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The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Biological Resources
"This report discusses the reported and potential impacts of Hurricane Katrina on the biological resources in the affected region" (p. i).
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands and National Forests
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. Several key issues of congressional and administrative interest are covered here.
The Availability of Nonfuel Minerals on Federal Lands: Background on the Issue
The following report reviews the laws and practices that govern the extraction of non-fuel minerals from federal lands, and the restrict ions against such extract ions. Moreover, the federal land management agencies that regulate such activities are identified, and their responsibilities discussed.
Federal Land Management Agencies: Background on Land and Resources Management
This report provides an overview of how federal lands and resources are managed, the agencies that manage the lands, the authorities under which these lands are managed, and some of the issues associated with federal land management. The report is divided into nine sections.
Survey of Recent State Policies to Manage Growth and Protect Open Space
No Description Available.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration
This report introduces the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration program, and discusses whether it might have muted the impacts of hurricanes of the magnitude and paths of Katrina or Rita and whether the devastation caused by both hurricanes might cause the Corps to consider different restoration options.
Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been seeking congressional approval for a $1.1 billion multi-year program to both construct five projects that would help to restore specified sites in the coastal wetland ecosystem in Louisiana, and to continue planning several other related projects. The state of Louisiana and several federal agencies have participated in the development of this program. This report introduces this program and restoration options that are being discussed in the wake of the hurricanes. It also discusses whether this program, if completed, might have muted the impacts of these hurricanes.
Reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act
This report discusses about the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The reauthorization dilemma addresses all the treaty requirements, most importantly in regards to exports of pelts of American bobcats along with international trade in Endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Leasing of Energy and Mineral Resources on Federal Lands
This report discusses the leasing of energy and mineral resources on federal lands. Leasing of energy minerals has been an issue of varying intensity for most of the past century, as oil, gas, and coal became indispensable commodities in both U.S. and world commerce.
Natural Gas Policy Act
The Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA) culminated decades of dispute over natural gas policy and was the "centerpiece of President Carter's National Energy Act. Now there are many issues of both regulatory and legislative concerns under discussion. These items were unanticipated by the framers of this difficult and delicate compromise. Generally speaking, they all stem from the fact that oil prices more than doubled in 1979 and 1980. The NGPA1s framers set wellhead gas prices within the new law's framework in such a way that they would converge on oil equivalent prices -- as they were then perceived -- in real dollar terms by 1985.
Grazing Fees: An Overview and Current Issues
This report briefly discusses charging fees for grazing private livestock on federal lands, which is a long-standing but contentious practice. Generally, livestock producers who use federal lands want to keep fees low, while conservation groups and others believe fees should be raised to approximate "fair market value."
Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been seeking congressional approval for a $1.1 billion multi-year program to both construct five projects that would help to restore specified sites in the coastal wetland ecosystem in Louisiana, and to continue planning several other related projects. The state of Louisiana and several federal agencies have participated in the development of this program. This report introduces this program and restoration options that are being discussed in the wake of the hurricanes. It also discusses whether this program, if completed, might have muted the impacts of these hurricanes.
Coastal Louisiana: Attempting to Restore an Ecosystem
Congress continues to consider legislative options to address wetlands loss in coastal Louisiana. Some legislative proposals would dedicate some federal revenues from offshore oil and gas development to restoration efforts. Other proposals would authorize specific restoration projects or activities, or further examination of the causes and effects of loss. These projects are neutralizing conditions that lead to loss at some sites, and are reestablishing some wetlands. These projects are expected to have many ecological, economic, and social benefits. A July 2004 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report, a draft ecosystem restoration study, identifies more than 150 possible remedies.
Acid Rain: Does it Contribute to Forest Decline?
This minibrief describes the major hypothesis explaining why acid rain may be contributing to forest decline, along with the major arguments against this hypothesis. For additional information on acid rain and current legislation for pollutant emissions controls, see IB83016 -- Acid Rain: Current Issues, and IB83005 -- Clean Air Act: An Overview.
Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration: The Recommended Corps Plan
The Corps estimates that this entire package of recommended activities would cost a total of $1,996 million. Included in this package are recommendations for immediate authorization ($1,123 million), further authorized investigation ($145 million), and projects that could be authorized in the future ($728 million). This CRS short report is limited to a summary of this Corps report and the next steps in implementation.
Forestry Assistance Programs
This report describes the current forestry assistance programs funded through the State and Private Forestry (S&PF) branch of the Forest Service. Following a brief overview, the report presents basic information on the programs to assist forestry practices, forest protection, and rural economies — purposes of the programs, types of activities funded, eligibility requirements, and authorized program duration and funding level, with recent program appropriations.
