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January 2015

Congress

• Senate amends, passes bill approving Keystone XL
• New committee members in House and Senate
• New subcommittees announced for the House Natural Resources Committee

​Energy

• Atlantic Ocean opened for outer continental shelf oil and gas leasing
• President and federal agencies propose new restrictions, leases in Arctic
• Leasing for offshore wind farms sells half of allotments
• Process of hydraulic fracturing linked to Ohio earthquakes

​Environment

• NASA and NOAA declare 2014 the warmest year on record

​Federal Agencies & Administration

• New director for USGS Earthquake Science Center
• GAO report: NOAA likely to experience gap in satellite weather data in 2016
• NOAA chooses Craig McLean as Assistant Administrator

​Natural Hazards

• House passes bill on tsunami and windstorm research
• Wildfire funding bill reintroduced by Sen. Wyden and Crapo

​Natural Resources

• China ends export quotas on rare earth elements

​Space

• NASA launches Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite

​Water

• National Research Council report on priorities in ocean research for next decade
• Executive order creates new flood requirements for federal projects

​Federal Register

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Monthly Review prepared by: Maeve Boland, Geoscience Policy Director; Abby Seadler, Geoscience Policy Associate; Meg Gilley, Geoscience Policy Associate; Peri Sasnett, AGI/AAPG Fall Intern; and Piper Lewis, AGI/AAPG Spring Intern.

 

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Compiled February 10, 2015