In an attempt to focus on passing a budget for fiscal year 2014, Congress has decided to table an already delayed Senate vote on the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S. 1392) that was scheduled to take place the last week in September. The bill, originally introduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) in March and then revised and reintroduced in July, proposes the most significant energy legislation since the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140).

News sources indicate that the White House will nominate Neil Kornze to be the next Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Korze is currently Principal Deputy Director at BLM. In 2011, Kornze joined the BLM in as a Senior Advisor to the Director. Prior to the BLM, Kornze worked as a Senior Advisor to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. The appointment awaits nomination and approval.

Sources: Environment & Energy Publishing

The EPA proposed Carbon Pollution Standards under the Clean Air Act to cut carbon pollution from new power plants to improve public health and curb the effects of climate change. According to the EPA, the standards would ensure that new power plants are built with available clean technology, and would coincide with investments in clean energy technologies that are already being made in the power industry.

Both the House and Senate passed crucial helium legislation this September to avert the shutdown of the federal helium reserve near Amarillo, Texas. The reserve provides the United States with 40 percent of its helium supply, and is critical for supplying the private sector with helium for hospital equipment, solar panels, and computer silicon chips. H.R. 527, the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, passed with an amendment by the House and is expected to be signed by President Obama in the coming weeks.

Multiple sources reveal the White House is expected to nominate Janice Schneider as the Department of Interior’s assistant secretary for land and minerals management. Schneider is currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP in Washington, D.C. and was a senior aide to former Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes. Schneider’s experience and specialization is in the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, and tribal and cultural resource issues. The appointment awaits nomination and approval.

The American Geosciences Institute’s monthly review of geosciences and policy goes out to the leadership of AGI's member societies, members of the AGI Geoscience Policy Committee, and others as part of a continuing effort to improve communications about the role of geoscience in policy. The current monthly review and archived monthly reviews are all available online.

The American Geosciences Institute’s monthly review of geosciences and policy goes out to the leadership of AGI's member societies, members of the AGI Government Affairs Advisory Committee, and other interested geoscientists as part of a continuing effort to improve communications between GAP and the geoscience community. The current monthly review and archived monthly reviews are all available online.