Funding Plant and Animal Health Emergencies: Transfers from the Commodity Credit Corporation
This report examines the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to transfer funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for emergency control programs. The Secretary’s use of this authority has increased in recent years, and has become an issue within government concerning the method for funding plant and animal health programs.
Genetically Engineered Soybeans: Acceptance and Intellectual Property Rights Issues in South America
This report discusses issues regarding genetically engineered soybeans in South America. U.S. soybean growers and trade officials charge that Argentina and Brazil–the United States’ two major export competitors in international soybean markets–gain an unfair trade advantage by routinely saving genetically-engineered (GE), Roundup Ready (RR) soybean seeds from the previous harvest (a practice prohibited in the United States) for planting in subsequent years.
Grazing Regulations: Changes by the Bureau of Land Management
This report discusses the two-pronged approach to grazing reform the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is taking by proposing changes to grazing regulations and considering other changes to grazing policies. BLM asserts that regulatory changes are needed to increase flexibility for grazing managers and permittees, to improve rangeland management and grazing permit administration, to promote conservation, and to comply with court decisions.
Green Payments in U.S. and European Union Agricultural Policy
This report compares current United States and European Union (EU) efforts in the area of green payments. Green payments refer to "payments made to agricultural producers as compensation for environmental benefits that accrue at levels beyond what producers might otherwise achieve under existing market and regulatory conditions" (summary). The report gives an overview of policies, programs, financing, and various other aspects of comparison related to the topic.
Regulation of Plant-Based Pharmaceuticals
No Description Available.
Sport Hunting in Alaska
This report describes the legislated that's been suggested during the 98th Congress to move considerable Alaskan acreage from National park and Monument appointment to National Preserve status, through which hunting and trapping rules on these lands would be eased.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Background and Issues
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has been ratified by 167 nations, including the United States. It regulates the international trade in animals and plants that may be threatened by trade.
Agricultural Biotechnology: Background and Recent Issues
Since the first genetically engineered (GE) crops (also called GM [genetically modified] crops, or GMOs, genetically modified organisms) became commercially available in the mid-1990s, U.S. soybean, cotton, and corn farmers have rapidly adopted them. As adoption has spread, there have been policy debates over the costs and benefits of GE products. Issues include the impacts of GE crops on the environment and food safety, and whether GE foods should be specially labeled. Congress generally has been supportive of GE agricultural products, although some Members have expressed wariness about their adoption and regulation. The 109th Congress will likely continue to follow trade developments, particularly the U.S.-EU dispute, as well as U.S. regulatory mechanisms for approving biotech foods.
Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues
No Description Available.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR): Controversies in the 109th Congress
This report discusses the ongoing debate about whether or not to approve energy development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Current law forbids energy leasing in the Refuge. This report addresses several legislative options on the issue, as well as policymakers' arguments for and against development, especially in the wake of increasing terrorism since 2000-2001.
Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Current Issues
This Congressional Research Service Report for Congress details the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965 with emphasis on the fund's history, purpose, and current issues. - Updated July 10, 2006
Mercury Emissions from Electric Power Plants: States are Setting Stricter Limits
No Description Available.
The Endangered Species Act and "Sound Science"
This report provides a context for evaluating legislative proposals through examples of how science has been used in selected cases, a discussion of the nature and role of science in general, and its role in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) process in particular, together with general and agency information quality requirements and policies, and a review of how the courts have viewed agency use of science.
The Endangered Species Act: A Primer
The Endangered Species Act (ESA)1 receives significant congressional attention. The associated power and reach of its comprehensive protection for species identified as endangered or threatened with extinction has ignited concern that there be appropriate bounds on this power. The following discussion provides an overview and background on the various features of the ESA that contribute to its stature and yet spark an ongoing debate over its implementation.
The Wetlands Coverage of the Clean Water Act is Revisited by the Supreme Court: Rapanos and Carabell
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 not actually abut them. In Carabell v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the issue is whether the program reaches wetlands that are not hydrologically connected to any “water of the United States,” the CWA term that defines the act’s geographic reach. Both cases also raise a constitutional question: assuming that the disputed CWA coverage exists, did Congress, in enacting the CWA, exceed its authority under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution? Implicating hot-button legal issues such as federal-state relations under the Commerce Clause and private property rights, and affecting the reach of several CWA provisions outside the permitting program, the Court’s decision is sure to be of great interest.
