Environment

Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 1 January 2013

Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2012 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to direct the President, for purposes of hazard mitigation assistance, to ensure that: (1) environmental reviews and historic preservation reviews are completed on an expeditious basis, and (2) the shortest existing applicable process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the National Historic Preservation Act is utilized. Authorizes the President to provide not more than 25% of the amount of the estimated cost of hazard mitigation measures to a state grantee before eligible costs are incurred. Requires the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to review, update, and revise factors relating to trauma to measure the severity, magnitude, and impact of a disaster. Authorizes the President, acting through the Administrator, to approve public assistance projects for major disasters or emergencies under alternative procedures with the goal of: (1) reducing the costs to the federal government of providing such assistance; (2) increasing flexibility in the administration of assistance; (3) expediting the provision of assistance to a state, tribal or local government, or owner or operator of a private nonprofit facility; and (4) providing financial incentives and disincentives for the timely and cost-effective completion of projects. Requires such alternative procedures, with respect to grants for facility repair, restoration, or replacement, to allow: (1) such grants to be made on the basis of fixed estimates if the state, tribal, or local government or the owner or operator of the private nonprofit facility agrees to be responsible for any actual costs that exceed the estimate; (2) a grantee to elect to receive an in-lieu contribution, without reduction, on the basis of estimates of the cost to repair, restore, reconstruct, or replace a facility and management expenses; (3) consolidating state, local, or tribal facilities as a single project; and (4) the Administrator to permit a grantee, when completed project costs are less than the estimated costs, to use excess funds for activities that reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, or suffering from a major disaster and for other activities to improve future public assistance operations or planning. Requires such alternative procedures, with respect to grants for debris removal, to allow: (1) such grants to be made on the basis of fixed estimates to provide financial incentives and disincentives for the timely or cost-effective completion if the grantee agrees to be responsible for any actual costs that exceed the estimate; (2) use of a sliding scale for determining the federal share for removal of debris and wreckage based on the time it takes to complete; (3) use of program income from recycled debris without offset to the grant amount; (4) reimbursement of wages for grantee employees and extra hires performing or administering debris and wreckage removal; (5) incentives to a state, local, or tribal government to have a debris management plan approved by the Administrator and to have pre-qualified contractors before the date of declaration of the major disaster; and (6) the Administrator to permit a grantee, when actual project costs are less than estimated costs, to use the excess funds for debris management planning, acquisition of debris management equipment for current or future use, and other activities to improve future debris removal operations. Authorizes Indian tribal governments to submit requests for major disaster or emergency declarations directly to the President. Authorizes the President to enter into lease agreements for, and make repairs or improvements to, multifamily rental property located in areas covered by a major disaster declaration when the President determines it would be a cost-effective alternative to other temporary housing options. Directs the President: (1) within one year, to complete an analysis to determine whether an increase in the threshold for eligibility for the provision of federal disaster or emergency assistance on the basis of the amount of the federal estimate of assistance necessary is appropriate; and (2) if so, to establish such threshold, adjust it annually for inflation, and review it every three years. Requires the President to establish a unified interagency review process to ensure compliance with environmental and historic requirements relating to disaster recovery projects in order to expedite the recovery process. Authorizes the President: (1) to provide child care assistance to an individual or household adversely affected by a major disaster; and (2) after declaring a major disaster or emergency for an area within the jurisdiction of a state, tribal, or local government, to reimburse such government for costs relating to basic pay and benefits and overtime and hazardous duty compensation for permanent employees of such government conducting emergency protective measures. Directs the Administrator to revise regulations related to the submission of State Hazard Mitigation Plans to extend the hazard mitigation planning cycle to every five years, consistent with local planning cycles. Authorizes a temporary housing unit purchased by the President for housing disaster victims to be made available directly to a state, other governmental entity, or voluntary organization for an incident caused by a hazard, for which the state governor has taken appropriate action under state law and directed execution of the state emergency plan, but that does not result in a presidential declaration of a major disaster or emergency. Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2012 - Directs the Administrator to: (1) take specified steps to modernize and implement the U.S. integrated public alert and warning system to ensure that the President, federal agencies, and state, tribal, and local governments can, under all conditions, alert and warn the civilian population in areas endangered by disasters or other hazards to public safety; and (2) establish a subcommittee to the National Advisory Council to be known as the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Subcommittee, which shall develop recommendations for an integrated public alert and warning system. Directs the Chair of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to report on: (1) the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on local government budgets in states where a major disaster has been declared, (2) the availability of private loans and federal resources to address such impacts, (3) the ability of the Community Disaster Loan program to address such impacts, and (4) potential consequences of federal action or inaction to address such impacts. Amends: (1) the Stafford Act to direct the Administrator to: (1) continue to administer the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System to provide for a national network of standardized search and rescue resources to assist states and local governments in responding to hazards, (2) designate task forces to participate in the System, and (3) establish an advisory committee to provide assistance in administering the System. Authorizes the President, upon determining it to be appropriate after a large and complex major disaster, to establish a commission to facilitate and support states and local governments in recovering from such disaster, including by implementing a strategic recovery support plan and coordinating federal agency activities. Amends the Homeland Security Act to establish within FEMA a disaster reserve workforce, to supplement the work of permanent full-time FEMA employees on response and recovery operations and programs. Amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to direct the President to ensure that each federal agency with responsibilities under the National Response Plan or the National Disaster Recovery Framework has designated a lead senior official to: (1) ensure the agency is prepared to execute its response and recovery responsibilities under such plans, and (2) coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts. Directs the Administrator to establish procedures under which an applicant, through December 31, 2015, may request the use of alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration by an independent review panel to resolve disputes relating to eligible assistance.

Inspector General Improvement Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 31 December 2012

Inspector General Improvement Act of 2012 - Requires the inspectors general of the following federal agencies, in addition to the other duties and responsibilities specified in the Inspector General Act of 1978, to supervise, direct, and control audit and investigative activities pertaining to programs and operations: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Department of Defense (DOD); Department of Education; Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA); Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Department of the Interior; Department of Labor; Department of State; Department of the Treasury; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); General Services Administration (GSA); Government Accountability Office (GAO); Intelligence Community; National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and Smithsonian Institution.

To authorize certain appropriations under the Native American Programs Act of 1974.

United States · United States Congress · 27 December 2012

Amends the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for FY2012-FY2015 for: (1) programs promoting economic and social self-sufficiency for Native Americans, (2) a program awarding grants to Indian tribes to improve their regulation of environmental quality, (3) a program awarding grants to public and nonprofit entities to ensure the survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages, and (4) a demonstration project enabling Hawaii to establish a revolving fund providing loans or loan guarantees to Native Hawaiians organizations and individuals to promote economic development in Hawaii.

Consumer Bounty Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2012

Consumer Bounty Act - Directs courts to require defendants to pay a minimum of $10,000 to prevailing plaintiffs in civil actions brought under specified citizen suit provisions of: (1) the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); (2) the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977; (3) the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act); (4) the Safe Drinking Water Act; (5) the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972; (6) the Noise Control Act of 1972; (7) the Energy Policy and Conservation Act; (8) the Solid Waste Disposal Act; (9) the Clean Air Act; (10) the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA); (11) the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978; (12) the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986; (13) the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act; and (14) pipeline safety laws. Makes multiple defendants in such actions jointly and severally liable.

Mercury Use Reduction Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2012

Mercury Use Reduction Act of 2012 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to redefine “mercury” as: (1) elemental mercury, (2) a mercury compound, and (3) a mixture that contains elemental mercury or a mercury compound that is mixed with any other material. Prohibits, beginning on January 1, 2014, the: (1) production of mercury from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of mercury-containing ores and minerals (specifies that such prohibition does not prohibit the production of mercury from mining of other ores if the mercury is produced incidentally from the beneficiation or processing of that ore or related pollution control activities); (2) production of vinyl chloride monomer using a mercury-added feedstock or catalyst; (3) manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of certain mercury-added measuring devices, a mercury-added pesticide, a mercury-added thermostat, or a mercury-added relay or mercury-added switch; and (4) export of certain mercury compounds or such mercury-added products. Prohibits, beginning on January 1, 2015, the: (1) manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of a mercury-added battery, individually or as a component of a product; and (2) exporting of such mercury-added batteries. Sets forth exemptions to such prohibitions. Amends the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act to repeal provisions concerning phasing out the use of batteries that contain mercury. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) report on the use of mercury to produce polyurethane products; (2) publish an inventory of mercury supply, use, and trade by April 1, 2014, and every three years thereafter; and (3) publish a list of such compounds the export of which is prohibited. Establishes reporting requirements for manufactures of mercury or mercury-added products and manufacturers that intentionally use mercury in a manufacturing process. Authorizes elemental mercury to be stored on a long-term basis at a facility for which a permit has been issued for that purpose under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Exempts such long-term storage from prohibitions on hazardous waste disposal under such Act.

Mercury Use Reduction Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2012

Mercury Use Reduction Act of 2012 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to redefine “mercury” as: (1) elemental mercury, (2) a mercury compound, and (3) a mixture that contains elemental mercury or a mercury compound that is mixed with any other material. Prohibits, beginning on January 1, 2014, the: (1) production of mercury from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of mercury-containing ores and minerals (specifies that such prohibition does not prohibit the production of mercury from mining of other ores if the mercury is produced incidentally from the beneficiation or processing of that ore or related pollution control activities); (2) production of vinyl chloride monomer using a mercury-added feedstock or catalyst; (3) manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of certain mercury-added measuring devices, a mercury-added pesticide, a mercury-added thermostat, or a mercury-added relay or mercury-added switch; and (4) export of certain mercury compounds or such mercury-added products. Prohibits, beginning on January 1, 2015, the: (1) manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of a mercury-added battery, individually or as a component of a product; and (2) exporting of such mercury-added batteries. Sets forth exemptions to such prohibitions. Amends the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act to repeal provisions concerning phasing out the use of batteries that contain mercury. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) report on the use of mercury to produce polyurethane products; (2) publish an inventory of mercury supply, use, and trade by April 1, 2014, and every three years thereafter; and (3) publish a list of such compounds the export of which is prohibited. Establishes reporting requirements for manufactures of mercury or mercury-added products and manufacturers that intentionally use mercury in a manufacturing process. Authorizes elemental mercury to be stored on a long-term basis at a facility for which a permit has been issued for that purpose under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Exempts such long-term storage from prohibitions on hazardous waste disposal under such Act.

Hurricane Sandy Tax Relief Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2012

Hurricane Sandy Tax Relief Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax benefits for individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy, including: an exemption from the gross income limitation for deducting casualty losses attributable to Hurricane Sandy; expensing allowances for Hurricane Sandy disaster expenses, disaster assistance property, and environmental remediation expenses; treatment of losses attributable to Hurricane Sandy as net operating losses; suspension of mortgage revenue bond requirements for residences located in the Hurricane Sandy disaster area; an increased charitable tax deduction for Hurricane Sandy disaster relief contributions; a special allocation of the new markets tax credit for investments in community development entities serving the disaster area; special adjustments to the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit for individuals living in the disaster area; a work opportunity tax credit for hiring employees residing in the disaster area; authorization for issuance of Hurricane Sandy bonds to finance disaster relief projects; and an additional allocation of low-income housing credits in states affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should adopt a target of 350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide by which to evaluate domestic and international climate change policies, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2012

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: (1) adopt a target of 350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide by which to evaluate domestic and international climate change policies, and (2) develop domestic and international policies that are sufficiently flexible to accommodate advancing science in the event that a change in that target becomes warranted.

