Congressional Research Service Reports - 24 Matching Results

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Global Climate Change Policy: Domestic Early Action Credits

Description: This report discusses the global climate change policy and proposals to allow credit for early actions to reduce emissions.
Date: July 23, 1999
Creator: Parker, Larry & Blodgett, John E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Environmental Protection Agency's FY2002 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: January 23, 2002
Creator: Lee, Martin R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Water Act Issues in the 106th Congress

Description: In the 106th Congress, no comprehensive activity on reauthorizing the Clean Water Act occurred, although a number of individual clean water bills were enacted. Other issues have been debated recently, such as reforming the law to provide regulatory relief for industry, states and cities, and individual landowners. The debate over many of these issues highlights differing views of the Act and its implementation by some who seek to strengthen existing requirements and others who believe that cost… more
Date: February 23, 2001
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Right to a Clean Environment Provisions in State Constitutions, and Arguments as to a Federal Counterpart

Description: The issue arises occasionally whether it might be desirable to amend the U.S. Constitution to add an environmental provision - such as one declaring an individual right to a clean environment. Some attention was given this issue during the 1970s, when over a dozen states adopted clean environment or other environmentally oriented provisions in their constitutions. Our focus here is solely personal right to a clean environment provisions and the questions they raise. Are they self-executing, or … more
Date: February 23, 1999
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Arctic Petroleum Technology Developments

Description: This report discusses the ongoing debate about whether or not to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for energy development, specifically the North Slope of Alaska for petroleum exploration and development. This report discusses the arguments for and against such development, especially with regard to environmental impacts.
Date: January 23, 2006
Creator: Gelb, Bernard A.; Corn, M. Lynne & Twyman, Terry R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Protection Issues in the 109th Congress

Description: Environmental protection concerns span a wide variety of issues, including clean air, water quality, chemical security, and environmental aspects of other major issue areas, such as energy, transportation, disaster relief and cleanup, and defense. This report provides an overview of key environmental issues receiving attention in the 109th Congress.
Date: June 23, 2006
Creator: Fletcher, Susan R.; Isler, Margaret M.; Bearden, David M.; Copeland, Claudia; Esworthy, Robert; Luther, Linda G. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Environmental Protection Issues in the 109th Congress

Description: Environmental protection concerns span a wide variety of issues, including clear air, water quality, chemical security, and environmental aspects of other major issue areas, such as energy, transportation, disaster relief and cleanup, and defense. This report provides an overview of key environmental issues receiving attention in the 109th Congress. A number of environmental measures have been the subject of congressional activity, some of them as part of comprehensive bills and laws on broader… more
Date: June 23, 2006
Creator: Fletcher, Susan R.; Isler, Margaret; Bearden, David M.; Copeland, Claudia; Esworthy, Robert; Luther, Linda et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Oil Spills in U.S. Coastal Waters: Background, Governance, and Issues for Congress

Description: This report reviews the history and trends of oil spills in the United States; identifies the legal authorities governing oil spill prevention, response, and cleanup; and examines the threats of future oil spills in U.S. coastal waters.
Date: April 23, 2009
Creator: Ramseur, Jonathan L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, and refers readers to more in-depth CRS reports on specific Arctic-related issues. Congressional readers with questions about an issue discussed in this report should contact the author or authors of the section discussing that issue. The authors are identified by footnote at the start of each section.
Date: December 23, 2011
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A U.S.-centric Chronology of the International Climate Change Negotiations

Description: This document provides a U.S.-centric chronology of the international policy negotiations to address climate change. It covers the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the Marrakesh Accords of 2001, and the Bali Action Plan of 2007 that mandates the current negotiations toward a new agreement by the end of 2009 on commitments for the period beyond 2012. Today's negotiations under the Bali Action Plan focus on four elements: mitigation of gre… more
Date: December 23, 2008
Creator: Leggett, Jane A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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An Overview of Unconventional Oil and Natural Gas: Resources and Federal Actions

Description: This report focuses on the growth in U.S. oil and natural gas production driven primarily by tight oil formations and shale gas formations. It also reviews selected federal environmental regulatory and research initiatives related to unconventional oil and gas extraction, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed hydraulic fracturing rule and EPA actions.
Date: January 23, 2014
Creator: Ratner, Michael & Tiemann, Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the sustainment and modernization of the Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet, which performs a variety of missions supporting U.S. interests in polar regions.
Date: June 23, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Polar Bears: Proposed Listing Under the Endangered Species Act

Description: This report discusses the proposed listing of polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. §§1531 et seq.), which highlights the intersection of two significant issues currently before Congress — climate change and species protection.
Date: April 23, 2007
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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An Overview of Air Quality Issues in Natural Gas Systems

Description: This report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and the regulatory activities of EPA. It concludes with a brief discussion of the aforementioned outstanding issues.
Date: March 23, 2015
Creator: Lattanzio, Richard K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Brownfield Issues in the 110th Congress

Description: The Brownfields Act authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award grants for the assessment and cleanup of sites that pose a less serious threat to human health and the environment than sites addressed by the Superfund program. The authorization expired on September 30, 2006. In the 109th Congress, a reauthorization bill, H.B. 5810, was reported from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on July 28, 2006, but went no further. This report contains information o… more
Date: January 23, 2007
Creator: Reisch, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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