Search Results

open access

Heritage Areas: Background, Proposals, and Current Issues

Description: Over the past 20 years, Congress has established 24 National Heritage Areas (NHAs) to commemorate, conserve, and promote important areas that include natural, scenic, historic, cultural, and recreational resources. This report focuses on heritage areas designated by Congress, and related issues and legislation.
Date: October 1, 2004
Creator: Vincent, Carol Hardy & Whiteman, David
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Federal Lands Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service (FS): Issues for the 110th Congress

Description: This report discusses actions the 110th Congress is considering that affect the various uses and management of federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. These actions include legislation, administrative or regulatory proposals, and litigation and judicial decisions. Issues areas include access to energy resources on federal lands, especially implementation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; development of hardrock minerals; roadless area management and p… more
Date: October 26, 2007
Creator: Gorte, Ross W.; Vincent, Carol H.; Humphries, Marc & Alexander, Kristina
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands and National Forests

Description: The 109th Congress is considering issues related to the public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the national forests managed by the Forest Service (FS). The Administration is addressing issues through budgetary, regulatory, and other actions. This report discusses several key issues of congressional and administrative interest.
Date: October 26, 2005
Creator: Gorte, Ross W. & Vincent, Carol H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Federal Lands Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service (FS): Issues for the 110th Congress

Description: The missions of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service (FS) are similar, and many issues, programs, and policies affect both agencies. This report focuses on several issues affecting both agencies’ lands that are likely to be of interest to the 110th Congress, including energy resources, hardrock mining, FS roadless areas, wild horses and burros, wilderness, wildfire protection, and others.
Date: May 9, 2008
Creator: Gorte, Ross W.; Vincent, Carol H.; Humphries, Marc & Alexander, Kristina
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Forest Service Accountability in Administering Its Trust Funds

Description: The USDA Forest Service has numerous permanently appropriated trust funds and special funds that provide substantial funding independent of the annual appropriations process. Critics have alleged abuse of the funds and have sought greater congressional oversight, and the General Accounting Office has testified on the agency’s management of some of these accounts. While the Administration has offered few responses to the criticisms of these funds, it has, in its FY2001 budget request, proposed c… more
Date: March 8, 2000
Creator: Gorte, Ross W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Conservation and the 2007 Farm Bill

Description: This report introduces some of the issues that are influencing the development of a conservation title. It then reviews the contents of the House-passed bill, H.R. 2419. Some alternative proposals that the House considered are summarized in an appendix. The House-passed bill includes some elements of the alternative proposals (usually in modified form). This report is limited to the conservation title. However, conservation topics in recent farm bills have been increasingly addressed in other t… more
Date: August 27, 2007
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Animal Identification and Meat Traceability

Description: This report focuses on animal ID and, to a lesser extent, on meat traceability. However, traceability, and the somewhat different but related concepts of "identity prevention" and "product segregation," also pertain to other agricultural products and issues.
Date: July 13, 2006
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Conservation Reserve Program: Status and Current Issues

Description: The Conservation Reserve Program, enacted in 1985, provides payments to farmers to take highly erodible or environmentally sensitive cropland out of production for ten years or more to conserve soil and water resources. It is the federal government's largest private land retirement program. This report contains information on how the program was made, enrolling in the program, program costs and benefits, and current issues.
Date: February 14, 2007
Creator: Cowen, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Wetlands Coverage of the Clean Water Act Is Revisited by the Supreme Court: Rapanos v. United States

Description: Twice in the past, the Supreme Court has grappled with issues as to the geographic scope of the wetlands permitting program in the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). On October 11, 2005, the Supreme Court agreed to hear two more cases (consolidated by the Court) addressing such questions — both from the SixthCircuit. In Rapanos v. United States, the issue is whether the permitting program applies to wetlands that are only distantly connected to traditional navigable waters — i.e., or at least do no… more
Date: November 28, 2007
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Biological Resources

Description: This report will summarize the known and estimated impacts of Hurricane Katrina on coastal ecosystems, forests, freshwater and marine bodies, fisheries, and wildlife. Questions for specifying the impacts on biological resources are listed and possible restoration activities are discussed.
Date: November 4, 2005
Creator: Sheikh, Pervaze A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Endangered Species: Difficult Choices

Description: This report discusses various measures being considered by Congress that propose to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Major issues in recent years have focused on whether to incorporate further protection for property owners and reduce regulatory impacts, whether to increase the protection afforded listed species, or whether to modify various aspects of the ESA, such as the role of science in decision-making.
Date: June 14, 2004
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. L. & Baldwin, Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Diamonds and Conflict: Background, Policy, and Legislation

Description: This report discusses issues surrounding "conflict diamonds" -- i.e., diamonds that have been mined and sold to support armed conflict -- as well as resulting U.S. policy responses. Policy makers' attention has also increasingly focused on the possible role that diamonds may play in the financing of terrorist operations.
Date: July 16, 2003
Creator: Cook, Nicolas
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Endangered Species: Difficult Choices

Description: This report discusses various measures being considered by Congress that propose to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Major issues in recent years have focused on whether to incorporate further protection for property owners and reduce regulatory impacts, whether to increase the protection afforded listed species, or whether to modify various aspects of the ESA, such as the role of science in decision-making.
Date: December 9, 2003
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. L. & Baldwin, Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Soil and Water Conservation: An Overview

Description: This report discusses soil and water conservation topics, which are prominent in discussions of policy options for the next farm bill. Two omnibus conservation proposals have been introduced (H.R. 1551 and H.R. 1600), and many interest groups continue to offer policy recommendations ranging from general concepts to specific legislative language.
Date: April 10, 2007
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Description: This report introduces a $1.1 billion programthat would help restore specified sites in the coastal wetland ecosystem in Louisiana and more extensive restoration options that are being discussed in the wake of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. It also discusses whether this program, if completed, might have muted the impacts of the hurricanes.
Date: January 24, 2007
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Conservation Reserve Program: Status and Current Issues

Description: This report discusses the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enacted in 1985, which provides payments to farmers to take highly erodible or environmentally-sensitive cropland out of production for ten years or more to conserve soil and water resources.
Date: August 16, 2007
Creator: Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Conservation Reserve Program: Status and Current Issues

Description: This report discusses the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enacted in 1985, which provides payments to farmers to take highly erodible or environmentally-sensitive cropland out of production for ten years or more to conserve soil and water resources.
Date: September 11, 2008
Creator: Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 109th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices

Description: This report discusses various proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; P.L. 93-205, 16 U.S.C. §§1531-1543). Major issues include changing the role of science in decision-making, modifying critical habitat (CH) procedures, reducing conflicts with Department of Defense activities, incorporating further protection and incentives for property owners, and increasing protection of listed species, among others.
Date: April 12, 2006
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. Lynne; Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Baldwin, Pamela & Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Conservation and the 2007 Farm Bill

Description: Conservation is playing a prominent role in the development of a farm bill by the 110th Congress. This report introduces some of the issues that are influencing the development of a conservation title. It then reviews the contents of the House-passed bill, H.R. 2419.
Date: August 27, 2007
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands and National Forests

Description: This brief focuses on several issues affecting Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (FS) lands that are of interest to the 109th Congress, and does not comprehensively cover issues primarily affecting other federal lands.
Date: March 20, 2006
Creator: Gorte, Ross W. & Vincent, Carol H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Renewable Energy Policy in the 2007 Farm Bill

Description: This report provides a summary of major legislative proposals for change in the farm bill energy title (Title IX) and compares current law with energy provisions from the recently approved House 2007 farm bill.
Date: October 1, 2007
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen