The Week in Climate Hearings: Hawai'i Climate Youth Win

In a landmark victory for the climate movement, the state of Hawai’i has settled with the youth climate activists who had sued the state’s department of transportation for failing to protect their future. The agreement reached on Thursday, in the wake of the devastating Lahaina wildfire, commits the state to rapid decarbonization investments for land, air, and sea travel, and establishes a youth advisory council. Gov. Josh Green (D-Hawai’i) announced:

Meanwhile, the Summer of Heat continues. Over 1,300 pilgrims died in heat that reached 125° in Mecca during the Hajj in the petrostate of Saudi Arabia. Fossil-fueled heat has also swamped the United States petro-democracy, putting 44 million Americans under heat warnings as torrential floods in the Midwest turned deadly. The nation’s capitol hit 100 degrees as Iowa floods forced climate-denier Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) to declare a state of emergency.

In sweltering New York City, the Summer of Heat protests against Wall Street’s financing of the climate polluters responsible for the deadly heat goes into its third week, led by activists from the Gulf South, recently flooded by Tropical Storm Alberto. On Friday, the Summer of Heat activists are organizing a march to blockade Citibank’s headquarters.

Senators have abandoned the broiling Washington D.C. until after Independence Day, but the House of Representatives is in session this week, with leadership hoping to pass several hard-right, anti-climate FY2025 spending bills. Republicans and industry-aligned Democrats are fast-tracking a bipartisan logging-industry bill in committee.

The national political calendar is stuffed: The New York primaries are on Tuesday, and on Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission meets. Thursday night also features a different meeting—the first Biden-Trump debate of 2024. Also this week, the Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision overturning the Chevron doctrine, limiting the power of federal regulatory agencies.

Now, a detailed look at the Congressional hearings and other events in the week ahead.

Tuesday, June 25

Tuesday is primary day in New York. The marquee race is the AIPAC-fueled primary challenge to Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), the climate champion who introduced the Green New Deal for Public Schools (H.R. 5784). His senior policy advisor, Rajiv Sicora, participated in a climate protest in Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) office that successfully pushed Schumer to complete the Inflation Reduction Act. The Republican-aligned AIPAC has spent $15 million against Bowman in support of his challenger, conservative Democrat George Latimer, as the race between the two has been defined almost entirely by Bowman’s views on Israel and AIPAC’s intervention.

At 2 pm, the House Rules Committee meets to set the floor debate rules for the Homeland Security, State, and Defense appropriations bills. Republicans have attached numerous anti-climate riders to the legislation, which has large increases in military spending and huge cuts in everything else.

Wednesday, June 26

At 9 am, Summer of Heat activists are gathering for a civil-disobedience action at the New York City headquarters of Chubb, one of the world’s top insurers of the fossil-fuel industry, as the current heat wave continues.

Meanwhile, in D.C., House appropriators are marking up the Fiscal Year 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill with anti-climate riders and slashing the budgets of key climate-science agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

At 10 am, the Science committee reviews the Department of Energy budget proposal with DOE Deputy Secretary David Turk, and the Energy and Commerce technology subcommittee reviews the Department of Commerce budget with Secretary Gina Raimondo; although NOAA represents more than half of Commerce’s budget, this hearing will focus on technology, manufacturing, and tourism.

At 2 PM, the Natural Resources committee will markup the bipartisan “Fix Our Forests” logging legislation, which exploits the fossil-fueled rise in forest fires to clear-cut restrictions on logging our forests. The bill, HR 8790, is understandably endorsed by the timber industry, as it weakens the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, severely restricts judicial review, and provides broad, Orwellian justifications of logging activities in the name of wildfire reduction. The conservative California Democrats Scott Peters, Ami Bera, Tony Cardenas, Jimmy Panetta, and Jim Costa are co-sponsors, with Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) the lead Republican sponsor. Logging of our national forests has already increased by one-fourth under President Biden, and this bill will only accelerate our forests’ demise.

Thursday, June 27

At 10 am, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission holds its June meeting, with approval of Louisiana’s giant CP2 liquefied natural gas export terminal expected. Fracking supporters have a dominant 4-1 majority, including the two Republican picks and two of Biden’s Democratic picks, Willie Phillips and David Rosner. This is the last meeting of climate hawk Allison Clements, who will be succeeded by climate hawk Judy Chang.

Thursday evening sees the first televised debate between President Joe Biden and felon Donald Trump, a tightly controlled 90-minute affair that begins at 9 pm.

On the Hill, House appropriators begin the day early at 8:30 am to mark up the Fiscal Year 2025 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill, again with anti-climate riders and drastic cuts to sustainability programs.

At 9:30 am, the Natural Resources oceans subcommittee holds a hearing on four oceans and fisheries bills, including legislation from Rep. Buddy Carter (R-La.) on right whales, and at 10:15 am, the federal lands subcommittee holds a hearing on six federal lands and heritage area bills, on the Hudson River Valley, Fort McHenry, Louisiana’s Lafourche Parish, Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve, and Lahaina, Hawai’i.

At 10 am, the Transportation committee reviews the Department of Transportation’s policies and programs and Fiscal Year 2025 budget request with Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and a Financial Services subcommittee investigates the Export-Import Bank with respect to competition with China. The Ex-Im Bank continues to finance fossil-fuel projects around the globe on behalf of the United States.

At 2 pm, a Homeland Security subcommittee holds a hearing on ensuring critical infrastructure resilience, which may touch upon the oil and gas industry’s push to increase criminal penalties against non-violent pipeline protests. and a Foreign Affairs subcommittee holds a hearing on climate-disaster-ravaged Central America and the Caribbean.

Friday, June 28

In the morning, Summer of Heat activists are organizing a march to blockade Citibank’s headquarters in New York City, led by organizers from the Gulf South. Folks are first gathering at Zuccotti Park, home to Occupy Wall Street in 2011.

Meanwhile, House appropriators are marking up the 8 AM: House Fiscal Year 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill and the Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies bill, with major implications for the nation’s climate resilience.

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