Legislative Activity Shaheen/Portman Energy Cloture Vote Fails On Monday, May 12 the Senate voted against a motion to invoke cloture and end debate on S. 2262, the “Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2014,” after Senate leaders were unable to reach a deal to consider a group of energy-related amendments. While Senate Majority Leader … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate to Consider Environmental Nominations On Tuesday, May 13, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a full committee hearing to evaluate President Obama’s nominations for key environmental positions. Dr. Monica Regalbuto is being nominated for Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE) to oversee the department’s Office of Environmental … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Ozone A court order issued last week instructs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue its proposed rule concerning ozone by December 1, 2014, and a final rule by October 1, 2015. This action would finalize the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that are expected to significantly impact cities, counties, transportation systems … Continue Reading
Executive Branch Activity Climate Change Announcement The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has announced the creation and launch of www.data.gov/climate which is intended to collect information related to climate change in order to help cities and the business community prepare to become more resilient to climate change. Initially focusing on sea level rise … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Future Climate Scenarios The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released phase-two of its National Stormwater Calculator. EPA highlights that “the updated calculator includes future climate vulnerability scenarios.” Primarily used to estimate the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a specific location, EPA notes that the tool also includes “changes in seasonal precipitation levels, … Continue Reading
Executive Branch Activity Executive Order — Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change On Friday, President Obama issued an Executive Order intended to help states and local communities address the impacts of severe weather resulting from climate change. The Order addresses the potential for incentives to local communities to make investments to … Continue Reading
Legal Activity Supreme Court Sets Up Limited EPA Greenhouse Gas Challenge On Tuesday, October 15, the Supreme Court granted and consolidated six petitions for certiori to hear a limited appeal of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulation of greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles. The Court’s decision is limited to a single question: “Whether EPA … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Nuclear Waste Nuclear waste is one of the topics of the week in Congress, with both the House and Senate holding hearings on how to address nuclear waste and nuclear waste facilities. This Week’s Hearings: Monday, July 29: The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Water and Power, will hold a hearing concerning … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Greenhouse Gas Emissions The National Academies of Sciences (NAS) has released its report titled “Effects of U.S. Tax Policy on Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” Congress had charged NAS with conducting a comprehensive review of the Internal Revenue Code to identify the types of and specific tax provisions that have the largest effects on carbon … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) The Senate Armed Services Committee filed its bill, S. 1197, on Thursday, June 20. Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) would like to bring the bill to the Senate floor in July, but that remains uncertain at this time. Defense Appropriations Last week, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Tuesday, June 18: The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation, will hold an oversight hearing titled “Citizen and Agency Perspectives on the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.” Tuesday, June 18: The House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a full committee hearing concerning the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Tuesday, June 4: The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a full committee hearing intended to identify ways to improve federal wildland fire management. Tuesday, June 4: The House Committee on Natural Resources will hold a full committee hearing to address species conservation concerning tribal, state and … Continue Reading