U.S. Agricultural Biotechnology in Global Markets: An Introduction
No Description Available.
Upper Mississippi River - Illinois Waterway Navigation Expansion: An Agricultural Transportation and Environmental Context
No Description Available.
The Endangered Species Act: A Primer
The Endangered Species Act (ESA)1 receives significant congressional attention. The associated power and reach of its comprehensive protection for species identified as endangered or threatened with extinction has ignited concern that there be appropriate bounds on this power. The following discussion provides an overview and background on the various features of the ESA that contribute to its stature and yet spark an ongoing debate over its implementation.
The Wetlands Coverage of the Clean Water Act is Revisited by the Supreme Court: Rapanos and Carabell
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 not actually abut them. In Carabell v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the issue is whether the program reaches wetlands that are not hydrologically connected to any “water of the United States,” the CWA term that defines the act’s geographic reach. Both cases also raise a constitutional question: assuming that the disputed CWA coverage exists, did Congress, in enacting the CWA, exceed its authority under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution? Implicating hot-button legal issues such as federal-state relations under the Commerce Clause and private property rights, and affecting the reach of several CWA provisions outside the permitting program, the Court’s decision is sure to be of great interest. 0
U.S. Agricultural Biotechnology in Global Markets: An Introduction
No Description Available.
Upper Mississippi River - Illinois Waterway Navigation Expansion: An Agricultural Transportation and Environmental Context
No Description Available.
Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress
No Description Available.
Wildfire Protection in the 108th Congress
The 2000 and 2002 fire seasons were, by most standards, among the worst in the past 50 years. Many argue that the threat of severe wildfires has grown in recent years because of unnaturally high fuel loads (e.g., dense undergrowth and dead trees), raising concerns about damage to property and homes in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) — forests near or surrounding homes. Debates about fire control and protection, including funding and fuel treatments (e.g., thinning and prescribed burning), have focused on national forests and other federal lands, but nonfederal lands are also at risk.
Endangered Species: Difficult Choices
This report discusses issues debated in the 108th Congress while is considering various proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Major issues in recent years have included changing the role of science in decision-making, changing the role of critical habitat, reducing conflicts with Department of Defense activities, incorporating further protection for property owners, and increasing protection of listed species, among others. In addition, many have advocated including significant changes to ESA regulations made during the Clinton Administration in the law itself.
Upper Mississippi River System: Proposals to Restore an Inland Waterway's Ecosystem
No Description Available.
Designation of Critical Habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
The agencies that implement the Endangered Species Act (ESA) regard the designation of critical habitat (CH) as providing only very limited benefits beyond those achieved through the listing of species and the avoidance of jeopardy to them. Several courts have now held that the relevant regulation and interpretation that result in this conclusion are erroneous and do not carry out the intent of Congress.
The Role of Designation of Critical Habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
This report " provides background for considering the regulatory posture and current legislative proposals on Critical Habitat (CH), and may be updated as circumstances warrant " (p.1).
Mining on Federal Lands
This report discusses the General Mining Law of 1872, which is the law that grants free access to individuals and corporations to prospect for minerals in public domain lands, and allows them, upon making a discovery, to stake (or “locate”) a claim on that deposit.
South Florida Ecosystem Restoration and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
No Description Available.
South Florida Ecosystem Restoration and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
No Description Available.
Water Quality: Implementing the Clean Water Act
No Description Available.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 109th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices
The 109th Congress is considering proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA; P.L. 93-205, 16 U.S.C. §§1531-1543). Major issues in recent years have included changing the role of science in decision-making, modifying critical habitat (CH) procedures, incorporating further protection and incentives for property owners, and increasing protection of listed species, among others. In addition, many have advocated enacting as law some ESA regulations promulgated during the Clinton Administration. This report identifies other bills that have been introduced in the 109th Congress to address specific concerns related to how the ESA is implemented and how endangered species are managed.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 109th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices
The 109th Congress is considering proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA; P.L. 93-205, 16 U.S.C. §§1531-1543). Major issues in recent years have included changing the role of science in decision-making, modifying critical habitat (CH) procedures, incorporating further protection and incentives for property owners, and increasing protection of listed species, among others. In addition, many have advocated enacting as law some ESA regulations promulgated during the Clinton Administration. This report identifies other bills that have been introduced in the 109th Congress to address specific concerns related to how the ESA is implemented and how endangered species are managed.
Soil and Water Conservation Issues
No Description Available.
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