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401 records in US in 2011
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit oil and gas preleasing, leasing, and related activities in areas of the Outer Continental Shelf located off the coast of California.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Clean Energy Business Zone Act of 2011 and the Clean Energy Empowerment Zone Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to designate 40 clean energy business zones between 2011 and 2014, (2) allow an increased tax credit for wages paid in such a zone, (3) allow a work opportunity tax credit for wages paid to an employee in such a zone, (4) allow financing of any qualified Green building or clean energy facility with clean renewable energy bonds, (5) allow increased expensing of property in such a zone, and (6) allow an exclusion from gross income of gain from the sale or exchange or any clean energy business zone asset held for more than five years. Amends the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to waive loan fees for qualified Green building and clean energy facility loans made before 2022.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 14 April 2011
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2011 - Establishes in the Treasury the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to be available for expenditure for programs and projects to restore, protect, and make sustainable use of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine habitats, coastal wetlands, and the economy of the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Requires the Secretary to deposit in the Fund 80% of all administrative, civil, and criminal penalties paid after this Act's enactment in connection with the explosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon pursuant to a court order, negotiated settlement, or other instrument in accordance with the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act). Amends the Clean Water Act to require 35% of amounts made available from the Fund in any fiscal year to be disbursed to the Gulf Coast states in equal shares. Authorizes such amounts to be used for: (1) coastal protection projects; (2) mitigation of damage to, and restoration of, fish, wildlife, or natural resources; (3) implementation of a federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan, including fisheries monitoring; and (4) programs to promote tourism and the consumption of Gulf Coast seafood. Authorizes a governor of a Gulf Coast state, in awarding contracts for such a project or program, to give a preference to individuals and companies that reside in, are headquartered in, or are principally engaged in business in, a Gulf Coast state. Establishes the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to: (1) publish a Comprehensive Plan for, and to undertake, projects and programs to restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine habitats, and coastal wetland of the Gulf Coast ecosystem; (2) update such Plan every five years; (3) coordinate the development of consistent policies, strategies, plans, and activities addressing the restoration and protection of the Gulf Coast ecosystem and associated research; and (4) prepare an integrated financial plan and recommendations for coordinated budget requests for the amounts proposed to be expended by the federal agencies represented on the Council for projects and programs in the Gulf Coast states. Requires 60% of the total amount made available from the Fund to be disbursed to the Council to carry out the Plan. Establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Monitoring, and Technology Program, under which the NOAA Administrator shall provide grants to establish and operate a center of excellence in each of the Gulf Coast states. Requires each center to focus its curriculum on science, technology, and monitoring in at least one of the following: (1) coastal wetland restoration and protection; (2) coastal and marine fisheries and wildlife ecosystem research, monitoring, mapping, and recovery; (3) offshore energy development; (4) sustainable growth, economic, and commercial development; and (5) port, harbor, and waterway construction and maintenance. Allocates 5% of Fund amounts to such Program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Stop Canadian Trash Act - Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to require the Secretary of the Treasury to charge and collect a $500 fee for the provision of customs services for the arrival of a truck that is transporting foreign municipal solid waste. Defines "municipal solid waste" to mean waste materials discarded for disposal by households or that were generated by commercial, institutional, municipal, or industrial sources, excluding certain hazardous waste, separated recyclable materials, waste being used solely as feedstock for alternative energy production, segregated medical waste, and solid waste generated incident to the provision of service in interstate, intrastate, foreign, or overseas air transportation. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to require each importer of foreign municipal solid waste to provide, with respect to each truck carrying such waste into U.S. customs territory, the cubic feet, specific type, and content of such waste. Establishes a civil penalty for each failure to provide or falsification of information required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Outer Continental Shelf Permit Processing Coordination Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish three regional joint outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease and permit processing coordination offices, one for the Alaska region of the OCS, one for the Atlantic region, and one for the Pacific region.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Renewable Energy Market Access Program Act - Directs the Under Secretary for International Trade of the Department of Commerce to establish and carry out a program to provide cost-sharing assistance to nonprofit trade associations in the United States or state or regional organizations that promote the exportation and sale of energy efficiency products or renewable energy products to: (1) improve access to the markets of foreign countries for energy efficiency products and renewable energy products exported by small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses; and (2) assist such businesses in obtaining services and other assistance, including from the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies, with respect to exporting such products.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE), acting through the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy, to act as the lead federal agency for coordinating and disseminating information on existing federal programs and assistance that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. Requires the Secretary to: (1) carry out a review of existing programs and financing mechanisms available in or from appropriate federal agencies with jurisdiction over energy financing and facilitation that are currently used or may be used for such purposes; (2) establish a federal cross-departmental collaborative coordination, education, and outreach effort to streamline communication and promote available federal opportunities and assistance for such projects that enables states, local educational agencies, and schools to use existing federal opportunities more effectively and to form partnerships with governors, state energy programs, local educational, financial, and energy officials, state and local officials, nonprofit organizations, and other appropriate entities to support project initiation; (3) provide technical assistance for states, local educational agencies, and schools to help develop and finance projects that meet specified requirements; (4) develop and maintain a single online resource website with contact information for relevant technical assistance and support staff in the Office for states, local educational agencies, and schools to effectively access and use federal opportunities and assistance to develop such projects; and (5) establish a process for recognition of schools that have successfully implemented such projects and are willing to serve as resources for other local educational agencies and schools to assist initiation of similar efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Job Creation Through Innovation Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase and make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities, (2) allow an increased research tax credit for manufacturers whose domestic production gross receipts are more than 50% of their total receipts, (3) make the research tax credit refundable for businesses with an average number of employees of 500 or fewer, and (4) expand the qualifying advanced energy project credit by allocating in 2011 $5 billion of grants or tax credit amounts to manufacturers of goods and components (other than for assembly of components) in the United States that are used in alternative energy projects. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 to extend the grant program for investment in renewable energy property, including renewable resources used to produce electricity and fuel cell, solar, wind, geothermal, and microturbine property, in lieu of tax credits, by extending the placed-in-service deadline for such property through 2012. Extends through September 30, 2013, the deadline for submitting grant applications for such program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2012 for: (1) procurement, including for aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, and shipbuilding and conversion; (2) the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund; (3) research, development, test, and evaluation; (4) operation and maintenance; (5) military personnel; (6) Working Capital Funds; (7) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (8) the Joint Urgent Operational Needs Fund; (9) chemical agents and munitions destruction; (10) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; (11) the Defense Inspector General; (12) the Defense Health Program; (13) the Armed Forces Retirement Home; (14) overseas contingency operations; (15) chemical demilitarization; (16) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Security Investment Program; (17) National Guard and reserve forces facilities; and (18) military base closure and realignment activities. Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2012 for military construction, military family housing, and energy conservation projects. Sets forth provisions or requirements concerning: (1) military personnel policy; (2) education and training; (3) military pay and allowances; (4) acquisition policy and management; (5) DOD organization and management; (6) civilian personnel; and (7) matters relating to foreign nations.
