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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A list of notices from the federal register for May 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
On June 2, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule, the Clean Power Plan, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.
A key vote on the Keystone XL pipeline stalled May 12 after the Senate reached an impasse on the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 (S. 761), sponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH).
On May 19, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) declined to hear a challenge to the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) rule charging coal companies fees for exporting coal.
In a bipartisan effort, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies unanimously passed their Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 appropriations bill allocating a total of $51.2 billion.
The House passed the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4660) on May 30 by a vote of 321-87.
On May 22, the Geoscience-Energy Briefing Consortium, which includes the American Geosciences Institute, held two briefings for congressional Senate and House staff entitled “Oil and Gas Development: How Geoscience Makes a Difference.”
On May 21, the full Senate passed bipartisan legislation to combat severe propane shortages like those occurring last winter across the East Coast and Midwest. The Reliable Home Heating Act (S. 2086) was drafted by Senator John Thune (R-SD) and gained bipartisan co-sponsors.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) released the newest National Climate Assessment on May 6.
On May 20, Department of Energy (DOE) officials convened a White House round table to discuss methane emitted by the natural gas sector.
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing on the process used to compile the most recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has called on the oil and gas industry to help assess the workplace hazards associated with hydraulic fracturing in response to four worker deaths since 2010.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that the rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma has increased by about 50 percent since October 2013, indicating increased probability that a damaging quake will strike central Oklahoma.
On May 31, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched a satellite to study damage caused by natural disasters, including effects of major earthquakes, tsunamis, and depleting rainforests.
On May 14, the U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to implement its conflict minerals rule and upheld a June 2 deadline for companies to file a Conflict Minerals Report with the SEC.
The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on Thursday, June 12 to discuss how technology and innovation help spur job creation in the energy sector.
On June 4, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public works held a hearing to question officials of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on their progress in implementing Fukushima Near-Term Task Force safety recommendations.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing on June 10 to discuss the impacts of contaminated Superfund sites, as well as strategies to speed up the decontamination process in light of decreased funding for the program.
This June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers proposed a rule to clarify what types of water fall under the protection of the Clean Water Act.
On June 10, the House Natural Resources, Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the development of an earthquake early warning system in the U.S.
On June 16, President Obama announced his commitment to expand federal protection of the ocean near the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the southern Pacific Ocean.
The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on June 20 to discuss regulations related to natural gas pipelines.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development held a markup of their fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations bill, which allocates a total of $34 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE), the Army Corps of Engineers, and other related agencies.
In a markup held June 10, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation intended to reduce delays in air quality permitting by a vote of 30-19
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee cleared the nomination of Dr. Suzette Kimball as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in a business meeting on June 18.
On June 24, Senator Mark Udall (D-CO), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, called for the Senate to prioritize funding for natural hazard mitigation.
During this Atlantic summer hurricane season, NASA plans to widen its tropical storm studies with the addition of two unmanned Global Hawk aircraft ideal for flying over storms and monitoring the conditions under which they form and intensify.
NASA is asking the public for help in identifying asteroids suitable for study in its Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), with the goal of capturing an asteroid with a robotic spacecraft, redirecting it to orbit the moon, and ultimately sending astronauts to study it.
On June 25, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a full committee hearing on the future of space exploration and NASA’s goal of landing humans on Mars.
Capitol Hill Ocean Week took place June 10 to 12, 2014 and was sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and many nonprofit organizations and private companies.
A list of notices from the federal register for June 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for July 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for August 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for September 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for October 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the Federal Register for November 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for December 2014 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for January 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for February 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for March 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for April 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for May 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for June 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for July 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for August 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for June 2016 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for June 2016 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for August 2016 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for September 2016 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.
A list of notices from the federal register for November 2016 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, USGS, NOAA, NASA, and more.