Overview of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Hearings

This article was first published on January 7, 2020, and updated on July 16, 2020 and December 2, 2020.

One of the first actions of the 116th Congress in January 2019 was to establish the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis to provide a comprehensive framework for future climate legislation. Chaired by Representative Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), the Select Committee was a manifestation of the House leadership’s interest in investigating the causes and effects of the climate crisis and developing a holistic menu of solutions.

The Select Committee worked in 2019 and 2020 to craft climate policy recommendations for Congress aimed at building a framework for climate legislation going forward. The following provides a brief overview of each of the committee's 19 hearings and the key policy recommendations highlighted by the witnesses. 

On June 30, 2020, the Select Committee’s majority staff released a climate policy report with an extensive selection of recommendations.

This graphic designed by Professor Ed Hawkins shows the impact of global warming on average global temperature readings from 1850 (left) to 2018 (right). The average temperature for the period between 1971 and 2000 is used as the reference period for the coloring (blue is cooler, red is warmer). Credit: Ed Hawkins.

 

Generation Climate: Young Leaders Urge Climate Action Now

This hearing was held on April 4 to “hear from young leaders who are urging policymakers to take climate action now and finally address the climate crisis.”

Specific policy recommendations from witnesses included:

• Support the Climate Action Now Act (H.R.9), which would direct the President to develop a plan for the United States to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. The Climate Action Now Act passed the House of Representatives on May 2^nd, 2019.
• Decarbonize the U.S. energy system by 2050 and limit global warming to 1.5 °C or below.
• Endorse Juliana v. United States, a lawsuit against the U.S. government regarding its “affirmative actions that cause climate change,” as recommended by Aji Piper, a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Drawing Down Carbon and Building Up the American Economy

This hearing was held on April 20 to discuss how climate action and a strong economy go hand in hand.

Specific policy recommendations from witnesses included:

• Ensure that the “Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is a merit-driven, technology-neutral organization, required to run the power system at lowest cost,” as suggested by Hal Harvey, CEO of Energy Innovation.
• Invest in a range of energy technologies, such as renewables, battery storage, and carbon capture and sequestration, and accelerate investment in energy efficiency.
• Support the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act (S.383 and H.R.1166) to expand carbon sequestration, and increase funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E).

 

Creating a Climate Resilient America

As climate impacts continue to get worse, resilience will be crucial. The Select Committee met on May 23 to discuss the issue. Select Committee Chairwoman Kathy Castor (D-FL) (pictured) opened the hearing by saying, “We are looking for solutions to the climate crisis that provide multiple benefits - that reduce carbon pollution, that protect communities and create good jobs.”

Specific policy recommendations from witnesses included:

• Increase investment in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Grants and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG).
• Recognize the importance of carbon farming by paying farmers to sequester carbon in soils.
• “Ensure that all federally-funded infrastructure projects – not just disaster recovery projects – are built to resilience standards,” as suggested by Marion Mollegan McFadden, Senior Advisor for Resilience at Enterprise Community Partners. She explained that updating and improving building codes plays an important role in creating resilient infrastructure.

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Ramping Up Renewables

This hearing was held on June 13^th to discuss opportunities for expanding renewable energy. According to Select Committee Chairwoman Kathy Castor, “Clean renewable energy is the linchpin for solving the climate crisis.”

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Remove Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum to expand wind energy deployment and jobs.
• Extend the federal solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) to drive growth in the solar energy industry, and amend the tax code so energy storage is eligible for the ITC.
• Create a federal clean energy standard to expand renewable energy nationwide.

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Cleaning Up Heavy Duty Vehicles, Protecting Communities

The transportation sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG). On July 16^th, the Select Committee explored ways to reduce GHG emissions from heavy-duty vehicles.

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Implement zero-emission, electric school buses across the nation to reduce tailpipe emissions which are harmful to human health, especially for children.
• Support the deployment of electric charging infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles. According to Tony Satterthweite, President of Distribution Business at Cummins, Inc., “The adoption of electric vehicle systems for heavy duty transportation is dependent on the availability of charging infrastructure capable of meeting the energy demands of heavy-duty applications.”

