Hill Heat

Giffords Solar Summit

Brad Johnson — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:00:00 -0400

The office of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will host a wide-ranging policy conference on the state and future of solar energy at the U.S. Capitol next week.

The Giffords Solar Summit will feature perspectives on the state of solar energy from federal and Arizona officials as well as a U.S. Marine Corps colonel and solar industry leaders and advocates, including Michael Bidwill, the president of the Arizona Cardinals and former chairman of the board for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. Bidwill has developed and promoted tax and regulatory policies aimed at growing the solar industry in Arizona.

Speakers:

Pia Carusone – Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
Michael Bidwill – President, Arizona Cardinals
Thomas Doyle – President & CEO, NRG Solar
Tom Alston, Solar Outreach and Policy Coordinator, Congresswoman Giffords
Marc Spitzer – Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Kris Mayes – Faculty Director, Program on Law and Sustainability Arizona State University
Ken Zweibel – Director, George Washington University Solar Institute
Dr. Gavi Begtrup, Policy Advisor, Congresswoman Giffords
Rhone Resch – President and CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association
Dr. Ramamoorthy Ramesh – U.S. Department of Energy, Program Manager Solar Energy Technologies Program
Col. Bob “Brutus” Charette – Director, Expeditiona

24 Hours of Reality

Brad Johnson — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:00:00 -0400

24 Hours of Reality will be broadcast live online from September 14 to 15, over 24 hours, representing 24 time zones and 13 languages.

The event begins in Mexico City at 7 pm local (8 pm EDT).

7 PM local, Saturday

Mexico City, Mexico
Boulder, CO, USA
Victoria, BC, Canada
French Polynesia
Kotzebue, AK, USA
Hawaii, USA

INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE

7 PM local, Sunday

Tonga
Auckland, New Zealand
Solomon Islands
Canberra, Australia
Seoul, South Korea
Beijing, China
Jakarta, Indonesia
New Delhi, India
Islamabad, Pakistan
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Istanbul, Turkey
Durban, South Africa
London, United Kingdom
Husavik, Iceland
Cape Verde
Ilulissat, Greenland
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
New York City, NY, USA

Olympic winter athletes fight climate change

Brad Johnson — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:30:00 -0400

Please join Protect Our Winters for a special evening with Olympian Gretchen Bleiler, pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones, skier Chris Davenport and Aspen Skiing Company’s Auden Schendler.

They’ll discuss climate change, winter sports, and why athletes are an important part of the solution.

Honorary co-hosts Rep. Jared Polis (CO), Sen. Mark Udall (CO), and Sen. Michael Bennet (CO).

League of Women Voters Launches 'People Not Polluters' Campaign

Brad Johnson — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:20:00 -0400

The League of Women Voters has launched a major, nationwide campaign in defense of the EPA’s work to give Americans clean air. The People Not Polluters campaign asks Americans and their elected officials to join the Clean Air Promise:

I promise to protect America’s children and families from dangerous air pollution. Because toxics and pollutants such as mercury, smog, carbon, and soot, cause thousands of hospital visits, asthma attacks, and even deaths, I will support clean air policies and other protections that scientists and public health experts have recommended to the EPA to safeguard our air quality.

Watch the campaign spot:

LWV is mobilizing its members to tell personal stories of the cost of asthma for children and families, including outreach to vulnerable populations like seniors, Latinos, and African Americans.

Deepwater Horizon, seafood, marine conservation legislation

Brad Johnson — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:00:00 -0400

The following legislation and nominations are scheduled for the Commerce Committee’s consideration:

S. 50, Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act
S. 179, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection
S. 183, Deepwater Horizon Survivors’ Fairness Act
S. 911, Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act
S. 962, a bill to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act to promote the protection of the resources of the Northwest Straits, and for other purposes
Nomination for Promotion in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps
Nominations for Promotion in the U.S. Coast Guard

Nuclear and alternative fuels legislation

Brad Johnson — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:00:00 -0400

The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on S. 512, the Nuclear Power 2021 Act; S. 937, the American Alternative Fuels Act of 2011; and S. 1067, a bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the Secretary of Energy to carry out a research and development and demonstration program to reduce manufacturing and construction costs relating to nuclear reactors, and for other purposes (Hearing Room SD-366) (Overflow Room SDG-50).

Witnesses

Panel 1

Dr. John E. Kelly, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactor Technologies, U.S. Department of Energy
Steven G. Chalk, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy

Panel 2

Dr. Edwin Lyman – Senior Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists
Joe Colvin, President, American Nuclear Society
Dr. James T. Bartis, Senior Policy Researcher, RAND Corporation
Brian Siu, Policy Analyst, Natural Resources Defense Council

The Vulnerability of U.S. Water Resources to Climate Change: From the Mississippi River floods to growing shortages in the West

Brad Johnson — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:00:00 -0400

Speaker: Peter Gleick

Title: An update on the vulnerability of U.S. water resources to climate change: From the Mississippi River floods to growing shortages in the West

The scientific evidence supporting growing impacts of human-induced climate change on U.S. water resources continues to strengthen. Dr. Peter Gleick, one of the nation’s leading experts on climate and water, will discuss recent reports on increased precipitation intensity in North America, the Mississippi River flood events, the new Department of Interior assessment of climate and western river basins, and efforts to prepare for climate and water risks facing cities, farmers, and natural systems. He will also explore some of the adverse implications of recent budget decisions for emergency preparedness and warning systems, weather forecasting, military preparedness, and national response to extreme events.

Richard Burr Introduces Bill To Abolish The EPA

Brad Johnson — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:46:00 -0400

Senate Republicans have introduced legislation to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill, introduced by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), would merge the EPA, which enforces environmental laws, with the Department of Energy, which manages nuclear energy and energy research, into one department.

In January, Newt Gingrich proposed abolishing the EPA, and several House Republicans have supported that goal. Burr’s statement announcing his bill to eliminate the EPA argues that “duplicative functions” can be eliminated:

U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) introduced a bill that would consolidate the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency into a single, new agency called the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). The bill would provide cost savings by combining duplicative functions while improving the administration of energy and environmental policies by ensuring a coordinated approach.

Burr’s bill has fifteen co-sponsors, all of them deniers of the threat of global warming pollution, a top EPA priority: Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), David Vitter (R-La.), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Mike Lee (R-Utah).

EPA Surface Mining Guidelines

Brad Johnson — Thu, 05 May 2011 10:00:00 -0400

Witnesses

Michael Gardner, General Counsel, Oxford Resources
Harold Quinn, President, National Mining Association
Dr. Leonard Peters, Secretary, State of Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet
Teresa Marks, Director, State of Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality

Power Shift 2011: Monday

Brad Johnson — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:00:00 -0400

Power Shift, the biennial youth climate movement summit, runs from Friday, April 15, to Monday, April 18.

10:00am – 11:30am Action: Make Big Polluters Pay

April 18th is Tax Day and we’re hitting the streets to send a clear message: “It’s time to end handouts to Big Oil. Make Polluters Pay and fund OUR future: a 100% clean energy future that looks out for everyone.”

12:00pm – 4:00pm Lobby Visits

We’ll march from our demonstration to Capitol Hill to bring our demands to Congress. With thousands of us converging on Capitol Hill, it will be one of the largest citizen visits ever!