Latest Action: 07/23/2008 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Bill Text
A bill to protect the oceans and for other purposes. 7/23/2008--Introduced. National Oceans Protection Act of 2008 - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to secure for future U.S. generations a full range of benefits of healthy marine ecosystems.Specifies a national ocean policy and related principles. Requires each federal agency, as possible and not inconsistent with other laws, to interpret and administer policies, regulations and laws in accordance with such policy. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings National Ocean Policy and Leadership Act - Reestablishes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). States that: (1) it shall be a civilian agency administered by an Administrator, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; and (2) there shall be transferred to the Administrator any authority that, before the date of the enactment of this Act, was vested in the Secretary of Commerce and pertains [...]

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Latest Action: 10/03/2008 - Became Public Law No: 110-342.

Bill Text
A joint resolution expressing the consent and approval of Congress to an interstate compact regarding water resources in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin.

9/23/2008--Public Law.    (There are 3 other summaries)

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on August 1, 2008. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Grants congressional consent to and approval of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact as set forth in this resolution's preamble.

Declares that current laws provide protection sufficient to prevent Great Lakes diversions until a Great Lakes water compact is ratified and enforceable.

Reserves the right to alter, amend, or repeal this resolution.

Latest Action: 09/22/2008 - Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 110-863.

Bill Text
To express the consent and approval of Congress to an interstate compact regarding water resources in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.

9/22/2008--Reported to House without amendment.    (There is 1 other summary)

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Grants congressional consent to and approval of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact entered into between the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Reserves the right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act.

Latest Action: 07/22/2008 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Bill Text
A bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with State foresters authorizing State foresters to provide certain forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and protection services. 7/22/2008--Introduced. Good Neighbor Forestry Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements and contracts with state foresters to provide the forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and protection services as specified below on National Forest System and Bureau of Land Management lands. Specifies that such authorized services include: (1) activities to treat insect infected trees; (2) activities to reduce hazardous fuels; and (3) any other activities to restore or improve forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including fish and wildlife habitat.Permits state foresters to enter into subcontracts to provide the restoration and protection [...]

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Latest Action: 07/21/2008 - Committee on Appropriations. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Kohl. With written report No. 110-426.

Bill Text
An original bill making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. 7/21/2008--Reported to Senate without amendment.    (There is 1 other summary) (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2009 - Title I: Agricultural Programs - Appropriates FY2009 funds for the following Department of Agriculture (Department) programs and services: (1) Office of the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary); (2) Office of the Chief Economist; (3) National Appeals Division; (4) Office of Budget and Program Analysis; (5) Office of Homeland Security; (6) Office of the Chief Information Officer; (7) Office of the Chief Financial Officer;[...]

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Latest Action: 07/14/2008 - Committee on Appropriations. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Dorgan. With written report No. 110-416.

Bill Text
An original bill making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. 7/14/2008--Reported to Senate without amendment.    (There is 1 other summary) Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2009 - Title I: Corps of Engineers-Civil - Makes FY2009 appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for civil functions pertaining to rivers and harbors, flood and storm damage reduction, shore protection, and aquatic ecosystem restoration; (2) general investigations and construction; (3) flood damage reduction for the Mississippi River alluvial valley below Cape Girardeau, Missouri; (4) operation and maintenance expenses; (5) administration of laws pertaining to regulation of navigable waters and wetlands; (6) cleanup of contamination from sites in the United States resulting from work performed as part of the early atomic energy [...]

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Latest Action: 07/11/2008 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Bill Text
A bill to provide a supplemental funding source for catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities on Department of the Interior and National Forest System lands, to require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a cohesive wildland fire management strategy, and for other purposes. 7/11/2008--Introduced. Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act or FLAME Act - Establishes in the Treasury the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Fund (Flame Fund). Requires amounts in the Flame Fund to be made available to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretaries) to pay the costs of catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities that are separate from amounts annually appropriated for the predicted annual workload for such activities. Provides for amounts in the Flame Fund to be made available to the Secretaries only after such Secretaries issue a declaration [...]

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Latest Action: 06/27/2008 - Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 855.

Bill Text
A bill to designate certain land as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to authorize certain programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes. 6/26/2008--Introduced. Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2008 - Authorizes specified programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture concerning, among other things, national wilderness preservation, boundary adjustments, national rivers, the national landscape conservation system, national conservation areas, land conveyances and exchanges, watershed management, watershed restoration and enhancement, wildland firefighter safety, forest landscape restoration, national trails, paleontological resources preservation, national parks, studies, national heritage areas, national heritage corridors, and water projects.Makes amendments to various public laws, including the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984,[...]

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Latest Action: 06/25/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6162-6163)

Bill Text
A bill to develop and promote a comprehensive plan for a national strategy to address harmful algal blooms and hypoxia through baseline research, forecasting and monitoring, and mitigation and control while helping communities detect, control, and mitigate coastal and Great Lakes harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events. 6/25/2008--Introduced. Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Amendments Act of 2008 - Amends the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to: (1) require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to establish criteria for determining which states should serve on the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia and to implement a nominations process to select representatives for such Task Force; and (2) require the Task Force's scientific assessments of hypoxia and harmful algal blooms (hypoxia) once (currently, every five years).Requires: (1) the President, [...]

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Latest Action: 06/25/2008 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Bill Text
A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance for programs and activities to protect the water quality of Puget Sound, and for other purposes. 6/25/2008--Introduced. Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Puget Sound Program Office, to be located in the state of Washington and headed by a Director who shall assist the management conference convened for Puget Sound in carrying out its goals.Requires the Director to: (1) assist and support the implementation of the comprehensive conservation and management plan developed by the conference ("Comprehensive Plan"); (2) coordinate the major functions of the federal government related to the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan; (3) carry out studies and research necessary for strengthened implementation of the [...]

