Energy

Small Business Bill of Rights

United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2016

Small Business Bill of Rights This bill modifies tax provisions, regulatory requirements, and legal procedures that affect small businesses. Bringing Business Back Act of 2016 The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax exclusion for certain income attributable to real property in areas that meet criteria regarding unemployment, poverty, or other signs of distress. The bill temporarily reduces the capital gains tax on certain small business stock, increases the deduction for start-up expenditures, and exempts small businesses from tax increases. Federal agencies must review existing and proposed regulations that affect small businesses using specified criteria. Certain new small business regulations must expire after seven years, unless they are renewed. Death Tax Repeal Act of 2016 The bill repeals the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes and makes permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and the lifetime gift tax exemption. It also extends or makes permanent several tax credits and deductions related to energy efficiency. With respect to the legal process, the bill establishes requirements and limitations for lawsuits arising from health care liability claims regarding health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. The bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to permit verifications under the E-Verify program to be provided by telephone. The bill amends the Small Business Act to modify policies regarding goals for participation of small businesses in procurement contracts and the bundling of contracts. It also establishes criminal penalties for making false statements regarding status as a small business concern or compliance with the Small Business Act to obtain, retain, or complete a federal contract.

To extend the authorization of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 relating to the disposal site in Mesa County, Colorado.

United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2016

This bill amends the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 to extend through FY2048 authorization for the Department of Energy to operate the Cheney disposal cell in Mesa County, Colorado.

THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF MODERN, RELIABLE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE TO WEST VIRGINIA AND THE UNITED STATES

United States · United States Senate · 29 August 2016

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S FUNCTIONS AND CAPABILITIES TO RESPOND TO ENERGY-RELATED EMERGENCIES, INCLUDING IMPACTS TO CRITICAL ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE

United States · United States Senate · 15 August 2016

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2016

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2016 This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize through FY2021 a diesel emissions reduction program. The program authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants, rebates, or loans for reducing diesel emissions from certain diesel vehicles or fleets by retrofitting or replacing their engines.

Native American Business Incubators Program Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Native American Business Incubators Program Act This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish a grant program in the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development for establishing and operating business incubators that serve Indian reservation communities, including Native businesses and Native entrepreneurs. A business incubator is an organization that: (1) provides physical workspace and facilities resources to startups and established businesses, and (2) is designed to accelerate the growth and success of businesses through a variety of business support resources and services. Interior must facilitate the establishment of relationships between grant recipients and educational institutions serving Native American communities.

Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act This bill authorizes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to assess sanitation and safety conditions on BIA land set aside to provide Columbia River Treaty tribes access to traditional fishing grounds. No other federal agency may carry out this assessment. The BIA may enter into contracts with tribes or tribal organizations to improve sanitation, safety conditions, and access to electricity, sewer, and water infrastructure on this land.

Countering Iranian Threats Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Countering Iranian Threats Act of 2016 This bill directs the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, and the Director of National Intelligence to submit a 10-year strategy to counter Iranian activities and threats. The President shall impose against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sanctions with respect to: (1) blocking property of, and prohibiting transactions with, foreign persons who commit or support terrorism; and (2) an entity designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The President shall impose asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions against any person that: (1) materially contributes to the sale or transfer to Iran of specified military equipment or that provides related technical or financial assistance, or (2) materially contributes to Iran's ballistic missile or weapons of mass destruction programs. The President shall impose specified sanctions against a person identified by the Department of State in an annual report as having acted to undermine, or as posing a risk of undermining: (1) the peace or stability in Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, or Yemen; or (2) the peace process in Syria. Specified sanctions against Iran are continued until the President certifies that the following Iranian activities have ceased: (1) support for terrorism, (2) development of ballistic missile programs or delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction, (3) human rights abuses, and (4) undermining of cyber security. The President shall impose property blocking sanctions against any person that has engaged in significant activities undermining cyber security by or on behalf of Iran. The President may not issue any license under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to an offshore dollar clearing entity to conduct a transaction with an Iranian financial institution in U.S. dollars. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 is amended to subject to sanctions: (1) u-turn transactions (fund transfers from a foreign bank that pass through a U.S. financial institution and are then transferred to a second foreign bank), and (2) book transfers (fund transfers for the benefit of an Iranian financial institution made between accounts of the same financial institution). The President is authorized and encouraged to impose asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions against any Iranian official who is responsible for, or complicit in, directing acts of significant corruption in Iran. The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 is extended through December 31, 2026. The bill sets forth reporting requirements with respect to: (1) Iran's use of sanction relief funds, (2) offshore U.S. dollar clearing for Iranian transactions, (3) U.S.-European Union sanctions coordination, (4) Iranian nuclear weapons research and development, (5) Iran-North Korea nuclear cooperation, (6) Iranian use of commercial aircraft and related services for illicit military or other activities, and (7) U.S. citizens detained by Iran. Treasury shall publish in the Federal Register an IRGC Watch List. It is the sense of Congress that the President should engage with international partners to ensure that the International Atomic Energy Agency is fully funded in order to undertake its verification responsibilities. The bill exempts certain humanitarian and national security activities from sanctions. Upon receipt of credible information that a person is engaged in sanctionable activity, the President shall initiate an investigation to determine whether such person is subject to sanctions.

