Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
december 2015

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congress

House passes bill amending the Natural Gas Act

December 3, 2015

H.R. 8, or the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act, passed the House on December 3, 2015. The bill revises the federal authorization process within the Natural Gas Act to allow for expedited reviews for exporting or importing natural gas. The bill also includes measures to modernize electric infrastructure, to treat certain thermal energy projects as renewable energy projects in order to include these projects in the US federal electric energy purchase requirements, and to improve hydropower regulatory processes.

The act directs agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to complete multiple renewable energy strategies.  For example, the DOE is directed to implement education and training programs to assist in increasing the numbers of energy-related jobs. H.R. 8 has been received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Sources: congress.gov, House Committee on Natural Resources

Sen. Sanders and others introduce bills supporting transition to clean energy

December 8, 2015

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced two bills on investment in renewable energy tax credits and the state of jobs in the coal mining industry.

The first bill, American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015 (S.___), calls for the extension of renewable energy tax credits, or tax incentives allowing the tax payer to subtract the incentive credit amount from their annual state taxes. According to the proposed bill, the costs of the credit incentives would be offset by repealing portions of the fossil fuel industry tax code.  The onshore wind-energy sector would be subject to a gradual increase in production tax credits and a 30 percent investment tax credit to expand the construction of offshore and onshore wind facilities.

The second bill, known as the Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act of 2015 (S.____), would establish vocational and job skills educational programs to help displaced coal industry workers find new jobs. It would also create health care and pension funding for the displaced workers to help ease their job transition.

Sources: Sanders Press Release, eenews, sanders.senate.gov

House Committee holds underground hearing on mining workforce, education

December 14, 2015

On December 14, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a field hearing at an unconventional location, the underground classroom of the Edgar Mine at the Colorado School of Mines Experimental Mine in Idaho Springs, Colorado. The hearing focused on the need for increased federal investments in mining and mining engineering education to sustain a skilled and competitive workforce.

According to a white paper from the committee, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is already required to boost mining research; however, only a small percentage of funds go to the engineering programs, which have fallen from 25 in 1982 to 14 in 2007. In order to combat this recent decline, Reps. Cresent Hardy (R-NV) and Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) introduced the Mining Schools Enhancement Act (H.R. 3734), which would ensure more robust funding for mining and mining engineering schools. The proponents of the bill hope boosting mining education will not only help the industry, but also make extraction techniques cleaner and safer.

Sources: Congress.gov, E&E News, House Natural Resources Committee