Records whose title is actually about this topic. Use a country filter if the list is still too broad.
Records
Bill· SS. 3017 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2014
Sage-Grouse Habitat Conservation and Restoration Act of 2014 - Provides a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for a vegetation management project by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the Forest Service involving removal or treatment of any Pinyon or Juniper tree to conserve or restore the habitat of the greater sage-grouse. (Under NEPA a categorical exclusion is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.)
Bill· SS. 3002 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2014
Guarding Our Great Lakes Act - Requires the Chief of Engineers, the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and each other applicable federal agency to take actions to prevent the transfer of aquatic invasive species, with a focus on Asian carp species, through the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Illinois River. Directs the Chief to: (1) construct measures to prevent the upstream transfer of swimming aquatic invasive species through the Lock and Dam; and (2) submit a cost estimate for, and schedule for completion of, measures to be constructed. Requires the Director of the USFWS to implement all appropriate measures in compliance with applicable state and federal law around the Lock and Dam to prevent the upstream and downstream transfer of swimming and floating aquatic invasive species, with a focus on Asian carp species. Authorizes the Chief, the Director of the USFWS, and the Director of the USGS to acquire real estate to carry out this Act. Directs the EPA Administrator, acting through the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, to coordinate with the governor of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to carry out engineering and construction of flood mitigation and water quality measures on the Chicago Area Waterway System related to permanent prevention of the transfer of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. Permits the federal share of the cost of a project to be up to 100%.
Bill· HRH.R. 5861 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2014
Guarding Our Great Lakes Act - Requires the Chief of Engineers, the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and each other applicable federal agency to take actions to prevent the transfer of aquatic invasive species, with a focus on Asian carp species, through the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Illinois River. Directs the Chief to: (1) construct measures to prevent the upstream transfer of swimming aquatic invasive species through the Lock and Dam; and (2) submit a cost estimate for, and schedule for completion of, measures to be constructed. Requires the Director of the USFWS to implement all appropriate measures in compliance with applicable state and federal law around the Lock and Dam to prevent the upstream and downstream transfer of swimming and floating aquatic invasive species, with a focus on Asian carp species. Authorizes the Chief, the Director of the USFWS, and the Director of the USGS to acquire real estate to carry out this Act. Directs the EPA Administrator, acting through the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, to coordinate with the governor of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to carry out engineering and construction of flood mitigation and water quality measures on the Chicago Area Waterway System related to permanent prevention of the transfer of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. Permits the federal share of the cost of a project to be up to 100%.
Bill· HRH.R. 5885 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2014
Pribilof Islands Transition Act Amendments of 2014 - Amends the Fur Seal Act of 1966 to revise requirements for the disposal of federal property on the Pribilof Islands (a group of five islands off the coast of mainland Alaska named Saint Paul, Saint George, Walrus, Otter, and Sea Lion Rock), including by: (1) authorizing the Department of Commerce to transfer or exchange specified land on the Islands to the village corporations of Saint Paul and Saint George Islands, and (2) giving those village corporations the first priority right to acquire that land on their respective islands. Requires Commerce to publish promptly and submit to the Senate notice of certification that Alaska has confirmed that no further corrective action is required at sites and operable units covered by the Pribilof Islands Environmental Restoration Agreement between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Alaska.
Bill· HRH.R. 5873 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2014
Gas Tax Replacement Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels; (2) add a carbon dioxide equivalent rate to the tax on crude oil and petroleum products; and (3) impose an new excise tax on the carbon content of methanol, ethanol, and biodiesel produced in the United States and entered into the United States for consumption, use, or warehousing. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to send to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and make public a report on the total life-cycle emissions of carbon dioxide for gasoline, diesel fuel, biofuel, and other regulated fuels.
Bill· SS. 2995 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2014
Clean Water Compliance and Affordability Act - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out a pilot program to work with and facilitate the efforts of eligible municipalities to develop and implement integrated plans to meet wastewater and stormwater obligations under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) in a cost-effective and flexible manner and consistent with the Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Approach Framework issued by EPA in May 2012. Directs the EPA to select at least 15 municipalities to participate in the program. Sets forth eligibility and selection factors. Prescribes standards for approval of a municipality's integrated plan under the pilot program. Allows priority to be given to municipalities seeking to develop and implement approaches that adapt to changed or future uncertain circumstances. Authorizes the EPA to: (1) extend the allowable national pollutant discharge elimination system permit term to a maximum of 25 years, (2) modify the implementation terms of a consent decree, and (3) provide additional regulatory flexibility in approving and implementing an integrated plan that includes adaptive approaches.
Bill· HRH.R. 5826 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2014
Water Quality Investment Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reauthorize the sewer overflow control grants program through FY2019. Requires a project that receives a grant to be carried out under the same requirements as a project that receives assistance from a state water pollution control revolving fund, unless the state determines the requirements are inconsistent with treating sewer overflow.
Bill· HRH.R. 1 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2014
Tax Reform Act of 2014 - Title I: Tax Reform for Individuals - Subtitle A: Individual Income Tax Rate Reform - Revises individual income tax rates to establish three tax brackets (10%, 25%, and 35%). Allows individual taxpayers a deduction from gross income for 40% of adjusted net capital gain. Subtitle B: Simplification of Tax Benefits for Families - Establishes a single standard deduction of $22,000 for married couples filing jointly and $11,000 for single filers. Allows single filers with at least one qualifying child an additional deduction of $5,500, whether or not they itemize deductions. Requires a phaseout of the standard deduction amounts based on adjusted gross income. Increases the amount of the child tax credit. Requires taxpayers who claim the refundable portion of the child tax credit to provide their social security numbers on their tax returns. Modifies the earned income tax credit to provide for a refund of employment and self-employment taxes. Repeals the deduction for personal exemptions after 2014. Subtitle C: Simplification of Education Incentives - Replaces the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits and the tax deduction for tuition and qualified expenses with a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that allows a 100% tax credit for the first $2,000 of certain higher education expenses and a 25% tax credit for the next $2,000 of such expenses. Expands the tax exclusion for Pell Grants to allow the use of excludible grant funds for any purpose. Repeals specified deductions and exclusions of expenses for educational purposes. Subtitle D: Repeal of Certain Credits for Individuals - Repeals specified tax credits for individuals, including the tax credits for employment-related dependent care expenses, adoption expenses, nonbusiness and residential energy efficiency improvements, investment in qualified electric vehicles and alternative vehicles and refueling property, plug-in electric drive vehicles, health insurance costs, and the tax credit for first-time homebuyers. Subtitle E: Deductions, Exclusions, and Certain Other Provisions - Revises the tax exclusion of gain from the sale of a principal residence to require a taxpayer to have used the residence as a principal residence for five of the previous eight years. Limits the use of such exclusion to once every five years. Modifies the tax deduction for mortgage interest to allow such deduction for acquisition indebtedness up to $500,000 (currently, $1 million). Revises rules for the tax deduction for charitable contributions. Denies a tax deduction for expenses attributable to the trade or business of performing services as an employee. Repeals or modifies specified tax deductions, including deductions for personal casualty losses, gambling losses, tax preparation expenses, medical expenses, moving expenses, alimony, and contributions to medical savings accounts. Repeals the tax exclusion for employee achievement awards. Subtitle F: Employment Tax Modifications - Revises rules for the deduction of self employment taxes in computing net earnings from self-employment. Eliminates the exemption from employment taxes for certain foreign workers and students. Makes supplemental unemployment benefit payments subject to employment tax. Treats professional employer organizations (PEOs), certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), as employers for employment tax purposes (thus allowing such PEOs to pay wages and collect and remit payroll taxes on behalf of an employer). Subtitle G: Pensions and Retirement - Revises the tax treatment of individual and employer-provided retirement plans. Eliminates income eligibility limits for contributing to a Roth individual retirement account (Roth IRA). Prohibits new contributions to traditional IRAs. Repeals the exemption from the 10% penalty for early withdrawals from an IRA for first-time homebuyers. Prohibits employers from establishing new SIMPLE 401(k)s (Simplified Employee Pension plans) after 2014. Subtitle H: Certain Provisions Related to Members of Indian Tribes - Excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, the value of an Indian general welfare benefit. Defines "Indian general welfare benefit" as any payment made or services provided to or on behalf of a member of an Indian tribe under an Indian tribal government program if: (1) such program is administered under specified guidelines and does not discriminate in favor of members of the governing body of the Indian tribe; and (2) the program benefits are available to any tribal member, are for the promotion of general welfare, are not lavish or extravagant, and are not compensation for services. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) establish a Tribal Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary on the taxation of Indians, and (2) establish and require training and education for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) field agents on federal Indian law and the implementation of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to waive any interest or tax penalties related to the exclusion from gross income of Indian general welfare benefits. Title II: Alternative Minimum Tax Repeal - Repeals the alternative minimum tax (AMT). Title III: Business Tax Reform - Subtitle A: Tax Rates - Reduces the maximum income tax rate on corporations to 25% beginning in 2019. Subtitle B: Reform of Business-Related Exclusions and Deductions - Revises the treatment of contributions to the capital of a corporation to require such contributions to be included in gross income. Repeals or modifies business-related tax deductions, including the amortization of pollution control facilities, the net operating loss deduction, amortization of research and experimental expenditures and certain advertising expenses, expensing elections for refineries and environmental remediation costs, the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities, entertainment expenses, percentage depletion, like-kind exchanges, and the exclusion of gain from the sale of small business stock. Revises the accelerated cost recovery system for the depreciation of business assets. Subtitle C: Reform of Business Credits - Repeals tax credits for alcohol and biodiesel used as fuel. Modifies and makes permanent the tax credit for increasing research expenditures. Modifies or repeals specified business-related tax credits, including the low-income housing tax credit, the enhanced oil recovery credit, the Indian employment credit, the employer-provided child care credit, energy-related credits, the rehabilitation credit, and the work opportunity tax credit. Subtitle D: Accounting Methods - Limits the use of the cash method of accounting to a natural person, a farming business, and other entities that meet the gross receipts test. Repeals specified accounting and inventory methods, including the last-in, first-out method of inventory (LIFO) and the lower of cost or market method of inventory. Subtitle E: Financial Instruments - Sets forth rules for the tax treatment of certain financial instruments, including derivatives, hedges, and debt instruments. Terminates tax preferences for private activity bonds and advance refunding bonds and the tax credit for interest on home mortgages. Subtitle F: Insurance Reforms - Modifies rules for the tax treatment of insurance companies, including life insurance companies, property and casualty insurance companies, and certain health insurance organizations. Subtitle G: Pass-Thru and Certain Other Entities - Modifies rules for the tax treatment of S corporations, partnerships, real estate investment trusts, and regulated investment companies. Subtitle H: Taxation of Foreign Persons - Prohibits U.S. insurance companies from deducting reinsurance premiums paid to a related company that is not subject to U.S. taxation on such premiums, unless the related company elects to treat the premium income as effectively connected to a U.S. trade or business subject to U.S. taxation. Makes income of foreign taxpayers that is derived from the operation of passenger cruise ships within U.S. territorial waters subject to U.S. tax. Modifies rules for the deduction of interest payments by a U.S. corporation to a related entity. Prohibits a reduction under any treaty of the United States of tax withholding for a tax deductible payment made between persons who are members of the same foreign controlled group of entities unless there would be a similar reduction for payments made directly to the foreign parent corporation of such entities. Subtitle I: Provisions Related to Compensation - Modifies tax rules relating to executive compensation, including a repeal of exceptions to the $1 million limitation for commissions and performance-based compensation. Imposes a 25% excise tax on the compensation in excess of $1 million paid to any of the five highest paid employees of tax-exempt organizations. Denies a tax deduction for transfers of stock under an incentive stock option plan or an employee stock purchase plan. Sets forth a safe harbor rule for the classification of an individual as an employee or an independent contractor for employment tax purposes. Subtitle J: Zones and Short-Term Regional Benefits - Repeals tax preferences for empowerment zones and enterprise communities, District of Columbia Zones, renewal communities, New York Liberty Zones, and Gulf Opportunity Zones. Title IV: Participation Exemption System for the Taxation of Foreign Income - Subtitle A: Establishment of Exemption System - Revises rules for the taxation of foreign source income to: (1) allow an exemption of 95% of dividends paid by a foreign corporation to a U.S. corporate shareholder that owns 10% or more of the foreign corporation; (2) allow a U.S. parent corporation to reduce the basis of its stock in a foreign subsidiary by the amount of any exempt dividends received by the parent from its foreign subsidiary; (3) allow a U.S. shareholder who owns at least 10% of a foreign subsidiary to include in income for the last tax year beginning before 2015 the pro rata share of historical earnings and profits of the foreign subsidiary to the extent such earnings and profits have not been previously subject to U.S. taxation; and (4) make permanent the look through tax rule exempting dividends, interest, rents, and royalties received or accrued from certain controlled foreign corporations by a related entity from treatment as foreign holding company income (thus permitting deferral of the tax on such income). Subtitle B: Modifications Related to Foreign Tax Credit System - Modifies rules relating to the foreign tax credit. Subtitle C: Rules Related to Passive and Mobile Income - Modifies rules relating to subpart F income (i.e., income of a controlled foreign corporation). Title V: Tax Exempt Entities - Subtitle A: Unrelated Business Income Tax - Revises the unrelated business income tax (UBIT) applicable to tax-exempt organizations by: (1) making all tax-exempt organizations, including government-sponsored entities, subject to UBIT; (2) requiring an exempt organization to calculate separately the net unrelated taxable income of each of its unrelated trades or businesses; (3) limiting the exemption from UBIT for research-related income fundamental research that is made available to the public: (4) increasing from $1,000 to $10,000 the deduction against gross income for UBIT; and (5) eliminating the exemption from UBIT for distressed property (i.e., property in foreclosure). Subtitle B: Penalties - Increases penalties on tax-exempt organizations for failure to file required returns and other information. Subtitle C: Excise Taxes - Expands the excise tax on excess-benefit transactions to labor, agricultural, and horticultural organizations and business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, and boards of trade. Reduces from 2% to 1% the excise tax rate on the net investment income of tax-exempt private foundations and repeals the 1% reduction in such tax rate for private foundations that meet certain distribution requirements. Makes certain private colleges and universities subject to a 1% excise tax on net investment income. Subtitle D: Requirements for Organizations Exempt From Tax - Repeals the tax exemption for professional sports leagues, for qualified property and casualty insurance companies and qualified health insurance issuers, and for type II and type III supporting organizations. Allows a tax exemption for a workmen's compensation insurance organization only if it provides no insurance coverage other than workmen's compensation insurance required by state law. Title VI: Tax Administration And Compliance - Subtitle A: IRS Investigation-Related Reforms - Requires organizations that intend to operate as a tax-exempt social welfare organization to notify the IRS of such intent not later than 60 days after such organization is established. Allows social welfare organizations to seek declaratory judgment relief in cases involving the initial or continuing qualification of their tax-exempt status. Expands the limitation on mandatory disclosures of information about donors to a social welfare organization to require information about a donor who is either an officer or director of the organization or is one of the five highest compensated employees of the organization for the current or any preceding taxable year. Requires all tax-exempt organizations to file their annual tax returns electronically. Expands the obligation of the IRS to ensure that its employees are familiar, and act in accordance with, specified taxpayer rights. Expands the grounds for mandatory termination of the employment of an IRS employee for performing, delaying, or failing to perform (or threatening to perform, delay, or fail to perform) any official action or audit for the purpose of extracting personal gain or benefit for political purposes. Authorizes the disclosure to any person who provides information indicating a violation of internal revenue laws relating to unauthorized disclosure or inspection of tax information or to unlawful acts of revenue officers or agents: (1) whether an investigation based on such information has been initiated and is open or closed; (2) whether any such investigation substantiated a violation; and (3) whether any action has been taken against a violator, including a referral for prosecution. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study and report on the process used for determining how IRS enforcement cases are selected and processed. Prohibits any IRS officer or employee from using a personal email account to conduct official business. Prohibits the IRS from holding any conference until the the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration certifies to Congress that the IRS has implemented recommendations in a specified report of the Inspector General. Requires the IRS to apply standards and definitions in effect on January 1, 2010, to determine whether an organization is operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare. Subtitle B: Taxpayer Protection and Service Reforms - Authorizes the IRS to use an identifying number in lieu of an employee's social security number on tax information forms. Directs the IRS, in cooperation with the private sector technology industry, to maintain a program of free tax preparation and electronic filing services to low-income and elderly taxpayers. Directs the IRS to make a simplified form 1040SR (similar to Form 1040EZ) available to taxpayers who have attained age 65. Provides that any refund or credit in excess of $5 million due to a C corporation taxpayer may not be made until the Secretary of the Treasury submits a report to the Joint Committee on Taxation providing information on such refund or credit. Subtitle C: Tax Return Due Date Simplification - Requires the Secretary, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2014, to modify by regulation the due dates for extensions of tax returns for partnerships, trusts and estates, employee benefit plans, tax-exempt organizations, and certain trust funds. Sets a due date of April 15 for the annual information return of a foreign trust with a U.S. owner and for the report of foreign bank and financial accounts (with extensions until October 15). Extends the automatic extension for corporation income tax returns from three to six months. Subtitle D: Compliance Reforms - Increases penalties for failure to file a tax return or to provide correct tax information and payee statements. Makes the six-year limitation period for assessing additional tax applicable to underpayments resulting from an incorrect adjusted basis that is more than 125% of the correct adjusted basis. Directs the Secretary to enter into qualified tax collection contracts to collect outstanding inactive tax receivables. Extends the 100% continuous levy to payments due to Medicare providers and suppliers with delinquent tax debts. Requires that all refundable credit amounts be taken into account in computing the tax penalty for underpayment of tax. Title VII: Excise Taxes - Repeals the medical device excise tax. Extends the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Financing Rate of 9 cents per barrel for 2018 through 2023. Expands the definition of "crude oil," for purposes of the excise tax on petroleum, to include any bitumen or bituminous mixture, any oil derived from a bitumen or bituminous mixture (including oil derived from tar sands), and any oil derived from kerogen-bearing sources (including oil derived from oil shale). Increases the Inland Waterways Trust Fund financing rate to 26 cents per gallon for fuel used after 2014. Imposes a quarterly excise tax on each systemically important financial institution equal to .035 % of the institution's total consolidated assets in excess of $500 billion (indexed after 2015 for increases in the gross domestic product). Expands the exemption from the annual fee on branded prescription drug sales to include sales of any drug or biological product that is approved or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) solely for one or more rare diseases or conditions (diseases or conditions affecting less than 200,000 persons). Title VIII: Deadwood And Technical Provisions - Subtitle A: Repeal of Deadwood - Eliminates provisions in the Internal Revenue Code that are not used in computing current tax liabilities (referred to as deadwood provisions). Subtitle B: Conforming Amendments Related to Multiple Sections - Sets forth conforming amendments.
Bill· HRH.R. 5796 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2014
State's Choice Act of 2014 - Requires Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations issued under the Clean Air Act on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from an existing stationary source to give states the option to impose a carbon tax for those emissions instead of, or in conjunction with, applying a standard of performance. Requires the carbon tax to be an excise tax: (1) on emissions of GHGs, or on a fossil fuel based on emissions of any GHG that will result from the use of the fossil fuel; (2) that is no less than 20 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2015; and (3) that increases in each subsequent year by no less than 4% above inflation. Requires the EPA to: (1) evaluate a state's carbon tax in 2025 to determine whether the tax and other relevant state measures will achieve by the end of 2030 the goals of the regulation that is replaced by the tax, and (2) require the state to increase the tax if it will not achieve those goals. Prohibits availability of the option to impose a carbon tax to states that: are materially undermining the effectiveness of the tax in decreasing GHG emissions through other policy changes, or that have not complied with any EPA requirement to increase the tax.