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the credit for production of electricity from renewable resources to allow a credit for certain open-loop biomass and trash facilities placed in service before the date of the enactment of this Act and to modify the definition of municipal solid waste.

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources, to allow a taxpayer to elect the application of such credit to open-loop biomass and trash facilities during the period beginning after December 31, 2016, and ending before January 1, 2018 (in lieu of the 10-year period after the facilities are originally placed in service). The bill limits the aggregate period during which a taxpayer can claim a tax credit with respect to a facility to 10 years. The bill also modifies the definition of "municipal solid waste" to specify that the term does not include solid waste collected as part of a system which commingles commonly recycled paper with other solid waste which is not commonly recycled at any point from the time of collection through any materials recovery. The bill includes exceptions for incidental and residual waste. In the case of a facility that produces electricity both from municipal solid waste and other solid waste that is not a qualified energy resource: (1) the facility is a qualified facility if it otherwise meets the requirements for qualified facilities, and (2) the credit only applies to the portion of the electricity produced from municipal solid waste.

Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow energy tax credits through 2020 for investments in: (1) qualified biogas property, or (2) qualified manure resource recovery property. The bill also permits new clean renewable energy bonds to be used for such properties. "Qualified biogas property" comprises a system that: (1) uses anaerobic digesters or other specified processes to convert biomass into a gas which is at least 52% methane, and (2) captures the gas for use as a fuel. The term includes property that cleans and conditions the gas for use as a fuel. "Qualified manure resource recovery property" comprises a system that uses specified processes to recover the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus from a non-treated digestate or animal manure by reducing or separating at least 50% of the nutrients, excluding any reductions during the incineration, storage, composting, or field application of the non-treated digestate or animal manure. The term also includes certain processing equipment. The Department of the Treasury must enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for a study of biogas and report to Congress on the study.

Electrochromic Glass Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Electrochromic Glass Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that the use of electrochromic glass qualifies for the tax credit for investment in energy property. (Electrochromic glass is able to switch from clear to dark using a switch, sensor, timer, or similar controls.)

Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing credit, to rename the credit "the affordable housing credit" and make several modifications to the credit. The bill increases state allocations for the credit and modifies the cost-of-living adjustments. It also revises tenant eligibility requirements, with respect to: the average income test, income eligibility for rural projects, increased tenant income, student occupancy rules, and tenant voucher payments that are taken into account as rent. The bill revises various requirements to: establish a 4% minimum credit rate for certain projects, permit relocation costs to be taken into account as rehabilitation expenditures, repeal the qualified census tract population cap, require state housing credit agencies to make certain determinations regarding community revitalization plans, prohibit local approval and contribution requirements, increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households, increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies, and eliminate the basis reduction for low-income housing properties that receive certain energy-related tax credits and deductions. The bill also modifies requirements regarding the reconstruction or replacement period after a casualty loss, rights related to building purchases, the prohibition on claiming acquisition credits for properties placed in service in the previous 10 years, and projects that assist Native Americans.

Utah Public Lands Initiative Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Utah Public Lands Initiative Act This bill designates specified federal lands as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System in Utah. The bill also: establishes in Utah specified National Conservation Areas and Watershed Management Areas and Special Management Areas, adds specified lands to Arches National Park, and establishes the Jurassic National Monument. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is amended to designate specified segments of the Colorado, Dolores, Green, Dark Canyon, and San Juan Rivers as wild, scenic, or recreational rivers. The bill establishes the Ashley Karst National Geologic and Recreation Area. The bill arranges for a land exchange between Utah and the Department of the Interior involving specified federal and state trust lands, and reserves a wellbore interest in certain oil and gas wells on the federal lands. Interior shall convey specified federal land to the Utah State Parks and Recreation Division of the Department of Natural Resources for inclusion in Goblin Valley State Park. The bill arranges for a land exchange between Interior and Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire, and State lands involving specified federal and state lands in order for Utah to create the Price Canyon State Forest. The bill arranges for a land exchange between the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Deer Lodge Homeowners Association involving specified National Forest System and private lands. Scofield Land Transfer Act The bill arranges for conveyances to specified claimants of the federal lands used in the construction and operation of Scofield Dam and Reservoir, and establishes the Scofield Reservoir Fund. The bill specifies other land conveyances and land disposals, and establishes specified Recreation Zones and the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail. The bill approves Utah's application for a specified Title V right-of-way concerning travel in Recapture Canyon. The Big Burrito Non-Motorized Trail in the Sand Flats Recreation Area shall not be subject to administrative or judicial review. The bill designates the Red Rock Country Off-Highway Vehicle Trail. The bill transfers the federal minerals within the McCraken Extension of the Navajo Nation to the Utah Navajo Trust Fund. Interior shall hold certain interests in mineral or surface estate in trust for the Ute Indian Tribe. The bill transfers title to the mineral estate in the Hill Creek Extension to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be held in trust for the Ute Tribe. Utah may establish a program covering the permitting processes, regulatory requirements, and any other provisions by which it would exercise its rights to develop and permit all forms of energy resources on certain available federal land. The bill recognizes Utah state and county rights-of-way for public travel and access on certain Class B roads. The bill requires Interior to implement the Grand County Council's recommendations for Hey Joe Canyon, Tenmile Canyon, and Mineral Canyon roads. Interior shall grant a right-of-way to Uintah County for public travel and access on all Class D roads. The bill allows current domestic livestock grazing in specified counties to continue. The bill states that the viability or existence of bighorn sheep shall not be used to remove or alter the use of domestic sheep or cattle where such use was permitted as of January 1, 2016, on certain federal lands. Interior and USDA shall establish the Public Lands Initiative Planning and Implementation Advisory Committee. The bill establishes the Bears Ears National Conservation Area, the Bears Ears Tribal Commission, and the Bears Ears Advisory Committee.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should adopt a national policy for technology to promote consumers' access to financial tools and online commerce to promote economic growth and consumer empowerment.

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: develop a national policy to encourage the development of tools for consumers to learn and protect their assets in a way that maximizes the promise customized, connected devices hold to empower consumers, foster future economic growth, and create new commerce and markets; prioritize accelerating the development of alternative technologies that support transparency, security, and authentication in a way that recognizes their benefits, allows for future innovation, and responsibly protects consumers' personal information; recognize that technology experts can play an important role in the future development of consumer-facing technology applications for manufacturing, automobiles, telecommunications, tourism, health care, energy, and general commerce; and support further innovation and economic growth and ensure cybersecurity and the protection of consumer privacy. Calls for innovators in technology, manufacturing, automobiles, telecommunications, tourism, health care, and energy industries to commit to improving the quality of life for future generations by developing new technology that is safe and consumer protective and that is aimed at improving consumers' access to commerce.

Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit conducting geological or geophysical activities in support of oil or gas exploration and development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The geological and geophysical activities are described in a final programmatic environmental impact statement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management entitled "Atlantic OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas."

Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act This bill authorizes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to assess sanitation and safety conditions on BIA land set aside to provide Columbia River Treaty tribes access to traditional fishing grounds. No other federal agency may carry out this assessment. The BIA may enter into contracts with tribes or tribal organizations to improve sanitation, safety conditions, and access to electricity, sewer, and water infrastructure on this land.

To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for the issuance of Green Bonds and to establish the United States Green Bank, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

This bill establishes a U.S. Green Bank that provides financial support to assist regional, state, and local institutions finance: (1) clean energy (e.g. solar or wind energy) projects, or (2) energy efficiency projects that reduce energy use or substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Department of the Treasury must issue Green Bonds to provide the bank with: (1) an initial capitalization of $10 billion; and (2) additional capitalization, upon the bank's request, of no more than $50 billion in aggregate at any one time. Treasury must also establish a revolving Green Bank Establishment Fund.

Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016

Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish, within the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, a separate Hazardous Liquids Rail Spill Liability Account to support actions related to preventing and responding to discharges of oil or hazardous substances that result from rail shipments; (2) impose a fee on hazardous flammable liquids transported by rail; and (3) establish a tax credit for qualified tank-car conversion expenses. In addition, the bill: expands liability with respect to discharges of hazardous substances, expands Department of Transportation (DOT) training with respect to accidents arising from rail transportation of flammable liquids or gases, establishes a High Hazard Rail Shipments Preparedness grant program, and establishes a Track Relocation and Railroad Inspection Safety grant program. The Federal Railroad Administration must implement specified recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board. DOT, the Department of Commerce, and the Energy Information Administration shall collect specified data related to high hazard rail transportation.

