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October 9, 2015
On Heels of Disastrous 2015 Wildfire Season, Lawmakers Spar Over Best Way to Fix Wildfire Funding
On October 8, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held a hearing on the 2015 wildfire season. The hearing comes at the end of one of the worst wildfire seasons in history, and at a time when wildfire seasons have been increasingly destructive as global temperatures rise. At the hearing, lawmakers fell into two camps: those who believe the escalating cost of battling wildfires is the root cause of the Forest Service’s inability to manage forests, and those who feel the Forest Service is incapable of properly managing federal lands, regardless of the budget issue.
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Das Auto & Das EPA: What Did They Know, When Did They Know It?
On October 8, the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on “Volkswagen's Emissions Cheating Allegations: Initial Questions”. During the marathon session, nearly every member of the full committee stopped by for an obligatory finger wagging over the emissions scandal at the world’s largest automaker, and to ask EPA officials what steps they were taking to fix the problem and punish VW. While VW had few answers to satisfy the committee, EPA did concede that real-world emissions testing was needed. The VW scandal is opening the door to a much needed regulatory change for vehicles and fuels – “real-world” testing.
Headlines:
1. Senators Push White House on Ethanol Mandate
2. Teen To Patent Cellulosic Ethanol Technology
3. Farms Key to Renewable Energy Development, Feds Say
4. Shell Boss: Global Carbon Price Needed
5. Opinion: A Message For EPA: Get Real on emissions and clean fuels!
Events:
1) The PREPARE Act for Extreme Weather: Saving Lives and Taxpayer Money
Tuesday, October 13 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Capitol Visitor Center - Congressional Meeting Room North East Capitol St., NE and 1st St., NE
Please RSVP to expedite check-in Live webcast availability has not been confirmed
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing about the bipartisan PREPARE Act, which seeks to improve our nation's ability to withstand and recover from the impacts of extreme weather and reduce the financial impact on taxpayers. Over the past four years, the United States has been hit by 42 major weather disasters across 44 states, resulting in 1,286 deaths and $227 billion in economic losses. In its two latest High Risk Lists, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) cited extreme weather as one of the greatest threats to the federal government's balance sheet. To improve federal agencies' ability to plan and prepare for extreme weather events, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) reintroduced thePreparedness and Risk Management for Extreme Weather Patterns Assuring Resilience and Effectiveness (PREPARE) Act this year on July 23. The bill (H.R. 3190) currently has 18 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle.
1) What Are Farmers Doing to Address Water Quality?
Monday, November 2 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Senate Visitor's Center Room 203-02 East Capitol St. NE & First St. SE
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing examining how farmers and stakeholders are leveraging new Farm Bill programs to adress the critical issue of water quality. The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) encourages partnerships between agricultural producers and stakeholders to address regional problems. RCPP projects bring together agricultural producers, water treatment entities, water districts, and nongovernmental institutions to increase the restoration and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife and natural resources on regional or watershed scales. The briefing will bring together producers and stakeholders from Illinois, Iowa and Ohio to address the unique challenges and opportunities that farmers face in addressing water quality.
Save the date, check back to RSVP.
2) 8th Annual Renewable Energy Finance Forum-West November 5-6, 2015 San Francisco, CA EESI is a sponsoring organization
With a focus on renewable energy development in the Western U.S., REFF-West will highlight financing trends in renewable power, energy storage, system integration, and transportation; review important developments in Western power market expansion and in the role of the emerging corporate customer market segment; and discuss renewable energy’s role in smarter resource use and response to the Western water crisis.
Visit www.reffwest.com to register now!
To Contact the Editor: Jessie Stolark at [email protected]
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