A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program, to designate certain Federal buildings, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2012

Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program to: (1) limit grants by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to no more than 75% of project costs, and (2) authorize the appropriation of the amount appropriated for FY2009 for each of FY2013-FY2017. Designates: (1) the EPA headquarters located at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington, DC, known as the Ariel Rios Building, as the "William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building," (2) the federal building and U.S. courthouse located at 200 East Wall Street in Midland, Texas, known as the George Mahon Federal Building, as the "George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush United States Courthouse and George Mahon Federal Building," and (3) the federal building currently known as Federal Office Building 8, located at 200 C Street SW, Washington, DC, as the "Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building." Makes the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 and provisions of the federal criminal code prohibiting importation of injurious animals inapplicable to any water transfer by the North Texas Municipal Water District and the Greater Texoma Utility Authority using only closed conveyance systems from the Lake Texoma raw water intake structure to treatment facilities at which all zebra mussels are extirpated and removed from the transferred water. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey the McKinney Lake National Fish Hatchery in Richmond County, North Carolina, to the state of North Carolina to be used by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as a component of the fish and wildlife management program of the state. Requires the state to allow the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to use such property for the propagation of any critically important aquatic resource held in public trust to address the specific restoration or recovery needs of such resource. Requires reversion of the property if it is used for any purpose other than as described above.

Customs Enhanced Enforcement and Trade Facilitation Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2012

Customs Enhanced Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2012 - Establishes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBPA), headed by the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Transfers specified functions, assets, liabilities, and duties of the U.S. Customs Service formally to the CBPA. Requires the President to separate budget requests for CBPA commercial operations and for the enforcement of U.S. customs and trade laws by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Amends the Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification Act of 1978 to authorize appropriations to ICE for FY2013-FY2015. Directs the CBPA Commissioner and the Director of ICE to develop jointly and submit to Congress a Joint Strategic Plan for enforcing U.S. customs and trade laws and for facilitating U.S. international trade. Requires the DHS Secretary to consult with specified congressional committees before negotiating and before entering Mutual Recognition Arrangements or similar agreements between the United States and and a foreign government providing for mutual recognition of supply chain security programs and customs revenue functions. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the DHS Secretary to establish jointly a Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend through FY2015 the requirement for deposit of customs user fees in the Customs Commercial and Homeland Security Automation Account. Increases the annual amount of such deposits. Specifies a certain amount of appropriations authorized through FY2015 to complete the development, establishment, and implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment computer system for the processing of entered or released merchandise and for other DHS purposes. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that each agency participating in the International Trade Data System (ITDS) uses it to collect and distribute data and documentation for clearing or licensing the importation or exportation of cargo, and does not use any other system for such purposes. Requires the head of each federal agency that requires documentation for clearing or licensing the importation and exportation of cargo to develop the necessary information technology infrastructure to support the operation of the ITDS. Directs the DHS Secretary to establish within the Office of International Trade (OIT) a Commercial Targeting Division containing individual National Targeting and Analysis Groups set up for each of several specified priority trade issues. Amends the Trade Act of 2002 to repeal the prohibition against use by the Secretary of the Treasury of certain trade data for merchandise entry or commercial enforcement determinations. Authorizes the DHS Secretary to establish within OIT Centers of Excellence and Expertise to facilitate legitimate trade through increasing specific industry knowledge and uniformity of cargo clearance procedures. Requires the DHS Inspector General (IG) to report to Congress on CBPA oversight of revenue protection and enforcement measures. Requires the DHS Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury to report jointly to Congress on CBPA efforts to ensure the secure transportation of merchandise in bond through the United States and the collection of revenue owed upon the entry of such merchandise into the United States for consumption. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on the effectiveness of CBPA trade enforcement activities. Directs the CBPA Commissioner to establish priorities and performance standards to measure the development and levels of achievement of specified CBPA modernization, trade facilitation, and trade enforcement functions and programs. Directs the CBPA Commissioner to establish educational seminars to improve the ability of CBPA personnel to classify and appraise articles imported into the United States in accordance with U.S. customs laws. Directs the DHS Secretary to establish an importer of record program to assign and maintain importer of record numbers. Requires the CBPA to maintain a centralized database of importer of record numbers, including a history of numbers associated with each importer. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe minimum standards to require customs brokers to implement, and importers (including nonresident importers) to comply with, reasonable procedures for collecting information to identify U.S. and non-resident importers seeking to import merchandise into the United States. Directs the CBPA Commissioner to report to Congress recommendations for: (1) determining the most effective way to require foreign nationals to provide customs brokers with accurate information, comparable to that required of U.S. nationals, on the identity of foreign nationals seeking to import merchandise into the United States; and (2) establishing a system for such brokers and agencies to review information maintained by relevant federal agencies to verify the identity of importers, including nonresident importers, seeking to import merchandise into the United States. Requires the CBPA Commissioner to: (1) establish a new importer program that directs CBPA to adjust bond amounts for new importers based on the level of risk assessed by CBPA for protection of federal revenue, and (2) require a non-resident importer of record to designate a resident agent in the United States. Establishes an interagency committee composed of representatives of each covered federal agency to set up a certified importer program meeting specified requirements. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, at the time merchandise is presented for examination, to give the owner of a copyright or a registered mark: (1) any information appearing on the merchandise or its retail packaging; (2) a sample, or digital image, of the merchandise and its retail packaging; or (3) any packing material accompanying a sample, if a sample is provided, that bears either a mark suspected of being a counterfeit mark of the registered mark, or a work suspected of infringing the copyright. Directs the DHS Secretary to establish within the CBPA Office of International Trade a Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Division (including a National Targeting and Analysis Group) to prevent and counter evasion of antidumping or countervailing duty orders with respect to covered merchandise entered into the United States. Directs the National Targeting and Analysis Group dedicated to preventing and countering evasion to establish targeted risk assessment methodologies and standards for: (1) evaluating the risk that cargo destined for the United States may constitute evading covered merchandise, and (2) issuing Trade Alerts to U.S. ports of entry directing further inspection of specific merchandise to ensure compliance with U.S. trade remedy laws. Requires the Group also to use information available from the Automated Targeting System, the Automated Entry System, the International Trade Data System, and the Treasury Enforcement Communications System to administer such methodologies and standards. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to require a single entry bond, in addition to any continuous bond, in any case in which there is a reasonable belief, based on evidence, that merchandise which may be subject to a countervailing duty order or antidumping duty order is being entered into the United States by means of evasion. Prescribes procedures for investigating allegations of evasion and making preliminary and final determinations, as well as actions to be taken if final determinations are affirmative. Requires the CBPA Commissioner to exercise all authorities to collect information needed to make a determination on whether merchandise is entered into the United States through evasion. Directs the CBPA Commissioner to employ sufficient personnel who have expertise in and responsibility for preventing and investigating the entry of covered merchandise into the United States through evasion. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress an estimate of the amount of duties that could not be collected on covered merchandise that entered U.S. customs territory through evasion during FY2011-FY2012 because the Commissioner did not have the authority to reliquidate the entries of such merchandise. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to eliminate the option of an importer to post a bond or security in lieu of a cash deposit for each entry of merchandise exported into the United States by a new exporter (shipper) and producer that is the subject of a review by the administering authority as to whether antidumping or countervailing duties shall be imposed on such merchandise. Requires the weighted average dumping margin or individual countervailing duty rate determined for a new exporter (shipper) or producer of merchandise in a review by the administering authority as to whether antidumping or countervailing duties shall be imposed to be based solely on the bona fide U.S. sales made by the exporter or producer during the period of review. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 authorizes imposition of a monetary penalty on, or revocation or suspension of a license or permit of, any customs broker convicted of committing or conspiring to commit an act of terrorism. Raises from $200 to $800 the general de minimus aggregate fair retail value in the country of shipment of duty-free articles imported by one person on one day. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to change from quarterly to monthly the periodic remittance of collected customs user fees to the Secretary of the Treasury. Subjects to an administrative penalty of double the amount of such fees for any failure to remit them. Prohibits any refund of collected fees from the Customs User Fee Account. Allows drawback (refund of paid customs duties) in a specified amount only if: (1) the manufacturer or producer of articles has received the imported, duty-paid merchandise or substitute merchandise, directly or indirectly; and (2) the exporter or destroyer of articles has received the manufactured or produced article or substitute article, directly or indirectly. Extends from three years to five years the period from the date of receipt by a manufacturer or producer of imported, duty-paid merchandise during which, for purposes of allowing a drawback of paid duties, the imported duty-paid merchandise and any other merchandise (whether imported or domestic) of the same kind and quality are used in the manufacture or production of articles. Requires any person claiming drawback to maintain, as proof of exportation, the record of exportation entered in the automated export system of the U.S. government or, if the exporter is unable to use that system, records kept in the normal course of business similar to the information contained in such record of exportation. Revises other specified drawback requirements. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States with respect to duties on warranty repairs or alterations of articles exported from and then returned to the United States. Allows commingling of fungible goods exported from the United States for such purposes. Allows use of an inventory management method to account for the origin, value, and classification of such goods. Declares that, if a person chooses to use an inventory management method with respect to fungible goods, that person shall use the same inventory management method for any other goods with respect to which the person claims fungibility. Allows duty-free treatment for certain federal property returned to the United States. Authorizes appropriations for FY2013 for the salaries and expenses of the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) and of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Authorizes appropriations to the USITC for necessary expenses for FY2014-FY2015. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center has the potential to strengthen the monitoring and enforcement of U.S. rights under international trade agreements and the enforcement of domestic trade laws.

To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a pilot program to study alternatives to the current system of taxing motor vehicle fuels, including systems based on the number of miles traveled by each vehicle.

United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2012

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) establish a pilot program to be known as the Road User Fee Pilot Project to study alternatives to the system of taxing motor vehicle fuels, including alternatives based upon the mileage of vehicles subject to tax (miles based program); (2) coordinate with technology, transportation system, and environmental working groups in carrying out the pilot program; and (3) establish a grant program to aid in the development of onboard technologies necessary for a miles based program.

