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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.
The First 10 Years: Measuring the Success of California’s Underwater Parks
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.
Promoting Healthy River Ecosystems that Support Western State Economies
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.
Committee Democrats
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.
Earth Day 2024 - Hearing Committee Activity The House Committee on Natural Resources
Earth Day 2024.
Posted: Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:23:17 GMT [source]
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.
When improperly sited or operated, hydropower projects can cause serious harm to fish and wildlife, water quality, recreational opportunities, and tribal resources. Hydropower facilities can obstruct fish access to crucial habitat areas for spawning, leading to declines in fish populations and, in some places, devastating impacts to the tribes that have depended on these fisheries for generations. Committee Democrats are fighting for reliable and sufficient funding to support existing and future congressionally approved tribal water settlements.
Colorado PUC Adopts Landmark Gas Regulatory Decision
Species around the world are threatened by human-related activities, from climate change and habitat destruction to wildlife trafficking. We are currently facing the 6th mass extinction in history, with species disappearing approximately 100 times faster than the normal rate. Combined, the two edicts would deal a significant blow to the administration’s attempt to shrink the future of drilling on public lands in northern Alaska and roll back policies crafted under former President Donald Trump. Our natural resources team also includes Eliot Fruetel with the UC California Naturalist Program and Cynthia Chavez with Project Learning Tree. CalNat is designed to introduce Californians to the wonders of our unique ecology, instill a deep appreciation for the natural communities and inspire individuals to become stewards of their local resources. Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program for teachers and other educators working with youth from preschool through grade 12.
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.
Committee Passes Legislation Delivering Energy Solutions and Expanding Outdoor Recreation Opportunities - Hearing Committee Activity The House Committee on Natural Resources
Committee Passes Legislation Delivering Energy Solutions and Expanding Outdoor Recreation Opportunities.
Posted: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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.
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.
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.
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.
Despite this legal responsibility, many tribal water rights today still remain largely undeveloped and unprotected with 48 percent of homes in tribal communities lacking access to reliable water sources, clean drinking water, or basic sanitation. Additionally, Native American households are 19 times more likely than white households to lack complete running water and indoor plumbing. Some of the earliest conservationists were sportsmen like President Theodore Roosevelt, who advocated for the preservation of wild places so that Americans would always be able to enjoy hunting and fishing in the outdoors.
The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries is working hard to advance federal water policy that promotes future drought resiliency through forward-thinking, collaborative policy solutions. International wildlife conservation can be complicated because countries, nonprofits, and indigenous people have to work together. No matter what, Committee Democrats believe that human rights and the safety and prosperity of indigenous people should take utmost precedent. As the Earth’s largest carbon sink, the ocean absorbs 1/3 of the carbon dioxide humans emit into the atmosphere, which is equivalent to 22 million tons per day.
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