• Reduce emissions in the freight sector. Angelo Logan, Campaign Director of the Moving Forward Network, suggested, “EPA must adopt regulations to reduce and eliminate emissions from the freight sector” which accounts for 9 percent of all U.S. GHG emissions.

 

Creating a Climate Resilient America: Business Views on the Costs of the Climate Crisis

This hearing was held on July 25 to better understand the impacts of the climate crisis on the private sector and how companies are preparing for and mitigating them.

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Provide federal funding to the Morganza to the Gulf levee protection project to protect communities and businesses in Louisiana from extreme weather events.
• Encourage companies to consider climate change when making investments. As explained by Garvin Jabusch, Chief Investment Officer at Green Alpha Advisors, LLC, investments in fossil fuel companies are risky, but investing in sustainable companies reduces risk.
• Fund and build climate resilient infrastructure across the nation to protect people from extreme weather and natural disasters.

 

Colorado’s Roadmap for Clean Energy Action: Lessons from State and Local Leaders

Colorado has been leading the way on clean energy. On August 1^st, the Select Committee held a field hearing to examine how Colorado can serve as a model for implementing clean energy across the country. While there is climate action at the local level in Colorado, there is an “urgent need for equivalent leadership and action at the federal level,” according to Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones, who was a witness at the hearing.

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Limit emissions from oil and natural gas extraction. Colorado Governor Jared Polis explained, “Colorado became the first state in the nation to enact regulations requiring oil and gas companies to detect and reduce methane emissions.”
• Encourage states to set ambitious climate mitigation and adaptation goals. “Setting ambitious goals,” explained Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell, “can help establish community direction, ensures accountability, and it spurs innovation.” Fort Collins has created aggressive climate action plans which have helped reduce per capita emissions by 34 percent since 2005.
• Support small businesses to become more energy efficient. For example, Cary Weiner, Director of Colorado State University’s Rural Energy Center, explained, “Waiving or reducing the Rural Energy for America Program's cost-share requirement for small business energy audits could help rural businesses benefit from energy savings and provide local jobs.”

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Manufacturing Jobs for America’s Workers

This September 10 hearing focused on pathways toward rebuilding the American manufacturing sector though green energy innovation.

Specific policy recommendations from witnesses included:

• Expand the remit of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technologies Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which provides loans to companies producing fuel-efficient vehicles, to include heavy-duty truck and bus manufacturing.
• Expand California’s “Buy Clean” steel procurement policy nationally so greenhouse gas emissions and American manufacturing are factored into the selection process for federal contracts.
• Reinstitute the 48C Advanced Clean Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit.
• Support the Clean Industrial Technology Act of 2019 (H.R. 3978), to establish a new R&D effort to investigate more decarbonization options for the industrial sector.

To learn more, check out EESI’s article, “Workforce Development and Emissions Reduction Explored in House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Hearing.”

 

Voices Leading the Next Generation on the Global Climate Crisis

Many youths have been leading the way on climate action. On September 18^th, the Committee held one of its most high-profile hearings to give those young people an opportunity to address Congress directly.

Highlights from the witness testimonies included:

• Greta Thunberg, Founder of Fridays for Future, called for Congress to listen to science. Instead of providing a full testimony, Thunberg attached the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C.
• According to Vic Barrett, a Fellow at the Alliance for Climate Education, “climate change is a systematic issue, [and] it will require systematic change and all three branches of government to fix.”

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Reducing Industrial Emissions Through U.S. Innovation

This hearing was held on September 26^th and focused “on developing and implementing domestic technologies to reduce industrial emissions.”

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Enact the Renewable Energy Extension Act of 2019 (H.R. 3961 and S. 2289), which extends the investment tax credit for combined heat and power.
• Scale up hydrogen fuel production by shifting “federal subsidies away from oil exploration and development and toward investment in hydrogen infrastructure, which includes hydrogen production facilities and the transportation and distribution infrastructure needed to expand delivery routes to industrial users,” according to Cate Hight, Principal for Industry and Heavy Transportation at the Rocky Mountain Institute.
• Pass the Use It Act (H.R. 1166 and S. 383) to facilitate the planning, siting, and permitting of carbon capture and sequestration.
• Reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cement plants by improving energy efficiency and switching to alternative fuels.