Global Partnerships Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2012

Global Partnerships Act of 2012 - Sets forth provisions regarding global poverty and related matters, including: (1) reduction of global poverty; (2) acceleration of economic growth; (3) micro enterprise and small and medium enterprise assistance; (4) food security; (5) child survival and maternal health; (6) combating disease; (7) family planning and reproductive health; (8) education; (9) the environment; (10) safe water, sanitation, and housing; (11) gender equality; (12) democratic governance; and (13) humanitarian and disaster assistance. Sets forth provisions regarding advancing peace and mitigating conflict, including: (1) peacekeeping and related missions, (2) strategies and assessments, and (3) organizations and personnel. Sets forth provisions regarding human rights and democracy, including: (1) violence against women and girls, (2) the rule of law, and (3) child protection. Sets forth provisions regarding strategic partnerships, including: (1) the Economic Support Fund, (2) security partnership assistance, (3) drawdown authority, (4) defense article loans and stockpiling, (5) foreign military financing, (6) international military education and training, (7) excess defense article transfers, (8) cooperative project agreements, (9) foreign military sales, (10) arms export controls, (11) defense article leases and retransfers, (12) enforcement and monitoring of arms sales, (13) congressional review of arms sales, and (14) land mines and cluster munitions. Sets forth provisions regarding transnational threats, including: (1) nuclear, missile, and chemical and biological nonproliferation; and (2) counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism authorities. Sets forth provisions regarding the global environment, including: (1) debt-for-nature exchanges, and (2) commercial debt-for-nature exchanges. Sets forth provisions regarding trade and investment, including: (1) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), (2) the United States Trade and Development Agency, and (3) enterprise funds. Sets forth provisions regarding strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and congressional notification. Sets forth provisions regarding policy restrictions and special authorities with respect to: (1) human rights; (2) non-proliferation; (3) narcotics; (4) terrorism, including in the Middle East; (5) trade and commerce; and (6) policy authorities. Sets forth provisions regarding organization, management, and human resources, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Revises specified provisions of the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, and the Fulbright-Hays Act.

Customs Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2012

Customs Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2012 - Establishes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBPA), headed by the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Transfers specified functions, assets, liabilities, and duties of the U.S. Customs Service formally to the CBPA. Establishes an interagency Customs Review Board. Requires the President to separate budget requests for CBPA commercial operations and for the enforcement of U.S. customs and trade laws by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Amends the Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification Act of 1978 to authorize appropriations to ICE for FY2013-FY2015. Directs the CBPA Commissioner and the Director of ICE to develop jointly and submit to Congress a Joint Strategic Plan for enforcing U.S. customs and trade laws and for facilitating U.S. international trade. Requires the DHS Secretary to consult with specified congressional committees before negotiating and before entering Mutual Recognition Arrangements or similar agreements between the United States and and a foreign government providing for mutual recognition of supply chain security programs and customs revenue functions. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the DHS Secretary to establish jointly a Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend through FY2015 the requirement for deposit of customs user fees in the Customs Commercial and Homeland Security Automation Account. Increases the annual amount of such deposits. Specifies a certain amount of appropriations authorized through FY2015 to complete the development, establishment, and implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment computer system for the processing of entered or released merchandise and for other DHS purposes. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that each agency participating in the International Trade Data System (ITDS) uses it to collect and distribute data and documentation for clearing or licensing the importation or exportation of cargo, and does not use any other system for such purposes. Requires the head of each federal agency that requires documentation for clearing or licensing the importation and exportation of cargo to develop the necessary information technology infrastructure to support the operation of the ITDS. Directs the DHS Secretary to establish within the Office of International Trade (OIT) a Commercial Targeting Division containing individual National Targeting and Analysis Groups set up for each of several specified priority trade issues. Amends the Trade Act of 2002 to repeal the prohibition against use by the Secretary of the Treasury of certain trade data for merchandise entry or commercial enforcement determinations. Authorizes the DHS Secretary to establish within OIT Centers of Excellence and Expertise to facilitate legitimate trade through increasing specific industry knowledge and uniformity of cargo clearance procedures. Requires the DHS Inspector General (IG) to report to Congress on CBPA oversight of revenue protection and enforcement measures. Requires the DHS Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury to report jointly to Congress on CBPA efforts to ensure the secure transportation of merchandise in bond through the United States and the collection of revenue owed upon the entry of such merchandise into the United States for consumption. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on the effectiveness of CBPA trade enforcement activities. Directs the CBPA Commissioner to establish priorities and performance standards to measure the development and levels of achievement of specified CBPA modernization, trade facilitation, and trade enforcement functions and programs. Directs the CBPA Commissioner to establish educational seminars to improve the ability of CBPA personnel to classify and appraise articles imported into the United States in accordance with U.S. customs laws. Directs the DHS Secretary to establish an importer of record program to assign and maintain importer of record numbers. Requires the CBPA to maintain a centralized database of importer of record numbers, including a history of numbers associated with each importer. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe minimum standards to require customs brokers to implement, and importers (including nonresident importers) to comply with, reasonable procedures for collecting information to identify U.S. and non-resident importers seeking to import merchandise into the United States. Directs the CBPA Commissioner to report to Congress recommendations for: (1) determining the most effective way to require foreign nationals to provide customs brokers with accurate information, comparable to that required of U.S. nationals, on the identity of foreign nationals seeking to import merchandise into the United States; and (2) establishing a system for such brokers and agencies to review information maintained by relevant federal agencies to verify the identity of importers, including nonresident importers, seeking to import merchandise into the United States. Requires the CBPA Commissioner to: (1) establish a new importer program that directs CBPA to adjust bond amounts for new importers based on the level of risk assessed by CBPA for protection of federal revenue, and (2) require a non-resident importer of record to designate a resident agent in the United States. Establishes an interagency committee composed of representatives of each covered federal agency to set up a certified importer program meeting specified requirements. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, at the time merchandise is presented for examination, to give the owner of a copyright or a registered mark: (1) any information appearing on the merchandise or its retail packaging; (2) a sample, or digital image, of the merchandise and its retail packaging; or (3) any packing material accompanying a sample, if a sample is provided, that bears either a mark suspected of being a counterfeit mark of the registered mark, or a work suspected of infringing the copyright. Preventing Recurring Trade Evasion and Circumvention Act or PROTECT Act - Directs the DHS Secretary to establish within the CBPA Office of International Trade a Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Division (including a National Targeting and Analysis Group) to prevent and counter evasion of antidumping or countervailing duty orders with respect to covered merchandise entered into the United States. Directs the National Targeting and Analysis Group dedicated to preventing and countering evasion to establish targeted risk assessment methodologies and standards for: (1) evaluating the risk that cargo destined for the United States may constitute evading covered merchandise, and (2) issuing Trade Alerts to U.S. ports of entry directing further inspection of specific merchandise to ensure compliance with U.S. trade remedy laws. Requires the Group also to use information available from the Automated Targeting System, the Automated Entry System, the International Trade Data System, and the Treasury Enforcement Communications System to administer such methodologies and standards. Requires the DHS Secretary, acting through the CBPA Commissioner, to exercise all authorities to collect information needed to determine whether merchandise is entered into the United States through evasion. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to permit access to proprietary information submitted to the administering authority or the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to a CBPA officer or employee who is conducting an investigation regarding negligence or gross negligence with respect to covered merchandise entered into the United States. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to negotiate and enter into bilateral agreements with customs authorities of foreign countries to prevent evasion of U.S. and foreign trade remedy laws. Directs the CBPA Commissioner to employ sufficient personnel who have expertise in and responsibility for preventing and investigating the entry of covered merchandise into the United States through evasion. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to eliminate the option of an importer to post a bond or security in lieu of a cash deposit for each entry of merchandise exported into the United States by a new exporter (shipper) and producer that is the subject of a review by the administering authority as to whether antidumping or countervailing duties shall be imposed on such merchandise. Requires the weighted average dumping margin or individual countervailing duty rate determined for a new exporter (shipper) or producer of merchandise in a review by the administering authority as to whether antidumping or countervailing duties shall be imposed to be based solely on the bona fide U.S. sales made by the exporter or producer during the period of review. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 authorizes imposition of a monetary penalty on, or revocation or suspension of a license or permit of, any customs broker convicted of committing or conspiring to commit an act of terrorism. Raises from $200 to $800 the general de minimus aggregate fair retail value in the country of shipment of duty-free articles imported by one person on one day. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to change from quarterly to monthly the periodic remittance of collected customs user fees to the Secretary of the Treasury. Subjects to an administrative penalty of double the amount of such fees for any failure to remit them. Prohibits any refund of collected fees from the Customs User Fee Account. Allows drawback (refund of paid customs duties) in a specified amount only if: (1) the manufacturer or producer of articles has received the imported, duty-paid merchandise or substitute merchandise, directly or indirectly; and (2) the exporter or destroyer of articles has received the manufactured or produced article or substitute article, directly or indirectly. Extends from 3 years to 5 years the period from the date of receipt by a manufacturer or producer of imported, duty-paid merchandise during which, for purposes of allowing a drawback of paid duties, the imported duty-paid merchandise and any other merchandise (whether imported or domestic) of the same kind and quality are used in the manufacture or production of articles. Requires any person claiming drawback to maintain, as proof of exportation, the record of exportation entered in the automated export system of the U.S. government or, if the exporter is unable to use that system, records kept in the normal course of business similar to the information contained in such record of exportation. Revises other specified drawback requirements. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States with respect to duties on warranty repairs or alterations of articles exported from and then returned to the United States. Allows commingling of fungible goods exported from the United States for such purposes. Allows use of an inventory management method to account for the origin, value, and classification of such goods. Declares that, if a person chooses to use an inventory management method with respect to fungible goods, that person shall use the same inventory management method for any other goods with respect to which the person claims fungibility. Allows duty-free treatment for certain federal property returned to the United States. Authorizes appropriations for FY2013 for the salaries and expenses of the ITC and of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Authorizes appropriations to the ITC for necessary expenses for FY2014-FY2015. Requires the President's annual report to Congress on the trade agreements program and the national trade policy agenda to address the operation of all USTR-led interagency programs during the preceding year and for the year in which the report is submitted as well as pertinent additional matters. Directs the USTR to develop annual and quadrennial resource management and staffing plans.

