen...
• Committee Considers Solutions for Tribal Health Care, Individual Tribal Eligibility for Need-Based Federal Programs
• Westerman Testifies in Support of Rural Communities, Domestic Energy Production and Public Land Access

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.

Washington State Passes Cutting-edge Policies to Reduce Climate Pollution

Other natural solutions include supporting living shorelines, a shoreline stabilization technique which provides wildlife habitat and natural resilience to communities threatened by rising sea levels, intensified storms, and coastal erosion. NRDC’s work in the Rockies focuses on preserving the region’s wild character while promoting sustainable development. In Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, NRDC marshals local support to create breakthroughs in wildlife protection and agricultural practices, as well as clean energy and transportation policies. Our attorneys regularly head to court to stop the reckless extraction of oil, coal, and natural gas from public lands and to protect the health of vulnerable communities. Indian water rights settlements have been the preferred alternative to litigation for tribes, states, and the federal government, including every Republican and Democratic administration, for decades.

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The U.S. gas export market is centered around the Gulf Coast, a longtime hub for offshore drilling, petrochemical plants and other oil and gas infrastructure. But as fracking has boomed and Asian energy demand has soared, companies have increasingly looked to ship U.S.-produced gas from the West Coast, in part to avoid paying tolls at the Panama Canal. Federal law tasks the Energy Department with determining whether gas exports are in the public interest, although it requires the agency to approve exports to countries with which the United States has a free trade agreement. Sempra is seeking approval to send natural gas from Mexico to countries with and without free trade agreements.

Westerman Stands with Local Communities as Biden Bends to Radical Environmental Agenda

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.

Reducing Water Loss Requires Upgrading Aging Ag Water Infrastructure

But evidence for this is convoluted at best, and data shows that trophy hunting has low economic value as a wildlife-related activity. In reality, a study of eight African countries revealed that less than 1% of the $17 billion generated from tourism spending came from trophy hunters. Our oceans, which make up over 70% of the Earth’s surface, are vital to our economy and ecosystems. The ocean regulates global temperature, generates oxygen, provides essential food supplies and is the planet’s largest carbon sink. But  climate change from the burning of fossil fuels poses significant risks to the health of our oceans. The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries is responsible for overseeing the agencies that manage much of America’s water resources, as well as hydropower development and federal transmission lines.

Committee Republicans Take Action Against Radical Activists in Biden's Departmen...

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.

Committee Considers Solutions for Tribal Health Care, Individual Tribal Eligibility for Need-Based Federal Programs

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.

Promoting Healthy River Ecosystems that Support Western State Economies

And in the absence of reliable sources of natural gas, they’re going to continue to use their domestic coal resources,” Sempra executive Brian Lloyd said at an event Tuesday hosted by the Utah Petroleum Assn. That argument mirrors the gas industry’s long-standing claim that it can help fight climate change because its product burns more cleanly than coal, the most polluting fossil fuel. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry trade group, released a report last year finding that switching to U.S.-produced gas could reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants by about 50% in China, Germany and India.

Full Committee Markup - Hearing Committee Activity The House Committee on Natural Resources

Full Committee Markup.

Posted: Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Members Open Investigation Into How DOI Calculates Energy Royalties - Hearing Committee Activity The House Committee on Natural Resources

Members Open Investigation Into How DOI Calculates Energy Royalties.

Posted: Wed, 20 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

But environmental groups and Democrats warn the bill’s language would allow mining companies to dump waste on public lands without proving they contain valuable deposits. The climate crisis disproportionately harms Black people, Latinos and Native Americans. Sempra’s Vista Pacifico project is one of several gas export projects now seeking approval from the Biden administration. But even if gas is less damaging than coal, it’s a fast-growing source of planet-warming emissions — and critics say investments in gas infrastructure projects designed to operate for decades are incompatible with a stable climate. Climate change-induced drought imperils our nation’s ecosystems and threatens to dramatically reduce drinking, industrial, and agricultural water supplies. The resulting impacts to water reliability disproportionately affect rural and tribal communities.

We must restore and protect coastal blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes and sea grasses. These coastal ecosystems absorb carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and safely store it at a rate of up to four times that of forests on land. They also reinforce coastlines, limiting the impacts of erosion, flooding and storms all while providing habitat for wildlife and fisheries.

In early September 2022, CNRA held two public workshops to gather feedback on the development of the project registry. The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) is required by Senate Bill 27 (Skinner, 2021) to create a Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry. The Registry is intended to facilitate funding of nature-based and direct air capture projects that deliver on California’s climate goals. The building has much to offer and was designed to create connectivity with the community through usable open space at the pedestrian level, with public access to both retail and food services. Inquiries about visiting the California Natural Resources Agency should be directed to  .

The Southwest is a vast, geographically diverse region rich in natural resources that have long been exploited by the fossil fuel industry. NRDC is working to help Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas transition to clean energy, advocating for policies that promote renewable power, energy efficiency, and clean transportation. We are also fighting to protect public lands from oil and gas development—all while helping vulnerable communities avoid the health impacts of dirty energy and the climate change it is fueling. Subcommittee Democrats continue to advance solutions to support new water infrastructure, including drought-proof water recycling projects like well-designed desalination and water recycling projects. Subcommittee Democrats are using the best available science to make informed decisions  protecting the oceans, ecosystems, and coastal communities we treasure from the consequences of climate change. Ocean ecosystems sequester carbon and mitigate the impacts of severe weather events.

It contains a wide variety of significant natural habitats, from marine communities, coastal wetlands and beaches to trout streams, oak woodlands, chaparral, sage scrub, desert and mountain-top pine forests. These counties are also home to over 10 million people, about a third of all Californians - and along with them thrive urban ecosystems and forests. With demands of a growing human population, an increasing number of local species--more than any other region in the continental United States--are threatened or endangered. The outpouring of opposition to Jordan Cove from tribal governments, environmentalists and local landowners offers a preview of the battles that could be on the horizon as the climate crisis worsens and as activists seek to hold President Biden to his campaign promises. Biden’s newly appointed chair, Richard Glick, has criticized the agency for approving gas export projects without greater scrutiny of their contribution to the climate crisis.

By conducting oversight, writing legislation, and engaging in bipartisan collaboration, the House Committee on Natural Resources aims to ensure the responsible and equitable use of the United States' natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations. This Natural and Working Lands Expert Advisory Committee will support the implementation of AB 1757. But Sempra LNG executive Jim Diemer acknowledged the company is trying to help Mexico resolve its gas oversupply, with Vista Pacifico as one option. The company is looking to determine “how can we support a very important stakeholder to our West Coast [liquefied natural gas] projects,” Diemer told the Utah Petroleum Assn. on Tuesday.

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.