The world's political record
Records whose title is actually about this topic. Use a country filter if the list is still too broad.
1,720 records in 2017
United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 6 January 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect the Arctic environment and its eco-system.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2017 or the RPM Act of 2017 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to allow the modification of a vehicle's air emission controls if the vehicle is used solely for competition.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency's rule published on June 3, 2016, that revised new source performance standards under the Clean Air Act and established new standards for emissions of greenhouse gases and volatile organic compounds from the oil and natural gas sector.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) complete environmental, cultural resource, and other due diligence activities on certain public land to confirm its suitability for inclusion in the Black Hills National Cemetery, South Dakota; and (2) notify the Department of the Interior of such activities. After completion of such activities and upon receipt by Interior of written confirmation of suitability from the VA, the land shall: (1) be withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws, for as long as it remains under VA administrative jurisdiction; (2) be deemed property; and (3) be transferred to the VA for use as national cemeteries. Interior shall publish a notice containing the legal descriptions of such transferred land. The VA shall reimburse Interior for reasonable transfer costs, including survey costs. Upon a determination by the VA that all or a portion of such transferred land shall not be used for cemetery purposes, the VA shall: (1) notify Interior and transfer jurisdiction of the land back to Interior, and (2) be responsible for any decontamination costs necessary for restoration of the lands to the public lands.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Energy Efficient Government Technology Act This bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require each federal agency to coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop an implementation strategy for the maintenance, purchase, and use of energy-efficient and energy-saving information technologies. DOE must: (1) 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 (2) 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.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Alaska Oil and Gas Production Act This bill authorizes the exploration, leasing, development, production, and transportation of oil and gas to and from the Coastal Plain of Alaska. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program for oil and gas exploration, development, and production on the Coastal Plain. The bill amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to repeal the prohibition against production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The BLM may not close land within the Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, or production except in accordance with this bill. The BLM must conduct a second lease sale in Coastal Plain areas within 18 months after the first lease sale is conducted under this bill. The bill sets forth certain environmental protection standards for the Coastal Plain that the BLM must follow when administering this bill. The bill directs the BLM to convey certain land to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. The bill establishes the western coastal boundary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The bill establishes the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund to provide financial assistance to governmental entities in Alaska directly impacted by oil or gas exploration or production on the Coastal Plain. Additionally, the bill restricts the use of such financial assistance to specified purposes, including mitigation and coordination efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Improved National Monument Designation Process Act Before a national monument can be designated on public land, the President must obtain congressional approval, certify compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and receive notice from the governor of the state in which the monument is to be located that the state legislature has enacted legislation approving its designation. The President may not declare any area of the exclusive economic zone to be a marine national monument unless: it is specifically authorized by Congress, the President has certified compliance with NEPA, and each state legislature within 100 nautical miles of the proposed monument has approved it. Neither the Department of the Interior nor the Department of Commerce may implement a restriction on the public use of a marine national monument until the expiration of an appropriate review period providing for public input and congressional approval.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Incentives for our Nation's Veterans in Energy Sustainability Technologies or the INVEST Act This bill 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. A "specified veteran" means any veteran who is certified as: (1) having received a credential or certification from the Department of Defense 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. The Department of the Treasury shall pay: (1) each U.S. possession (i.e., American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) with a mirror code tax system amounts equal to the loss to such possession due to this Act; and (2) each U.S. possession without such a tax system an amount estimated to equal the loss to such possession that would have occurred due to this Act if such a tax system had been in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
Environmental Justice Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a credit against the employment taxes of a tax-exempt organization equal to 40% of amounts paid or incurred by such organization to support environmental justice communities or projects. The limit on the amount of such credit for a calendar year is $10,000.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the Stream Protection Rule finalized by the Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement on December 20, 2016. The rule addresses the impacts of surface coal mining operations on surface water, groundwater, and the productivity of mining operation sites.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Native American Energy Act This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to permit certain entities to appraise Indian land or trust assets involved in a transaction requiring Department of Interior approval. (Currently, Interior sets appraisal requirements.) A tribe may waive the requirement for an appraisal. Certain agencies within Interior must use a uniform system of reference numbers and tracking systems for oil and gas wells. This bill amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to make environmental impact statements for major federal actions (excluding actions related to gaming) on Indian lands available only to certain entities. The bill sets forth provisions for the judicial review of a cause of action related to energy development on Indian land. This bill amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to direct Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enter into agreements with Indian tribes to carry out demonstration projects that promote biomass energy production. Interior and USDA may carry out demonstration projects by which tribes may perform the functions of programs under that Act. Activity pursuant to a tribal resource management plan approved by Interior is considered to be a sustainable management practice. This bill amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to revise the types and duration of leases the Navajo Nation may enter without Interior's approval. Certain Interior rules regarding energy production do not apply on land held in trust for Indians or on restricted Indian land, except with the consent of the Indian beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2022 the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Revisions are made to: (1) requirements for fishery management plans for overfished fisheries; and (2) catch limit requirements, including by authorizing Regional Fishery Management Councils to consider changes in an ecosystem and the economic needs of the fishing communities when establishing the limits. To distinguish between fish that are depleted due to fishing and those that are depleted for other reasons, the term "depleted" replaces the term "overfished" throughout the MSA. Fishery impact statements must analyze the impacts of proposed actions in fishery management plans on the quality of the human environment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must publish a plan for implementing the Cooperative Research and Management Program. The offshore jurisdiction of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama is extended from three miles to nine miles for the recreational management of red snapper. The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission must conduct all fishery stock assessments used for management purposes by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council for the fisheries managed under the Council's Reef Fish Management Plan. Any commercial catch share allocation in a fishery in the Gulf of Mexico may only be traded by sale or lease within the same commercial fishing sector. NOAA must develop a plan to conduct stock assessments for all fish for which a fishery management plan is in effect under this bill. Additionally, NOAA must develop guidelines that will incorporate data from private entities into fishery management plans.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