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify the tax credit for carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration. The bill modifies the credit to: allow certain new industrial facilities or equipment to qualify for the credit if construction begins before January 1, 2024; allow qualified projects to claim the credit for 12 years, beginning on the date the equipment was originally placed in service; increase the separate credit amounts, with respect to projects placed in service upon or after the enactment of this bill, that apply to captured CO2 that is: (1) disposed of in secure geological storage, and (2) used as a tertiary injectant in an enhanced oil or natural gas recovery project and disposed of in secure geological storage; expand the purposes for which captured CO2 may be used; establish separate CO2 capture thresholds based on whether the facility is an electricity generating facility or used for other purposes; specify that the 75 million metric ton cap on the CO2 that may qualify for the credit applies only to projects placed in service before the enactment of this bill; and allow the credit to be transferred from the entity that owns and uses the capture equipment to the entity that disposes of or uses the CO2.

A resolution supporting the termination of the Select Investigative Panel of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives established pursuant to House Resolution 461, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016

Supports: (1) the immediate termination of the Select Investigative Panel of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and (2) rescinding any unspent funds and making them available to the Department of Health and Human Services for efforts to combat Zika for women and children.

S. 3018, THE SECURING ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE ACT, AND TO EXAMINE PROTECTIONS DESIGNED TO GUARD AGAINST ENERGY DISRUPTIONS

United States · United States Senate · 12 July 2016

[ERRATA] S. 3018, THE SECURING ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE ACT, AND TO EXAMINE PROTECTIONS DESIGNED TO GUARD AGAINST ENERGY DISRUPTIONS

United States · United States Senate · 12 July 2016

A bill to support basic energy research and eliminate the wind production tax credit.

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016

This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize through FY2019 the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The bill also amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate on January 1, 2017, the tax credit for electricity produced from wind.

S.T.O.R.A.G.E. Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016

Storage Technology for Operational Readiness and Generating Energy Act or the S.T.O.R.A.G.E. Act This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to add energy storage systems to the list of strategies states should consider when developing energy plans and using its utility ratemaking authority. States are encouraged to analyze whether energy storage systems benefit their efforts to promote energy conservation and the greater use of domestic energy. To further encourage the development of programs relating to energy storage, the Department of Energy (DOE) must streamline and coordinate efforts among various existing programs conducting energy storage research at DOE to maximize efficiency of its funds and expand vital research.

Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016

Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for: (1) energy storage technologies, and (2) battery storage technology. The bill expands the tax credit for investments in energy property to include equipment that: (1) receives, stores, and delivers energy using batteries, compressed air, pumped hydropower, hydrogen storage (including hydrolysis), thermal energy storage, regenerative fuel cells, flywheels, capacitors, superconducting magnets, or other technologies identified by the Internal Revenue Service; and (2) has a capacity of at least five kilowatt hours. The bill also expands the tax credit for residential energy efficient property to include expenditures for battery storage technology that: (1) is installed on or in connection with a dwelling unit located in the United States and used as a residence by the taxpayer, and (2) has a capacity of at least three kilowatt hours.

Oil and Gas Payments Taxpayer Protection and Deficit Reduction Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016

Oil and Gas Payments Taxpayer Protection and Deficit Reduction Act This bill amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to direct the Department of the Treasury to deposit: (1) 50% of qualified Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues into the general fund of the Treasury, and (2) 50% of qualified OCS revenues into a special account. Furthermore, 75% of available revenues in the special account must be used to reduce the federal budget deficit and 25% must be deposited into the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Energy Tax Fairness Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016

Energy Tax Fairness Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax credit for investment in energy property to include qualified high-efficiency linear generator property. A stationary linear generator power plant is an integrated system consisting of translators, cylinders, electricity generating equipment, and associated balance of plant components which converts a fuel or waste heat into electricity for stationary applications. Qualified high-efficiency linear generator property is a stationary linear generator power plant which has: (1) a nameplate capacity of less than 2,000 kilowatts, and (2) an electricity-only generation efficiency of greater than 30%. For high-efficiency linear generator property that is placed in service during the taxable year, the credit for the year may not exceed $1,500 for each 0.5 kilowatt of capacity of the property.