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Cleaner, Stronger Buildings

Resilient infrastructure saves lives and property during catastrophic events, reduces the cost of recovery, and provides significant cost savings over the life of infrastructure systems. Infrastructure across the nation needs to be updated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience. On October 17^th, the Select Committee focused on using buildings to mitigate the climate crisis. To learn more about resilient buildings, check out EESI’s issue brief, Congressional Action on Resilient Infrastructure - Areas of Progress and Future Needs.

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Enact the Blue Collar to Green Collar Jobs Development Act of 2019 (H.R. 1315), which would establish a comprehensive, nationwide energy-related industries job program.
• Increase the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings. Federal programs, specifically the Weatherization Assistance Program, should be expanded to weatherize more homes.
• Expand the National Housing Trust Fund from $367 million to $3.5 billion per year. Khalil Shahyd, Senior Policy Advocate for the Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, explained that this expansion would allow homeowners and renters to invest in energy efficiency upgrades and retrofit homes.

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Natural Solutions to Cutting Pollution and Building Resilience

This hearing was held on October 22^nd and focused on using nature to mitigate, adapt to, and increase resilience to climate change. Select Committee Chairwoman Kathy Castor noted that “nature offers us so many solutions to the climate crisis, and I think we have identified common ground.”

Members of the Select Committee spoke about several proposed bills during the hearing, such as the Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2019 (H.R. 3623) and Study on Improving Lands Act (H.R. 4133), that would help combat the climate crisis. The hearing showcased bipartisan support for nature-based solutions as a means to improve resilience and adapt to a changing environment. The federal government has the opportunity to build on this momentum through legislation, appropriations, and project management.

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Incentivize and reward landowners for “voluntarily engaging in practices that remove carbon while helping to provide clean water, clean air, and wildlife habitat,” as suggested by Joseph Fargione, Lead Scientist (North America Region) for The Nature Conservancy.
• Develop blue carbon credits “that can be sold on the voluntary carbon market to provide start-up funding for conservation and restoration activities or that can be used to meet countries emissions target,” as suggested by Jennifer Howard, Marine Climate Change Director at Conservation International.
• Conserve and restore mangrove, wetland, and seagrass habitats. These nature-based solutions provide mitigation and adaptation benefits.

To learn more, check out EESI’s article, “House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Finds Common Ground on Nature-Based Solutions.”

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Opportunities in Agriculture

According to Select Committee Chairwoman Kathy Castor, “America’s farms are uniquely situated to become powerful carbon sinks, all while becoming more resilient to the impacts of severe weather events.” On October 30^th, this hearing explored agriculture’s role in mitigating the climate crisis.

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Protect agricultural land from development to ensure that it can continue to sequester carbon.
• Increase “federal funding for conservation tillage, cover crop, and biogas programs administered through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Environmental Quality Incentives, Conservation Stewardship and Regional Conservation Partnership Programs,” as suggested by Fred Yoder, Farmer & Co-Chair of Solutions from the Land.
• Support biogas through investment in R&D and tax incentives. To learn more about biogas, check out EESI’s fact sheet, Biogas: Converting Waste to Energy.

 

Member Day

On November 14^th, the Select Committee held a Member Day for Members of Congress to share their climate policy ideas and current proposed legislation. Opening the conversation to all members of the House of Representatives gave the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis valuable insight into current efforts to address the climate crisis. A common theme throughout Member Day was improving resilience to climate change.

Specific policy recommendations from Representatives included:

• Representative Harley Rouda (D-CA) testified on the need to address sea level rise and improve coastal resilience. He advocated for his bill, the Coastal Communities Adaptation Act (H.R. 1317), which would “improve the resilience of the built and natural environment to natural disasters and climate change using, among other measures, natural and nature-based features.”
• Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL) testified that “we must make sure that our future investments in infrastructure are prepared to handle the capacity and demands climate change will bring—from increased natural disasters to adapting to the needs of an electrical grid run by renewables.”

To learn more about Member Day, check out EESI’s article, “Climate Crisis Committee Calls for Policy Recommendations at Member Day Hearing.”