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Latest Action: 06/26/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Bill Text
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance for programs and activities to protect the water quality of Puget Sound, and for other purposes. 6/25/2008--Introduced. Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Puget Sound Program Office, to be located in the state of Washington and headed by a Director who shall assist the management conference convened for Puget Sound in carrying out its goals.Requires the Director to: (1) assist and support the implementation of the comprehensive conservation and management plan developed by the conference ("Comprehensive Plan"); (2) coordinate the major functions of the federal government related to the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan; (3) carry out studies and research necessary for strengthened implementation of the Comprehensive [...]

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Latest Action: 06/18/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5760)

Bill Text
A bill to provide for a comprehensive study by the National Research Council of the National Academies to assess the water management, needs, and conservation of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System. 6/18/2008--Introduced. Directs the Secretary of the Army to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council of the National Academies to conduct a comprehensive study of the water management, needs, and conservation of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System. Requires that the study include: (1) a summary of the existing body of scientific knowledge on the ecology, hydrology, geomorphology, and biogeochemistry of the Apalachicola River and the greater River System, the ecosystem services provided by that River, the impact of variation in freshwater flow on the ecology of the river and downstream coastal ecosystems, and how to restore the natural hydraulic function of the System; (2) assessments of models that serve as the basis for the [...]

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Latest Action: 07/14/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.

Bill Text
To enhance the ability of drinking water utilities in the United States to develop and implement climate change adaptation programs and policies, and for other purposes. 6/18/2008--Introduced. Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and provide funding for a program of directed and applied research, to be conducted through a nonprofit water research foundation and sponsored by drinking water utilities, to assist suppliers of drinking water in adapting to the effects of climate change.Requires research areas to include: (1) water quality and quantity impacts and solutions; (2) impacts on groundwater supplies from carbon sequestration; (3) infrastructure impacts and solutions; (4) desalination, water reuse, and alternative supply technologies; (5) energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization; (6) regional and hydrological basin cooperative water management solutions;[...]

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Latest Action: 06/19/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Bill Text
To provide for a comprehensive study by the National Research Council of the National Academies to assess the water management, needs, and conservation of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System. 6/18/2008--Introduced. Directs the Secretary of the Army to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council of the National Academies to conduct a comprehensive study of the water management, needs, and conservation of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System. Requires that the study include: (1) a summary of the existing body of scientific knowledge on the ecology, hydrology, geomorphology, and biogeochemistry of the Apalachicola River and the greater River System, the ecosystem services provided by that River, the impact of variation in freshwater flow on the ecology of the river and downstream coastal ecosystems, and how to restore the natural hydraulic function of the System; (2) assessments of models that serve as the basis for the master [...]

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Latest Action: 09/16/2008 - Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Bingaman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.

Bill Text
A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to establish a cooperative watershed management program, and for other purposes. 6/5/2008--Introduced. Cooperative Watershed Management Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a cooperative watershed management program under which the Secretary shall provide grants to eligible management entities to: (1) form a self-sustaining, cooperative watershed-wide management group; (2) enlarge a management group; or (3) conduct projects in accordance with the goals of a management group.Requires an eligible management entity to be comprised of each affected stakeholder of the watershed that is the subject of the entity, including: (1) representatives of private interests; (2) any federal agency that has authority regarding the watershed; (3) any state or local agency that has such authority; and (4) any Indian tribe member who owns land within the watershed or land held in trust.Directs the Secretary,[...]

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Latest Action: 06/18/2008 - Vetoed by President. (text of veto message: CR H5535)

Bill Text
To provide for the continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes. 5/22/2008--Introduced. Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 - Provides for the continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through FY2012.Revises agricultural and related programs, including provisions respecting: (1) commodity programs; (2) conservation; (3) trade; (4) nutrition; (5) credit; (6) rural development; (7) research and related matters; (8) forestry; (9) energy; (10) horticulture and organic agriculture; (11) livestock; (12) crop insurance and disaster assistance; (13) socially disadvantaged and limited resource producers; and (14) miscellaneous programs.Directs the President to establish and maintain an importer declaration program with respect to the importation of softwood lumber and softwood lumber products.Establishes the Bill Emerson National Hunger [...]

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Latest Action: 09/24/2008 - Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Boxer without amendment. With written report No. 110-487.

Bill Text
A bill to enhance the ability of drinking water utilities in the United States to develop and implement climate change adaptation programs and policies, and for other purposes. 9/24/2008--Reported to Senate without amendment.    (There is 1 other summary) (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and provide funding for a program of directed and applied research, to be conducted through a nonprofit water research foundation and sponsored by drinking water utilities, to assist suppliers of drinking water in adapting to the effects of climate change.Requires research areas to include: (1) water quality and quantity impacts and solutions; (2) impacts on groundwater supplies from carbon sequestration; (3) infrastructure [...]

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Latest Action: 04/23/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Bill Text
To provide for orderly and balanced development of energy resources within the Roan Plateau Planning Area of Colorado, and for other purposes. 4/17/2008--Introduced. Roan Plateau Oil and Gas Leasing Improvement Act of 2008 - Designates as Special Protection Areas of the Roan Plateau (Colorado): (1) all public land identified as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern on a specified map; (2) all public land located within the watersheds or drainage of Northeaster Creek and the East Fork of Parachute Creek above the confluence with First Anvil Creek; and (3) all public land identified as subject to a No Ground Disturbance (NGD/NSO) stipulation on a specified map. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to manage the Special Protection Areas to prevent irreparable damage to fish and wildlife resources as well as historical, cultural, scenic, and environmental resources. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) permit oil and gas exploration and development activities within [...]

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