On the Hill in January and February 2024: A Breakdown of Climate, Energy, and Environmental Hearings | Article

In the first two months of 2024, Congress held a total of 23 hearings on climate, energy, and environmental topics. The House of Representatives, led by Republicans, held 17 hearings, while the Democrat-led Senate held six. Eight of the 26 House committees and four of the 24 Senate committees have covered climate, energy, and environmental issues, ranging from nuclear power to electric vehicles.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held eight of these hearings—more than any other committee. It was followed by the House Natural Resources Committee, Senate Budget Committee, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, each of which held two hearings.

Several committees not typically associated with such issues held climate, energy, or environment-related hearings. The Senate Committee on the Budget, for example, held hearings on safeguarding municipal bonds from climate risk and the impact of the climate crisis on ocean industries, while the Senate Banking Committee examined the reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program. In the House, the Armed Services Committee’s Readiness Subcommittee held a hearing on aging and undermaintained infrastructure within the Department of Defense, which included a look at environmental impacts in and around military installations. Additionally, the Small Business Committee investigated the impact of EPA regulations on small businesses.

The impact of the climate crisis on finance and industry was a key focus, with four Congressional hearings dedicated to the issue. These hearings were split equally between the House and Senate, but the two chambers approached the issue from different perspectives. In Investing in the Future: Safeguarding Municipal Bonds from Climate Risk and Warming Seas, Cooling Economy: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Ocean Industries, the Senate Committee on the Budget focused on the risks climate change poses to the current economy and how to mitigate those risks. Meanwhile, the House focused on limiting climate-related spending and business regulation in Fighting the Misuse of Biden’s Green Bank Giveaway and Oversight of the SEC’s Proposed Climate Disclosure Rule: A Future of Legal Hurdles.

The many uses of water, from power generation to drinking, have been a priority for the House thus far in 2024. There have been three hearings focused on the protection of U.S. water resources. House committees heard testimony from representatives on their priorities for a Water Resources Development Act of 2024, examined the potential impacts of dismantling the Snake River dams, and considered cybersecurity measures for drinking water systems.

Other recent topics of hearings on the Hill include EPA regulation (1, 2), liquified natural gas exports (1, 2), and fuel pipeline expansion.

To keep up with climate, energy, and environmental hearings in the next two months, be sure to subscribe to EESI’s weekly Environmental and Energy Congressional Round-Up and biweekly newsletter, Climate Change Solutions.

Find a list of all of the climate, environmental, and energy Congressional hearings EESI tracked so far in 2024 here. Legislative, budget, and nomination hearings are not included in the hearing totals.

Author: Emily Phillips