Bill· SS. 2971 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2014
Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015 - Better Buildings Act of 2014 - Requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to: (1) develop and publish model leasing provisions to encourage building owners and tenants to use greater cost-effective energy efficiency and water efficiency measures in commercial buildings, and (2) develop policies and best practices to implement the measures for the realty services provided by the GSA to federal agencies. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a voluntary Tenant Star program within the Energy Star program to recognize tenants of spaces in commercial buildings that voluntarily achieve high levels of energy efficiency. Authorizes the EPA to develop a voluntary program to recognize commercial building owners and tenants that use high-performance energy efficiency measures in the design and construction of leased spaces. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to prescribe additional energy conservation standards for grid-enabled water heaters for use as part of an electric thermal storage or demand response program, which is a program that enables customers to reduce or shift their power use during peak demand periods. Energy Efficient Government Technology Act - Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require: (1) each federal agency to coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the EPA to develop an implementation strategy for the maintenance, purchase, and use of energy-efficient and energy-saving information technologies; (2) DOE to maintain a data center energy practitioner program that leads to the certification of energy practitioners qualified to evaluate the energy usage and efficiency opportunities in federal data centers; and (3) DOE to establish an open data initiative to make information about federal data center energy usage available and accessible in a manner that encourages data center innovation, optimization, and consolidation. Requires DOE to maintain, and if necessary create, a database for storing and making available public energy-related information on commercial and multifamily buildings.
Bill· HRH.R. 5781 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2014
California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014 - Title I: California Emergency Drought Relief - Grants the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior (Secretaries) emergency authority, subject to existing water rights, to direct the operations of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and allow the State Water Project (SWP) operated by the California Department of Water Resources to provide the maximum quantity of water supplies possible to CVP agricultural, municipal and industrial, and refuge service repayment contractors and SWP contractors, by allowing, consistent with applicable laws, any projects or operations to: (1) provide additional water supplies; and (2) as quickly as possible, based on available information, address the emergency drought conditions. Grants the applicable Secretary authority to take certain actions to increase the water supply, subject to specified environmental protections, including: ensuring that the Delta Cross Channel Gates remain open to the maximum extent practicable; implementing turbidity control strategies to increase water deliveries and minimize water supply reductions for the CVP and the SWP; adopting a 1:1 inflow to export ratio for the increment of increased flow of the San Joaquin River; issuing all necessary permit decisions within 30 days of receiving a completed application by the state of California to place and use temporary barriers or operable gates in Delta channels to improve water quantity and quality; completing all requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) necessary to make final permit decisions on water transfer requests within 30 days of receiving such requests; allowing any North of Delta agricultural water service contractor with unused CVP water to take delivery of unused water through April 15 following the contract year in which such water was allocated; and implementing instream and offsite projects in the Delta and upstream in the Sacramento River and San Joaquin basins that offset the effects on threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 due to actions taken under this Act. Directs federal agency heads to use the expedited procedures of this Act to make final decisions relating to a federal project or operation to provide additional water supplies or to address emergency drought conditions. Directs the Secretaries to authorize the CVP and the SWP, combined, to operate at levels that result in negative Old and Middle River flows for a cumulative period of 28 days during certain high-flow conditions on the Sacramento River. Title II: Protection Of Third-Party Water Rights - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to confer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on potential impacts to any consistency determination for operations of the SWP resulting from the implementation of this Act. Requires the Secretary, in the operation of the CVP, to: (1) adhere to California laws governing water rights priorities and honor water rights senior to those held by the United States for operation of the CVP, regardless of the source of priority; and (2) allocate water provided for irrigation purposes to existing CVP agricultural water service contractors within the Sacramento River Watershed (i.e., water service contractors within the Shasta, Trinity, and Sacramento River Diversions of the CVP) in compliance with specified requirements. Requires the Secretary to ensure that actions taken to comply with environmental laws do not: (1) result in the involuntary reduction of water supply or fiscal impacts to recipients of water from either the SWP or the United States, or (2) cause redirected adverse water supply or fiscal impacts to those within the Sacramento River or San Joaquin River watersheds or the SWP service area. Requires the Secretary to direct the Bureau of Reclamation to develop and implement a program to enable existing CVP agricultural water service contractors within the Sacramento River Watershed to reschedule water from one year to the next. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Declares that nothing in this Act preempts or modifies any existing obligation of the United States under federal reclamation law to operate the CVP in conformity with state law, including established water rights priorities. Terminates this Act on the later of September 30, 2016, or the date on which the governor of California suspends the state of drought emergency declaration.
Bill· HRH.R. 5769 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2014
Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 - Authorizes FY2015 appropriations for the Coast Guard and the Federal Maritime Commission. Authorizes end-of-year strength for active duty personnel and military training student loads. Amends policies related to Coast Guard personnel and their families, including education, housing, childcare, retirement, and orders to return to active duty for emergencies. Establishes reporting requirements, including requiring the Coast Guard to submit to Congress at specified times integrated major acquisition mission need statements and authorization requests for personnel and appropriations. Authorizes the Coast Guard to lease submerged lands and tidelands for periods longer than five years. Requires Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide prompt notice of marine casualties to state and tribal governments. Revises provisions concerning the National Response System and area contingency plans for the discharge of oil and hazardous substances, arctic marine transportation, ice breaking in the polar regions, vessel inspections, and distant water tuna fleet. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) procuring, decommissioning, and extending the life of certain cutters (vessels that are 65 feet or greater); (2) establishing a process for vessel traffic information services to use automatic identification systems to transmit safety information, and (3) prohibiting DHS from dismantling or disposing of infrastructure that supported the former LORAN system (long range radio aid to navigation system). Reauthorizes through FY2017 appropriations to MARAD for a program that provides assistance for small shipyards and maritime communities. Directs federal agencies that operate vessels to report drug test violations by employment applicants to the Coast Guard. Reauthorizes the Fishing Safety Grant Program through FY2017. Establishes the Abandoned Seafarers Fund. Requires DHS to issue an analysis of safety and environmental management system requirements for vessels engaged in Outer Continental Shelf activities prior to issuing the requirements. Extends for a year an exemption from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements for certain discharges from vessels that are less than 79 feet in length or a fishing vessel. Requires the Department of Transportation to provide a national maritime strategy to Congress.
Bill· SS. 2963 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Makes permanent a prohibition exempting from National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) a vessel under 79 feet in length or a fishing vessel for any discharge: (1) of effluent from properly functioning marine engines, or of laundry, shower, and galley sink wastes; or (2) that is incidental to the normal operation of those vessels. (Currently, the prohibition is temporary, and the time period during which the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] and any state with a state permit program are prohibited from requiring a NPDES permit ends on December 18, 2014. This prohibition does not apply, however, with respect to garbage discharged overboard, other discharges when the vessel is operating in a capacity other than as a means of transportation, discharges of ballast water held in ships to increase stability, or any discharge that contributes to a violation of a water quality standard or poses an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.)
Bill· HRH.R. 5764 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize the Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for FY2015-FY2019. Requires that the Initiative carry out programs and projects for Great Lakes protection and restoration. Directs the Initiative to prioritize programs and projects, including: (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 (water pollution that comes from many diffuse sources, such as pollution on the ground picked up by rain or snow); and (4) habitat and wildlife protection and restoration. 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) for which funding is made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund program. Requires federal agencies to maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities without regard to funding under the Initiative and identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative.
Bill· HRH.R. 5753 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Drinking Water Protection Act - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and submit to Congress a strategic plan for assessing and managing risks associated with cyanotoxins in drinking water provided by public water systems. (Cyanotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.) Requires the plan to include steps and time lines to: evaluate the risk to human health from drinking water contaminated with cyanotoxins; establish, publish, and update a comprehensive list of cyanotoxins that are harmful to human health; summarize the known adverse human health effects of cyanotoxins and the factors that cause cyanobacteria to grow rapidly and make toxins; determine whether to publish health advisories for harmful cyanotoxins and establish relevant guidance; recommend feasible treatment options; and enter into cooperative agreements with, and provide technical assistance to, affected states and public water systems to manage risks associated with cyanotoxins.
Bill· SS. 2943 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2014
Extends the time period during which both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and any state with a state permit program are prohibited from requiring a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) for a vessel that is less than 79 feet in length or a fishing vessel for any discharge: (1) of effluent from properly functioning marine engines, or of laundry, shower, and galley sink wastes; or (2) that is incidental to the normal operation of those vessels. Ends the prohibition on December 18, 2015, instead of December 18, 2014. (This prohibition does not apply with respect to garbage discharged overboard, other discharges when the vessel is operating in a capacity other than as a means of transportation, ballast water [water held in ships to increase stability] discharges, or any discharge that contributes to a violation of a water quality standard or poses an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.)
Bill· HRH.R. 5736 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2014
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convey to the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel, Alaska, all interest of the United States in certain property (including all land and appurtenances) containing 22.98 acres, for use in connection with health and social services programs. Shields the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation from being liable for soil, surface water, groundwater, or other contamination resulting from the disposal, release, or presence of environmental contamination, including oil or petroleum products, or hazardous substances on any of the property. Accords to HHS any easement or access to the conveyed property as may be necessary to satisfy any retained obligations and liability.
Bill· HRH.R. 5733 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2014
Carbon Pollution Transparency Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to calculate a carbon score for legislation. Requires the score to include projected net greenhouse gas emissions that would result from enactment and implementation of a bill or resolution and the appropriation of any amounts authorized in the legislation. Directs CBO to include the carbon score when carrying out provisions of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requiring a cost estimate for each bill or resolution reported by any congressional committee except the appropriations committees.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 756 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2014
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1422) to amend the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 to provide for Scientific Advisory Board member qualifications, public participation, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4012) to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations or assessments based upon science that is not transparent or reproducible; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4795) to promote new manufacturing in the United States by providing for greater transparency and timeliness in obtaining necessary permits, and for other purposes; and providing for proceedings during the period from November 21, 2014, through November 28, 2014.