Superfund Emergency Response Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2012

Superfund Emergency Response Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out any assessment, monitoring, remediation, repair, or construction activity determined to be necessary at a site that: (1) is proposed to be listed on, is listed on, or has been deleted from the National Priorities List (NPL) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA); and (2) is located in an area that the President has declared a major disaster in accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Amends CERCLA to authorize a state governor or senator to request that the Administrator carry out an assessment and report on the impacts of a major disaster on any proposed or listed NPL site located in a major disaster area. Requires the assessment to include: (1) an evaluation of whether the disaster resulted in the release of any contaminants into the ambient environment that threaten public health and the environment; (2) an assessment of any actions necessary to mitigate a toxic release, repair any damage, or provide monitoring in response to disaster damage; (3) a list of actions already taken by Administrator to prevent, mitigate, or remediate any disaster damage at the site; and (4) any information needed to alert the public to any threat to public health and the environment relating to the release of contaminants at the site. Directs the Administrator to study and report on: (1) an assessment of the vulnerability of each property that, due to an extreme weather event, is proposed to be listed, is listed, or is removed from the NPL; (2) an evaluation of the quantity of properties proposed or listed on the NPL in areas that are prone to flooding as a result of such an event; and (3) recommendations relating to emergency response protocols in such an event to prevent any release of contaminants into the ambient environment, strategies to improve the resiliency of assessments, monitoring, or construction carried out on NPL proprieties as such events become more common, and additional policies necessary to enhance the resiliency of NPL properties as a result of such events. Defines an "extreme weather event" as severe and unseasonable weather, heavy precipitation, a hurricane, a storm surge, a tornado or other windstorm, extreme heat and cold, or any other event that qualifies as a major disaster.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013

United States · United States Senate · 16 November 2012

Carcinogen-Free Label Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2012

Carcinogen-Free Label Act of 2012 - Directs the head of each federal agency that regulates a covered product to establish a program to permit the labeling of such a product that does not contain any carcinogens as "Carcinogen-Free." Defines a "covered product" to mean any product offered for sale that is: (1) regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), or the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC); and (2) intended for individual or residential use. Requires such agency heads to coordinate to develop an easily recognizable label: (1) to be affixed to a covered product to signify that it has been approved for "Carcinogen-Free" labeling, and (2) to include a notice stating that "This product does not contain known or likely carcinogens that increase your risk of cancer." Prohibits the introduction or offering for introduction into interstate commerce of a covered product affixed with a "Carcinogen-Free" label if: (1) the head of each federal agency that regulates the product has not approved an application for the labeling of the product as "Carcinogen-Free," or (2) the product contains any substance that is not listed in such application. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) application approval and confidentiality; (2) random testing of covered products, random audits of facilities in which such products are manufactured, and measures to ensure compliance with agency guidance; (3) application fees; and (4) penalties for violations. Requires such agency heads to: (1) issue guidance to prevent the introduction of carcinogens into such product during its manufacture, storage, and transportation; and (2) post on the agency's public website a list of all covered products regulated by that agency that have been approved for labeling as "Carcinogen-Free."

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2012

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a direct loan, including a subordinated loan, or a loan guarantee to an eligible entity to carry out activities for an eligible project. Defines an "eligible entity" to include: (1) an entity that owns or operates a treatment works that serves the general public, including a municipal or regional separate storm sewer system management agency; and (2) an entity that owns or operates a community water system. Defines an "eligible project" to include: (1) a capital project to construct, replace, or rehabilitate a treatment works or community water system, to reduce energy consumption needs of a treatment works or a community water system, to increase water efficiency, reduce the demand for water, or reduce the demand for treatment works or community water system capacity, to manage or control storm water, to re-use municipal wastewater, or to increase drinking water source protection; and (2) an associated non-capital project that promotes the use of environmentally sustainable projects, including utility-backed storm water and water efficiency retrofit programs. Directs an eligible entity to use amounts received under this Act for eligible projects to: (1) carry out development phase, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and replacement activities and environmental mitigation and construction contingencies; (2) acquire real property and equipment; (3) provide for any funding mechanisms necessary to meet market or affordability requirements, reasonably required reserve funds, capitalized interest issuance expenses, and other carrying costs during project construction; and (4) refinance interim construction financing, long-term project obligations, or direct loans or loan guarantees made under this Act. Requires the Administrator to select eligible projects to receive assistance based on specified factors, including: (1) the significance of the infrastructure needs addressed, (2) creditworthiness, (3) the need for federal assistance, (4) the degree to which the project financing plan includes additional public or private financing, (5) the cost of the direct loan or loan guarantee to the federal government, (6) national or regional significance, and (7) reasonable assurance that all payments will be made on the credit instrument. Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish a system for prioritizing eligible projects based on specified guidelines, (2) develop and implement a credit evaluation process before providing any assistance under this Act, and (3) establish a uniform system to service each direct loan and loan guarantee made. Sets forth provisions regarding interest rates, terms, and conditions of direct loans and loan guarantees made under this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) collect fees for administrative expenses, (2) provide technical assistance to applicants in creating financing packages that leverage a mix of public and private funding sources, and (3) provide assistance under this Act only with respect to a credit instrument in an amount of not less than $20 million. Requires: (1) assisted projects to pay prevailing wages to laborers and mechanics; and (2) assisted projects for the construction, alteration, maintenance or repair of a public building or public work to use only iron, steel, and manufactured goods produced in the United States, with exceptions.

EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2012

EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2012 - Amends the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 to revise the process of selecting members of the Science Advisory Board, guidelines for participation in Board advisory activities, and terms of office. (The Board provides scientific advice to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA].) Revises the procedures for providing advice and comments to the Administrator by: (1) including risk or hazard assessments in the regulatory proposals and documents made available to the Board, and (2) requiring advice and comments to be included in the record regarding any such proposal and published in the Federal Register. Revises the operation of Board member committees and investigative panels to: (1) require that they operate in accordance with the membership, participation, and policy requirements (including new requirements for public participation in advisory activities of the Board) contained in this Act; (2) deny them authority to make decisions on behalf of the Board; and (3) prohibit direct reporting to EPA. Adds guidelines for the conduct of Board advisory activities, including concerning: (1) avoidance of making policy determinations or recommendations, (2) communication of uncertainties, (3) dissenting members' views, and (4) periodic reviews to ensure that such activities address the most important scientific issues affecting EPA.

Arctic Research, Monitoring, and Observing Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Arctic Research, Monitoring, and Observing Act of 2012 - Amends the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 to direct the Arctic Research Commission to provide merit-based grants to federal, state, local, or tribal governments and academic and private organizations to conduct research on or related to the Arctic in accordance with the national Arctic research program plan. Authorizes the Commission to enter into agreements with appropriate agencies or organizations to administer grants made pursuant to this Act for Arctic research, including reimbursement from funds of the Commission to administer such grants. Revises the requirements for compensation of Commission members not presently employed by the federal government or any state or local government. Instructs the Commission to adopt conflict of interest and recusal provisions that apply to decisions of the Commission and to all Commission members as if each member is an affected individual within the meaning of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Includes disclosure of any financial interest in or relationship to a party that is applying for funding from the Commission held by the Commission member. Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998, with respect to the North Pacific Research Board, to: (1) increase the maximum percentage of funds provided to the Secretary of Commerce for grants to conduct marine research in the north Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean that may be used for support for the Board and to administer such grants; and (2) direct the Board to adopt conflict of interest provisions similar to those required of the Commission by this Act. Revises the administration of the Environmental Improvement and Restoration Fund to: (1) reduce by half the amount of interest earned and covered into the Fund and make available such amount without further appropriation to the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Forest Service for high priority deferred maintenance and modernization of facilities to enhance visitors' experience; (2) increase to 25% the amount made available to carry out marine research activities in the North Pacific; and (3) require 25% of such amounts to be made available to the Commission to carry out Arctic research and monitoring and 10% to fund the Alaska Ocean Observing System as provided in this Act. Requires the North Pacific Research Board, the Commission, and the Alaska Ocean Observing System to meet at least once annually to promote coordination among research programs and projects and report annually on the status of the research conducted pursuant to this Act.

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a registry of certain veterans who were stationed at or underwent training at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a special record to be known as the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown Health Registry containing the name of each individual who, while serving in the Armed Forces, was stationed at or underwent training at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada (Gagetown), during the period beginning on January 1, 1956, and ending on December 31, 2005, and who: (1) applies for care or services from the VA; (2) files a claim for compensation on the basis of any disability which may be associated with such service; (3) dies and is survived by a spouse, child, or parent who files a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation on the basis of such service; (4) requests a health examination from the VA; or (5) receives such health examination and requests inclusion in the Registry. Requires the Secretary, upon request, to provide such health examination, as well as consultation and counseling with respect to examination results. Directs the Secretary to: (1) notify individuals in the Registry of significant developments in research on the health consequences of potential exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard related to service at Gagetown; and (2) carry out appropriate outreach activities with respect to such health examinations, consultation, and counseling.

Clean Fuels Innovation Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Clean Fuels Innovation Act of 2012 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) complete the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to analyze the potential impacts of the development of renewable energy on public land and any land use plans, and (2) amend such land use plans as determined appropriate. Establishes similar requirements for the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) with respect to National Forest System land. Requires the Secretary of Interior to establish a renewable energy leasing pilot program under which lease sales of certain sites are conducted on covered lands administered by the Secretary to carry out renewable energy projects. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to jointly determine whether or not to expand the pilot program to all covered lands. Defines "covered land" to mean land that is public land or National Forest System land and not excluded from the development of renewable energy under federal law. Establishes the Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior for mitigating the impacts of renewable energy on federal land and carrying out any activity authorized under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, with the exception of the acquisition of land, water, or interests therein. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit a report that: (1) identifies locations on certain military installations in the United States that could be developed for renewable energy production, and (2) describes the administration of the development of commercial-scale renewable energy projects on such installations. Requires the Secretary of Defense to publish a notice of intent to prepare an EIS to support the development of renewable energy on the locations identified. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to determine the feasibility of carrying out a mitigation banking program on federal lands administered by the Secretaries to offset the impacts of renewable energy on such lands.

Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit retailers and distributors from selling beverages in containers that do not display a statement of a refund value of five cents. Defines "beverage" as an alcoholic or non-alcoholic, carbonated or uncarbonated liquid that is intended for human consumption. Requires: (1) distributors to collect the refund value for each beverage sold to retailers by a deposit initiator, and (2) retailers to collect the refund value for each beverage sold to consumers. Requires: (1) retailers to pay the refund on returned unbroken containers of brands sold for up to a specified number of containers per day based on the square footage of the retailer's space (excluding any container contaminated by a hazardous waste), and (2) distributors to pay the refund on returned containers of brands sold, plus at least three cents per container for handling costs. Directs each deposit initiator to pay to a state, quarterly, unclaimed refund amounts, which shall be available to the state for programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prohibits distributors and retailers from intentionally disposing of containers subject to this Act or any metal, glass, or plastic from such containers (other than the top or seal) in landfills or solid waste disposal facilities. Exempts states that have implemented laws requiring beverage container deposits or that have demonstrated achievement of specified recycling, reuse, or recovery rates for beverage containers. Prohibits states or political subdivisions that impose taxes on the sale of beverage containers from imposing any tax on the amount attributable to the refund value of such containers. Provides for the adjustment for inflation of the refund amounts at ten-year intervals. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of this Act.

Promoting Nuanced Taconite Regulations Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Promoting Nuanced Taconite Regulations Act of 2012 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to consider as approved with respect to a taconite ore processing facility, under ambient air quality standard implementation plans for a state, any implementation plan submitted by the state (including any such plan submitted prior to enactment of this Act) that specifies the best available retrofit technology for any such facility for the purpose of eliminating or reducing any impairment of visibility. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), if a state has submitted such a plan, from promulgating, implementing, or enforcing any requirement pursuant to a federal implementation plan under the CAA with respect to such facility for such purpose. Makes this Act applicable until January 1, 2022.

Energy Consumer Protection Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Energy Consumer Protection Act of 2012 - Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing a proposed rule under the Clean Air Act that imposes any performance standard for emissions of any greenhouse gas from any existing or new source that is a fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating unit if a state regulatory authority informs the Administrator that the rule is likely to lead to a 3% or greater increase in the price of electricity for end-use consumers.