U.S.-Israel Partnership to Hold Iran Accountable Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016

U.S.-Israel Partnership to Hold Iran Accountable Act This bill authorizes the Department of State to establish a joint commission with Israel to address Iranian compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The commission should: support professional dialogues to detect and respond to JCPOA violations by Iran; coordinate subcabinet level political discussions on contingency responses to such violations and responses to Iran's destabilizing, non-nuclear activities, including missile launches, support for terrorism, and human rights violations; and coordinate technical discussions among the State Department, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Energy, and counterpart Israeli ministries on technical aspects of JCPOA implementation. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: Israeli officials who are counterparts to specified U.S. officials should be appointed as commission members; the President should ensure commission participation by senior officials in the Executive Office of the President and counterparts in the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel; and the Department of Defense should conduct joint military planning with Israel based on commission-identified contingency scenarios, such as responding to the detection of a covert Iranian enrichment facility, new Iranian weaponization efforts, or other clear indicators that Iran has begun a nuclear weapon breakout.

Transparency and Honesty in Energy Regulations Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016

Transparency and Honesty in Energy Regulations Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from considering the social cost of carbon or methane as part of any cost benefit analysis, unless a federal law is enacted authorizing such consideration. The EPA must report on the number of proposed and final rulemakings, guidance documents, and agency actions since January 2009 that use either of those social costs, including as part of any cost benefit analysis required under Executive Order 12866 and other relevant authorities.

TRASH Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016

Trash Reduction and Sensible Handling Act of 2016 or the TRASH Act This bill amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize state solid waste management plans to restrict the importation of out-of-state waste at the state and local level by requiring out-of-state waste to be from states with waste handling and reduction standards that are equivalent or higher than the standards of the state receiving the waste. Those plans may impose a community benefit fee on out-of-state waste, which may be higher than the fees for in-state waste. States may provide those fees to affected communities and may differentiate community benefit fees based on whether the imported waste was disposed of at a landfill, an incinerator, a resource recovery facility, a waste-to-energy facility, or other waste handling facility.

A REVIEW OF EPA'S REGULATORY ACTIVITY DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL SECTORS

United States · United States House of Representatives · 6 July 2016

A concurrent resolution to express the sense of Congress regarding the safe and expeditious resettlement to Albania of all residents of Camp Liberty.

United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016

Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should: work with Iraq and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure that all residents of Camp Liberty (located in Iraq) are safely and expeditiously resettled in Albania; work with Iraq, Albania, and the UNHCR to prevent Iran from intervening in the resettlement process; urge Iraq to protect residents during the resettlement process, including by ensuring that security personnel are vetted to determine that they are not affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Qods Force; urge Iraq to ensure access to food, clean water, medical assistance, and energy needs; work with Iraq to facilitate the sale of residents' property and assets; work with Iraq and the UNHCR to ensure that residents may exercise full control of all personal assets; and urge Albania and the UNHCR to ensure the continued recognition of the resettled residents as "persons of concern" entitled to international protections.

Recovering America's Wildlife Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016

Recovering America's Wildlife Act of 2016 This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to direct the Department of the Treasury to transfer, beginning in FY2016, revenues from energy and mineral development on federal lands totaling $1.3 billion to the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Subaccount of the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Fund, to be available without further appropriation. The purpose of the subaccount is to fund state wildlife conservation and restoration programs for managing fish and wildlife species of the greatest conservation need as determined by a state fish and wildlife agency.

Electricity Storage Innovation Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016

Electricity Storage Innovation Act This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish the Electricity Storage Basic Research Initiative. The initiative is designed to expand knowledge related to the control, storage, and conversion of electrical energy into chemical energy, and chemical energy into electrical energy. DOE must support specific programs within its Office of Science and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as part of the initiative. In addition, DOE must organize activities under the initiative utilizing research teams consisting of experts from the national laboratories, universities, and the private sector.

Solar Fuels Innovation Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016

Solar Fuels Innovation Act This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 by requiring the Department of Energy (DOE) to carry out the Solar Fuels Basic Research Initiative to expand scientific knowledge about converting solar energy into chemical energy. Specifically, DOE must support research about: (1) replicating natural photosynthetic processes in artificial photosynthesis processes, and (2) generating a variety of fuels produced from sunlight through artificial photosynthesis. (A photosynthetic process is one used by plants to convert light from the sun into chemical energy. Artificial, human-made photosynthesis mimics the natural process.) Appropriations authorized under the bill may not be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology. The bill repeals a requirement for DOE to support a research and development program in catalysis science.

Stranded Nuclear Waste Accountability Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016

Stranded Nuclear Waste Accountability Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a program to provide compensation to communities in which a nuclear waste storage facility is located. DOE must provide payments equal to $15 per kilogram of spent nuclear fuel stored at the nuclear waste facility. Each local government within the jurisdictional boundaries of a nuclear waste facility must submit an annual application to DOE for compensation. DOE may make only one payment per fiscal year to eligible local governments.