King Cove Road Land Exchange Act This bill declares that, if the state of Alaska offers to convey to the Department of the Interior 43,093 acres of state-owned land, Interior shall convey to Alaska, in exchange, 206 acres of federal land within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and 131 acres of federal land within the Izembek Wilderness, for purposes of: (1) designating a road corridor through the refuge, and (2) constructing a single-lane gravel road along the road corridor. The values of the federal and nonfederal lands to be exchanged shall be equal. Interior and Alaska shall select an appraiser to conduct appraisals of the federal and nonfederal lands in accordance with nationally recognized appraisal standards. The bill requires the route of the road corridor to follow a specified southern road alignment. The bill states that the exchange of the federal and nonfederal lands and the road to be constructed under this bill shall not constitute a major federal action requiring environmental impact review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convey to the Tanana Tribal Council in Tanana, Alaska, all interest of the United States in and to certain property (including all land, improvements, and appurtenances) containing 11.25 acres, in the village of Tanana for use in connection with health and social services programs. HHS shall convey to the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation in Dillingham, Alaska, all interest of the United States in and to certain property included in the Dental Annex Subdivision (including all land, improvements, and appurtenances) containing 1.474 acres more or less, also for use in connection with health and social services programs. Neither the Tanana Tribal Council nor the Corporation shall be 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 properties.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
This bill amends the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit the Department of Commerce from designating as a national marine sanctuary an area of the marine environment off the coast of Alaska seaward of the high tide line unless an Act of Congress requires Commerce to make the designation and prescribes the boundaries of the designated area.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Prevention of Escapement of Genetically Altered Salmon in the United States Act This bill prohibits a person from: shipping, transporting, offering for sale, selling, or purchasing a genetically altered finfish, or a food product containing those fish, in commerce; having custody, control, or possession of those fish or food products with the intent to ship, transport, offer for sale, sell, or purchase them in commerce; engaging in net-pen aquaculture (pens of fish contained by nets) of those fish; releasing those fish into a natural environment; or having custody, control, or possession of those fish with the intent to release them into a natural environment. Fish, fish parts, or products confined for scientific research or collected to enforce this bill are exempted from the prohibition. An additional exemption is established if the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): (1) prepares a finding of no significant impact in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 after reviewing an application requesting a federal agency to permit activity prohibited by this bill, or (2) finds the application to be consistent with an environmental impact statement that includes an environmental risk analysis and specified assessments of costs and potential economic damage. Each federal agency must promptly notify NOAA when an action involving those fish or food products is first identified by the agency. The Department of Commerce may enforce penalties for violations of this bill under specified provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Genetically Engineered Salmon Labeling Act This bill requires the market name of genetically modified (commonly called "GMO") salmon to include "Genetically Engineered" or "GE" in front of the existing market name. The Department of Health and Human Services must ensure that an independent scientific organization reviews and reports on the Food and Drug Administration's environmental assessment of AquAdvantage Salmon.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
American Energy Independence and Job Creation Act This bill directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to implement a competitive leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources on the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Alaska. The bill amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from ANWR. The bill requires BLM to conduct its first lease sale within 22 months. This bill also prescribes terms and conditions governing Coastal Plain lease sales, including the establishment of environmental protection standards and the prohibition of exporting oil produced under the lease. The bill establishes the ANWR Alternative Energy Trust Fund, into which shall be deposited 50% of the amount of revenues from federal oil and gas leasing and operations authorized under this bill. The fund must be used to provide grants and incentives for certain energy programs, including grants for clean coal power and renewable energy initiatives, and incentives for hydroelectric production.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Leave Ethanol Volumes at Existing Levels Act or the LEVEL Act This bill amends the Clean Air Act to revise the renewable fuel program by: (1) decreasing the volume of renewable fuel that must be contained in gasoline in 2017 through 2022 to 7.5 billion gallons for each year, and (2) requiring a volume of 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel in gasoline for each year thereafter. The bill revises the renewable fuel standard, including by eliminating separate volume requirements for the following renewable fuel categories: advanced biofuels, cellulosic biofuel (ethanol derived from certain types of biological matter), and biomass-based diesel. The bill revokes the requirement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ensure that renewable fuels emit fewer greenhouse gases than the fuel it replaces. One gallon of cellulosic biomass ethanol or waste-derived ethanol is considered to be equal to 2.5 gallons of renewable fuel. Petitions for waivers from requirements under the renewable fuel program may not be brought to the EPA by a person who is subject to the requirements of the program. The EPA may not permit or authorize the introduction into commerce of gasoline that: (1) contains greater than 10% ethanol, (2) is intended for general use in conventional gasoline-powered vehicles or engines, and (3) is not registered under the program and lawfully sold in the United States before this bill's enactment. This prohibition applies to EPA grants of waivers through the fuels and fuel additives waiver process as well, except for waivers for gasoline that is registered and lawfully sold in the United States before this bill's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the Stream Protection Rule finalized by the Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement on December 20, 2016. The rule addresses the impacts of surface coal mining operations on surface water, groundwater, and the productivity of mining operation sites.