Capitol Hill This Week - What to Watch For

The U.S. House and Senate return this week from an August hiatus to begin a short September work session before breaking again during the run-up to November's mid-term election.  Including the week of September 22 off, the House is scheduled to be in session through Thursday, October 2, although members will very likely forego that last week, and exit town after the upcoming two-week stint.  On the near-term agenda for Congress will be a stop-gap Continuing Resolution to keep the federal government funded beyond the September 30 end to the current fiscal year. Look for a bipartisan push for a clean (rider-free) measure that will fund the government at least into December.  The House may take up the short-term spending bill as early as this Thursday.

The House Rules Committee will meet today (Monday) to clear the way for full House consideration of H.R. 5078, the "Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014."  H.R. 5078 is a bill that would limit the ability of the administration to implement rules, policy or guidance redefining the jurisdictional reach of the Clean Water Act.  House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy named House consideration of that bill one of many Republican September legislative priorities.

Below are the other House and Senate activities currently scheduled for the week that relate to Mississippi River Basin water resources. Links are provided to the relevant committee web pages, and, where appropriate, to pieces of legislation. Many Congressional proceedings are webcast live, and these should be, as well (follow the appropriate link). All times are Eastern. This page will be updated as warranted.

Monday

• House Natural Resources Committee field hearing on "The Northern Long Eared Bat: The Federal Endangered Species Act and the Impacts of a Listing on Pennsylvania and 37 Other States;" 10:00 AM, North Office Building, Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
• House Rules Committee meeting to discuss the rules for the House's consideration of H.R. 5078, Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014; 5:00 PM, room H-313 U.S. Capitol Building.

Tuesday

• House Natural Resources Committee legislative hearing on several bills (​H.R. 1314, ​H.R. 4256, ​H.R. 4284, and ​​H.R. 4319) to amend the Endangered Species Act, and on ​H.R. 4866, to reverse the Department of the Interior's listing of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act; 10:00 AM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
• House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit hearing on "Surface Transportation Infrastructure Projects: Case Studies of the Federal Environmental Review and Permitting Process;" 10:00 AM, room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation legislative hearing on several bills, including H.R. 5074 (“Land Adjacency Notification and Disclosure Act”), to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to improve the transparency and oversight of land conveyances involving the sale, exchange, or other disposal of certain public lands; 2:00 PM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.

Wednesday

• House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on "Obstructing Oversight: Concerns from Inspectors General;" 9:30 AM, room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building (witnesses will include EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins).
• House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry hearing to review the U.S. Forest Service's proposed groundwater directive (USFS proposal to gauge how groundwater withdrawals affect forest resources); 10:00 AM, room 1300 Longworth House Office Building.
• House Natural Resources Committee oversight hearing on "The Status of the Fish and Wildlife Service's Responses to Committee Subpoenas and the Continued Lack of Transparency about Its Implementation and Enforcement of American Wildlife Laws;" 10:00 AM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
• Senate Agriculture Committee hearing to consider the nomination of Lisa Afua Serwah Mensah to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development; 10:00 AM, room 328A Russell Senate Office Building.
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power legislative hearing on the "Bureau of Reclamation Surface Water Storage Streamlining Act" "to facilitate and streamline the Bureau of Reclamation process for creating or expanding surface water storage under Reclamation law;" 2:00 PM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.

Thursday

• House Natural Resources Committee oversight hearing on “Oversight of the Office of Inspector General and its Ongoing Failure to Comply with a Subpoena for Documents about a Recent Investigation” (re: Inspector General office's review of the Office of Surface Mining's forthcoming stream protection rule); 9:00 AM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.