Safer Pipelines Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016

Safe and Accountable Federal Energy Review for Pipelines Act of 2016 or the Safer Pipelines Act of 2016 This bill amends the Natural Gas Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), before granting a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a proposed pipeline expansion project, to: conduct a full evidentiary hearing on the need for the expansion or a cumulative review of planned energy infrastructure projects in the region of the proposed expansion; and consider matters that include existing capacity, renewable energy goals, and the ability to otherwise meet energy needs. Additionally, FERC must: (1) consider, in the case of interstate pipeline projects, the cumulative environmental impacts of other interstate or regional projects; and (2) monitor approved pipeline projects for five years to ensure that environmental mitigation steps have been implemented.

American Energy and Conservation Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2016

American Energy and Conservation Act of 2016 The bill amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to increase the revenue Gulf states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama) receive for energy projects by removing the $500 million cap for FY2027-FY2055. Beginning in FY2027, the bill increases the percentage of federal revenues that Alaska and the Atlantic states (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia) receive from offshore energy projects. The bill amends the Mineral Leasing Act to eliminate the deduction from state revenues for administrative costs if the costs incurred by the federal government are less than a specified amount. The Department of the Interior must establish priority areas on federal land for the development of renewable energy generation projects. Additionally, Interior must establish a program to improve federal permit coordination for renewable energy projects. The bill also designates funds in the Treasury for the Tribal Resilience Program in Alaska to assist tribal nations adapt to the impact of climate change and for the National Park Service to address maintenance needs.

A resolution welcoming Prime Minister Lee Hsien-Loong to the United States and reaffirming Singapore's strategic partnership with the United States, encompassing broad and robust economic, military-to-military, law enforcement, and counterterrorism cooperation.

United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2016

Welcomes Prime Minister Lee Hsien-Loong of Singapore for his official visit to the United States and for the State Dinner on August 2, 2016, as the United States and Singapore commemorate the 50th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic relationship. Affirms the importance of the U.S.-Singapore strategic partnership in securing regional peace and stability. Applauds Singapore's leadership in counterterrorism, including the deployment of military assets as part of the anti-ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) coalition and innovative counterterrorism efforts within the Asia-Pacific region. Anticipates the deepening of the security relationship following the signing of an enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement on December 7, 2015, and welcomes further cooperation in areas such as cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and defense technology. Recognizes the vitality of the bilateral trade and investment relationship between the United States and Singapore. Expresses support for continued close cooperation between the United States and Singapore to build capacity for commercial engagement, energy development, innovation, trade facilitation, and to achieve development goals in the Asia-Pacific region. Urges the President to continue U.S. support of multilateral institutions and fora, working in close cooperation with partners, such as Singapore, who share a commitment to an inclusive, rules-based regional architecture.

A bill to express the sense of the Senate regarding the safe and expeditious resettlement to Albania of all residents of Camp Liberty.

United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2016

This bill expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should: work with Iraq and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure that all residents of Camp Liberty (located in Iraq) are safely and expeditiously resettled in Albania; work with Iraq, Albania, and the UNHCR to prevent Iran from intervening in the resettlement process; urge Iraq to protect residents during the resettlement process, including by ensuring that security personnel are vetted to determine that they are not affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Qods Force; urge Iraq to ensure access to food, clean water, medical assistance, and energy needs; work with Iraq to facilitate the sale of residents' property and assets; work with Iraq and the UNHCR to ensure that residents may exercise full control of all personal assets; and urge Albania and the UNHCR to ensure the continued recognition of the resettled residents as "persons of concern" entitled to international protections.

Food Recovery Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2016

Food Recovery Act of 2016 This bill provides funding and establishes requirements to reduce food waste and standardize date labeling on food. The bill expands and establishes grant and loan programs to: raise awareness about wasted food and food recovery efforts to reduce the quantity of wasted food, improve cooperation between agricultural producers and emergency feeding organizations, assist schools in using food from farms that would otherwise go to waste and providing farms with compostable materials, and install facilities that include composting or anaerobic digesters that use food or crop waste to produce energy. The bill provides funds for: (1) state storage and distribution costs under the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and (2) media campaigns to decrease food waste. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish an Office of Food Recovery to coordinate programs to measure and reduce food waste. The bill specifies that composting is eligible for support under USDA's conservation programs. Companies that receive federal food service contracts must donate surplus food to nonprofit organizations that assist food-insecure people. Food Date Labeling Act of 2016 Producers, manufacturers, distributors, or retailers that place a date label on food packaging of a product must use the phrases "best if used by" to indicate food quality and the phrase "expires on" to warn of food that may be unsafe to eat after a specified date. Labelers may include a quality date on packaging, but must include a safety date on ready-to-eat products. No one may prohibit the sale, donation, or use of a product after the quality date for the product has passed.