Sustainable, Livable And Green (S.L.A.G.) Highway Construction Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Sustainable, Livable And Green (S.L.A.G.) Highway Construction Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish in the Office of Pavement Technology of the Federal Highway Administration the position of Recovered Mineral Component Ombudsman to: (1) act as a liaison between the states and the DOT on federally funded highway projects; (2) encourage states to use recovered mineral component (RMC) to drive down costs and be more environmentally sensitive; and (3) provide information on projects that use RMC, its safety, and training and educational seminars on RMC environmental benefits. Urges the Secretary to amend comprehensive procurement guidelines for federally-funded asphalt and concrete highway projects to include specifications that encourage the use of such RMCs as ground granulated blast furnace slag, blast furnace slag aggregate, and steel furnace slag aggregate. Requires the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish standards to ensure that the use of RMCs does not violate the Federal Water Pollution Control Act or any other environmental law.

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to use the commercially available volume of cellulosic biofuel in setting requirements for the renewable fuel program under the Clean Air Act, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Amends the Clean Air Act, with respect to reductions in requirements to use cellulosic biofuel under the renewable fuel program, to remove the requirement that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determine volumes of transportation fuel based upon estimates of projected sales provided by the Energy Information Administration. Revises cellulosic biofuel use requirements to require the Administrator to reduce the applicable volume of renewable fuel and advanced biofuels requirement by the same or a lesser volume of the cellulosic biofuel requirements of the renewable fuel program. Limits, for such purposes, the projected volume of cellulosic biofuel production for a calendar year to not more than 5 percent or 1 million gallons (whichever is greater) more than the total volume of cellulosic biofuel that was commercially available for the most recent calendar year for which such volume is known.

A bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Declares that no presidential permit shall be required for a specified pipeline application filed on May 4, 2012, by TransCanada Corporation to the Department of State for the northern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline from the Canadian border to the South Dakota/Nebraska border. Considers the final environmental impact statement regarding such pipeline issued by the Secretary of State on August 26, 2011, to satisfy all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. States that nothing in this Act affects the ongoing work of the state of Nebraska with regard to the fully intrastate portion of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012 - Authorizes any person, entity, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to propose the regulation of nonnative wildlife taxa. Requires FWS to determine whether the proposal should be approved within 180 days. Requires FWS to promulgate regulations to: (1) specify the criteria for regulating a nonnative taxon as an Injurious I taxon or Injurious II taxon that is injurious to humans, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, wildlife, or wildlife resources; (2) establish a process for assessing and analyzing the risks of taxa that may have been imported into or found in interstate commerce; and (3) designate a wildlife taxon that was previously designated as injurious by statue or the Secretary of the Interior as an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon. Requires the Secretary, five years after enactment of this Act, to: (1) define the phrase “non-native wildlife taxa novel to the United States”; (2) establish a process to ensure that all such taxa are thereafter reviewed by FWS to determine whether they should be regulated as Injurious I or Injurious II taxa prior to allowing their importation; and (3) seek to avoid, in promulgating such regulation, creating a new incentive for animal importers to import novel taxa prior to the effective date of such regulation. Requires FWS, prior to designating a taxon as an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon, to prepare a risk determination. Authorizes FWS to immediately and temporarily designate a nonnative wildlife taxon as Injurious I if an emergency exists because such unregulated taxon poses an imminent threat of harm to individuals in, or wildlife of, the United States or to the U.S. economy or environment. Requires FWS to: (1) establish an electronic, publicly available database that describes all quantities of imports of all live wildlife and the regulatory status of such wildlife; (2) monitor and report on the identities and quantities of nonnative wildlife taxa being imported; and (3) make more rapid determinations on proposals for regulation of importations or shipments of injurious mammals, birds, fish, amphibia, and reptiles under the Lacey Act by requiring the Secretary to forego time-consuming optional administrative steps that are not essential and by authorizing the Secretary to forego economic impact analyses. Gives the Secretary the primary authority to prevent the importation of, and interstate commerce in, wildlife pathogens and harmful parasites. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations to impose import restrictions to prevent the importation of, and commerce in, such pathogens and parasites. Establishes exemptions to such requirement. Prohibits any person from: (1) importing or knowingly possessing such an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon, or the descendant of such an animal, that was imported in violation of this Act; (2) engaging in interstate commerce for or knowingly possessing such an animal that was transported in interstate commerce in violation of this Act; and (3) releasing any such taxon into the wild. Sets forth exemptions from such prohibitions. Authorizes FWS to issue permits to qualified institutions to authorize actions otherwise prohibited for such taxon. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Secretary to adopt a fee to be charged on imported live wildlife shipments, excluding shipments made by qualified institutions for scientific, veterinary, or medical research, education, conservation outreach, or display purposes. Establishes the Injurious Wildlife Prevention Fund to carry out this Act.

Restoring Effective Environmental Protection Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Restoring Effective Environmental Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state from requiring a permit under CWA for a discharge from a point source into navigable waters of: (1) a pesticide authorized for sale, distribution, or use under FIFRA; or (2) the residue of the pesticide, resulting from the application of the pesticide. Excepts: (1) a discharge resulting from the application of a pesticide in violation of a provision of FIFRA relevant to protecting water quality if the discharge would not have occurred without the violation or if the amount of pesticide or pesticide residue in the discharge is greater than would have occurred without the violation; (2) stormwater discharges regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES); and (3) discharges of manufacturing or industrial effluent, treatment works effluent, and discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel. Directs the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the status of intra-agency coordination between the Office of Water and the Office of Pesticide Programs of EPA regarding streamlining information collection, standards of review, and data use relating to water quality impacts from the registration and use of pesticides; (2) an analysis of the effectiveness of current regulatory actions relating to pesticide registration and use aimed at protecting water quality; and (3) recommendations on how FIFRA can be modified to better protect water quality and human health.

Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to include as a purpose of such Act to achieve the goals established in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan (Action Plan), the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy (Strategy), and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 (Agreement) through: (1) improved organization and definition of mission on the part of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (2) the funding of grants, contracts, and interagency agreements for protection, restoration, and pollution control in the Great Lakes area; and (3) improved accountability. Expands the duties of the Great Lakes Program Office to include coordinating with the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force (Task Force), established by this Act. Requires the Administrator of EPA to establish the Great Lakes Advisory Board to provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator on matters pertaining to Great Lakes restoration and protection. Finds that the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (Initiative), which commenced in 2010, is designed to: (1) identify programs and projects that are strategically selected to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem; (2) be based on the work of the Task Force and the Advisory Board, stakeholders, and nongovernmental partners; and (3) represent the government's commitment to significantly advancing Great Lakes protection and restoration. Requires the Initiative to prioritize work done by non-federal partners using funding made available for the Great Lakes for priority areas for each fiscal year, such as: (1) the remediation of toxic substances and areas of concern, (2) the prevention and control of invasive species and their impacts, (3) the protection and restoration of near-shore health and the prevention and mitigation of nonpoint source pollution, and (4) habitat and wildlife protection and restoration. Requires that: (1) Initiative funds be used to strategically implement federal projects and projects carried out in coordination with states, Indian tribes, municipalities, institutions of higher education, and other organizations; and (2) Initiative projects be carried out on multiple levels, including local, Great Lakes-wide, and Great Lakes basin-wide. Prohibits funding made available to implement the Initiative from being used for any water infrastructure activity (other than a green infrastructure project that improves habitat and other ecosystem functions in the Great Lakes) that is implemented using funds made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund program. Requires federal agencies to: (1) maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities, and (2) identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative. Authorizes appropriations for the Initiative for FY2013-FY2017. Establishes the Task Force to: (1) collaborate with Canada, provinces of Canada, and binational bodies involved in the Great Lakes region regarding policies, strategies, projects, and priorities for the Great Lakes System; (2) coordinate the development of federal policies, strategies, projects, and priorities for addressing the restoration and protection of the System consistent with the Agreement, the Action Plan, and the Strategy; (3) assist in the appropriate management of the System; (4) develop goals for the System that focus on outcomes such as cleaner water, sustainable fisheries, and biodiversity and ensure that federal policies, strategies, projects, and priorities support measurable results and are consistent with the Strategy and Action Plan; (5) exchange information regarding policies, strategies, projects, and activities of the agencies represented on the Task Force relating to the System, the Strategy, the Agreement, and the Action Plan; (6) coordinate government action associated with the System; (7) ensure coordinated federal scientific and other research associated with the System; (8) provide assistance and support to agencies represented on the Task Force in activities relating to the System; (9) establish annual priorities with respect to Great Lakes protection and restoration; and (10) review and update such Strategy and Action Plan every five years. Requires the Administrator to submit to Congress annually a comprehensive report on the overall health of the Great Lakes, including a description of the achievements in implementing the Agreement, a list of the Initiative's accomplishments, and recommendations for streamlining work of existing advisory and coordinating committees. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit to Congress, annually, a financial report certified by each agency that has budget authority for Great Lakes restoration activities that contains: (1) an interagency budget crosscut report, (2) a detailed accounting of all funds received and obligated by all federal agencies and state agencies using federal funds for Great Lakes restoration activities during the current and previous fiscal years, (3) a budget for the proposed projects to be carried out in the subsequent fiscal year, and (4) a listing of projects to be undertaken in the subsequent fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern in the Great Lakes, and (2) the Great Lakes Program.

Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Revises and reauthorizes programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Title I: Ensuring College and Career Readiness for All Students - Amends title I of the ESEA to revise the school improvement program under part A. Eliminates the requirement that local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools make adequate yearly progress toward state academic performance standards or be subject to specified improvements, corrective action, or restructuring. Requires states to adopt college and career ready academic content and achievement standards and assessments in reading, mathematics, science, and English language proficiency. Requires states to adopt and implement assessments of student progress toward those standards that measure the overall performance of students in each public school and the performance of their poor, minority, disabled, and English learner subgroups. Allows states to adopt alternate academic achievement standards and assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Allows states to measure student growth toward those standards and to develop and administer computer adaptive assessments that determine whether each student is meeting or exceeding the on-track level of performance for his or her grade level. Requires states to provide for the improvement of all schools that are low-performing overall or have low-performing student subgroups on those assessments or, in the case of high schools, low graduation rates. Subjects schools to improvement strategies if they are identified as persistently low-achieving or achievement gap schools due to their students overall or one or more of their student subgroups having among the lowest reading and mathematics scores or lowest high school graduation rates in the state. Requires each LEA that serves an achievement gap school to develop and implement a measurable and data-driven correction plan to improve the performance of the school's low-achieving subgroups. Requires LEAs to conduct a data-driven needs analysis of each of their persistently low-achieving schools and use it to select and implement, as appropriate for each school: (1) a transformation strategy, (2) a strategic staffing strategy, (3) a turnaround strategy, (4) a whole school reform strategy, (5) a restart strategy, or (6) a school closure strategy. Requires LEAs to allow students at persistently low-achieving schools to transfer to another of its public schools that has not been identified as persistently low-achieving, unless that option is prohibited by state law. Replaces the School Support and Recognition program with the Blue Ribbon Schools program that allows states to award their highest performing schools with increased autonomy, flexibility in using ESEA funds, and monetary rewards. Requires teachers to be highly-qualified if teaching a core academic subject in a program supported with school improvement funds, but makes this requirement applicable only to new teachers if the state has fully implemented a teacher and principal evaluation system. Requires LEAs to show that: (1) combined state and local per-pupil expenditures in each of their schools served under part A are not less than the average combined state and local per-pupil expenditures for their schools not served under part A; or (2) the average combined state and local per-pupil expenditures at its high-poverty schools are no less than those expenditures at its low-poverty schools, if LEAs serve all of their schools under part A. Directs the Secretary to award grants to states to develop, improve, or administer their college and career ready academic standards and assessments. Replaces part B (Student Reading Skills Improvement Grants) of title I with new Pathways to College grant programs that: (1) assist schools in implementing innovative and effective secondary school reform strategies, and (2) cover part or all of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) examination fee low-income students incur. Amends the program, under part C (Education of Migratory Children), providing grants to states for the education of migratory children. Requires migratory children to be given the opportunity to meet the same college and career readiness standards as other children. Amends part D (Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk)I. Requires states to ensure that students who have been placed in the juvenile justice system are promptly re-enrolled in secondary school or placed in re-entry programs that best meet their educational and social needs. Replaces part E (National Assessment of Subchapter I) with a new part E (Educational Stability of Children in Foster Care) program to facilitate the educational transition of children that move to a new school attendance area as the result of being placed in foster care, changing their foster care placement, or leaving foster care. Eliminates parts F (Comprehensive School Reform), G (Advanced Placement Programs), and H (School Dropout Prevention). Title II: Supporting Excellent Teachers and Principals - Replaces title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) with a new title II (Supporting Excellent Teachers and Principals). Strikes parts A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund), B (Mathematics and Science Partnerships), C (Innovation for Teacher Quality) and D (Enhancing Education Through Technology) of title II. Transfers responsibility for the operation and administration of the Troops-to-Teachers program from the Department of Education to the Department of Defense (DOD) and amends the program. Establishes a new: (1) part A (Continuous Improvement and Support for Teachers and Principals) program to train and increase the number and equitable distribution of high-quality teachers and principals; (2) part B (Teacher Pathways to the Classroom) program to support the recruitment, selection, preparation, placement, retention, and support of teachers in high-need subjects or fields at high-needs schools; (3) part C (Teacher Incentive Fund) for the development, implementation, improvement, or expansion of performance-based evaluation and compensation systems for teachers and principals; and (4) part D (Achievement through Technology and Innovation) program to enhance the use of educational technology. Title III: Language and Academic Content Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students - Amends title III (Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students) to refer to limited English proficient students as English learners. Amends part A (English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act), which provides funding to states to improve the education of English learners. Eliminates the Emergency Immigrant Education program. Authorizes Indian tribes or educational entities that receive grants under the part A program to use them for Native American immersion and restoration programs. Allows states to continue providing title III services to students who have reached the English language proficiency level if they are not yet on track to meet the state college and career readiness standards in other subjects. Revises the professional development grant program for English language instructors. Directs the Secretary to establish an independent commission on the assessment and advancement of English learners to provide the Secretary with advice regarding the education of English learners and their inclusion in state assessment and accountability systems. Strikes part B (Improving Language Instruction Educational Programs). Title IV: Supporting Successful, Well-Rounded Students - Replaces title IV (21st Century Schools) with a new title IV (Supporting Successful, Well-Rounded Students). Replaces part A (Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities) with a new Improving Literacy Instruction and Student Achievement program, which provides funding to states to improve the literacy of children from birth through grade 12. Creates a new part B (Improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Instruction and Student Achievement) program, providing funds to states to improve preschool and elementary and secondary school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Establishes a new part C (Increasing Access to a Well-Rounded Education) program, which provides funding to states to increase the access of low-income students to high-quality courses in the arts, civics and government, economics, environmental education, financial literacy, foreign languages, geography, health education, history, physical education, or social studies. Establishes a new part D (Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students) program, which provides funding to states to foster comprehensive improvements to school-level conditions for learning. Revises the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. Includes summer learning, and expanded learning time activities in the program. Requires the program to serve students who primarily attend high-need schools and schools identified as achievement gap or persistently low-achieving schools. Establishes a new part F (Promise Neighborhoods) program, awarding Promise Neighborhood Partnership grants and Promise School grants to partnerships of nonprofit organizations and high-need LEAs to provide education and student support services to children who live in distressed neighborhoods or attend high-poverty schools. Establishes a new part G (Parent and Family Information and Resource Centers) program, which provides funds to nonprofit organizations to operate state parent and family information and resource centers. Requires part I funds to support nationally significant programs that help all children meet the college and career ready academic content and achievement standards required by this Act. Title V: Promoting Innovation - Replaces title V (Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs) with a new title V (Promoting Innovation). Creates a new part A (Race to the Top) program that awards grants to states and high-need LEAs to carry out one or more educational goals selected by the Secretary. Lists those goals. Creates a new part B (Investing in Innovation) program to support the school innovation efforts of public schools and LEAs. Revises the Magnet Schools Assistance program under part C, which provides grants to LEAs to establish and operate magnet schools under a court-ordered desegregation plan or voluntary desegregation plan approved by the Secretary. Replaces the existing Public Charter Schools program under part B with a new Public Charter Schools program under part D. Establishes under part D: (1) a subpart 1 (Successful Charter Schools Program), to support the creation, expansion, or replication of high-performing charter schools; and (2) a subpart 2 (Charter School Facility Acquisition, Construction, and Renovation), to improve access to facilities and facilities financing for high-performing charter schools. Revises Voluntary Public School Choice Programs to support the establishment or expansion of inter- or intra-district public school choice programs that enable students attending achievement gap or persistently low-achieving schools to attend high-quality public schools, including charter schools. Title VI: Promoting Flexibility; Rural Education - Redesignates title VI (Flexibility and Accountability) as title VI (Promoting Flexibility; Rural Education). Replaces part A (Improving Academic Achievement) with a new part A (Transferability) program that allows states and LEAs to transfer funds they are allotted for state-level and local-level activities, respectively, by an ESEA formula grant to other state or LEA formula grant programs under the ESEA. Prohibits states and LEAs from transferring any funds that originate in titles I, III, VII, or VIII out of each respective title. Amends part B (Rural Education Initiatives) of title VI to give LEAs that qualify for funding under both the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) and Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) programs the option to choose the program for which they would prefer to receive funding. Title VII: Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education - Amends title VII (Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education). Amends part A (Indian Education) to revise the programs under subparts 1 (Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies), 2 (Special Programs and Projects to Improve Educational Opportunities for Indian Children and Youth), 3 (National Activities), and 4 (Federal Administration). Provides support for Native American language immersion and restoration programs. Preserves the national research activities under subpart 3, but strikes: (1) the in-service training for teachers of Indian children program, (2) the fellowships for Indian students program, (3) the gifted and talented Indian students program, (4) the grants to tribes for education administrative planning and development program, and (5) the improvement of educational opportunities for adult Indians program. Revises the Native Hawaiian Education program. Includes among the approved uses of grant funds, workforce preparation and training for Native Hawaiian youth. Revises the Alaska Native Education program. Title VIII: Impact Aid - Amends title VIII (Impact Aid). Alters calculations made in determining the payments due LEAs for federal ownership of property, or for federally-connected children, within their areas. Directs the Secretary to complete Impact Aid payments to eligible LEAs within three fiscal years of their appropriation. Title IX: General Provisions - Amends title IX (General Provisions) to establish additional definitions for terms that are applicable throughout the ESEA. Allows students who are threatened by, or the victim of, a criminal offense at their public school to attend a safe public school within the LEA's jurisdiction. (Currently, this unsafe school choice option is available only to students attending schools identified as persistently dangerous or to students who become victims of a criminal offense at their public school.) Title X: Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools - Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools Act - Establishes a Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools. Title XI: Amendments to Other Laws; Miscellaneous Provisions - McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Reauthorization Act of 2011 [ sic ]- Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to revise, and reauthorize appropriations for, the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, which provides funds to states for the education of homeless youth. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish in the Department of Education an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education (ARPA-ED) to pursue breakthrough research and development in educational technology and provide for its effective use.

Stop RIN Fraud Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Stop RIN Fraud Act of 2012 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), by January 1, 2013, to establish and maintain a system under which: (1) the Administrator certifies, or authorizes accredited third parties to certify, upon generation, credits as valid and authentic for use by and transfer among persons required to comply with the renewable fuel program; and (2) each such certification is publicly disclosed. Requires the Administrator to treat any credit so certified as valid for compliance with such program.

Empower States Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2012

Empower States Act of 2012 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act, with respect to enforcement of drinking water regulations, to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from taking any enforcement action against a state with primary enforcement responsibility for public water systems or a company or individual within the state, unless: (1) the Administrator determines that there is an imminent and substantial danger to the public health or environment, and (2) the state failed to take corrective action. Prohibits the Administrator from amending or revoking any program of a state with partial or total primary enforcement responsibility unless the Administrator determines, by clear and convincing evidence, that the program fails to effectively protect drinking water in the state. Requires the head of a federal department or agency, before issuing or promulgating any guideline or regulation relating to oil and gas exploration and production on federal, state, tribal, or fee land pursuant to federal law or executive order, to seek comments from and consult with the head of each affected state, state agency, and Indian tribe at a location within their jurisdiction. Requires federal departments and agencies to develop Statements of Energy and Economic Impact that detail and analyze: (1) adverse effects of an action on energy supply, distribution, or use; and (2) impact on the domestic economy if the action is taken. Prohibits imposition of any new or modified oil and gas regulation unless the head of the applicable department or agency determines: (1) that the rule is necessary to prevent immediate harm to human health or the environment, and (2) by clear and convincing evidence that the state or tribe does not have an existing reasonable alternative to the proposed regulation. Requires any regulation promulgated after enactment of this Act that requires disclosure of hydraulic fracturing chemicals to refer to the database managed by the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Sets forth procedures for judicial review of such regulations.

