Why It Matters

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will examine a slate of bills addressing wildfire resilience, water management, and energy development on Wednesday, September 16. The hearing comes as giant sequoias face accelerating wildfire losses, with more than 17 percent of mature trees killed by fire since 2015 compared to less than 1 percent during the 30 years before. Most of those losses occurred during the 2020 and 2021 megafires.

The Hearing

Chair Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) will preside. The hearing will address several bills, including measures to protect giant sequoias and authorize geothermal exploration in previously studied areas.

The agenda includes S.4103 and H.R. 2709 on giant sequoia health and resiliency, S.1568 concerning geothermal exploration and development, S.5360 on utility cybersecurity grants and technical assistance, and S.5352 reauthorizing desalination programs. The committee will also consider S.5101, which would prohibit the Interior Secretary from approving a plan to expand the Mid-Continent Limestone Quarry near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The proposal could expand the quarry by as much as 350 percent.

The hearing agenda also includes proposed legislation on aquatic ecosystem restoration, watershed health, and WaterSMART grants. No witnesses have been scheduled to date.

Context

The giant sequoia bills arrive as fire ecology shifts. Giant sequoias are naturally resistant to ordinary fire, but can be vulnerable when fires become sufficiently intense.

On the geothermal front, technology developers are seeking to drill deeper and use heat from hard-to-reach reservoirs. Bipartisan legislation by Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) aims to promote research, testing, and development of superhot-rock geothermal energy.

The Glenwood Hot Springs Protection Act would block BLM approval of a plan to expand a gravel quarry above Glenwood Springs. On July 22, U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd and Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper introduced companion bills in Congress to block the expansion.

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