Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
july 2015
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environment
Senate Committee hears testimony on America's role in the UN Climate Conference
July 8, 2015
On July 8, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee heard testimony on the Administration’s plans for the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris. The Conference will gather UN members to establish measures to limit the global warming of the earth to 2˚ C. As part of the conference, the Obama Administration intends to commit America to reducing carbon emissions by 26 percent by 2025.
During the hearing, Senate Republicans raised concerns about the legitimacy of international agreements made by the President without the input of Congress. However, Professor Jeremy Rabkin of the George Mason University School of Law said the Administration has precedent to commit to these reductions, as many international agreements are entered into without permission of Congress. Rabkin continued to say, however, that compared to previous agreements the proposed UNFCCC measures would have a greater scope and impact on the American public. Rabkin further agreed with Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) that Congress’s only hope to stop the Administration’s agenda may lie in “the power of purse,” or Congress’s constitutional authority to authorize and oversee federal funding. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) raised additional concerns that the 26 percent reductions commitment is unattainable by 2020, and unfair considering the emissions goals of global competitors like China. According to analyses provided by two of the witnesses, the Administration’s plan would only reduce the nation’s carbon pollution emissions by approximately 18 percent, leaving an additional 8 percent unaccounted for.
The Conference will run from November 30 to December 11.
Sources: E&E News, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, United Nations, White House
House hears testimony on EPA Brownfields program
July 22, 2015
On July 22, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment heard testimony on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program and discussed potential improvements to the initiative. Nearly every representative at the hearing praised the program, adopted in 2002, for helping to clean polluted sites and spur revitalization in economically depressed areas.
According to the EPA, brownfield cleanups return an average of almost 18 dollars for each federal dollar spent. Citing this strong return on investment, committee Democrats encouraged more funding for the program. Many applicants must be turned down due to the program’s limited capacity, and those that do meet the EPA’s criteria may still not receive funding. Mathy Stanislaus, testifying on behalf of the EPA, advised Congress not to set fixed funding levels for site assessments but rather to leave the allocation of funds to individual communities.
Witnesses also discussed the problems facing urban and rural communities. Vernice Miller-Travis, Vice Chair of the Maryland Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities, said that urban revitalization can lead to higher property prices, which displace low-income communities. Paul Gruber of the National Ground Water Association urged heavier investment in protecting the groundwater resources of rural communities that become vulnerable to water contamination when businesses develop “greenfield” property instead of reusing brownfield parcels. Undeveloped greenfield land acts as a natural filter for surface water to drain into an aquifer. For this reason, pushing development onto new property can lead to well water contamination.
Sources: E&E News, House.gov