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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On November 13, the House Research and Technology Subcommittee held its first public hearing to examine the discussion draft of Frontiers in Innovative Research, Science, and Technology (or FIRST) Act unveiled by Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX).
A House-Senate conference committee met on November 20 to begin resolving the differences between their versions of Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
A list of notices from the federal register for November 2013 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
On December 27, President Obama signed into law the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act.
The Weather Forecasting Improvement Act of 2013 (H.R. 2413) was passed in December by the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) recently announced the launch date for a new joint-venture satellite.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a partnership to implement and coordinate policies that support water quality trading programs for nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants for economic and environmental benefit.
A list of notices from the federal register for December 2013 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
This December, the House and Senate Budget Conference Committee led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) came to an agreement on a proposed fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget.
Capitol Hill is about to experience a massive shuffle. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), current Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, was recently nominated by President Obama to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to China.
Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced a bill this December that will transfer the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from the Department of Commerce to the Department of the Interior.
The Senate Finance Committee recently released a new proposal to overhaul some energy provisions in the tax code in the United States.
The production tax credit (PTC) for renewable energy, a corporate tax credit available to businesses producing renewable energy through a number of green technologies, expired at the end of 2013.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently released a new website featuring maps and summaries of historical and projected temperatures and rainfall for counties inside the contiguous United States.
The National Academies Press released a new report, “Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change: Anticipating Surprises,” providing an updated overview of the potential effects of climate change.
This December, the Department of the Interior (DOI) released its 2013 Sustainability Plan, which aims to cut energy use and waste throughout the Department.
The Department of the Interior announced that it will award an additional $7 million in funding for climate change research.
The House Science, Space and Technology Committee passed the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 2431).
The Reducing Excessive Deadline Obligations Act (H.R. 2279) passed the House of Representatives 225-188 on January 9.
The House Natural Resources Committee has launched a new set of hearings devoted to analyzing the potential socioeconomic impacts of the Office of Surface Mining’s (OSM) proposed Stream Protection Rule (SPR).
The southernmost portion of the TransCanada Corporation owned Keystone XL pipeline began transporting crude oil from Cushing, Oklahoma, to Nederland, Texas, on January 22.
On January 10, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing to discuss seismic exploration on the Mid- and South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
On December 20, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down Act 13, state drilling regulations that would have established a protected zone around the PA’s waterways, preventing any drilling within 300-feet them.
A list of notices from the federal register for November 2013 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee and a major proponent of oil and gas development, is calling for the government to reduce regulations on U.S. exports of crude oil.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global energy consumption will increase by nearly 50 percent by 2035 due to population growth and the ensuing increases in demand from the developing world.
The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), the state agency responsible for the regulation of the oil and gas industry in Texas, announced that it will hire an in-house seismologist in response to a series of earthquakes in the small town of Azle, Texas.
On January 15, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a report on the potential environmental impact of a major open pit mining operation in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed.
Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ) will take over for Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) as chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Environment.
Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) have recently introduced a bill (S.1875) to permit the use of emergency funding in fighting wildfires, in addition to money allocated in the Forest Service discretionary budget.
Congress and the White House were able to come to an agreement on an omnibus spending deal this January, approving a budget for fiscal year (FY) 2014.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that human-induced seismicity may be the cause of increased domestic earthquake activity over the past several years.
Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) are calling for a delay in new flood insurance rates that took effect in 2013.
In January, the Obama Administration decided the $100 billion International Space Station (ISS) would see continued use until 2024 in efforts to continue international cooperation on scientific research.
On January 22, the U.S. Navy previewed a new strategy for the Arctic polar region at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, updating their 2009 plan.
President Obama has nominated the current Acting Director of the U.S. Geological Survey,Suzette Kimball, to assume the position full time.
On January 16, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee David Vitter (R-LA) received a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explaining the Obama Administration’s new definition of the social cost of carbon (SCC).
On Thursday, January 16, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) held a full committee hearing on the implementation and effects of President Obama’sClimate Action Plan (CAP).
On February 4, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife held a hearing on safe drinking water supplies.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of updating some of its nuclear energy regulations, including nuclear operation and waste storage standards.
The U.S. and France have teamed up to lead an international initiative to address climate change.
Notable senior officials including Indian Ambassador to the United States S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor to President Obama, Susan Rice, among other industry leaders, environmental activists and government officials attended a sponsored U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue to facilitate cooperation on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards between the two nations.
The Obama Administration is strengthening its message on global climate change. In a series of speeches this February, Secretary of State John Kerry called upon the global community to do what they could to immediately reduce the impacts of climate change.
Secretary of State John Kerry announced this month that the U.S. will appoint an Envoy to the Arctic. The new position comes at the request of Alaskan lawmakers like Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) who argue that an official ambassador is necessary for the U.S. to remain competitive in the region.
This February the President pitched a new climate change resilience fund to help communities across the country react to the impacts of climate change.
On February 12, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on "Extreme Weather Events: The Costs of Not Being Prepared."
This month, NASA is requesting applications from private commercial spaceflight industries to partner with them in developing technologies capable of delivering cargo to the Moon.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) claims diminished precipitation levels over the past three years could be the worst in California’s one-hundred-year recorded history. The drought has prompted legislative action from federal sources.
Following the passage of the bipartisan omnibus budget agreement in January, goodwill continued to permeate Capitol Hill as Democrats and Republicans in both chambers passed a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling until March 2015.
A list of notices from the federal register for February 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.