Solar Villages Initiative Act

United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016

Solar Villages Initiative Act This bill authorizes the President, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, to provide assistance for renewable energy projects in developing countries to increase the availability of credit, savings, and other services to microfinance and microenterprise clients lacking full access to capital, training, technical assistance, and business development services. In providing such assistance, the President shall give priority to empowering female-owned businesses.

Innovation in Offshore Leasing Act

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2016

Innovation in Offshore Leasing Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based bidding methods. Before conducting any Internet-based sale, BOEM is required to gather information from each company present for bidding at the 10 most recent oil and gas lease sales conducted under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The information is designed to provide the bidding public sufficient opportunity to share ideas, methods, and concerns regarding Internet-based leasing. All Internet-based sales must meet certain requirements and BOEM shall publicly disclose statistical data regarding any sale on the day the sale is executed. Additionally, BOEM must conduct at least one Internet-based lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Region within one year. BOEM must also provide a report to Congress within 90 days after it conducts a third Internet-based lease sale.

American Innovation and Competitiveness Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2016

American Innovation and Competitiveness Act This bill calls on the National Science Foundation (NSF) to maintain the intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria as the basis for evaluating grant proposals in the merit review process. The NSF shall issue and periodically update policy guidance for both NSF staff and other NSF merit review process participants, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability of the outcomes made through such process. The bill renames the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research as the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and revises program requirements. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shall: (1) research information systems for future cybersecurity needs; and (2) develop a process to research and identify, or if necessary, develop cryptography standards and guidelines for future cybersecurity needs, including quantum-resistant cryptography standards. The bill renames the National High Performance Computing Program as the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program and revises program requirements. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) shall define and coordinate federal research in high-energy physics. NIST shall implement a comprehensive strategic plan for laboratory programs expanding interactions with academia, international researchers, and industry, and commercial and industrial applications. The NSF shall: evaluate the existing and future needs, across all NSF-supported disciplines, for mid-scale projects; and strengthen oversight and accountability over the full life-cycle of large-scale research facility projects; and continue to review its efforts to sustain scientific efforts in the face of logistical challenges for the U.S. Antarctic Program. The Department of Commerce Office of Security shall directly manage NIST's law enforcement and security programs through an assigned Director of Security for NIST. The Office of Management and Budget shall establish an interagency working group to reduce administrative burdens of federally funded researchers while protecting the public's interest in the transparency of, and accountability for, federally funded activities. The NSF, the Department of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall establish the STEM Education Advisory Panel to advise the NSTC Committee on STEM Education on matters related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The NSF shall award grants to: increase the participation of women and underrepresented groups in STEM fields, for research to advance the engagement of students in grades kindergarten through 8 in STEM, and for establishment of at least one Center of Excellence for the collection, maintenance, and dissemination of information to increase the participation of women and groups underrepresented in STEM fields. The National Institute of Standards and Technology Act is amended to revise requirements for: NIST's post-doctoral fellowship program, and the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Federal agencies may use crowdsourcing and voluntary, collaborative citizen science to advance their missions. The Office of Science and Technology Policy shall establish an interagency working group to: summarize available research and best practices on how to promote diversity and inclusions in STEM fields, and examine whether barriers exist to promoting diversity and inclusion within federal agencies employing scientists and engineers. Each federal agency shall recommend to the President how it could expand research opportunities for undergraduate students attending institutions of higher education. The NSF shall award grants for: research on computer science education and computational thinking; and Innovation Corps entrepreneurship and commercialization education, training, and mentoring.

Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Establishment Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2016

Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Establishment Act This bill establishes the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument in Arizona. The Department of the Interior shall manage the Monument as part of the National Landscape Conservation System to maintain its undeveloped character and to protect and restore its cultural resources, species, and ecosystems. Interior shall conduct an inventory of invasive plant species in the Monument. Interior may carry out vegetation management treatments within the Monument, including efforts to control salt cedar and other invasive plant species. The bill permits grazing within the Monument where it is already established. Interior shall develop a management plan for the Monument in government-to-government consultation with Indian tribes having a cultural or historic tie to the Great Bend of the Gila. The Monument may continue to be used by tribe members for traditional ceremonies and as a source of traditional plants and other materials. Interior shall allow scientific research within the Monument, including research for the preservation of its historic and cultural resources. Interior may conduct, or authorize other persons to conduct, research regarding the effects of climate change on the Monument's resources. The bill prohibits renewable energy and transmission development projects in the Monument. Interior shall establish the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Advisory Council to advise on the management plan and salt cedar/tamarisk removal.