United States · United States Senate · 13 April 2011
United States · United States House of Representatives · 13 April 2011
United States · United States Senate · 13 April 2011
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Repeals the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and restores laws amended by such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Offshore Drilling Safety Improvement Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations requiring: (1) that all oil and gas drilling and production operations on the outer Continental Shelf have safety and environmental management systems in place, including blowout preventers and additional backup emergency shutoff equipment such as acoustic shut-off technology; and (2) that such equipment use the best available and safest technologies. Requires consideration of the need for different technology requirements in different environments and depths. Applies such regulations to: (1) all new oil and gas drilling and production operations, and (2) all existing drilling and production operations six months after the issuance of the regulations. Requires the Secretary, every five years thereafter, to review blowout preventer and emergency shutoff equipment technology and revise the regulations as necessary to require use of the best available technology. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to require the Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretaries to identify the best available and safest technology for offshore oil and gas exploration and production.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Renewable Fuel Pipeline Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to allow federally-guaranteed loans for renewable fuel pipelines in amounts equal to 80% of the project cost as estimated at the time the guarantee is issued. Defines "renewable fuel" as fuel that: (1) is produced from renewable biomass and that is used to replace or reduce the quantity of fossil fuel present in a transportation fuel; and (2) includes all types of ethanol and biodiesel. Prohibits the Secretary of Energy (DOE) from requiring a demonstration of existing contractual obligations for a specific minimum capacity of pipeline usage in determining whether there is a reasonable prospect of repayment with respect to a renewable fuel pipeline project. Authorizes the Secretary to make guarantees for projects that commence construction not later than September 30, 2013, for the installation of sufficient infrastructure to allow for the cost-effective deployment of clean energy technologies appropriate to each region of the United States, including renewable fuel pipelines.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund until 19 years after enactment of this Act. Prescribes additional periods of required presence in an affected area during atmospheric nuclear testing for individuals filing leukemia or specified disease claims. Increases the amount of compensation an individual filing a claim may receive to $150,000. Expands "affected area" to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico, as well as any county in Arizona, Nevada, or Utah. Extends to December 31, 1990, the period during which an individual employed at any time in a uranium mine or uranium mill is made eligible to receive compensation for a disease claim due to radiation exposure. Makes a core driller eligible to receive compensation upon filing of a disease claim. Makes miners, core drillers, and ore transporters who suffer renal cancer or any other chronic renal disease, including nephritis and kidney tubal tissue injury, eligible for compensation due to exposure to radiation while on the job. Requires the Attorney General to accept written affidavits meeting specified requirements regarding employment history, physical presence in an affected area, or participation at a nuclear testing site in determining the eligibility of claimants. Extends until 19 years after enactment of this Act the statute of limitations for the filing of such claims. Increases from 2% to 10% of the payment received by a claimant the maximum amount of attorneys fees that can be charged for the filing of an initial claim. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, to establish a program of grants to institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among non-occupationally exposed individuals, including family members of uranium miners and millers. Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include as a member of the Special Exposure Cohort entitled to compensation with respect to chronic beryllium disease under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program any Department of Energy (DOE) employee or contractor who contracted cancer after beginning employment between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1990, in a uranium mine or mill located in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, Washington, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, or any other state the Attorney General includes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund until 19 years after enactment of this Act. Prescribes additional periods of required presence in an affected area during atmospheric nuclear testing for individuals filing leukemia or specified disease claims. Increases the amount of compensation an individual filing a claim may receive to $150,000. Expands "affected area" to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico, as well as any county in Arizona, Nevada, or Utah. Extends to December 31, 1990, the period during which an individual employed at any time in a uranium mine or uranium mill is made eligible to receive compensation for a disease claim due to radiation exposure. Makes a core driller eligible to receive compensation upon filing of a disease claim. Makes miners, core drillers, and ore transporters who suffer renal cancer or any other chronic renal disease, including nephritis and kidney tubal tissue injury, eligible for compensation due to exposure to radiation while on the job. Requires the Attorney General to accept written affidavits meeting specified requirements regarding employment history, physical presence in an affected area, or participation at a nuclear testing site in determining the eligibility of claimants. Extends until 19 years after enactment of this Act the statute of limitations for the filing of such claims. Increases from 2% to 10% of the payment received by a claimant the maximum amount of attorneys fees that can be charged for the filing of an initial claim. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, to establish a program of grants to institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among non-occupationally exposed individuals, including family members of uranium miners and millers. Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include as a member of the Special Exposure Cohort entitled to compensation with respect to chronic beryllium disease under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program any Department of Energy (DOE) employee or contractor who contracted cancer after beginning employment between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1990, in a uranium mine or mill located in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, Washington, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, or any other state the Attorney General includes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Testing Act - Deems each of the following actions undertaken by a federal agency to be a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment for which a detailed environmental impact statement is required in conformance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969: (1) any action having as a purpose the resumption of testing of one or more nuclear weapons (including other nuclear explosive devices producing a nuclear yield) at the Nevada National Security Site; or (2) use of any other location for such testing. Outlines information required to be included in such statement, including: (1) the possibility of radiation containment failure and the effects of such failure; (2) possible long-term effects on the water table from underground radiation leakage; and (3) information with respect to certain kiloton categories of weapons. Prohibits the United States from resuming any such testing unless authorized by a law enacted after the enactment of this Act. Requires: (1) advance public notice of each test by the President; (2) notice of each release of radiation beyond the boundaries of the Nevada National Security Site by the Secretary of Energy within one hour of detection of such radiation; and (3) public meetings in southern Utah, Arizona, and Nevada after each test to discuss test results. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the safety and health of citizens in the vicinity of the Nevada National Security Site. Directs the Secretary to establish a Nevada National Security Site Citizens Review Board. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to institutions of higher education to acquire and operate, for ten years, radiation detection equipment and sensors. Directs the Secretary of Energy, through the Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to monitor the nature and extent of any radiation released into the atmosphere as a result of such testing. Requires: (1) DOE radiation containment assessment; and (2) public notice of monitoring data. Requires the: (1) Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to make a grant to establish the National Center for the Study of Radiation and Human Health; and (2) Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study of individuals exposed to nuclear weapons tests. Deems any reference to the Nevada Test Site in any law to be a reference to the Nevada National Security Site.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