Vessel Incidental Discharge Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2012

Vessel Incidental Discharge Act - Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating: (1) within 180 days, to establish and implement enforceable uniform national standards for the regulation of discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel into navigable waters; (2) within 180 days, to issue a final rule for the regulation of ballast water discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel; (3) within two years, to issue a rule establishing best management practices for discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel other than ballast water; (4) not less than two years before January 1, 2020, to complete a review to determine the feasibility of achieving the ballast water performance standard; and (5) by January 1, 2020, to issue a rule, subject to such feasibility review, to revise such standard so that a ballast water discharge will contain less than specified concentrations of living organisms, indicator microbes, and viruses. Applies such revised ballast water performance standard to a vessel on the first dry docking of the vessel on or after January 1, 2020, but no later than December 31, 2022. Requires the Secretary, no earlier than 10 years after the issuance of the revised rule and every 10 years thereafter, to review and revise such ballast water performance standard if such revision would result in a scientifically demonstrable and substantial reduction in the risk of the introduction or establishment of aquatic nuisance species. Authorizes the Secretary to include in such decennial review national standards for discharges other than ballast water. Requires the Secretary to initiate a rulemaking to revise such national standard if such revision would substantially reduce the impacts on navigable waters of discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel other than ballast water. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing a revised standard unless it is at least two orders of magnitude more stringent than the performance standard in effect on the date that the review is completed. Prohibits manufacturers of ballast water treatment technology for a vessel from selling, introducing, delivering for interstate commerce, or importing such technology for sale unless it has been certified under this Act. Sets forth a certification process and certification criteria, including effectiveness, vessel compatibility, effects on vessel safety, environmental impact, and cost effectiveness. Prohibits the Secretary from approving a ballast water treatment technology if it: (1) uses a biocide or generates a biocide that is a pesticide, unless the biocide is registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) or the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator, has approved the use of the biocide in such technology; or (2) uses a biocide or generates a biocide the discharge of which causes or contributes to a violation of a water quality standard under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act.) Prohibits the use of a ballast water treatment technology by an owner or operator of a vessel unless it has been certified by the Secretary. Sets forth exceptions to such requirement. Sets forth exemptions from permit requirements, prohibitions of any other law, and discharge standards under this Act for specified discharges and vessels. Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate regulations establishing alternative programs for compliance with ballast water discharge regulations for specified vessels. Directs the Administrator, within one year, to promulgate standards for: (1) the reception of ballast water from a vessel into a reception facility, and (2) the disposal or treatment of such ballast water. Establishes this Act as the exclusive statutory authority for federal regulation of discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel to which this Act applies.

FUELS Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2012

Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act or the FUELS Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in implementing the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule with respect to any farm, to require certification of compliance with such rule by: (1) a professional engineer for a farm with an individual tank with an aboveground storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons, an aggregate aboveground storage capacity of at least 42,000 gallons, or a history that includes a spill, as determined by the Administrator; or (2) the owner or operator of the farm (via self-certification) for a farm with an aggregate aboveground storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons but less than 42,000 gallons and no history of spills. Directs the Administrator to exempt from all requirements of such rule any farm with an aggregate aboveground storage capacity of 10,000 gallons or less and no history of spills. Excludes from the aggregate storage capacity of a farm all containers on separate parcels that have a capacity of less than 1,320 gallons.

Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2012

Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011 [ sic ] - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: (1) promulgating a revised or new water quality standard for a pollutant when the Administrator has approved a state water quality standard for such pollutant unless the state concurs with the Administrator's determination that the revised or new standard is necessary to meet the requirements of such Act; (2) taking action to supersede a state's determination that a discharge will comply with effluent limitations, water quality standards, controls on the discharge of pollutants, and toxic and pretreatment effluent standards under such Act; (3) withdrawing approval of a state program under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), limiting federal financial assistance for a state NPDES program, or objecting to the issuance of a NPDES permit by a state on the basis that the Administrator disagrees with the state regarding the implementation of an approved water quality standard or the implementation of any federal guidance that directs the interpretation of such standard; and (4) prohibiting the specification of any defined area as a disposal site for the discharge of dredged or fill material into navigable waters and denying or restricting the use of such area as a disposal site in a permit if the state where the discharge originates does not concur with the Administrator's determination that the discharge will result in an unacceptable adverse effect on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds, and fishery areas. Shortens the period in which the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service must submit comments with respect to a general dredge and fill permit application. Requires the Administrator and other agencies to submit comments on an application for a general permit or a permit to discharge into navigable waters at specified disposal sites within 30 days (or 60 days if additional time is requested) after the date of receipt of such application. Applies this Act to actions taken on or after this Act's date of enactment, including actions taken with respect to permit applications that are pending or revised or new standards that are being promulgated. Requires the Administrator to report on any increase or reduction in waterborne pathogenic microorganisms (including protozoa, viruses, bacteria, and parasites), toxic chemicals, or toxic metals (such as lead and mercury) in waters regulated by a state under this Act. Prohibits this Act from being construed to limit the authority of the Administrator to regulate a pipeline that crosses a streambed. Requires the Administrator, before issuing a regulation, policy statement, guidance, response to a petition, or other requirement or implementing a new or substantially altered program under this Act, to analyze the impact, disaggregated by state, of such action on employment levels and economic activity. Directs the Administrator to: (1) post such analysis on EPA's website; (2) request that the governor of any state experiencing more than a de minimis negative impact on employment levels or economic activity (a loss of more than 100 jobs or a decrease in economic activity of more than $1 million) post such analysis in the state's Capitol; (3) hold a public hearing in each state where such action will have more than a de minimis negative impact; and (4) give notice of such impact to states' congressional delegations, governors, and legislatures.

Simulated Tactical Flight Training Study Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2012

Simulated Tactical Flight Training Study Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide for an appropriate federally funded research and development center to study the effectiveness of simulated tactical flight training in a sustained gravity environment.

A resolution designating September 29, 2012, as "National Estuaries Day".

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2012

Designates September 29, 2012, as National Estuaries Day. Acknowledges the importance of estuaries to sustaining employment and U.S. economic well-being and prosperity. Expresses the intent of the Senate to continue working to understand, protect, and restore U.S. estuaries.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2012

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2012 - Reauthorizes and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to appoint 28 directors (currently, 23) that are knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to conservation of fish, wildlife, or other natural resources and represent a balance of expertise in ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial resource conservation. Removes limitations on the appointment of such Foundation's officers and employees. Requires the Foundation's Executive Director to be appointed by and serve at the direction of the Board as the chief executive officer and to be knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to fish and wildlife conservation. Gives the Foundation the power to receive and administer restitution and community service payments, amounts for mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings, subject to the condition that the amounts are received or administered for purposes that further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Repeals provisions authorizing the Foundation to establish a national whale conservation endowment fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Foundation for FY2012-FY2017. Authorizes the Foundation to: (1) assess and collect fees for the management of amounts received from federal agencies; and (2) use such federal funds for matching contributions made by private persons, state and local agencies, and other entities (current law requires such use).

Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to extend the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) authority to collect annual maintenance fees for pesticide registered products through FY2017. Increases the maximum allowable fees for registrants. Requires the Administrator of EPA to waive 25% of the fee applicable to the first registration of a small business entity that: (1) has 500 or fewer employees, (2) had an average annual global gross revenue from all sources that did not exceed $10 million during the past three years, and (3) holds no more than five pesticide registrations. Extends the prohibition against the Administrator levying other fees for the registration of a pesticide except as stipulated under FIFRA until September 30, 2019. Repeals reregistration fee provisions. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to extend the prohibition against the collection of tolerance fees by the Administrator through September 30, 2017. Amends FIFRA to extend the authorization of funding to review and evaluate inert ingredients and to ensure the expedited processing and review of similar pesticide registration applications for FY2013-FY2017. Authorizes the Administrator to use amounts from the Reregistration and Expedited Processing Fund to improve the information systems capabilities for EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs to enhance tracking of pesticide registration decisions. Revises provisions concerning the schedule of covered pesticide registration applications, registration service fees, fee adjustments, and refunds for a portion of such fees. Extends the authorization to use amounts from the Pesticide Registration Fund for activities relating to worker protection for FY2013-FY2017. Establishes a schedule of decision review periods for covered pesticide registration actions and registration service fees. Requires the Administrator to: (1) conduct initial content and preliminary technical screenings of such applications, and (2) report on the impact of maintenance fees on small businesses. Extends EPA's authority to collect registration service fees through FY2017. Requires such fees to be collected at a reduced level in FY2018-FY2019. Makes this Act controlling in the case of any conflict between this Act and a joint resolution making continuing appropriations for FY2013.

Waterfront Brownfields Revitalization Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Waterfront Brownfields Revitalization Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a grant program for reuse planning, site characterization and assessment, or remediation at waterfront brownfields sites, including the integration of activities related to the design and implementation of water quality improvements, low impact development approaches, green infrastructure, remediation and management of sediments, or flood damage prevention associated with brownfields remediation and reuse. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide training, research, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations to facilitate waterfront brownfields revitalization. Directs the Administrator to report on the implementation of the brownfield site characterization and assessment grant program authorized by CERCLA. Authorizes funding for brownfields revitalization for FY2013-FY2017. Requires the Administrator to establish and serve as chairperson of a task force on waterfront brownfields revitalization that shall identify: (1) funding and technical assistance resources for such revitalization, (2) barriers to and solutions for revitalization, and (3) methods to coordinate interagency revitalization efforts.

Small Public Housing Agency Opportunity Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Small Public Housing Agency Opportunity Act of 2012 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to subject a small public housing agency (PHA) to the same requirements as a PHA. Defines a small PHA as a PHA for which the sum of the number of public housing dwelling units and the number of vouchers under Section 8 (tenant-based assistance) it administers is 550 or fewer. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to: provide for physical inspections of a small PHA public housing project at least once every three years, unless it is a troubled small PHA; determine the financial condition of a small PHA's public housing program solely on the basis of the ratio of current assets to current liabilities; and determine management condition of a small PHA's public housing program solely on the basis of the ratio of vacant unit months to eligible unit months. Requires a small PHA administering Section 8 tenant-based assistance under the housing voucher program to make physical inspections of assisted units at least once every three years. Requires HUD to evaluate the management of a small PHA's voucher program solely on the basis of its lease-up rate or the budget utilization rate. Directs HUD to designate a small PHA as a high-performing agency if it exceeds acceptability criteria. Specifies conditions under which HUD may designate a small PHA as a troubled small PHA with respect to its public housing program or housing voucher program. Requires HUD to establish an appeals process for a small PHA to dispute a determination of deficiency. Requires HUD and the small PHA to enter into a one-year corrective action agreement (renewable at HUD option) under which the small PHA shall undertake actions to correct deficiencies. Prescribes and/or revises requirements to reduce the administrative burden on small PHAs with respect to: certain reports; community service; economic opportunities for low- and very low-income persons; exemption of a small PHA administering not more than 400 public housing dwelling units, upon request, from any asset management requirement; exemption from environmental review for a development or modernization project with a total cost of not more than $100,000; and streamlined HUD procedures for such reviews. Authorizes a small PHA to convert all or a portion of its public housing units to project-based voucher assistance or to project-based assistance. Requires HUD to carry out a demonstration project to examine how various methods of determining rent in public housing affect the administrative burden on small PHAs and public housing residents. Establishes rent-setting mechanisms for demonstration project participants based on: (1) a tiered system for initial rents for extremely low-income families, very low-income families, and low-income families; (2) a certain range of gross income percentages; or (3) one or more of these methods in combination with methods established for assisted housing rental payments. Authorizes a small PHA to elect to be paid for its utility and waste management costs under the formula for a period, at its discretion, of up to 20 years based on its average annual consumption during the three-year period preceding the year in which the election is made. Requires HUD to develop and deploy all electronic information systems necessary to accommodate full consolidated reporting by PHAs electing to operate in consortia.

Waterfront Brownfields Revitalization Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Waterfront Brownfields Revitalization Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to require the President to establish a grant program for reuse planning, site characterization and assessment, or remediation at waterfront brownfields sites, including the integration of activities related to the design and implementation of water quality improvements, low impact development approaches, green infrastructure, remediation and management of sediments, or flood damage prevention associated with brownfields remediation and reuse. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide training, research, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations to facilitate waterfront brownfields revitalization. Authorizes funding for brownfields revitalization for FY2013-FY2017. Requires the Administrator to establish and serve as chairperson of a task force on waterfront brownfields revitalization that shall identify: (1) funding and technical assistance resources for such revitalization, (2) barriers to and solutions for revitalization, and (3) methods to coordinate interagency revitalization efforts. Directs: (1) the Administrator to submit to specified congressional committees an annual report on the implementation of the brownfield site characterization and assessment grant program authorized by CERCLA, and (2) such committees to hold hearings each year on such report.

End Radon in Schools Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

End Radon in Schools Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review, update, revise, and publish the Radon Measurements In Schools Guidelines with current information and guidance on radon testing in public elementary and secondary schools. Directs the Administrator, subject to the availability of appropriations, to award grants to states to: (1) follow the updated Guidelines, (2) conduct short-term tests of radon levels in their public elementary and secondary schools, and (3) provide funds to their local educational agencies (LEAs) to mitigate and reevaluate radon levels in schools found to have unsafe quantities of radon. Requires the Administrator to conduct such mitigation directly or by contract if an LEA does not certify to its state that it will use grant funds to mitigate unsafe radon levels at its schools. Considers radon levels of at least four picocuries per liter to be unsafe. Gives grant priority to states whose total landmass lies in Radon Zone 1.

Remove Unnecessary Roadblocks to Local Transportation Safety Projects Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2012

Remove Unnecessary Roadblocks to Local Transportation Safety Projects Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue categorical exclusions (that do not involve significant environmental impact) from the environmental assessment or environmental impact statement requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for highway safety improvement projects.

Air and Health Quality Empowerment Zone Designation Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2012

Air and Health Quality Empowerment Zone Designation Act of 2012 - Allows the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate an area as an air and health quality empowerment zone if the air pollution control district or other local governmental entity (area entity) authorized to regulate air quality for the area nominates the area for such designation, including by submitting a strategic plan designed to address air quality challenges, achieve attainment of air quality standards, and improve the health of the population in the area. Requires a designated area to meet the following criteria: (1) it has been designated as being in extreme nonattainment of the national ambient air quality standard for ozone and in nonattainment of the national ambient air quality standard for PM2.5 (particulate matter diameter); (2) it had nitrogen oxide emissions from farm equipment or emissions of volatile organic compounds from farming in excess of specified limits; (3) it meets or exceeds the national average per capita incidence of asthma; (4) it experiences unemployment rates higher than the national average; and (5) the area entity will provide matching contributions of federal funds toward the activities to be carried out under the strategic plan, which may be in cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or services. Makes the effective period of area designation the shorter of 10 years or the period ending with revocation by the Administrator. Authorizes grants to an area entity on behalf of each air and health quality empowerment zone for the purpose of carrying out the strategic plan submitted under this Act. Requires a report to Congress on the impact of this Act.

General Duty Clarification Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2012

General Duty Clarification Act of 2012 - Amends the Clean Air Act, with respect to provisions relating to the prevention of accidental releases of hazardous air pollutants, to provide that no entity may be found in violation of such provisions until the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): (1) promulgates final regulations establishing criteria defining the terms "extremely hazardous substance," "appropriate hazard assessment techniques," and "design and maintain a safe facility"; and (2) issues guidelines to ensure that enforcement of such provisions is handled by the regional offices of EPA in a uniform and appropriate manner across all regions of the United States. Modifies the definition of "accidental release" to exclude an emission resulting from an intentional act.

Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013

United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2012

Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2013. Appropriates amounts for continuing operations, projects, or activities which were conducted in FY2012 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division A of P.L. 112-55), except for appropriations designated by Congress for disaster relief in such Act the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division B of P.L. 112-55), except for appropriations designated by Congress for disaster relief under the heading "Department of Commerce--Economic Development Administration--Economic Development Assistance Programs" in such Act; the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2012 (division A of P.L. 112-74); the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division B of P.L. 112-74); the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2012 (division C of P.L. 112-74); the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2012 (division D of P.L. 112-74); the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division E of P.L. 112-74); the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division F of P.L. 112-74); the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2012 (division G of P.L. 112-74); the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division H of P.L. 112-74); the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (division I of P.L. 112-74); the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (except for appropriations designated by Congress for disaster relief under the heading "Department of Transportation--Federal Highway Administration--Emergency Relief" in such Act; and the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-77), except for appropriations under the heading "Corps of Engineers-Civil." Increases such rate of operations by 0.612%. Continues any project or activity in the Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism (OCO/GWOT) at a rate for operations that would be permitted by the amount in the President's FY2013 budget request. Provides funding under this joint resolution until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in it; (2) enactment of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013 without any provision for such project or activity; or (3) March 27, 2013. Authorizes continuation of other specified activities (including those for entitlements and other mandatory payments) through such date. Amends the Continuing Appropriations and Surface Transportation Extensions Act, 2011 to extend through March 27, 2013, the mandatory freeze on the pay of certain federal civilian employees. Declares that any statutory pay adjustment otherwise scheduled to take effect during FY2013 but before March 27, 2013, may take effect on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning after that date. Sets forth reporting requirements of specified federal departments and agencies to congressional appropriations committees through March 27, 2013, on: (1) certain spending, expenditure, or operating plans; and (2) updates to such plans to reflect any adjustments to funding as a result of a sequestration ordered by the President under the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act and any extension to such date. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by November 1, 2012, and each ensuing month through April 27, 2013 to report to such committees on all obligations incurred by each department and agency through March 27, 2013. Allows amounts made available for the Department of Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)--Procurement, Acquisition and Construction to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to maintain the planned launch schedules for the Joint Polar Satellite System and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. Requires the Director of OMB to report to congressional appropriations committees a plan to maintain the launch schedules and life cycle cost estimates established in FY2012 for such satellite systems and options for reducing costs, including management costs. Requires the Secretary of Education to report to specified congressional committees regarding the extent to which students in the following categories are taught by teachers deemed highly qualified: (1) students with disabilities, (2) English learners, (3) students in rural areas, and (4) students from low-income families. Makes appropriations for payment to the heirs at law of Donald M. Payne, a former Representative from New Jersey.

Cell Phone Right to Know Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2012

Cell Phone Right to Know Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) conduct or support a comprehensive research program to determine whether exposure to electromagnetic fields from mobile communication devices causes adverse biological effects in humans, including vulnerable subpopulations such as children, pregnant women, those with compromised immune systems and hypersensitivity reactions, men and women of reproductive age, and the elderly; (2) disseminate research results to the general public; and (3) report findings and conclusions to Congress. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate regulations to allow a subscriber to access personally or to give consent to allow researchers with institutional review board approval to access specific usage data required to investigate the link between electromagnetic radiation exposure and potential adverse biological effects in humans. Directs the EPA to promulgate regulations establishing maximum exposure level goals and maximum exposure levels for exposure to electromagnetic fields generated by mobile communication devices. Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA) to promulgate regulations to provide for labeling (including exposure ratings and the maximum allowable exposure levels and goals) on mobile communication devices, packaging, instruction manuals, and at points of sale in stores and on websites. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to increase: (1) the number and size of grants to institutions for training scientists in the field of examining the relationship between electromagnetic fields and human health; and (2) the number of career development awards for such training for health professionals pursuing careers in pediatric basic and clinical research, including pediatric pharmacological research. Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a graduate educational loan repayment program and authorize national awards for researchers in such fields. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 with respect to the prohibition on state or local government zoning regulation of personal wireless service facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radiofrequency emissions. Excludes from such prohibition state or local regulation based on the adverse human health effects of emissions of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.

Crooked River Collaborative Water Security Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Crooked River Collaborative Water Security Act - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to modify the boundary of the Crooked River, Oregon. Requires an applicant, in any application submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relating to hydropower development at Bowman Dam (including turbines and appurtenant facilities), to: (1) analyze any impacts to the scenic, recreational, and fishery resource values of the Crooked River that may be caused by development; (2) propose mitigation for such impacts; and (3) propose measures to ensure that any associated access facilities shall not impede the free-flowing nature of the River below the Dam. Requires 5,100 acre-feet of water to be annually released from the Crooked River federal reclamation project in Oregon to serve as mitigation for the city of Prineville groundwater pumping, pursuant to Oregon law. Directs the city to make payment to the Secretary for such water in accordance with specified documents. Authorizes the Secretary, consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), to contract exclusively with the city for additional amounts in the future at the city's request. Directs the Secretary, on a "first fill" priority basis, to store in and release from the Reservoir: (1) 68,273 acre feet of water annually to fulfill all 16 Bureau of Reclamation contracts existing as of January 1, 2011; (2) up to 2,740 acre feet of water annually to supply the McKay Creek lands; (3) 10,000 acre feet of water annually to the North Unit Irrigation District or the contract holders, upon request, pursuant to Temporary Water Service Contracts; and (4) 5,100 acre-feet of water annually to mitigate the city's groundwater pumping. Directs the Secretary to store and release from Prineville Reservoir all remaining stored water quantities for the benefit of downstream fish and wildlife, except as specified. Directs the Commissioner of Reclamation to implement annual release schedules for the remaining stored water quantities and the water that serves as mitigation for the city's groundwater pumping to maximize biological benefit for downstream resources. Authorizes any landowner within Ochoco Irrigation District, Oregon, to repay construction costs of project facilities allocated to that landowner's lands within that District. Provides that upon discharge of the obligation for repayment of allocated construction costs, those lands shall not be subject to specified ownership and full-cost pricing limitations. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, upon the request of a landowner who has repaid project construction costs, to provide certification of freedom from ownership and pricing limitations. Modifies the District's reclamation contracts on approval of the District directors to: (1) authorize the use of water for instream purposes in order for the District to engage in, or take advantage of, conserved water projects and temporary instream leasing as authorized by Oregon law; and (2) include within the district boundary approximately 2,742 acres in the vicinity of McKay Creek, classify approximately 685 of such acres as irrigable, and provide the District with stored water from Prineville Reservoir for purposes of supplying those lands. Directs the Bureau of Reclamation to participate in management planning meetings every year with the state, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, irrigation districts, and other interested stakeholders to plan for dry-year conditions. Authorizes the Secretary, in any year, to release any quantity of 10,000 acre-feet of specified water for the benefit of downstream fish and wildlife if the North Unit Irrigation District or other eligible Reclamation contract holders have not initiated contracting with the Bureau for any quantity of such water by June 1 of any year.