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Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector

Description: This report presents an overview of the large and diverse sector of water infrastructure systems, describes security-related actions by the government and private sector since September 11, 2001, and discusses additional policy issues and responses, including congressional interest.
Date: November 17, 2008
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF): Program Overview and Issues

Description: The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 authorized a drinking water state revolving loan fund (DWSRF) program to help public water systems finance infrastructure projects needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and to protect public health. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) latest (2003) survey of capital improvement needs for public water systems found that water systems need to invest $276.8 billion on infrastructure improvements over 20 years to ens… more
Date: October 24, 2008
Creator: Tiemann, Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation

Description: This report discusses in more detail the evolution of a national critical infrastructure policy and the institutional structures established to implement it. The report highlights five issues of Congressional concern: identifying critical assets; assessing vulnerabilities and risks; allocating resources; information sharing; and, regulation.
Date: October 10, 2008
Creator: Moteff, John D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Vulnerability of Concentrated Critical Infrastructure: Background and Policy Options

Description: This report provides an overview of geographic concentration and related vulnerability among critical infrastructures in the United States. The report illustrates the nature of such geographic concentration and how it may expose infrastructures to catastrophic failure due to geographic hazards. It identifies several long-term forces which have contributed to infrastructure concentration. The report concludes with options to address geographic vulnerability in the context of current federal infr… more
Date: September 12, 2008
Creator: Parfomak, Paul W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Rural Water Supply and Sewer Systems: Background Information

Description: This report discusses the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act, which impose requirements regarding drinking water quality and wastewater treatment in rural areas. Approximately 27% of the U.S. population lives in areas defined by the Census Bureau as rural. Many rural communities need to complete water and waste disposal projects to improve the public health and environmental conditions of their citizens.
Date: August 25, 2008
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Army Corps of Engineers' Nationwide Permits Program: Issues and Regulatory Developments

Description: Permits issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorize various types of development projects in wetlands and other waters of the United States. The Corps' regulatory process involves two types of permits: general permits for actions for private landowners that will likely have a minor effect on wetlands, and individual permits for more significant actions. Interest groups have a number of specific criticisms of the permits. For some time, there has been a stalemate in Congress over legisl… more
Date: August 21, 2008
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Water Infrastructure Financing: History of EPA Appropriations

Description: The principal federal program to aid municipal wastewater treatment plant construction is authorized in the Clean Water Act (CWA). In appropriations legislation, funding for EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) wastewater assistance is contained in the measure providing funds for the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. This report summarizes, in chronological order, congressional activity to fund items in the State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) account since 19… more
Date: August 19, 2008
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector

Description: This report presents an overview of the large and diverse sector of water infrastructure systems, describes security-related actions by the government and private sector since September 11, and discusses additional policy issues and responses, including congressional interest.
Date: July 28, 2008
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Community Development Block Grants: Legislative Proposals to Assist Communities Affected by Home Foreclosures

Description: In response to the rising number of home mortgage foreclosures, several bills have been introduced during the 110th Congress that would provide additional federal assistance to state and local governments with high concentrations of foreclosed homes, subprime mortgage loans, and delinquent home mortgages. At least one of these proposals, H.R. 3221, as passed by the Senate, includes provisions that would use the framework of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to channel an addi… more
Date: July 15, 2008
Creator: Boyd, Eugene & Gonzales, Oscar R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Highway Bridges: Conditions and the Federal/State Role

Description: This report examines the federal and state roles in the maintenance, inspection, reconstruction, and replacement of the nation's highway bridge infrastructure, as well as the emergency response and reconstruction role of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The report first describes what is known about the condition of the nation's bridges and whether the problem of structural deficiency is improving or worsening. It then briefly describes the programmatic and budgetary context, including f… more
Date: July 15, 2008
Creator: Kirk, Robert S. & Mallett, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Infrastructure Security: Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of industry and federal activities related to LNG security. The report describes U.S. LNG infrastructure, the industry's safety record and security risks, and the industry's security initiatives since September 11, 2001. It summarizes recent changes in federal LNG and maritime security law and related changes in the security roles of federal agencies. The report discusses several policy concerns related to federal LNG security efforts: 1) public costs of marine … more
Date: May 13, 2008
Creator: Parfomak, Paul W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Bureau of Reclamation’s Aging Infrastructure

Description: This report describes Reclamation's approach to managing aging infrastructure as well as that of two other agencies--- the Army Corps of Engineers and the natural Resources Conservative Service--- involved with significant portfolios of dams and related infrastructures.
Date: April 30, 2008
Creator: Lane, Nic
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Aging Infrastructure: Dam Safety

Description: To help inform discussions on the federal role in dam safety, this report provides background information on the nation’s dam safety activities and funding mechanisms.
Date: March 25, 2008
Creator: Lane, Nic
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: Program Overview and Issues

Description: This report discusses the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996, which authorized a drinking water state revolving loan fund (DWSRF) program to help public water systems finance infrastructure projects needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and to protect public health.
Date: February 22, 2008
Creator: Tiemann, Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation

Description: This report discusses in more detail the evolution of a national critical infrastructure policy and the institutional structures established to implement it. The report highlights five issues of Congressional concern: identifying critical assets; assessing vulnerabilities and risks; allocating resources; information sharing; and, regulation.
Date: January 15, 2008
Creator: Moteff, John D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Davis-Bacon Act: Institutional Evolution and Public Policy

Description: This report examines policy issues the Davis-Bacon Act has sparked through the years and which remain a part of the Davis-Bacon debate of the 1990s. These include such questions as: wage rate determination procedures, reporting requirements under the Copeland Act, an appropriate threshold for activation of the statute, interagency relationships with respect to Davis-Bacon enforcement and compliance activity, administrative or judicial appeals procedures, the use of "helpers" and other low-skill… more
Date: November 30, 2007
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Critical Infrastructure: The National Asset Database

Description: The purpose of this report is to discuss the National Asset Database: what is in it, how it is populated, what the Database apparently is, what is not, and how it is intended to be used. The report also discusses some of the issues on which Congress could focus its oversight.
Date: August 17, 2007
Creator: Moteff, John D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Aging Infrastructure: Dam Safety

Description: To help inform discussions on the federal role in dam safety, this report provides background information on the nation’s dam safety activities and funding mechanisms.
Date: August 9, 2007
Creator: Lane, Nic
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Rural Water Supply and Sewer Systems: Background Information

Description: This report discusses the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act, which impose requirements regarding drinking water quality and wastewater treatment in rural areas. Approximately 27% of the U.S. population lives in areas defined by the Census Bureau as rural. Many rural communities need to complete water and waste disposal projects to improve the public health and environmental conditions of their citizens.
Date: April 12, 2007
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Water Infrastructure Projects Designated in EPA Appropriations: Trends and Policy Implications

Description: This report discusses appropriations for EPA water infrastructure programs, focusing on congressional special project designations in the account that funds these programs. While some Members of Congress, interest groups, and Administration officials are critical of these types of congressional actions actions, there is little indication that the practice will cease. Information on the programmatic history of EPA involvement in assisting wastewater treatment and drinking water projects also is … more
Date: April 10, 2007
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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