Digital GAP Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2016

Digital Global Access Policy Act of 2016 or the Digital GAP Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: the title of the Department of State's Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment should be changed to Under Secretary for Economics, Energy, the Environment, and Cyberspace; the State Department should designate an Assistant Secretary for Technology, International Communications, and Cyberspace to lead diplomatic cyberspace policy for Internet access, governance, and freedom, telecommunications networks and communications technology, and cybersecurity; and the U.S. Agency for International Development should integrate efforts to expand Internet access, develop appropriate technologies, and enhance digital literacy into its education, development, and economic growth programs, and promote protection of the personal information of people served by humanitarian, disaster, and development programs. The Peace Corps Act is amended to express the sense of Congress that the Peace Corps should develop volunteer positions focused on leveraging technology for development, education, and social and economic mobility. The President is urged to direct U.S. representatives to international bodies to advocate for: (1) increasing efforts to promote gender-equitable Internet access, (2) standardizing inclusion of broadband conduit-fiber optic cables, and (3) providing technical assistance to remove investment barriers and strengthen market growth. The President shall transmit plans to Congress to promote U.S. and U.S.-funded agency partnerships with the private and public sectors to provide Internet access or infrastructure in developing countries. The President is urged to include in the next White House Cyberspace Strategy information relating to: (1) Internet access, (2) cybersecurity policy, and (3) principles of global Internet freedom.

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2016

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 Provides FY2017 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies. Provides appropriations to Interior for: the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education. Provides appropriations to Interior for Departmental Offices, including: the Office of the Secretary, Insular Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of Inspector General, and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. Provides appropriations to Interior for Department-Wide Programs, including: Wildland Fire Management, the FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund, the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Fund, and the Working Capital Fund. Provides appropriations to the EPA. Provides appropriations to the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service. Provides appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for: the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Provides appropriations to other related agencies, including: the Executive Office of the President for the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Environmental Quality; the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board; the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation; the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; the Smithsonian Institution; the National Gallery of Art; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Commission of Fine Arts; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the National Capital Planning Commission; and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Sets forth permissible and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.

Fairness, Accountability, and Certainty for Taxpayers in Coal Leasing Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2016

Fairness, Accountability, and Certainty for Taxpayers in Coal Leasing Act This bill establishes a deadline for the Department of the Interior to complete a comprehensive review of the federal coal leasing program. The review, in the form of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, is designed to ensure that the federal coal program is properly structured to provide a fair return to taxpayers and to reflect its impacts on the environment, while continuing to help meet energy needs. In addition, Interior shall reestablish the Royalty Policy Committee to ensure consultation among state, tribal, environmental, energy, and federal stakeholders. The committee must provide advice to Interior on the management of federal and Indian mineral leases and shall be composed of federal and non-federal members. The bill also requires Interior to authorize earlier emergency coal leasing than is currently authorized under federal regulations.

Climate Change Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016

Climate Change Education Act This bill declares that the evidence for human-induced climate change is overwhelming and undeniable. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must establish a Climate Change Education Program to: broaden the understanding of human-induced climate change, possible consequences, and potential solutions; apply the latest scientific and technological discoveries to provide learning opportunities to people of all ages; conduct a national information campaign to help people understand and promote implementation of new technologies, programs, and incentives related to energy conservation, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas reduction; and inform the public of impacts to human health and safety as a result of climate change. NOAA must establish a grant program for climate change education. This grant program must be included in the climate change program.

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 Provides FY2017 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies. Provides appropriations to Interior for: the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, and Departmental Offices. Provides appropriations to Interior for Department-Wide Programs, including Wildland Fire Management and Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT). Provides appropriations to the EPA. Provides appropriations to the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service. Provides appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for: the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Provides appropriations to other related agencies, including: the Executive Office of the President for the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Environmental Quality; the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board; the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation; the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; the Smithsonian Institution; the National Gallery of Art; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Commission of Fine Arts; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the National Capital Planning Commission; the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission; and the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission. Sets forth permissible and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2017-FY2026 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at USDA and Interior. Alaska Land Use Council Act Establishes a new Alaska Land Use Council to facilitate coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and Alaska Native Corporation and tribal land and resource managers in implementing the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and other land and resource management laws. Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission Act Authorizes a Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission to commemorate the events that led to women gaining the right to vote, including the passage and ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution.