Congressional Research Service Reports - 63 Matching Results

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Environmental Protection: New Approaches

Description: This report summarizes briefly a number of "new approaches," grouped under the following categories: Information: Approaches to improve the quantity and quality of information to enhance the knowledge base underlying environ- mental decisions (e.g., risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis).Public Sector Processes: Approaches to restructure governmental processes for making environmental decisions (e.g., devolution). Incentives: Approaches that emphasize incentives as opposed to regulatory or fin… more
Date: December 11, 2000
Creator: Blodgett, John E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Protection Issues in the 107th Congress

Description: This report discuss issues that received congressional attention in the 107th Congress, such as The impact of air quality regulations, key water quality issues, superfund, solid/hazardous wastes, multibillion dollar cleanup and compliance programs, climate change, pesticides, EPA budget, and Science and Technology.
Date: December 9, 2002
Creator: Lee, Martin R. & Isler, Margaret M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency

Description: This report is a summary of the body of federal environmental statutes that together constitute the main authorities of EPA, but this report is not comprehensive in terms of discussing all federal statutes that may authorize certain activities of the agency.
Date: December 20, 2013
Creator: Bearden, David M.; Copeland, Claudia; Luther, Linda; McCarthy, James E.; Tiemann, Mary; Esworthy, Robert et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Water Act Issues in the 108th Congress

Description: This report discusses issues regarding the Clean Water Act. Prospects for legislative initiatives to comprehensively amend the Clean Water Act (CWA) have stalled for some time over whether and exactly how to change the law, and Congress has recently focused legislative attention on narrow bills to extend or modify selected CWA programs, rather than taking up comprehensive proposals. For example, the 108th Congress enacted one bill amending the CWA, legislation to reauthorize the National Estuar… more
Date: December 6, 2004
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Constitutional Bounds on Congress' Ability to Protect the Environment

Description: This report reviews five newly-emergent constitutional areas related to environmental issues, based on Supreme Court decisions. For each area, the focus is its significance for current and future federal environmental legislation.
Date: December 18, 2002
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Alaskan Oil-Environment vs. Economy: A Compilation of Selected Writings

Description: This report provides a compilation of writings from news media, professional magazines and journals, and government agencies regarding the environmental risks and considerations that must be taken regarding Alaskan oil drilling and transportation and the economic benefits of Alaskan oil drilling and transportation.
Date: December 5, 1973
Creator: Siehl, George H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Superfund Act Reauthorization: Liability Provisions of Leading Congressional Proposals

Description: Congress is currently seeking to reauthorize and amend the Superfund Act (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or "CERCLA"). This report targets the liability issues addressed in the two House committee-reported bills, H.R. 1300 and H.R. 2580, and the House Committee on Commerce's minority substitute offered by Representative Towns. Senate bills are not covered at this time because the Senate has decided to wait until the House acts.
Date: December 21, 1999
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Protection Agency: FY2001 Budget Issues

Description: The request for state and local wastewater and drinking water capital needs was a key issue. The request of $2.91 billion for State and Tribal Assistance Grants, which fund these needs, was about one-half billion less than in FY2000. The House passed $3.18 billion, the Senate $3.32 billion, and the conferees $3.62 billion. The request included $800 million for Clean Water State Revolving Funds, $550 million less than in FY2000. The House passed $1.20 billion, the Senate $1.35 billion and the co… more
Date: December 4, 2000
Creator: Lee, Martin R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Protection Agency: An Analysis of Key FY1999 Budget Issues

Description: On February 2, 1998, the President requested $7.8 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in FY1999. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 2168 (S.Rept. 105-216) on June 12; the full Senate passed the bill on July 17. The House Committee reported H.R. 4194 (H.Rept. 105-610) on July 8, 1998; the full House passed it on July 29; and the Senate passed it on July 30 after incorporating S. 2168's provisions. During the week of October 6, the House and Senate approved the conf… more
Date: December 4, 1998
Creator: Lee, Martin R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Air Act Issues

Description: The 104th Congress enacted four bills modifying provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and held numerous oversight hearings, as EPA and the states continued to implement requirements of the Act's 1990 Amendments. The Amendments set deadlines for issuance of new regulations and attainment of air quality standards.
Date: December 2, 1996
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Air Act Issues in the 107th Congress

Description: In the 107th Congress, the most prominent air quality issue has been whether state and federal regulations designed to protect air quality are having a negative impact on energy production, and, if so, whether legislation should be enacted to reform such regulations. The early discussion focused primarily on California, but with the release of the Administration’s energy policy recommendations in May 2001 and subsequent congressional action, attention shifted to issues more national in scope.
Date: December 5, 2002
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Air Act Issues in the 108th Congress

Description: Clean air issues were discussed at length in the 107th Congress, but legislation was not enacted, leaving the same issues for possible consideration in the 108th. With new leadership in the Senate, the prospects for such legislation and its content are likely to change. Further, the Senate committee of jurisdiction (Environment and Public Works) will almost certainly focus first on consideration of highway and transit funding (the authorization for which, known as TEA21, expires at the end of F… more
Date: December 17, 2002
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Environmental Protection Agency's FY2003 Budget

Description: On April 9, 2001, the President requested $7.3 billion in discretionary budget authority for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for FY2002, $512.0 million (or 7%) less than the FY2001 funding level of $7.8 billion. The request would not have continued funding of about $500 million for activities earmarked for FY2001, and contained provisions shifting more enforcement responsibilities to the states. Popular wastewater infrastructure funding, state roles, and the future of Superfund were s… more
Date: December 6, 2002
Creator: Lee, Martin R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?

Description: This report provides background information on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory activity during the Obama Administration to help address these issues. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of the rule (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA's estimates… more
Date: December 12, 2013
Creator: McCarthy, James E. & Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of Federal Real Property Disposal Requirements and Procedures

Description: This report begins with an explanation of the central role played by the General Services Administration (GSA) in the disposal of federal real estate property at most agencies. It then provides a discussion of the unique disposal processes at Department of Defense and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which each have independent statutory authority to dispose of their own properties. It concludes with an overview of the environmental and historic preservation requirements that apply to the dispos… more
Date: December 10, 2014
Creator: Hatch, Garrett; Else, Daniel H.; Luther, Linda; Bearden, David M. & Alexander, Kristina
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2006 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Fine Particulate Matter (PM25): Designating Nonattainment Areas)

Description: This report summarizes and describes the EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) final revisions to the NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standards). The summary also explores how the revisions are contentious in certain areas that may not be meeting those standards which materializes as congressional oversight.
Date: December 1, 2008
Creator: Esworthy, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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EPA's Mid-Term Evaluation of Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards

Description: This report discusses the standards set by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for new light-duty vehicles (defined generally as passenger cars and light trucks).
Date: December 6, 2016
Creator: Lattanzio, Richard K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?

Description: This report provides background information on EPA regulatory activity during the Obama Administration. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA from January 2009 to late 2016, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of rules not yet promulgated (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA's estimates of costs and benefits, where avai… more
Date: December 30, 2016
Creator: McCarthy, James E. & Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Risk Analysis and Cost-Benefit Analysis of Environmental Regulations

Description: Concerns about the national economy, environment, public health, and the quality of EPA's regulatory process have led Congress to consider proposals to require EPA analyses of risks, costs, and benefits of proposed regulations. Proponents of analysis want the results used to design more efficient regulations and to prioritize environmental problems for Federal attention. Risk analysis summarizes available scientific information about hazardous activities, chemicals, or technologies and the effe… more
Date: December 2, 1994
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Global Climate Change

Description: This report discusses the effect of human activities on global climate change. Human activities, particularly burning of fossil fuels, have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace gases, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane, and nitrous oxide.
Date: December 4, 1996
Creator: Justus, John R. & Morrissey, Wayne A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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EPA Delays Decision on 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard to 2015

Description: This report discusses the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that sets the annual minimum use requirements for biofuels in the nation's transportation fuel supply.
Date: December 1, 2014
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Global Climate Change

Description: This report discusses different perspectives used to consider issues related to the global climate change and issues related to the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 1997 Kyoto Agreement.
Date: December 14, 2001
Creator: Justus, John R. & Fletcher, Susan R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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