New trade routes and untapped mineral deposits are just a couple things being revealed by the ever-thinning ice in an increasingly warm Arctic. This year alone nearly 400 ships passed through Russia’s exposed Northern Sea Route, an Arctic waterway along the country’s northern coast, and that number is expected to grow substantially in the coming years.

A new methodology could lead to improved monitoring of geologic carbon sequestration. Although not yet commercially viable, underground sequestration of carbon dioxide is being explored as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels that contribute to global warming.

After months of indignation and stand-offs between Senate Democrats and Republicans, Gina McCarthy has been confirmed as the new Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a 59 to 40 vote this July. Senate Republicans boycotted McCarthy’s Environment and Public Works confirmation hearing back in May over transparency concerns aimed at the EPA. Gina McCarthy succeeds Lisa Jackson as head of the EPA. 

Multiple sources reveal the White House is expected to nominate Janice Schneider as the Department of Interior’s assistant secretary for land and minerals management. Schneider is currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP in Washington, D.C. and was a senior aide to former Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes. Schneider’s experience and specialization is in the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, and tribal and cultural resource issues. The appointment awaits nomination and approval.

This August the National Research Council (NRC) released a report, sponsored by the Department of Energy, that examines the relationship between induced seismicity and energy technologies.

Article I of the U.S. Constitution defines the legislative branch: “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.” The detailed structure of Congress was left to each chamber to develop and revise as needed over time. Here the most relevant committees, subcommittees, rules and changes within Congress for the geoscience community are described and updated. 

Witnesses: 
Panel 1
Gina McCarthy
Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency