07/23/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/23/2021 15:20
Washington, D.C. - The Natural Resources Committee is holding three livestreamed events next week.
Tuesday, July 27
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
The Subcommittee, led by Chair Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), will hold an oversight hearing titled The Toxic Legacy of the Mining Law of 1872. Hardrock mining is the top source of toxic pollution in the U.S., and the industry still operates under the long-outdated Mining Law of 1872. The law is irrelevant to modern mining practices and remains almost unchanged since it was enacted nearly 150 years ago.
While minerals like copper, lithium, and nickel are essential for our clean energy future, there is no need to allow the industry to inflict permanent damage to sacred places, wilderness, recreation access, or public health.
Lowenthal and Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote a letter with 15 other House Democratic colleagues on April 27 to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging them to modernize federal mining regulations and set a groundbreaking standard for tribal consent in permitting future mining projects. Chair Grijalva intends to introduce comprehensive mining reform legislation later this year.
Witnesses
Chairman, Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Reservation
Principal, Climate Intelligence, RMI
Abandoned Mine Restoration Project Manager, Trout Unlimited
Member, Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board
Counsel, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Co-founder and Director, Women's Mining Coalition
When: 10:00 a.m. Eastern time
Watch Live: https://youtu.be/zGYAZe7f1X8
Wednesday, July 28
The full Committee, led by Vice Chair Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI), will hold an oversight hearing titled The President's FY22 Budget Priority for the Territories: Medicaid, SSI, and SNAP Parity. The hearing will focus on the need for U.S. citizens and U.S. residents to receive benefits from these key federal programs equal to those enjoyed by residents on the mainland.
Currently, Americans residing in the five U.S. territories - American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands - face barriers that limit or exclude them from equal access to Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. President Biden's fiscal year 2022 budget calls for parity in these programs between the states and the territories. The expansion of these programs to residents of territories is essential to carrying out the mission of advancing equity among underserved communities ordered by President Biden.
Witnesses
Former U.S. Representative, U.S. Virgin Islands (At Large)
Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Partner, Calvo Fisher & Jacob, LLP
Chair, Committee on Health and Welfare
Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands House of Representatives
When: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time
Watch Live: https://youtu.be/LE2gXPAtHZI
Thursday, July 29
Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife
The Subcommittee, led by Chair Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), will have a legislative hearing on the bills listed below.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is often linked to slave labor and other human rights abuses, contributes to overfishing, and damages U.S. ocean and habitat health. Rep. Huffman's Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act addresses these pressing issues.
Many of the bills under consideration provide resources for protecting or restoring key vulnerable species groups or ecosystems. The package of bills under consideration directly address the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis imperiling our planet.
Witnesses
Panel I: Congressional Panel
Members of Congress to be announced
Panel II: Administration Panel
Assistant Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service
Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Deputy Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Deputy Director for Policy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Panel III: Expert Panel
Trade Counsel, Southern Shrimp Alliance
Faculty Director, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University of California, Santa Cruz
President and Chief Executive Officer, National Wildlife Federation
When: 10:00 a.m. Eastern time
Watch Live: https://youtu.be/ipI6Xwilz1g
Media Contact: Adam Sarvana
(202) 225-6065 or (202) 578-6626 mobile