 

Creating a Climate Resilient America: Reducing Risks and Costs

This hearing was held on November 20^th. Select Committee Chairwoman Kathy Castor stated that “whether it’s through scientific information on what the future holds, climate risk data, resilience standards or technical assistance tools, the federal government has an opportunity to help communities grow stronger in the face of the climate crisis – with a particular eye to communities that are on the front lines.”

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• “NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] should be given the mandate and full budget to update our nation’s rainfall frequency information at least every 10 years and this update must include future climate projections into precipitation frequency analysis,” as suggested by Chad Berginnis, Executive Director for the Association of State Floodplain Managers.
• Building codes and land use plans need to address climate risks.
• The federal government should provide technical assistance to help state and local governments understand and use climate risk information.

 

Creating a Climate Resilient America: Smart Finance for Strong Communities

Federal financing plays a significant role in funding resilience projects. On December 11^th, this hearing explored “the actions Congress can take to better leverage federal funds, private capital, and insurance to increase resilience before disasters and to accelerate recovery in their aftermath, while ensuring that no community is left behind.”

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• Ensure adequate and consistent federal funding for resilience. According to Mark Gaffigan, Managing Director for Natural Resources and Environment at the Government Accountability Office, “inconsistent, inadequate funding makes it difficult to complete largescale projects and can lead to additional costs if significant delays occur during which existing work deteriorates.”

• Use climate resilience as an opportunity to rebuild marginalized communities. Damon Burns, President & Chief Executive Officer of The Finance Authority of New Orleans, stated that “the federal government should create incentives for minority- and women-owned businesses to play a key role in the physical transformation of America.”

• Build all federally-funded infrastructure projects to resilience standards.

 

Creating a Resilient America: Overcoming the Health Risks of the Climate Crisis

Chairwoman Castor opened this hearing, held on February 5, with the projection from the World Health Organization that climate change will cause 250,000 additional deaths each year between 2030 and 2050. This hearing examined the effects of climate change on public health, with specific attention paid to the disproportionate health impacts on vulnerable populations, the impact of pollution and rising temperatures on disease patterns, and increased costs to the public health system.

Specific policy recommendations from the witnesses included:

• A transition to clean energy, increased energy efficiency, and net-zero economy-wide emissions by 2050.
• Increase funding for state and local public health initiatives and a prioritization of hospitals’ climate resilience.
• Pass the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2019 (H.R.3668), which creates national heat illness prevention standards for farm workers. This policy is modeled after existing California standards, which have decreased worker deaths without harming the agricultural industry, according to United Farm Workers President Emeritus Arturo Rodriguez.

To learn more, check out EESI’s article, “House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Explores Public Health Impacts and Solutions.”

 

Solving the Climate Crisis: Building a Vibrant and Just Clean Energy Economy

This July 28th hearing considered policy options for a clean energy transition, with an emphasis on both environmental justice and job creation.

Specific policy recommendations from witnesses included:

• Expanding grant programs for environmental justice communities.
• Passing the National Climate Bank Act (H.R.5416), which would create a national public bank to mobilize investments for clean energy, other opportunities for emission reductions, and assistance for vulnerable communities.
• Federal investments in electrical grid modernization and expansion, climate-smart infrastructure, energy efficiency upgrades, and clean manufacturing, with a strong role for unions.

 

Creating a Climate Resilient America: Strengthening the U.S. Financial System and Expanding Economic Opportunity

In the first half of this October 1st hearing, representatives heard testimony from Commissioner Rostin Behnam of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), who discussed a landmark CFTC report on climate risks in the U.S. financial system. In the hearing’s second half, financial professionals discussed ways to improve the financial system in order to strengthen resilience to climate change and facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Specific policy recommendations from witnesses included:

• Implementing mandatory disclosures of climate-related risks by publicly traded companies.
• Passing carbon pricing legislation at the federal level to account for the “social cost” of carbon emissions.
• Providing technical assistance to state and local governments to increase their access to insurance-linked securities, which are financial products designed to mitigate losses from natural disasters.

To learn more, check out EESI’s article, “U.S. Financial System Sizes Up Climate Risks.”

 

Author: Savannah Bertrand (first published on January 7, 2020)

Updated by Abby Neal on July 16, 2020

Updated by Joseph Glandorf on December 2, 2020