SDHV Energy Efficiency Standards for America Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to revise energy conservation standards for central air conditioners and central air conditioning heat pumps by requiring: (1) the seasonal energy efficiency ratio of small-duct, high-velocity systems to be no less than 11.00 for products manufactured on or after January 23, 2006; and (2) the heating seasonal performance factor of such systems to be 6.8 for products manufactured on or after such date. Defines "small-duct, high-velocity systems" to mean a heating and cooling product that contains a blower and indoor coil combination that: (1) is designed for, and produces, at least 1.2 inches of external static pressure when operated at the certified air volume rate of 220-350 cubic feet per minute per rated ton of cooling; and (2) when applied in the field, uses high velocity room outlets generally greater than 1,000 feet per minute that have less than 6.0 square inches of free area. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to amend by rule the standards established for such systems. Prohibits amended standards from taking effect less than five years after the final rule making the amendment is published. Requires the Secretary to determine whether standards for such systems should be amended no later than June 30, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Sets forth the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2012, including the appropriate budgetary levels for FY2011, and FY2013-FY2021. Lists recommended budgetary levels and amounts for FY2011-FY2021 with respect to: (1) federal revenues, (2) new budget authority, (3) budget outlays, (4) deficits (on-budget), (5) debt subject to limit, and (6) debt held by the public. Lists the appropriate levels of new budget authority and outlays for specified major functional categories for FY2011-FY2021. Sets forth reconciliation instructions for the House Committees on: (1) Agriculture, (2) Education and the Workforce, (3) Energy and Commerce, (4) Financial Services, (5) Natural Resources, (6) Oversight and Government Reform, and (7) Ways and Means. Requires the House Committee on the Budget to report a reconciliation bill that slows the growth in mandatory spending and achieves deficit reduction. Requires each House Committees to identify savings amounting to 1% of total mandatory spending under its jurisdiction from activities determined to be wasteful, unnecessary, or lower-priority. Prohibits House legislation that would require advance appropriations, except for certain FY2013-FY2014 programs, projects, activities, or accounts. Prescribes requirements for legislation reported out of committee and designated as an emergency requirement. Requires the Joint Committee on Taxation to calculate the impact of any proposal to change federal revenues on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), total domestic employment, and other specified economic variables. Prohibits the chairman of the House Committee on the Budget from taking into account the provisions of any piece of legislation which propose to increase revenue or offsetting collections if the net effect of the bill is to increase the level of revenue or offsetting collections beyond the level assumed in this budget resolution. Requires the chairman to maintain a Budget Protection Mandatory Account and a Budget Protection Discretionary Account. Requires the Majority Leader to introduce rescission bills quarterly. Prescribes legislative procedures for their floor consideration. Expresses the sense of the House regarding: (1) baseline revenue projections, and (2) long-term budget projections. Establishes an earmark moratorium for FY2011-FY2012 for legislation providing or authorizing discretionary budget authority, credit or other spending authority, providing a federal tax deduction, credit, or exclusion, or modifying the Harmonized Tariff Schedule in FY2011-FY2012. Prohibits the House Committee on Rules from reporting a rule or order waiving such moratorium. Declares the policy of this resolution on: (1) health care law repeal, (2) bailouts of state and local governments, (3) means-tested welfare programs, and (4) reforming the federal budget process.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2011
Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 - Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2011 - Appropriates funds for FY2011 to the Department of Defense (DOD) for: (1) military personnel; (2) operation and maintenance, including for the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, environmental restoration, overseas humanitarian, disaster, and civic aid, former Soviet Union cooperative threat reduction, and the Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund; (3) procurement, including for aircraft, missiles, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and purchases under the Defense Production Act of 1950; (4) research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E); (5) Defense Working Capital Funds and the National Defense Sealift Fund; (6) the Defense Health Program; (7) chemical agents and munitions destruction; (8) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; (9) the Office of the Inspector General; (10) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund; (11) the Intelligence Community Management Account; and (12) overseas contingency operations, including regular, reserve, and National Guard personnel, operation and maintenance, the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund, the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, the Iraq Security Forces Fund, the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund, procurement, National Guard and Reserve equipment, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Fund, RDT&E, and the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund. Specifies authorized, restricted, and prohibited uses of appropriated funds. Rescinds specified funds from various accounts under prior defense appropriations Acts. Reduces specified funds. Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2011. Appropriates amounts for continuing operations, projects, or activities which were conducted in FY2010 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: (1) the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010; (2) the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010; (3) the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010; (4) the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010; (5) the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2010; (6) the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010; and (7) that part of chapter 1 of title I of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010 that addresses guaranteed loans in the rural housing insurance fund. Provides funding under this division through FY2011. Authorizes continuation of other specified activities (including activities for entitlements and other mandatory payments) through such fiscal year. Bars any language specifying an earmark in an appropriations Act for FY2010, or in a committee report or joint explanatory statement accompanying such an Act, from having legal effect with respect to funds appropriated by this Act. Prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to transfer, release, or assist in the transfer of, or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions of, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who: (1) is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces; and (2) is or was held by DOD on or after June 24, 2009, at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Establishes the level of funding for specified agricultural and rural development programs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and related agencies programs. Establishes the level of funding for the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and for science, and related agencies. Authorizes, restricts, or prohibits specified uses of appropriated funds in the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010, with respect to funds appropriated by this Act. Establishes the level of funding for: (1) energy and water development, and related agencies; (2) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); (3) certain loan guarantees under the Energy Policy Act of 2005; (4) financial services and general government; (5) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and (6) the Department of the Interior, the Environmental and Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies. Requires specified federal departments and agencies to submit to the congressional appropriations committees a spending, expenditure, or operating plan for FY2011 at a detail level below the account level. Establishes the level of funding for: (1) the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and related agencies; (2) the legislative branch; and (3) DOD military construction, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and related agencies. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the costs and processes of implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Eliminates the PPACA requirement that employers provide free (qualified health plan) choice vouchers to certain employees. Establishes the level of funding for: (1) the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs; and (2) the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and related agencies. Specifies authorized, restricted, and prohibited uses of appropriated funds. Rescinds and/or reduces specified funds from or within various accounts. Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act or SOAR Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to nonprofit organizations to carry out a program to provide expanded school choice opportunities to students who are District of Columbia (DC) residents and who come from certain qualifying low-income households. Repeals the DC School Choice Incentive Act of 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2011
Supporting Employee Competency and Updating Readiness Enhancements for Facilities Act of 2011 or the SECURE Facilities Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to modify requirements relating to the Federal Protective Service (FPS) and the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) and to provide for the security of federal facilities, including facilities used for activities covered under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Requires the Director of FPS to: (1) secure federal facilities protected by FPS and safeguard all occupants, (2) provide adequate numbers of trained personnel to ensure that federal security standards are met, and (3) ensure that areas in and around such facilities are regularly patrolled by FPS officers. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that FPS maintains not fewer than 1,371 full-time equivalent employees in FY 2012, including not fewer than 950 in-service field staff. Requires the Director to: (1) establish minimum training requirements for all armed contract security guards procured by FPS, (2) establish a program to periodically assess the training of guards and the security of federal facilities, (3) update the Security Guard Information Manual and post orders within 180 days and every 2 years thereafter, (4) establish a database to monitor all contracts for guard services, and (5) increase the number of infrastructure security canine teams by up to 15 teams in each of FY2012-FY2015. Directs the Secretary to develop performance-based standards for checkpoint detection technologies for explosives and other threats at facilities protected by FPS. Authorizes the Secretary to assess and collect: (1) fees and security charges from agencies for the costs of providing protective services, and (2) additional charges for the costs of necessary security countermeasures for facilities determined to be noncompliant with ISC security standards. Directs ISC to: (1) prescribe regulations for determining federal facility security levels and to establish risk-based performance standards for facility security, (2) establish protocols for testing facility compliance with such standards, (3) prescribe regulations to determine minimum levels of training and certification of armed contract security guards and to establish a list of prohibited items for entry into federal facilities, (4) establish minimum requirements and a process for providing basic security training for members of Facility Security Committees (FSCs), (5) take necessary actions to enhance the quality and effectiveness of security and protection of federal facilites, and (6) establish an appeals board to consider appeals relating to facility security level and noncompliance determinations. Directs the Secretary to establish a process to authorize an agency to provide protective services for a federal facility instead of FPS. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe regulations on the carrying of firearms by FPS law enforcement officers while off-duty. Includes such FPS officers as federal employees for purposes of civil service retirement provisions. Requires reports on FPS personnel needs, retention rates within FPS, the feasibility of federalizing the FPS contract guard workforce, methods of funding for FPS, and detecting or preventing explosives from entering federal facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2011
Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for economic development assistance programs under such Act for FY2011-FY2015. Includes: (1) within the definition of "Regional Commissions" the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, the Northern Border Regional Commission, and the Southwest Border Regional Commission; and (2) among the purposes for which assistance may be provided encouraging and supporting public-private partnerships that promote innovation and entrepreneurship that is critical to economic competitiveness. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to: (1) cooperate with other agencies, state and local governments, and consortia of governmental organizations that can assist in addressing challenges and capitalize on opportunities that require intergovernmental coordination; and (2) make grants for activities the Secretary determines would be necessary or useful to support the establishment and operation of public works, public service, or development facilities on an ongoing basis. Modifies provisions regarding grants for planning and administrative expenses for public works and economic development to authorize funding for: (1) fostering regional collaboration among local jurisdictions and organizations, and (2) facilitating a stakeholder process that assists the community or region in creating an economic development vision that takes into account local and regional assets and global economic change. Requires any overall state economic development planning assisted to be part of a comprehensive planning process that considers the provision of public works to support practices that enhance energy and water efficiency, reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, and encourage efficient coordination and leveraging of public and private investments. Directs the Secretary, in determining the amount of funds to provide a recipient for planning assistance, to take into account recipients located in regions that are: (1) eligible for an investment rate of 80% or higher, or (2) experiencing severe need due to long-term economic deterioration or sudden and severe economic distress. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to encourage district organizations to develop regional economic competitiveness strategies on a broader basis in collaboration with other district organizations and entities outside the confines of a single economic development district, to increase the federal share applicable to, or the amount of assistance provided to, recipients. Limits the federal share to 50% for public works and economic development grants, with a specified increased federal share: (1) based on the relative needs of an area (e.g., the unemployment rate and the impact of severe outmigration, sudden and severe economic dislocations, and other related economic circumstances); and (2) in the case of a federally declared major disaster. Allows training, research, and technical grant assistance to be used for a peer exchange program to promote industry-leading practices and innovations relating to the organizational development, program delivery, and regional initiatives of economic development districts. Authorizes assistance for activities identified by communities the economies of which are impacted (currently, injured) by: (1) military base closures, realignments, or mission growth for help in diversifying economies or supporting economic adjustment activities of the Secretary of Defense through projects to be carried out on federal installations or elsewhere in the communities; or (2) the loss of information technology, manufacturing, natural resource-based, agricultural, or service sector jobs, for reinvesting in and diversifying the economies of the communities. Authorizes the Secretary to solicit comments periodically regarding the guidelines and performance requirements for the revolving loan fund program and recommendations for improving performance. Authorizes a recipient of an economic adjustment grant who determines that a revolving loan fund established using such assistance is no longer needed, or that the recipient could make better use of the assistance to carry out another project that meets the requirements of the Act, to request the Secretary to approve conversion of the assistance by: (1) selling fund assets to a third party, or (2) retaining repayments of principal and interest on loans provided through the fund. Requires such a recipient to use the net proceeds from a sale of assets to pay any portion of the costs of projects that meet Act requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to allocate not more than 2% of the amounts made available for economic adjustment grants for development and maintenance of an automated tracking and monitoring system to ensure the proper operation and financial integrity of the revolving loan program. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary to make grants for the redevelopment of brownfield sites into renewable energy sites (currently, into brightfield sites) through incorporation of one or more renewable energy technologies (currently, one or more solar technologies); and (2) appropriations for such grants for FY2011-FY2015. Requires the Secretary, in administering programs under such Act, to support activities that employ economic development practices that enhance energy and water efficiency and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Directs each economic development district to engage in the full range of economic development activities included in the list contained in the comprehensive economic development strategy of the district that has been approved by the Economic Development Administration. Authorizes the Secretary to consult with any persons who can assist in addressing the problems of area and regional outmigration. Declares that the state of Montana shall be served by the Seattle office of the Economic Development Administration. Authorizes funding for administrative expenses incident to projects associated with the authorized transfers of funds from other federal agencies to the extent that the expenses do not exceed 3% for projects not involving construction and 5% for projects that involve construction. Directs the Secretary, before providing investment assistance for a construction project, to establish the expected period during which: (1) the recipient shall make best efforts to achieve economic development objectives, (2) any property that is acquired or improved shall be held in trust for the project's benefit, and (3) the Secretary shall retain an undivided equitable reversionary interest in the property. Authorizes the Secretary to terminate the reversionary interest when the recipient has fulfilled its obligations, taking into consideration the economic conditions. Provides for an alternative method of termination. Increases the minimum level of funding for planning and grants for administrative expenses, subject to total appropriations.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 7 April 2011
United States · United States House of Representatives · 7 April 2011
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to establish and award competitive technology financial awards for the development and implementation of technology to capture carbon dioxide from dilute sources, and (2) establish the Carbon Dioxide Capture Technology Advisory Board to advise the Secretary in carrying out duties under this Act. Terminates the Board and all authorities under this Act on December 31, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to modify provisions authorizing the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to design and construct hydroelectric generating facilities at the W.D. Mayo Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River in Oklahoma. Authorizes such Nation to market the electricity generated from any such facility. Requires such Nation to obtain any permit required by federal or state law before the date on which construction begins on such facilities, except that the Nation shall be exempt from any licensing requirements under the Federal Power Act related to the construction, operation, and maintenance of hydroelectric generating facilities. Authorizes: (1) such Nation to initiate design and construction only after the Secretary of the Army reviews and approves the plans and specifications, and (2) the Secretary to accept and use funds offered by such Nation to carry out the design and construction. Requires such Nation to: (1) bear all costs associated with the design and construction, and (2) provide any funds necessary for such design and construction to the Secretary prior to the Secretary initiating related activities. Provides that such Nation shall hold all title to any hydroelectric generating facility constructed under this Act and may assign such title to a third party, subject to the Secretary's approval. Requires such Nation to: (1) be solely responsible for the operation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and rehabilitation of, and the marketing of the electricity generated by, any such facility; and (2) release and indemnify the United States from all liabilities that may arise out of any activity undertaken to carry out this Act. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary to provide any technical and construction management assistance that is requested by such Nation relating to such design and construction, and (2) such Nation to enter into agreements necessary to carry out this Act with the Secretary or a third party.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require as a condition of each license issued for a commercial or industrial nuclear production or utilization facility that, in the case of an unplanned release described in this Act, the licensee notify, within 24 hours after the release, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the governments of the state and county in which the facility is located. Applies this requirement to any unplanned releases of quantities of radionuclides that: (1) exceed allowable limits for normal operation established by the NRC or other applicable federal laws or standards; or (2) do not exceed such limits, but occur more than twice within a two-year period originating from the same source, process, or equipment at the facility. Requires the NRC to: (1) establish on its website a database of all notifications it receives of such unplanned releases, and (2) allow the public to search the database for notifications by licensee.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Gas Accessibility and Stabilization Act of 2011 or the GAS Act of 2011 - Amends the Clean Air Act to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive a control or prohibition respecting the use of a fuel or fuel additive if: (1) it is in the public interest to grant such a waiver; and (2) the Administrator determines, and the Secretary of Energy (DOE) concurs, that extreme and unusual fuel or fuel additive supply circumstances exist that are the result of an unexpected problem with distribution or delivery equipment and such circumstances prevent the distribution of an adequate supply. Requires the Administrator, after providing notice and an opportunity for comment, to remove a fuel from the list of approved fuels under all state implementation plans (SIPs) if the Administrator determines that the fuel has ceased to be included in any SIP or is identical to a federal fuel formulation implemented by the Administrator. Directs the Administrator, on removing a fuel from the list, to publish a revised list that reflects such removal. Repeals the limitation on the Administrator's authority to approve a control or prohibition respecting any new fuel in a SIP plan if such new fuel increases the total number of fuels on such list. Provides that nothing in such Act limits the authority of the Administrator to approve a control or prohibition relating to any new fuel in a SIP if: (1) the new fuel completely replaces a fuel on the list published; and (2) the Administrator publishes in the Federal Register, after providing notice and an opportunity for public comment, a determination that the control or prohibition will not cause any fuel supply or distribution interruption or have any significant adverse impact on fuel producibility in the affected area or any contiguous area.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Makes funds appropriated to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) for the Capitol power plant in any fiscal year available to construct, operate, and maintain on a reimbursable basis battery recharging stations in parking areas under the jurisdiction of the Senate on Capitol grounds for use by privately owned vehicles used by: (1) Senators, or (2) Senate employees or any other individuals authorized to park in any parking area under Senate jurisdiction on Capitol grounds (covered employees). Requires the Architect to charge Senators and covered employees fees for the electricity sufficient to cover costs, including those to any vendors or other costs associated with maintaining the battery recharging stations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2011 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Energy for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of vehicles and related technologies for FY2012-FY2016. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a program of basic and applied research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application activities on materials, technologies, and processes with the potential to substantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use and related emissions of the nation's passenger and commercial vehicles; (2) ensure that the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to support research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application activities and maintains competency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle technologies with potential to achieve deep reductions in petroleum use and emissions; (3) carry out activities under this Act in collaboration with automotive manufacturers, heavy commercial, vocational, and transit vehicle manufacturers, qualified plug-in electric vehicle manufacturers, compressed natural gas vehicle manufacturers, vehicle and engine equipment and component manufacturers, manufacturing equipment manufacturers, advanced vehicle service providers, fuel producers and energy suppliers, electric utilities, universities, national laboratories, and independent research laboratories; (4) coordinate research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities among relevant programs of the Department and other federal agencies and ensure that there is no duplication of activities among programs; (5) seek opportunities to leverage resources and support state and local initiatives in developing and promoting advanced vehicle technologies, manufacturing, and infrastructure; (6) coordinate with other agencies to conduct research, development, engineering, and demonstration activities on connectivity of vehicle and transportation systems; (7) carry out a research, development, demonstration, engineering, and commercial application program of advanced vehicle manufacturing technologies and practices; and (8) report annually on the technologies developed as a result of the activities authorized by this Act, with emphasis on whether the technologies were successfully adopted for commercial applications and whether products relying on those technologies are manufactured in the United States. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program of cooperative research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities on advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles and appoint a Director to coordinate such activities; (2) conduct a competitive grant program to demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced technologies on Class 8 truck and trailer platforms with a goal of improving overall freight efficiency by 50%; (3) develop standard testing procedures and technologies for evaluating the performance of advanced heavy vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty cycles and operating conditions; and (4) evaluate heavy vehicle performance using work performance-based metrics, other than those based on miles per gallon, and appropriate metrics based on the work performed by nonroad systems. Requires the Secretary to undertake a pilot program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications of technologies to improve total machine or system efficiency for nonroad equipment and to seek opportunities to transfer research findings and technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment and vehicle sectors.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require a retail electric supplier to submit to the Secretary of Energy (DOE) for calendar year 2013 and thereafter one or more of the following: (1) specified federal renewable energy credits, (2) certification of the renewable energy generated and electricity savings, and (3) specified alternative compliance payments. Prescribes, for calendar years 2013 through 2039, a schedule of graduated annual percentages of a retail electric supplier's base amount that shall be generated from renewable energy resources (increasing from 6% in 2013 to 25% in 2025). Directs the Secretary to establish a program to: (1) verify and issue federal renewable energy credits to generators of renewable energy; (2) track the sale, exchange, and retirement of the credits; and (3) enforce the federal renewable energy credits program. Directs the Secretary to issue a generator of electric energy one federal renewable energy credit for each kilowatt hour of electric energy generated by the use of a renewable energy resource at an eligible facility. Prescribes rules for federal renewable energy credit trading and for borrowing and repayment of federal renewable energy credits. Provides that this Act does not diminish the authority of a state or its political subdivision to: (1) adopt or enforce any law (including regulations) respecting renewable energy, or (2) regulate the acquisition and disposition of federal renewable energy credits by retail electric suppliers. Permits an electric utility that has sales of electric energy subject to rate regulation to recover the full cost of renewable energy obtained to comply with this Act. Establishes in the Treasury a state renewable energy account for a grant program for promoting renewable energy production and providing energy assistance and weatherization services to low-income consumers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Makes funds appropriated to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) for the Capitol power plant in any fiscal year available to construct, operate, and maintain on a reimbursable basis battery recharging stations in parking areas under the jurisdiction of the House of Representatives on Capitol grounds for use by privately owned vehicles used by: (1) Members of the House, or (2) employees whose pay is disbursed by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House or any other individuals authorized to park in any parking area under House jurisdiction on Capitol grounds (covered employees). Requires the Architect to charge Members and covered employees fees for the electricity sufficient to cover costs, including those to any vendors or other costs associated with maintaining the battery recharging stations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Rare Earths Supply Chain Technology and Resources Transformation Act of 2011 or RESTART Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should take necessary action to ensure the reintroduction of a competitive domestic and ally nation rare earth supply chain, including reintroduction of mining, refining/processing, alloying and manufacturing operations using domestic and ally nation suppliers to provide a secure source of rare earth materials as a vital component of national security and economic policy. Requires each federal agency to expedite permitting and projects for the exploration and development of domestic rare earths. Establishes within the Department of the Interior the Rare Earth Policy Task Force to monitor and assist federal agencies in expediting review and approval of permits to accelerate the completion of projects that will increase investment in, exploration for, and development of domestic rare earth elements. Directs each of the Secretaries of Commerce, of Defense (DOD), of Energy (DOE), of the Interior, and the Secretary of State to appoint an Executive Agent, at the Assistant Secretary level, to serve as representative on an interagency working group to reestablish a competitive domestic rare earth supply chain. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to authorize the DOE Secretary to implement a temporary loan guarantee program for the commercial application of new or improved technologies to recover and process rare earth materials. Directs the President to establish a neodymium iron boron magnet alloy and dysprosium iron alloy inventory, to be managed by the Administrator of the Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Materials. Directs the President, acting through the DOD Secretary, to encourage the development of a domestic neodymium iron boron magnet manufacturing capability by seeking to enter into long-term supply contracts for the delivery of necessary grades of domestic neodymium iron boron magnets to meet DOD demand. Establishes in the U.S. Geological Survey a research and demonstration program for the long-term, secure, and sustainable supply of rare earth materials in quantities sufficient to satisfy the U.S. national security, economic well-being, and industrial production needs. Makes conforming amendments to the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Oil Spill Prevention Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations that require each Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) employee to be subject to random testing for the prohibited use of a controlled substance at least twice a year. Prohibits an individual from being employed by any person conducting any activity under a lease or permit issued by BOEMRE or subject to BOEMRE regulation for two years after leaving employment with BOEMR. Directs the Secretary, acting through BOEMRE, to conduct monthly inspections of each vessel and facility used for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil or gas drilling. Prohibits the Secretary from exempting any category of activity of a vessel or facility engaged in OCS oil or gas drilling in waters deeper than 1,000 feet from any federal requirement or restriction that applies to such activity. Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to repeal the liability limits applicable to a responsible party for discharge of oil from an offshore facility.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Geothermal Tax Parity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow through 2016 a 30% energy tax credit for investment in geothermal energy property.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an excise tax credit through 2016 for alternative fuels and fuel mixtures involving compressed or liquefied natural gas; (2) allow an income tax credit through 2016 for alternative fuel motor vehicles powered by compressed or liquefied natural gas and make Indian tribal governments eligible for such credit; (3) modify the tax credit percentage for alternative fuel vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; (4) allow a new tax credit for the production of vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; and (5) extend through 2016 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures for refueling property relating to compressed or liquefied natural gas and allow an increased credit for such property. Requires the Secretary of Energy to provide funding to improve the performance, efficiency, and integration of natural gas powered motor vehicles and heavy-duty on-road vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to manufacturers of light and heavy duty natural gas vehicles for the development of engines that reduce emissions, improve performance and efficiency, and lower cost. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should streamline the process for certification of natural gas vehicle retrofit kits to promote energy security and provide incentives to encourage and reward manufacturers who produce natural gas powered vehicles. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allocate funds for vehicles that are repowered or converted to operate on an alternative fuel.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 5 April 2011
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization and Jobs Protection Act - Authorizes Sealaska, the regional Alaska Native Corporation for southeast Alaska, subject to certain conditions and restrictions, to select and receive conveyance of its remaining land entitlement under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) from federal land in southeast Alaska that is outside the areas for selection delineated by the ANCSA. Includes in these lands certain sites: (1) identified on specified maps as having traditional, recreational, and renewable energy use value; and (2) identified by Sealaska as having sacred, cultural, traditional, or historic significance. Prohibits Sealaska from selecting: (1) sacred, cultural, traditional, or historic sites that are within the National Park System; or (2) land from the mapped sites, other than trade and migration route land, that lies within a conservation system unit. (A conservation system unit includes any unit of the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Wild and Scenic Rivers Systems, National Trails System, National Wilderness Preservation System, or a National Forest Monument.) Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to designate specified lands within Tongass National Forest as conservation areas that are to be given Land Use Designation II status and managed by the Secretary of Agriculture to protect subsistence activities and unique biological and geological resources, and prohibit commercial timber harvests or new road construction.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
Virginia Access to Energy Act or VA Energy Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct offshore oil and gas Lease Sale 220 on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) not later than one year after enactment of this Act. Prohibits the Secretary from making any lease tract available if the President determines that it would create an unreasonable conflict with military operations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit 50% of qualified revenues from such lease sales into the general fund of the Treasury to reduce the outstanding federal debt and 50% in a special account for specified payments to the state of Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2011 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Energy for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of vehicles and related technologies for FY2012-FY2016. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a program of basic and applied research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application activities on materials, technologies, and processes with the potential to substantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use and related emissions of the nation's passenger and commercial vehicles; (2) ensure that the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to support research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application activities and maintains competency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle technologies with potential to achieve deep reductions in petroleum use and emissions; (3) carry out activities under this Act in collaboration with automotive manufacturers, heavy commercial, vocational, and transit vehicle manufacturers, qualified plug-in electric vehicle manufacturers, compressed natural gas vehicle manufacturers, vehicle and engine equipment and component manufacturers, manufacturing equipment manufacturers, advanced vehicle service providers, fuel producers and energy suppliers, electric utilities, universities, national laboratories, and independent research laboratories; (4) coordinate research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities among relevant programs of the Department and other federal agencies and ensure that there is no duplication of activities among programs; (5) seek opportunities to leverage resources and support state and local initiatives in developing and promoting advanced vehicle technologies, manufacturing, and infrastructure; (6) coordinate with other agencies to conduct research, development, engineering, and demonstration activities on connectivity of vehicle and transportation systems; (7) carry out a research, development, demonstration, engineering, and commercial application program of advanced vehicle manufacturing technologies and practices; and (8) report annually on the technologies developed as a result of the activities authorized by this Act, with emphasis on whether the technologies were successfully adopted for commercial applications and whether products relying on those technologies are manufactured in the United States. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program of cooperative research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities on advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles and appoint a Director to coordinate such activities; (2) conduct a competitive grant program to demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced technologies on Class 8 truck and trailer platforms with a goal of improving overall freight efficiency by 50%; (3) develop standard testing procedures and technologies for evaluating the performance of advanced heavy vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty cycles and operating conditions; and (4) evaluate heavy vehicle performance using work performance-based metrics, other than those based on miles per gallon, and appropriate metrics based on the work performed by nonroad systems. Requires the Secretary to undertake a pilot program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications of technologies to improve total machine or system efficiency for nonroad equipment and to seek opportunities to transfer research findings and technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment and vehicle sectors.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 4 April 2011
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act - Authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to: (1) reinstate the license for either or each of the projects numbered 10822 and 10823, and (2) extend for two years after the date on which either or each such project is reinstated the time period during which the licensee must commence project construction. Directs FERC to: (1) transfer the reinstated licenses to the town of Canton, Connecticut, if it reinstates them and extends the time period during which the licensee is required to commence project construction; and (2) complete an environmental assessment for the projects and update the environmental analysis performed during the licensing process. Sets a deadline for FERC to make a final decision on reinstatement of either or both projects.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2011 for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the: (1) Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI); (2) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); (3) Department of Defense (DOD); (4) Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); (5) National Security Agency (NSA); (6) Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; (7) Coast Guard; (8) Departments of State, the Treasury, Energy, and Justice; (9) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); (10) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); (11) National Reconnaissance Office; (12) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and (13) Department of Homeland Security. Specifies that the amounts authorized and the authorized personnel ceilings as of September 30, 2011, for such activities are those specified in the classified Schedule of Authorizations, which shall be made available to the congressional appropriations committees and the President. Authorizes appropriations for the Intelligence Community Management Account for FY2011, as well as for full-time personnel for elements within such Account. Authorizes appropriations for FY2011 for the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund. Prohibits the authorization of appropriations by this Act from being deemed to constitute authority to conduct any intelligence activity not otherwise authorized by the Constitution or laws of the United States. Permits appropriations authorized by this Act for salary, pay, retirement, and other benefits for federal employees to be increased by such additional or supplemental amounts as necessary for increases in such compensation or benefits authorized by law. Requires the National Counterintelligence Strategy to be revised or updated at least every three years and to be aligned with the strategies and policies of the DNI. Directs the DNI to: (1) establish an initial operating capability for an automated insider threat detection program for information resources in each element of the intelligence community (IC); and (2) require each IC employee to sign and abide by an agreement prohibiting the unauthorized disclosure of classified information. Authorizes the DIA Director to expend certain human intelligence and counterintelligence activities funds for objects of a confidential, extraordinary, or emergency nature, without regard to restrictions on the expenditure of government funds. Provides for the transfer of funds for use by DOD intelligence elements. Requires Senate confirmation of the appointment of the NSA Director.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Temporary CDBG Public Services Flexibility Act of 2011 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to revise requirements for activities eligible for community development block grant (CDBG) assistance. Increases from 15% to 25% the limitation on the amount of CDBG assistance that may be used to provide public services (e.g., those concerned with employment, crime prevention, child care, health, drug abuse, education, energy conservation, welfare or recreation needs) for FY2011-FY2012 to any local government that, based on information of the U.S. Bureau of the Census for 2009, has a population of between 250,000 and 800,000, has a land area of less than 75 square miles, and among cities having a population exceeding 250,000 ranks among the 25 having the highest poverty rates.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act - Authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to: (1) reinstate the license for either or each of the projects numbered 10822 and 10823, and (2) extend for two years after the date on which either or each such project is reinstated the time period during which the licensee must commence project construction. Directs FERC to: (1) transfer the reinstated licenses to the town of Canton, Connecticut, if it reinstates them and extends the time period during which the licensee is required to commence project construction; and (2) complete an environmental assessment for the projects and update the environmental analysis performed during the licensing process. Sets a deadline for FERC to make a final decision on reinstatement of either or both projects.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 1 April 2011
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act of 2011 - Requires the government: (1) to provide leadership to negotiate a multilateral treaty or other international agreement that provides for the dismantlement and elimination, under strict international control, of all nuclear weapons in every country by 2020; (2) once the President certifies that all countries have eliminated such weapons or begun such elimination under established legal requirements, to redirect resources that are being used for nuclear weapons programs to addressing human and infrastructure needs and to converting nuclear weapons industry employees, processes, plants, and programs to constructive, ecologically beneficial peacetime activities; (3) to undertake efforts to eliminate war, armed conflict, and all military operations; and (4) to promote policies to induce all other countries to join in such commitments.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Gulf States Small Business Interest Relief Act of 2011 - Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a Southeast Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief Program (Program) under which the Administrator may waive, for up to three years and $15,000 total, the interest payments of small businesses that resume operations in a declared disaster area during the period beginning on: (1) September 1, 2005, and ending on October 1, 2006, for loans relating to Hurricanes Katrina or Rita of 2005; or (2) September 1, 2008, and ending on January 1, 2009, for loans relating to Hurricanes Gustav or Ike of 2008. Includes under the Program any small business that demonstrates substantial economic injury as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of April 20, 2010.