The Week Ahead (April 14-18)

April 11, 2008
03:35 PM
  • On Tuesday, April 15, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests will consider the following: S. 570/H.R. 1011, to designate additional National Forest System lands in Virginia as wilderness or a wilderness study area, to designate the Kimberling Creek Potential Wilderness Area for eventual incorporation in the Kimberling Creek Wilderness, to establish the Seng Mountain and Bear Creek Scenic Areas, and to provide for the development of trail plans for the wilderness areas and scenic areas; S. 758/H.R. 1311, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Alta-Hualapai Site to the city of Las Vegas, Nev., for the development of a cancer treatment facility; S. 1680, to provide for the inclusion of certain non-Federal land in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska; S. 2109, to designate certain Federal lands in Riverside County, Calif., as wilderness, to designate certain river segments in Riverside County as a wild, scenic, or recreational river, and to adjust the boundary of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument; S. 2124, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest to Jefferson County, Mont., for use as a cemetery; and S. 2581, to designate as wilderness additional National Forest System lands in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. Witnesses include Department of the Interior; Joel Holtrop, deputy chief, National Forest System, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture; Dr. James Murray, president, Virginia Wilderness Committee, Charlottesville, VA; Stan Senner, executive director and vice president, Audubon Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska; Della Trumble, Agadaux Tribe, King Cove, Alaska.  (Dirksen 366 at 2:30 p.m.)
 
  • On Thursday, April 17, the Subcommittee on Water and Power will receive testimony on the increasing number of issues associated with aging water resource infrastructure that is operated and maintained, or owned, by the Bureau of Reclamation.  Witnesses include Robert Johnson, commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation; Thomas Donnelly, National Water Resources Association; Jennifer Gimbel, representing Western States Water Council, Midvale, Utah; Wesley Reed, St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group, Chinook, Mont.; Maj. Gen. Charles McGinnis (Ret),  representing National Research Council;  and Todd Cutler, mayor, Fernley, Nev.  (Dirksen 366 at 2:00 p.m.)
 
Bonus …
 
A short time ago ENR tried an experiment: we decided to invite the public and the press to a staff briefing on carbon capture and storage.  These types of briefings are routine on Capitol Hill, but seldom are they open to anyone other than Congressional staff.  Our move was greeted with enthusiasm, confirming a feeling that there is a desire for as much info on the topic as possible.  So, our bonus is a pair of links to two recent carbon capture and sequestration events that featured Chairman Bingaman: His presentation to the Edison Foundation’s “Carbon Capture and Storage: Key Issues and Challenges” conference, and the materials distributed at “Making Carbon Capture & Sequestration Work,”  the abovementioned staff briefing.
 
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