Bill· HRH.R. 5682 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2014
Authorizes TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to construct, connect, operate, and maintain the pipeline and cross-border facilities specified in an application filed by TransCanada Corporation to the Department of State on May 4, 2012. Deems the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement regarding the pipeline issued by the Secretary of State in January 2014 to fully satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and any law that requires federal agency consultation or review, including the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Declares any applicable federal permit or authorization issued before enactment of this Act to remain in effect. Restricts any legal challenges regarding a federal agency action and such facilities to judicial review on direct appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Declares that this Act does not alter any federal, state, or local process or condition in effect on the date of enactment of this Act that is necessary to secure access from an owner of private property to construct the pipeline and cross-border facilities.
Bill· SS. 2911 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Super Pollutants Act of 2014 - Establishes requirements for agencies to evaluate, mitigate, reduce, and report on the following short-lived climate pollutant emissions (non-carbon dioxide pollutants that contribute to global warming even though they stay in the atmosphere for only a short time): black carbon (soot emissions that absorb sunlight, reduce the reflectivity of snow and ice when deposited on them, and generate heat), methane, and high global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons (high-GWP HFC). Requires the President to establish the Interagency Task Force on Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Mitigation to address these pollutants through an action plan. Directs the Department of State to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce black carbon emissions from international shipping. Requires the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to prioritize black carbon mitigation activities as part of aid distribution activities. Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate the availability of high-GWP HFC alternatives. Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the manufacture of any uncharged hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22 air-conditioning condensing equipment for residential use. Requires the EPA to determine whether the sale of R-134a automotive air-conditioning recharge kits to consumers represents an environmentally significant source of high-GWP HFC emissions. Requires the State Department, the DOE, the EPA, and the Department of Commerce to provide other countries with technical guidance on containing emissions from gas drilling, landfills, coal mining, and agriculture. Directs the EPA to establish an inspection and maintenance program for equipment that has high leak rates of methane gas.
Bill· SS. 2905 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Carbon Pollution Transparency Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to calculate a carbon score for legislation. Requires the score to include projected net greenhouse gas emissions that would result from enactment and implementation of a bill or resolution and the appropriation of any amounts authorized in the legislation. Directs CBO to include the carbon score when carrying out provisions of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requiring a cost estimate for each bill or resolution reported by any congressional committee except the appropriations committees.
Bill· SS. 2900 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Livable Communities Act of 2014 - Establishes in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC) to review and coordinate federal policies that: encourage locally directed comprehensive and integrated planning and development at the state, regional, and local levels, and coordinated public investments through development of comprehensive regional plans; and provide long-term affordable, accessible, energy-efficient, healthy and location-efficient housing choices for all people, particularly low-income families. Requires the OSHC Director to establish a program to make comprehensive planning grants and community challenge grants to units of general local government or Indian tribes to carry out projects meeting specified criteria. Authorizes the Secretary of HUD to make or guarantee (up to 75% of) loans to eligible governmental, corporate, or partnership borrowers for infrastructure development projects used to support transit-oriented development. Requires the Director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes to lead the federal initiative to support healthy housing and eradicate housing-related health hazards. Requires the Secretary to study how sustainable building features in housing, such as energy efficiency, affect: (1) the quality of the indoor environment, (2) the prevalence of housing-related health hazards, and (3) the health of the occupants.
Bill· SS. 2861 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Authorizes funding for environmental restoration activities of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) in Florida as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan if the Army Corps of Engineers gives approval by December 30, 2015.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 574 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Designates the week of September 20-September 27, 2014, as National Estuaries Week. Acknowledges the importance of estuaries to sustaining employment in the United States and the nation's economic well-being and prosperity. Expresses the intent of the Senate to continue working to understand, protect, and restore U.S. estuaries.
Bill· HRH.R. 5548 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Consortia-Led Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Networks Act - Directs the Department of Commerce to carry out a program to establish clean technology consortia to enhance U.S. economic, environmental, and energy security by promoting domestic development, manufacture, and deployment of clean technologies, production processes, or methodologies that: produce energy from renewable energy sources; transmit, distribute, or store energy more efficiently; enhance energy efficiency for buildings and industry; enable the development of a Smart Grid (an electric power system to maintain a reliable and secure electricity infrastructure that can meet future demand growth, including by deploying demand-side resources that enable consumers to reduce or shift their electricity usage during peak periods); produce an advanced or sustainable material with energy or energy efficiency applications; improve energy efficiency for transportation, including electric vehicles; or enhance water security through improved water management, conservation, distribution, or end use applications. Requires Commerce to award grants for the establishment and operation of consortia. Establishes the role of consortia, including promoting new innovative clean technologies, providing technical or financial assistance, and accelerating investment in and deployment of clean technologies through public-private partnerships.
Bill· HRH.R. 5659 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Water Supply Cost Savings Act or the Savings Act - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to: (1) update their programs that provide drinking water technical assistance by including information on cost-effective, innovative, and alternative drinking water delivery systems; and (2) disseminate information on the cost effectiveness of wells and well systems to communities and nonprofit organizations seeking federal funding for drinking water systems serving small communities (3,300 or fewer persons). Requires applicants for federal grants or loans for those drinking water systems to certify that wells have been considered as an alternative drinking water supply.
Bill· HRH.R. 5546 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Marine Disease Emergency Act of 2014 - Authorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare and respond to a marine disease emergency (an event that affects the marine environment, is caused by a marine disease or environmental stressor, is likely to threaten the sustainability of a marine species or the health of a marine ecosystem, and is likely to expand in geographic scope). Requires NOAA to designate an individual to coordinate the response to each emergency and develop and publish a response plan for each emergency within 21 days of the declaration. Terminates the emergency when NOAA declares that the emergency no longer exists or 120 days after the declaration was made, whichever occurs first. Authorizes NOAA to renew a declaration. Establishes the Marine Disease Emergency Working Group in NOAA to provide advice on assessing, declaring, and responding to those emergencies. Establishes the Marine Disease Emergency Fund for responding to those emergencies. Requires NOAA to establish a National Data Repository for Marine Diseases Research and Services to collect, store, and disseminate information on marine diseases and related data and facilitate the development and rapid dissemination of research on marine diseases. Deems sea star wasting syndrome, a marine mortality event affecting species of sea stars, to be a marine disease emergency.
Bill· HRH.R. 5625 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to take into trust 4 tracts of federal land in New Mexico, the combined acreage of which is approximately 11.11 acres, that were historically part of the Albuquerque Indian School for the benefit of 19 specified pueblos immediately after the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) have been satisfied regarding the trust acquisition of such federal land. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) take such action as determined to be necessary to document such transfer, and (2) appropriately assign each applicable private and municipal utility and service right or agreement. Requires the federal lands taken into trust to be used for the educational, health, cultural, business, and economic development of the 19 pueblos. Requires the federal lands taken into trust to remain subject to any private or municipal encumbrance, right-of-way, restriction, easement of record, or utility service agreement in effect on this Act's enactment date. Requires the 19 pueblos to allow the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to continue to use the federal lands taken into trust for the facilities and purposes as in existence on this Act's enactment date. Prohibits any class I, class II, or class III gaming from being carried out on the federal lands taken into trust under this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 5598 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Travel and Resource Access Including Local Stakeholders Act - Requires the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as a condition on the preparation of an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for a proposed access travel management action, to consult with affected counties for the purpose of incorporating their needs, uses, and input. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing such an action until the Secretary: (1) complies with such consultation requirement, and (2) obtains the concurrence of each affected county. Defines an "access travel management action" as a BLM action that will alter public access to public lands, including any change in access to mining claims or access using motorized vehicles or nonmotorized means resulting from the decommissioning of a road or trail, a change in the status of a road as open or closed, or a change in road densities.
Bill· HRH.R. 5665 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Clear the Air with Congress Act of 2014 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to submit to Congress a report, made available to the public, before issuing any rule proposing a new or revised: (1) primary national ambient air quality (NAAQ) standard for ozone (for pollutants considered harmful to public health), or (2) secondary NAAQ standard for ozone (for pollutants considered harmful to public welfare). Requires the report to contain: the proposed standard (in parts per million), all scientific and technical data relied upon to support the proposed standard in a manner sufficient for independent analysis and substantial reproduction of results, a description of all technologies and strategies that may be utilized to achieve the standard and their costs, an economic impact analysis estimating the total costs of the standard, a list of each U.S. area of the United States that would exceed the standard for ozone and thereby receive a nonattainment designation for ozone under the Act, and an identification of the level of ground level ozone in each U.S. county that is naturally occurring or produced outside of the United States. Requires the EPA to consider the cost and economic and technological feasibility of attaining the standard when establishing a NAAQ standard for ozone. Prohibits a NAAQ standard for ozone from taking effect unless a federal statute is enacted approving it.
Bill· HRH.R. 5631 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Authorizes funding for environmental restoration activities of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) in Florida as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan if the Army Corps of Engineers gives approval by December 30, 2015.
Bill· HRH.R. 5609 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Vessel Incidental Discharge Act - Sets forth provisions concerning standards for waste water discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel, including discharges of ballast water (water taken into the ship's ballast to maintain stability). Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish and implement enforceable uniform national standards for the regulation of discharges from vessels into navigable waters and best management practices for discharges other than ballast water. Sets as the national standard the Coast Guard's 2012 "Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters." Requires DHS to revise the ballast water performance standard so that those discharges will contain less than specified concentrations of living organisms, indicator microbes, and viruses if DHS finds that the standard would be feasible. Requires ballast water treatment technology to be certified by DHS. Prohibits DHS from certifying a technology that uses certain biocides (substances or organisms introduced into or produced by the technology to reduce or eliminate aquatic nuisance species). Sets forth exemptions from permit requirements, prohibitions of any other law, and discharge standards under this Act for specified discharges and vessels. Authorizes DHS to establish alternative programs for compliance with ballast water discharge regulations for specified vessels. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate standards for the reception of ballast water from a vessel into a reception facility and the disposal or treatment of the 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.
Bill· HRH.R. 5534 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2014 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize, revise, and increase funding for the drinking water state revolving fund (SRF) for FY2015-FY2017. (The Drinking Water SRF program awards capitalization grants to states, which in turn provide financial assistance to public water systems for infrastructure improvements.) Expands the list of activities for which the SRF may be used and revises the process for prioritizing applications for SRF funds. Sets forth requirements concerning SRF funded projects using goods produced in the United States and giving prevailing wages to laborers and mechanics. Revises requirements for state Intended Use Plans for SRF funds, in part by requiring the plans to list systems that are not in compliance with national primary drinking water regulation and reserve a specified amount of funding for assistance for disadvantaged communities. Raises the cap on SRF funding that may be used for projects in American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Repeals requirements for regulations on variance technologies. Repeals state authority to grant variances for compliance with a drinking water regulation requirement specifying a maximum contaminant level or treatment technique. Directs the EPA to: study the presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking water sources, establish requirements for electronic submission of compliance monitoring data by public water systems, collect data on best practices for administration of SRF programs, and implement a voluntary certification program for effective water loss and leak control technology. Reauthorizes a program to provide technical assistance to enable small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with applicable national primary drinking water regulations for FY2015-FY2019.
Bill· SS. 2845 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Southern Prairie Potholes National Wildlife Refuge Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish the approximately 23,500-acre Southern Prairie Potholes National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire land and water within the boundaries of the Refuge from willing sellers. Lists as purposes of the Refuge to: (1) enhance opportunities for outdoor recreation; (2) provide for the restoration or preservation of Refuge land to native wetland and grassland habitats and landscapes; (3) provide for the restoration and conservation of native plants and animal communities; (4) provide critical travel and nesting habitat for migratory birds; (5) provide opportunities to private landowners to access assistance for the voluntary restoration of land for the benefit of fish and wildlife; and (6) facilitate the education of the public about nature, the environment, and the conservation of the natural resources. Directs the Secretary to: (1) administer all land, water, and interests therein acquired under this Act in accordance with the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966; (2) ensure that hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation are the priority public uses of the Refuge; and (3) encourage the use of volunteers and facilitate partnerships to promote public awareness, conservation, and priority uses of Refuge resources. .
Bill· SS. 2833 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Clean Air, Strong Economies Act or the CASE Act - Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from lowering its existing national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) until at least 85% of counties that are in nonattainment areas (counties that are exceeding the limit) have attained the standard. Requires the EPA, in promulgating a primary or secondary NAAQS for ozone, to: only consider a county to be a nonattainment area on the basis of direct air quality monitoring (rather than modeling); take into consideration feasibility and cost; and include in the regulatory impact analysis for the proposed and final rule at least one analysis that does not include any calculation of benefits resulting from reducing emissions of any pollutant other than ozone.
Bill· HRH.R. 5505 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Clean Air, Strong Economies Act - Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from lowering its national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone until at least 85% of counties that are in nonattainment areas (counties that are exceeding the limit) have attained the standard. Requires the EPA, in promulgating a primary or secondary NAAQS for ozone, to: only consider a county to be a nonattainment area on the basis of direct air quality monitoring (rather than modeling); take into consideration feasibility and cost; and include in the regulatory impact analysis for the proposed and final rule at least one analysis that does not include any calculation of benefits resulting from reducing emissions of any pollutant other than ozone.
Bill· HRH.R. 5521 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Urban Flooding Awareness Act of 2014 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council to conduct a study on urban flooding. Defines "urban flooding" as the inundation of property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rain falling on increased amounts of impervious surface and overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems. Directs the Council to evaluate the latest research, laws, regulations, policies, best practices, procedures, and institutional knowledge regarding urban flooding. Requires the Council's study to include an examination of: the prevalence of and costs associated with urban flooding events across the United States, with a focus on the largest metropolitan areas and trends in frequency and severity over the past two decades; the adequacy of federally provided flood risk information and the most cost-effective methods and products to characterize the risk of property damage from urban flooding on a property-by-property basis; the potential for training and certifying local experts in flood risk characterization as a service to property purchasers and owners; the causes of urban flooding and its apparent increase over the past 20 years; the most cost-effective strategies, practices, and technologies used to reduce the impacts of urban flooding; the role of the federal government and state governments in spurring market innovations based on public-private-nonprofit partnerships; the most sustainable and effective methods for funding flood risk and flood damage reduction at all levels of government; the relevance of the National Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System to urban flooding areas outside traditional flood plains and strategies for broadening coverage and increasing participation under the Program; and strategies for protecting downstream communities from the flooding impacts of development in upstream communities.
Bill· HRH.R. 5516 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Protecting Our Great Lakes Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit any discharge of dredged material into waters within Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, and Lake Superior lakeward from a line drawn across the mouth of tributaries to the Lakes. Includes within the area protected from discharges all waters enclosed by constructed breakwaters (barriers built in a body of water to break the force of waves and protect surrounding land). Excludes connecting channels from the protected area. Requires any dredged material resulting from activity in the Great Lakes System to be reused in beneficial ways on land or disposed of in a confined land- or water-based disposal area determined to be economically and environmentally viable by the Army Corps of Engineers in consultation with concerned states. Treats violators of the prohibition as having violated a condition or limitation set forth in a permit to discharge dredged or fill material into waters of the United States.
Bill· SS. 2823 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014
North American Energy Infrastructure Act - Prohibits any person from constructing, connecting, operating, or maintaining a cross-border segment of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility at the national boundary of the United States for the import or export of oil, natural gas, or electricity to or from Canada or Mexico without obtaining a certificate of crossing under this Act. Requires the Secretary of State, with respect to oil pipelines, or the Secretary of Energy (DOE), with respect to electric transmission facilities, to issue a certificate of crossing for the cross-border segment within 120 days after final action is taken under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, unless it is not in U.S. public interest. Directs DOE, as a condition of issuing a certificate, to require that the cross-border segment be constructed, connected, operated, or maintained consistent with specified policies and standards. Amends the Natural Gas Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve within 30 days after receipt any application for the importation or exportation of natural gas to or from Canada or Mexico. Declares that no presidential permit shall be necessary for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility, including any cross-border segment.
Bill· HRH.R. 5494 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014
Incentives for our Nation's Veterans in Energy Sustainability Technologies or the INVEST Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the work opportunity tax credit for the hiring of a specified veteran who works in a field of renewable energy. Defines "specified veteran" as any veteran who is certified as: (1) having received a credential or certification from the Department of Defense (DOD) of a military occupational specialty or skill in a field of renewable energy or with respect to advanced manufacturing, machinist or welding, or engineering; (2) having completed a vocational degree in a field of renewable energy; or (3) having completed a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification with the United States Green Building Council.
Bill· SS. 2809 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from garnishing the pay of an individual without a court order.
Bill· HRH.R. 2 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act - Division A: Energy and Commerce - Northern Route Approval Act - Declares that a presidential permit shall not be required for a certain pipeline application filed by TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to the Department of State for the Keystone XL pipeline (including the Nebraska reroute evaluated in the Final Evaluation Report issued by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and approved by the Nebraska governor). Deems a certain final environmental impact statement issued by the Secretary of State, coupled with such Final Evaluation Report, to satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act. Deems the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary in this Act, unless otherwise indicated) to have issued a written opinion that the Keystone XL pipeline project will neither jeopardize the American burying beetle, nor destroy or adversely modify its critical habitat. Requires the Secretary of the Army to issue by a specified deadline certain permits under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act of 1899 for pipeline construction, operation, and maintenance. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from prohibiting or restricting any activity or use of an area authorized under this Act. Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act - Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve or deny a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a prefiled project within 12 months after receiving a complete application that is ready to be processed. Requires the agency responsible for issuing any federal license, permit, or approval regarding the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a project to approve or deny the certificate within 90 days after FERC issues its final environmental document. Declares that, if the agency fails to approve or deny a permit, license, or approval within the prescribed time-frame, the license, permit, or approval shall take effect upon expiration of 30 days after the period's end. North American Energy Infrastructure Act - Declares a certificate of crossing under this Act to be a prerequisite for construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of a cross-border segment of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility at the national boundary of the U.S. for the import or export of oil, natural gas, or electricity to or from Canada or Mexico. Amends the Natural Gas Act to declare that a FERC order is not required for the export or import of natural gas to or from Canada or Mexico. Amends the Federal Power Act to repeal the requirement that the transmission of electric energy to a foreign country necessitates prior FERC authorization. Declares that no Presidential permit shall be necessary for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility, including any cross-border segment. Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2014 - Prohibits EPA from promulgating a final rule governing production, supply, distribution, or use of energy that is estimated to impose aggregate costs of more than $1 billion if the Department of Energy (DOE) determines that it will cause significant adverse effects to the economy. Requires EPA, before promulgating such a final rule, to report on: (1) an estimate of the total costs and benefits of the rule, (2) an estimate of the increases in energy prices that may result from the rule, and (3) a detailed description of the employment effects that may result from the rule. Directs DOE to: (1) determine whether such rule will increase consumer energy prices, or impact fuel diversity of the nation's electricity generation portfolio or electric reliability; (2) cause an adverse effect on energy supply, distribution, or use; and (3) determine whether the rule will cause significant adverse effects to the economy. Prohibits EPA from using the social cost of carbon in any cost-benefit analysis relating to an energy-related rule estimated to cost more than $1 billion unless a federal law is enacted authorizing such use. Electricity Security and Affordability Act - Prohibits EPA from issuing, implementing, or enforcing any rule under the Clean Air Act that establishes a performance standard for greenhouse gas emissions from a new source that is a fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating unit unless the rule meets specified requirements of this Act. Requires EPA to separate sources fueled with coal and natural gas into separate categories. Prohibits EPA from setting a standard based on the best system of emission reduction for new sources within a fossil-fuel category unless the standard meets certain criteria. Precludes from taking effect, unless a federal law is enacted specifying an effective date, any EPA rule or guideline that: (1) establishes any performance standard for greenhouse gas emissions from a modified or reconstructed source that is a fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating unit, or (2) applies to greenhouse gas emissions from such an existing source. Nullifies specified proposed rules for Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units that are issued before enactment of this Act. Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act - Directs DOE to issue a decision on an application to export natural gas within 30 days after the later of: (1) the conclusion of the review to site, construct, expand, or operate the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities required by NEPA; or (2) the date of enactment of this Act. Deems any NEPA review to be concluded: (1) 30 days after publication of a required Environmental Impact Statement; (2) 30 days after DOE publication of a Finding of No Significant Impact if the project needs an Environmental Assessment; and (3) upon a determination by the lead agency that an application is eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to NEPA regulations. (A "categorical exclusion" under NEPA is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an environmental assessment [EA] nor an environmental impact statement [EIS] is required.) Confers exclusive jurisdiction upon the U.S. Court of Appeals for the circuit in which the LNG export facility will be located regarding any civil action for the review of: (1) a DOE order regarding the application, or (2) DOE failure to issue a final decision on the application. Amends the Natural Gas Act to require DOE to require, as a condition for approval to export LNG, that the applicant make public disclosure of the export's specific destination. Division B: Natural Resources Committee - Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary in this Act) to implement a leasing program that includes at least 50% of the available unleased acreage within each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area considered to have the largest undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources. Sets the production goal as an increase by 2032 of at least: (1) 3 million barrels of oil produced daily, and (2) 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas produced daily. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit to Congress a new proposed oil and gas leasing program for the five-year period from July 15, 2015, to July 15, 2021, and (2) approve a final oil and gas leasing program by July 15, 2016. Directs the Secretary to conduct offshore oil and gas Lease Sale 220 on the OCS offshore Virginia within one year after enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to conduct a lease sale within two years after enactment of this Act for areas off the coast of South Carolina with the most geologically promising hydrocarbon resources and constituting at least 25% of the leasable area within the South Carolina offshore administrative boundaries. Directs the Secretary to offer for sale by December 31, 2015, leases of tracts in the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara/Ventura Basins of the Southern California OCS Planning Area. Allocates 37.5% of the amount of new federal leasing revenues to coastal states affected by the leases under which those revenues are received by the U.S. Prescribes an allocation schedule for coastal states within 200 miles of the leased tract. Establishes in the Department of the Interior: (1) an Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Minerals; (2) an Assistant Secretary of Ocean Energy and Safety; (3) an Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management; (4) a Bureau of Ocean Energy; (5) an Ocean Energy Safety Service; and (6) an Office of Natural Resources Revenue. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a National Offshore Energy Safety Academy as an agency of the Ocean Energy Safety Service, and (2) an Outer Continental Shelf Energy Safety Advisory Board. Abolishes the Minerals Management Service. Establishes in the Treasury the Ocean Energy Enforcement Fund as depository for non-refundable fees collected from the operators of facilities subject to inspection. Redefines the OCS to include all submerged lands lying within the U.S. exclusive economic zone and the Continental Shelf adjacent to any U.S. territory. Directs the Secretary to promulgate rules regarding the revenue streams contemplated by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, including the timing and methods of disbursements of certain funds under such Act. Prescribes requirements for judicial review of any action or decision by a federal official regarding the issuance of an energy lease. Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act - Directs the Secretary to encourage the use of U.S. workers and equipment manufactured in the U.S. in all construction related to mineral resource development under this Act. Streamlining Permitting of American Energy Act of 2014 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA) to direct the Secretary to decide whether to issue a permit to drill within 30 days after receiving a permit application, with specified allowable deadline extensions. Deems a permit application approved if the Secretary has not made a decision by 60 days after its receipt. Directs the Secretary to collect: (1) a single $6,500 permit processing fee per application; and (2) a $5,000 documentation fee to accompany each protest for a lease, right of way, or application for permit to drill. Requires the Secretary to establish a Federal Permit Streamlining Project in every Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office responsible for permitting energy projects on federal land. Prescribes procedures for judicial review of an agency action affecting leasing federal lands for energy activities. Requires the Secretary to provide matching funding of up to 50% for joint projects with states to conduct oil and gas resource assessments on federal lands with significant oil and gas potential. Providing Leasing Certainty for American Energy Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary, in conducting lease sales under the MLA, to offer for sale at least 25% of the annual nominated acreage not previously made available for lease. Shields such acreage from protest or the test of extraordinary circumstances. Amends the MLA to prohibit the Secretary from: (1) withdrawing any covered energy project without finding a violation of lease terms by the lessee; (2) delaying indefinitely issuance of project approvals, drilling and seismic permits, and rights of way for activities under a lease; or (3) cancelling or withdrawing any lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and a winning bidder has made the last payment for the parcel. Declares without force or effect BLM Instruction Memorandum 2010-117 (which establishes a process to ensure orderly, effective, timely, and environmentally responsible leasing of oil and gas resources on federal lands). Protecting Investment in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act or the PIONEERS Act - Deems the final regulations regarding oil shale management published by the BLM on November 18, 2008, to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements. Deems the November 17, 2008, BLM Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address Land Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements. Directs the Secretary to hold, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, a lease sale that offers for lease additional ten parcels for research, development, and demonstration of oil shale resources under terms offered in specified bid solicitations. Requires the Secretary, by January 1, 2016, to hold at least five separate commercial lease sales, in multiple lease blocs, in areas of at least 25,000 acres, which: (1) have been nominated through public comment, and (2) are considered to have the most potential for oil shale development. Planning for American Energy Act of 2014 - Amends the MLA to direct the Secretary to publish a Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy to direct federal land energy development and department resource allocation. Directs the Secretary to determine a domestic strategic production objective for the development of energy resources. Expresses the sense of Congress that federally recognized Indian tribes may elect to set their own production objectives as part of such strategy. National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act - Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to require the mandatory program of competitive leasing of oil and gas in the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) to include at least one lease sale annually in areas deemed most likely to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas each year in the period 2014-2024. Directs the Secretary to ensure permits according to a specified timeline for all surface development activities, including pipelines and roads construction, to: (1) develop and bring into production areas within the NPR that are subject to oil and gas leases, and (2) transport oil and gas from and through the NPR to existing transportation or processing infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska. Directs the Secretary to ensure that any federal permitting agency issue permits for construction for transportation of oil and natural gas under existing federal oil and gas leases with drilling permits within 60 days after enactment of this Act. Requires approval of drilling permits under new federal oil and gas leases within six months after submission of a permit request to the Secretary. Nullifies the February 21, 2013, Record of Decision, including its integrated activity plan and environmental impact statement. Requires the Secretary to assess all technically recoverable fossil fuel resources within the NPR, including conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas. BLM Live Internet Auctions Act - Amends the MLA to authorize the Secretary to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales, within seven days, through Internet-based live bidding methods. Native American Energy Act - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allow either the Secretary, an affected Indian tribe, or a certified third-party appraiser under contract with the Indian tribe to appraise Indian land or trust assets involved in a transaction requiring the Secretary's approval. Amends NEPA to make the environmental impact statement for major federal action on Indian lands available for review and comment only to the affected Indian tribe and individuals residing within the affected area. Prescribes requirements for judicial review of energy-related actions. Amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to direct the Secretary to enter into agreements with Indian tribes to carry out demonstration projects that promote biomass energy production on Indian forest land and in nearby communities by providing tribes with reliable supplies of woody biomass from federal lands. Amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to authorize the Navajo Nation to enter into commercial or agricultural leases of up to 99 years on their restricted lands without the Secretary's approval if they are executed under tribal regulations approved by the Secretary. Permits the Navajo Nation to enter into mineral resource leases on their restricted lands without the Secretary's approval if they are executed under approved tribal regulations and do not exceed 25 years, though they may include a renewal option for one additional term not exceeding 25 years. Prohibits any Department of the Interior rule regarding hydraulic fracturing used in oil and gas development or production, from having any effect on land held in trust or restricted status for Indians, except with the express consent of its Indian beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to establish an Office of Energy Employment and Training. Bureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity and Jobs Act - Amends the Water Conservation and Utilization Act (WCUA) to authorize the Secretary, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to enter into 40-year leases of power privileges for electric power generation in connection with any project constructed under such Act. Requires the Bureau to apply its categorical exclusion process under NEPA to small conduit hydropower under WCUA, excluding siting of associated transmission facilities on federal lands. Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to modify the boundary of the Crooked River, Oregon. Requires the developer for any hydropower development at Bowman Dam to analyze any impacts to the Outstanding Remarkable Values of the Wild and Scenic River that may be caused by such development and propose impact mitigationas part of any license application submitted to FERC. Protecting States' Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act - Amends the MLA to prohibit the Department of the Interior from enforcing any federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing (including any component of that process), relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under any land in any state that has regulations, guidance, or permit requirements for that activity. Extends that prohibition, with an exception, to land held either in trust or restricted status for the benefit of Indians. Requires the Department to recognize and defer to state regulations, permitting, and guidance for hydraulic fracturing relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on federal land. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to examine the economic benefits of domestic shale oil and gas production resulting from hydraulic fracturing. EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Improvement Act - Requires EPA to adhere to prescribed requirements when conducting its study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to require state programs for regulation of surface coal mining to incorporate the necessary rule concerning excess spoil, coal mine waste, and buffers for perennial and intermittent streams published by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Division C: Judiciary - Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development Act of 2014 or the RAPID Act - Authorizes a project sponsor, upon the request of a lead agency, to prepare any document required for environmental review if the agency furnishes oversight and independently evaluates, approves, and adopts the document before taking action on it. Prohibits requiring more than one EIS and one EA for a project, except for supplemental environmental documents prepared under NEPA or pursuant to court order. Requires the lead agency to prepare the EIS or EA. Prohibits the lead agency from using the social cost of carbon in any environmental review or environmental decision making process. Requires the Council on Environmental Quality and each federal agency to amend NEPA implementing regulations to implement this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 4 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
