PDF versionAGI policy news briefs summarize geoscience policy activities and related events in Washington, D.C. as part of an effort to keep AGI member societies and other audiences informed about relevant federal policy and legislative updates.
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According to a report from the Department of Commerce’s Inspector General, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) weather satellites could be vulnerable for the next 29 months due to construction delays.
On May 29, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed a bill into law restricting municipalities from regulating oil and gas activities in their jurisdictions.
The House passed the Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act (SPACE) of 2015 on May 21, which is designed to facilitate exploration and exploitation of space resources by American businesses.
On May 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee allocated $30.01 billion to the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies to cover funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Forest Service, and other agencies for fiscal year (FY) 2016.
The House Appropriations Committee passed the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) spending bill for fiscal year (FY) 2016 by voice vote on May 20.
Members of the House and Senate have introduced bills that would give the Department of the Interior (DOI) authority over natural gas pipeline permitting on federal lands in lieu of congressional oversight.
A Senate bill (S. 1398) introduced on May 20 would provide an alternative to the energy research funding levels proposed in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015, which passed the House on May 19.
Texas governor Greg Abbott signed TX HB 40 into law on May 19 in an effort to create continuity in oil and gas restrictions across the state.
One week after introducing the Energy Supply and Distribution Act of 2015 (S. 1312), which would lift the US ban on exporting its crude oil to other nations, Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have introduced a second, more focused bill on the issue.
On May 19, the House voted to approve the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 (H.R. 1806).
On May 12, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (ENR) held a hearing to consider the American Mineral Security Act of 2015 to increase support for minerals science, information, and forecasting within the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Resources Program.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) regulations regarding royalty payments and measurement standards for onshore oil and gas production.
On May 1, the House passed a $34.5 billion Energy and Water spending bill by a vote of 240-177, largely along party lines.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee both held hearings on energy efficiency bills working their way through each chamber.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Bureau of Land Management’s new regulations for hydraulic fracturing on federal land.
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a markup of the NASA Authorization Act for 2016 and 2017 (H.R. 2039).
The Obama Administration has introduced a Quadrennial Energy Review to address the future of energy transmission, storage, and infrastructure distribution in the U.S.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the Secret Science Reform Act (S.544).
The U.S. Geological Survey released a report on preliminary models of earthquakes triggered by human activity, or induced seismicity, to be added into U.S. hazard modeling.
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Space Subcommittee held a hearing on the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for NASA.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water passed a bill funding the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration for fiscal year 2016 (H.R.2028).
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their fifth annual report on fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in government services.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement proposed new regulations for offshore drilling.
A new $3.6 million effort supports a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Geological Survey to develop an early warning indicator for freshwater algal blooms.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the expansion of the Gulf of the Farallones and the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries.
Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced The American Mineral Security Act of 2015, a bill supporting the development of domestic supplies of critical minerals, as well as the infrastructure to support research and education
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee passed the Weather Research and Forecast Innovation Act of 2015.
The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget request.
The House passed Representative Lamar Smith’s (R-TX) Secret Science Reform Act of 2015 which impacts science used in Environmental Protection Agency rulemaking.
The Obama Administration and Bureau of Land Management introduced new regulations on hydraulic fracturing on federally-managed land.
The Western Governors’ Association sent a letter to Congress expressing their support for two wildfire-related bills.
The House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee met to discuss the President’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies held a hearing on the President’s fiscal year 2016 budget request for the National Science Foundation.
