Climate Change and the Environment

E&E News |  Seismic blasting in the Atlantic Ocean would be prohibited under a bill introduced in the Senate yesterday. "This bill prevents fossil fuel related seismic testing and makes clear that the Atlantic is off-limits to any type of offshore oil exploration," said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), chief sponsor of S. 828, the "Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection… Read more »

Shortly after a hearing yesterday on protections for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced the Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act, which would protect marine life and coastal economies which depend on it by banning seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean. “The seismic pulses from airgun blasts threaten the aquatic… Read more »

Yahoo News |  Facing more than a dozen investigations into his conduct last spring, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that he was starting a legal defense fund, raising concerns about the propriety of a government official raising money to fend off official investigations into potential misuse of government funds, among other… Read more »

Today, the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force Co-Chairs Don Beyer, Sean Casten, Elaine Luria, and Susan Wild released their goals for the 116th Congress. The Climate Change Task Force will meet with stakeholders and develop policy positions for the Coalition to advance in both the near term and long term. Climate Change Task Force Mission Statement for the 116th… Read more »

The Acting Inspector General (IG) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today informed Rep. Don Beyer and other House Democrats that neither disgraced former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt nor his private attorney ever consulted the EPA Ethics Office regarding his legal defense fund. The OIG letter was written in response to a series of questions about Pruitt’s legal defense fund… Read more »

Rep. Don Beyer today voted for the Natural Resources Management Act, a bipartisan conservation bill including a permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund for which he long advocated. The public lands package included a large number of bills which came through the House Natural Resources Committee for consideration during Beyer’s four-year tenure on that committee.… Read more »

The Congressional Safe Climate Caucus this week welcomed nine new members into its ranks for the 116th Congress. With these new additions, the Safe Climate Caucus is officially 61 members strong.   “We are honored to welcome our new members to the Safe Climate Caucus. As the Trump administration walks us back years in the fight to protect the environment and public health, the… Read more »

Daily Press |  In the latest effort to remove Virginia from offshore drilling plans, the state’s Democratic representatives in Congress are pushing federal officials to revoke seismic testing permits that include the waters off Hampton Roads. In a letter sent Tuesday to the heads of the departments of Commerce and the Interior, the Virginia delegation said the Trump… Read more »

Today, the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Tom Carper (D-DE), Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and co-chair of the Congressional Safe Climate… Read more »

Today, Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Don Beyer (D-VA) and 56 other representatives introduced the “Still-In Resolution,” a bipartisan House Concurrent Resolution to reaffirm that Congress remains committed to the Paris Agreement to combat climate change. In response to President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement,… Read more »