Jobs for America Act - Division I: Ways and Means - Title I: Save American Workers - Save American Workers Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to redefine "full-time employee," for purposes of the mandate requiring employers to provide health care coverage for their employees, as an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours of service a week (currently, at least 30 hours of service a week). Title II: Hire More Heroes - Hire More Heroes Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an employer, for purposes of determining whether such employer is an applicable large employer and thus required to provide health care coverage to its employees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to exclude employees who have coverage under a health care program administered by the Department of Defense (DOD), including TRICARE, or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Title III: American Research and Competitiveness - American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for research expenses, to establish a 20% tax rate for such credit and make such credit permanent. Title IV: America's Small Business Tax Relief - America's Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the expensing allowance for depreciable business property, to make permanent: (1) the increased $500,000 expensing allowance for such property, (2) the increased $2,000,000 threshold amount for such property over which the amount of the expensing allowance is reduced, (3) expensing of computer software, and (4) rules for the expensing of qualified real property (i.e., leasehold improvement, restaurant, and retail improvement property). Allows an inflation adjustment to the dollar amounts of the expensing allowance for taxable years beginning after 2014. Makes air conditioning and heating units eligible for the expensing allowance. Title V: S Corporation Permanent Tax Relief - S Corporation Permanent Tax Relief Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the taxation of S corporations, to make permanent: (1) the reduction of the period (from 10 years to 5 years) during which the built-in gains of such corporations are subject to tax, and (2) the rule requiring an adjustment to the basis of a shareholder's stock in an S corporation that makes tax deductible contributions of appreciated property. Title VI: Bonus Depreciation Modified and Made Permanent - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the additional 50% depreciation allowance (bonus depreciation) for qualified property (i.e., property which has a recovery period of 20 years or less and is computer software, water utility property, or qualified leasehold or retail improvement property); (2) make permanent the election to increase the alternative minimum tax (AMT) credit limitation in lieu of bonus depreciation; and (3) allow an additional depreciation allowance for a tree or vine bearing fruits or nuts, in the taxable year in which the tree or vine is planted or grafted to a plant in the ordinary course of the taxpayer's farming business. Title VII: Repeal of Medical Device Excise Tax - Repeals the excise tax on medical devices. Division II: Financial Services - Title I: Small Business Capital Access And Job Preservation - Small Business Capital Access And Job Preservation Act - Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to exempt private equity fund investment advisers from its registration and reporting requirements, provided that each private equity fund has not borrowed and does not have outstanding a principal amount exceeding twice its invested capital commitments. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to promulgate final rules that: (1) require such investment advisers to maintain records the SEC may require, taking into account fund size, governance, investment strategy, and risk; and (2) define the term "private equity fund" for purposes of this Act. Title II: Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification - Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act of 2014 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to exempt from its registration requirements certain merger and acquisition brokers and associated persons. Denies such registration exemption, however, to brokers who: (1) receive, hold, transmit, or have custody of any funds or securities to be exchanged by parties to a transfer of ownership of an eligible privately held company; or (2) engage on behalf of an issuer in a public offering of securities that are either subject to mandatory registration, or with respect to which the issuer must file periodic information, documents, and reports. Prohibits this Act from being construed to limit any other authority of the SEC to exempt any person, or any class of persons, from any provision of this Act, including any related rule or regulation. Division III: Oversight - Subdivision A: Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency - Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2014 -Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require Congressional Budget Office (CBO) studies on the costs for state, local, or tribal governments to comply with changes to conditions of federal assistance. Expands the point of order against legislation increasing the costs of federal intergovernmental mandates above the statutory threshold to include private sector mandates. Amends the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to establish principles for agencies to use in assessing the effects of federal regulatory actions. Expands the scope of agency statements accompanying significant regulatory actions to require a more detailed analysis of the effect on state, local, tribal governments, or the private sector. Revises the process for consulting state, local, and tribal governments about proposed regulations to include private sector input. Requires the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to provide guidance and oversight so that each agency's regulations are consistent with this title, other laws, and policies of other agencies. Expands judicial review to include agency assessments of regulations and selection of the least costly or least burdensome regulatory alternative. Subdivision B: Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency - Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency Act of 2014 or the ALERRT Act of 2014 - Title I: All Economic Regulations Are Transparent Act - All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act of 2014 or the ALERT Act of 2014 - Requires the head of each federal agency to submit a monthly report to the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each rule such agency expects to propose or finalize during the following year. Requires the Administrator to publish in the Federal Register, by October 1 of each year, information that the Administrator receives from each agency under this Act and statistics on each rule proposed by an agency. Requires the Administrator to make publicly available on the Internet, by October 1 of each year, the analysis of the costs or benefits of each proposed or final rule issued by an agency for the previous year and other information pertaining to each such rule. Prohibits a rule from taking effect until the information required by this Act is posted on the Internet for not less than six months, with exceptions. Title II: Regulatory Accountability Act - Regulatory Accountability Act of 2014 - Revises procedures for rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) to require a federal agency to make all preliminary and final factual determinations based on evidence and to consider other criteria in evaluating a rule. Revises rulemaking notice requirements. Imposes new requirements for issuing any major guidance or guidance that involves a novel legal or policy issue arising out of statutory mandates. Provides for electronic access to transcripts of testimony and exhibits and other papers filed in a rulemaking proceeding. Requires the record of decision in a rulemaking proceeding to include information from a hearing under the Information Quality Act or information on a high-impact rule. Requires an agency to grant a petition for a hearing in the case of a major rule, unless the agency reasonably determines that a hearing would not advance consideration of the rule or would unreasonably delay completion of the rulemaking. Provides that an agency's denial of an Information Quality Act petition, or a failure to grant or deny such petition within 90 days, is reviewable by a court as a final action. Allows immediate judicial review of interim rules issued without compliance with the notice requirements of this Act, other than in cases involving national security interests. Revises standards for the scope of judicial review of agency rulemaking. Defines "substantial evidence" for purposes of evaluating agency adjudications and for rulemaking under APA. Title III: Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act - Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2014 - Amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) to revise the definitions of "rule" and "economic impact" under such Act. Requires initial and final regulatory flexibility analyses to: (1) describe alternatives to a proposed rule that minimize any adverse significant economic impact or that maximize the beneficial significant economic impact on small entities, and (2) include revisions or amendments to a land management plan developed by the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior under specified Acts. Requires each federal agency to include in its regulatory flexibility agenda a brief description of the sector of the North American Industrial Classification System that is affected by a proposed agency rule that is likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Requires an agency's detailed statement in an initial regulatory flexibility analysis to include an estimate of the additional cumulative economic impact of the proposed rule on small entities and a description of any disproportionate economic impact on small entities or a specific class of such entities. Requires an agency, in developing an initial and final regulatory flexibility analysis, to provide: (1) a quantifiable or numerical description of the effects of a proposed or final rule and alternatives to such rule, or (2) a more general descriptive statement and a detailed statement explaining why quantification is not practicable or reliable. Repeals provisions allowing a waiver or delay of the completion of an initial regulatory flexibility analysis. Revises requirements for agency notification of the SBA Chief Counsel for Advocacy prior to the publication of any proposed rule. Provides for judicial review of an agency final rule for compliance with RFA requirements after publication of such rule. Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration's (SBA's) Chief Counsel for Advocacy to specify detailed definitions or standards by which a business may be determined to be a small business (size standard). Amends the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to require federal agencies, in developing small entity compliance guides, to solicit input from affected small entities or associations of small entities. Requires the Comptroller General to complete and publish a study that examines whether the SBA Chief Counsel for Advocacy has the capacity and resources to carry out the duties of Chief Counsel under this Act. Title IV: Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act - Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2014 - Defines a "covered civil action" as a civil action seeking to compel agency action and alleging that an agency is unlawfully withholding or unreasonably delaying an agency action relating to a regulatory action that would affect the rights of: (1) private persons other than the person bringing the action; or (2) a state, local, or tribal government. Defines a "covered consent decree" and a "covered settlement agreement" as: (1) a consent decree or settlement agreement entered into in a covered civil action; and (2) any other consent decree or settlement agreement that requires agency action relating to a regulatory action affecting the rights of private persons other than the person bringing the action or a state, local, or tribal government. Requires an agency against which a covered civil action is brought to publish the notice of intent to sue and the complaint in a readily accessible manner and to provide interested parties an opportunity to intervene and to conduct settlement negotiations through mediation. Requires an agency seeking to enter a covered consent decree or settlement agreement to publish such decree or agreement in the Federal Register and online. Requires a court to grant de novo review to any motion filed by an agency to modify a previously-entered consent decree if the basis of such motion is that the terms of the decree are no longer fully in the public interest due to the agency's obligations to fulfill other duties or due to changed facts and circumstances. Division IV: Judiciary - Title I: Regulations From The Executive In Need Of Scrutiny - Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2014 - States that the purpose of this Act is to increase accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process by requiring Congress to approve all new major regulations. Revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking to require a federal agency promulgating a rule to include in its report to Congress and to the Comptroller General a classification of the rule as a major or nonmajor rule. Requires a joint resolution of approval of major rules to be enacted before such rules may take effect. Provides that if a joint resolution of approval is not enacted by the end of 70 session days or legislative days, as applicable, after the agency proposing the rule submits its report on such rule to Congress, the major rule shall be deemed not to be approved and shall not take effect. Permits a major rule to take effect for one 90-calendar-day period without such approval if the President determines it is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, for national security, or to implement an international trade agreement. Sets forth the congressional approval procedure for major rules and the congressional disapproval procedure for nonmajor rules. Requires the introduction of a joint resolution addressing a report classifying a rule as a major rule within three legislative days in the House of Representative and three session days in the Senate. Prohibits any amendments to such a joint resolution at any stage of the legislative process. Provides for expedited consideration of a joint resolution of approval and requires a vote on such resolution in the Senate within 15 session days after it is reported by the committee to which it was referred, or after such committee has been discharged from further consideration of the resolution. Allows a court to review whether an agency has completed the necessary requirements under this Act for a rule to take effect. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to provide that any congressional approval procedure set forth in this Act affecting budget authority, outlays, or receipts shall be assumed to be effective unless it is not approved in accordance with this Act. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct and report on a study to determine how many rules and major rules were in effect as of the date of enactment of this Act and the total estimated economic cost imposed by all such rules. Title II: Permanent Internet Tax Freedom - Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act - Amends the Internet Tax Freedom Act to make permanent the ban on state and local taxation of Internet access and on multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. Division V: Natural Resources - Subdivision A: Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities - Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act - Title I: Restoring the Commitment to Rural Counties and Schools - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish at least one Forest Reserve Revenue Area within each unit of the National Forest System (NFS) designated for sustainable forest management for the production of national forest materials (the sale of trees, portions of trees, or forest products from NFS lands) and forest reserve revenues (to be derived from the sale of such materials in such an Area). Title II: Healthy Forest Management and Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to NFS land, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to implement a hazardous fuel reduction project or forest health project in at-risk forests in a manner that focuses on surface, ladder, and canopy fuels reduction activities. Allows a state governor to designate high-risk areas of federal land in the state for purposes of addressing: (1) deteriorating forest health conditions due to the bark beetle epidemic or drought, with the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfires; and (2) the future risk of insect infestations or disease outbreaks through preventative treatments to improve forest health conditions. Title III: Oregon and California Railroad Grant Lands Trust, Conservation, and Jobs - O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act - Establishes the Oregon and California Railroad Grant Lands Trust to produce annual maximum sustained revenues in perpetuity for Trust counties by managing the timber resources on Trust lands. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer administrative jurisdiction over all Oregon and California Railroad Grant lands and O&C Region Public Domain lands not designated as O&C Trust lands, except for certain tribal lands, to the Secretary of Agriculture for inclusion in the NFS. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to appoint an Old Growth Review Panel to define old growth as it applies to the ecologically, geographically, and climatologically unique Oregon and California Railroad Grant lands and O&C Region Public Domain lands managed by the O&C Trust or the Forest Service only (but not to tribal lands). Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer management authority over the reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands, with certain exceptions, and their surface resources to the Coos County government in Oregon. Designates certain federal land in Oregon as the Devil's Staircase Wilderness for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specified segments of the Molalla River and the Rogue River in Oregon as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Holds in trust for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians all interest of the United States in and to the Council Creek specified land composed of approximately 17,519 acres. Makes that land part of the Tribe's reservation. Holds in trust for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians all interest of the United States in and to approximately 14,804 acres of specified federal land. Makes that land part of the Tribes' reservation. Title IV: Community Forest Management Demonstration - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the community forest demonstration area of a state. Conditions establishment of an area upon: (1) inclusion of at least 200,000 acres of NFS land; (2) a state forest practices law applicable to state or privately owned forest land, or established silvicultural best management practices or other regulations for forest management practices related to clean water, soil quality, wildlife, or forest health; and (3) a revenue-sharing agreement between a county and the state governor requiring the county, in using certain revenues received from the area, to continue to meet obligations for the use of such revenues for the benefit of public schools and roads. Limits to a total of 4 million acres the amount of NFS land that may be established as community forest demonstration areas. Title V: Reauthorization and Amendment of Existing Authorities and Other Matters - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, during February 2015, to distribute to each beneficiary county a payment equal to the amount distributed to the county for FY2010 under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, during February 2015, to distribute to all counties that received a payment for FY2010new payments totalling the difference between: (1) the total amount distributed to all such counties for FY2010, and (2) $27 million. Subdivision B: National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production - National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2014 - Title I: Development Of Domestic Sources Of Strategic And Critical Minerals - Deems a domestic mine that will provide strategic and critical minerals to be an "infrastructure project" as described in Presidential Order "Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of Infrastructure Projects" dated March 22, 2012. Sets forth the responsibilities of the lead agency (federal, state, local, tribal, or Alaska Native Corporation) with responsibility for issuing a mineral exploration or mine permit with respect to project coordination, agency consultation, project proponents, contractors, and the status and scope of any environmental impact statement. Requires the lead agency to determine that any such action does not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 if the procedural and substantive safeguards of the lead agency's permitting process alone, any applicable state permitting process alone, or a combination of the two processes together, provide an adequate mechanism to ensure that environmental factors are taken into account. Requires the lead agency's project lead, at a project proponent's request, to enter into an agreement with the project proponent and other cooperating agencies that sets time limits for each part of the permitting process. Applies this Act to a mineral exploration or mine permit for which an application was submitted before enactment of this Act if the applicant so requests in writing. Requires the lead agency, with respect to strategic and critical minerals within a federally administered unit of the NFS, to: (1) exempt from federal regulations governing Special Areas all areas of identified mineral resources in Land Use Designations (other than Non-Development Land Use Designations); (2) apply such exemption to all additional routes and areas that the agency finds necessary to facilitate the construction, operation, maintenance, and restoration of the areas of the identified mineral resources; and (3) continue to apply such exemptions after approval of the Minerals Plan of Operations for the unit. Title II: Judicial Review of Agency Actions Relating to Exploration and Mine Permits - Authorizes the holder of a mineral exploration or mine permit to intervene as of right in any covered civil action by a person affecting rights or obligations of the permit holder under the permit. Bars a civil action claiming legal wrong caused by an agency action unless it is filed within the end of the 60-day period beginning on the date of the final federal agency action to which it relates. Requires the court to hear and determine any covered civil action as expeditiously as possible. Prohibits the court, in a covered civil action, from granting or approving prospective relief unless it finds that it is narrowly drawn, extends no further than necessary to correct the violation of a legal requirement, and is the least intrusive means necessary to correct such violation. Prohibits payment from the federal government for court costs of a party in such a civil action, including attorneys' fees and expenses. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Prohibits the construction of this subdivision to affect any aspect of Secretarial Order 3324, issued by the Secretary of the Interior on December 3, 2012, with respect to potash and oil and gas operators.
Bill· SS. 2798 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2014
Great Lakes and Fresh Water Algal Bloom Information Act - Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create an online database of research and information on the causes and corrective actions being taken with regard to algal blooms in the Great Lakes, their tributaries, and other surface fresh waters. Requires NOAA to include relevant chemical, physical, and biological data that have been collected by an accredited university, association or organization, research group, federal agency, state, or local government in the United States or Canada. Declares that this Act does not authorize NOAA to require the submission of additional data.
Bill· SS. 2797 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2014
Clean Water Affordability Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise and reauthorize through FY2019 a grant program to intercept, transport, control, or treat combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a comprehensive and integrated planning approach to the obligations under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) of a publicly owned treatment work (POTW) or a publicly owned municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4). Allows approval of a NPDES permit under a state-administered program with a term of between 5 and 25 years if a POTW or MS4 has an integrated plan approved under this Act. Requires the EPA to: (1) amend the CSO control policy to allow a POTW with an approved long-term control plan to modify the plan to incorporate green infrastructure and energy-efficient technologies if they are cost-effective, and (2) allow a POTW 30 years to meet compliance obligations under a modified plan. Requires the EPA to: (1) promote the use of green infrastructure in permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; and (2) establish a voluntary green infrastructure portfolio standard to increase the percentage of annual water managed by eligible entities that use green infrastructure. Requires the EPA to update the guidance entitled "Combined Sewer Overflows - Guidance for Financial Capability Assessment and Schedule Development" to ensure that the evaluations of financial capability assessment and schedule development meet specified criteria.
Bill· HRH.R. 5456 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2014
Great Lakes and Fresh Water Algal Bloom Information Act - Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create an online database of research and information on the causes and corrective actions being taken with regard to algal blooms in the Great Lakes, their tributaries, and other surface fresh waters. Requires NOAA to include relevant chemical, physical, and biological data that have been collected by an accredited university, association or organization, research group, federal agency, state, or local government in the United States or Canada. Declares that this Act does not grant NOAA any new authority, including the authority to require submission of data.
Bill· SS. 2785 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2014
Safe and Secure Drinking Water Protection Act of 2014 - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and publish within 180 days a health advisory including recommendations on: (1) the level of microcystins (toxins produced by freshwater cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae) in drinking water that is safe for human consumption; (2) feasible treatment techniques and other means for achieving a safe level; and (3) standardized procedures for testing for microcystins in drinking water. Directs the EPA to report with 180 days and every year thereafter on: (1) the status of the determination, (2) the steps taken by the EPA to promote testing of drinking water for microcystins in areas that have been affected by harmful algal blooms, and (3) an analysis of available treatment techniques and other means for addressing microcystins in drinking water.
Bill· HRH.R. 5447 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2014
Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to allow expedited review of an application for the registration of a pesticide or an amendment to a currently registered pesticide if use of the pesticide proposed is reasonably expected to improve the health of managed pollinator bees (bees raised and housed in a managed hive or other appropriate housing and used for honey production, managed pollination of crops, or breeding for commercial purposes), including by managing resistance to parasitic pests of managed pollinator bees. Requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to report on the extent and scope of the threat to the health of managed pollinator bees from: (1) pathological factors, including the species of parasitic mite known as Varroa mite (Varroa destructor), other arthropod pests, and fungal, microbial, and viral diseases; and (2) environmental factors, including the habitat, forage, beekeeper practices and husbandry, and nutritional needs of managed pollinator bees. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to report on: (1) the availability of pesticides for management of parasitic pests that adversely impact the health of managed pollinator bees; and (2) EPA efforts to expedite approvals of new products to control parasitic pests of managed pollinator bees, including products to mitigate resistance to available products.
Bill· HRH.R. 5439 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2014
Safe and Secure Drinking Water Act of 2014 - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and publish within 90 days a health advisory including recommendations on: (1) the level of microcystins (toxins produced by freshwater cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae) in drinking water that is safe for human consumption; (2) feasible treatment techniques and other means for achieving a safe level; and (3) standardized procedures for testing for microcystins in drinking water. Directs the EPA, until it makes a determination on whether to regulate microcystins in drinking water, to report within 120 days and every year thereafter on: (1) the status of the determination, (2) the steps taken by the EPA to promote testing of drinking water for microcystins in areas that have been affected by harmful algal blooms, and (3) an analysis of available treatment techniques and other means for addressing microcystins in drinking water.