Congressional Research Service Reports - 28 Matching Results
Search Results
- Western Water Resource Issues
- This report discusses the debate over western water resources, which revolves around the issue of how best to plan for and manage the use of this renewable, yet sometimes scarce and increasingly sought after, resource.
- Western Water Resource Issues
- For more than a century, the federal government has constructed water resource projects for a variety of purposes, including flood control, navigation, power generation, and irrigation. While most municipal and industrial water supplies have been built by non-federal entities, most of the large, federal water projects in the West, including Hoover and Grand Coulee dams, were constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation (Department of the Interior) to provide water for irrigation.
- Electric Reliability: Options for Electric Transmission Infrastructure Improvements
- The electric utility industry is inherently capital intensive. At the same time, the industry must operate under a changing and sometimes unpredictable regulatory system at both the federal and state level. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 has set in place government activities intended to relieve congestion on the transmission system. Several factors have contributed to the lack of new transmission capacity; these are outlined within this report. This report also discusses earlier pieces of energy legislation.
- Electric Reliability: Options for Electric Transmission Infrastructure Improvements
- The electric utility industry is inherently capital intensive. At the same time, the industry must operate under a changing and sometimes unpredictable regulatory system at both the federal and state level. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 has set in place government activities intended to relieve congestion on the transmission system. Several factors have contributed to the lack of new transmission capacity; these are outlined within this report. This report also discusses earlier pieces of energy legislation.
- Electric Reliability: Options for Electric Transmission Infrastructure Improvements
- The electric utility industry is inherently capital intensive. At the same time, the industry must operate under a changing and sometimes unpredictable regulatory system at both the federal and state level. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 has set in place government activities intended to relieve congestion on the transmission system. Several factors have contributed to the lack of new transmission capacity; these are outlined within this report. This report also discusses earlier pieces of energy legislation.
- Critical Infrastructure: The National Asset Database
- 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 it 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, including appropriation bill language.
- Foreign Science and Engineering Presence in U.S. Institutions and the Labor Force
- The increased presence of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs and in the scientific workforce has been and continues to be of concern to some in the scientific community. Enrollment of U.S. citizens in graduate science and engineering programs has not kept pace with that of foreign students in those programs. In addition to the number of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs, a significant number of university faculty in the scientific disciplines are foreign, and foreign doctorates are employed in large numbers by industry. This report examines these issues and discusses their policy implications.
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Issues and Legislative Options
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) report entailing information about science technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) education issues and legislative options. Topics include, STEM education in the united states, federal programs that promote STEM education, proposals to improve stem education, etc..
- The Capitol Visitor Center: An Overview
- This report presents the cost of the center, the most extensive addition to the Capitol since the Civil War, and the largest in the structure’s more than 200-year history, is now estimated to be at least $555 million. The project is being financed with appropriated funds, and a total of $65 million from private donations and revenue generated by the sale of commemorative coins.
- Aging Infrastructure: Dam Safety
- 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.
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Issues and Legislative Options
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) report entailing information about science technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) education issues and legislative options. Topics include, STEM education in the united states, federal programs that promote STEM education, proposals to improve stem education, etc..
- Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector
- The possibility of damage to or destruction of the nation's water supply and water quality infrastructure by terrorist attack has gained substantial attention since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Policymakers are considering a number of initiatives, including enhanced physical security, better communication and coordination, and research. A key issue is how such security measures will be funded. Committees in the 109th Congress have approved legislation to support vulnerability assessments in federal and non-federal wastewater treatment plants and utility systems.
- Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector
- No Description Available.
- The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
- The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency committee that serves the President in overseeing the national security implications of foreign investment in the economy. Since it was established by an Executive Order of President Ford in 1975, the committee has operated in relative obscurity.1 According to a Treasury Department memorandum, the Committee originally was established in order to placate Congress, which had grown concerned over the rapid increase in Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) investments in American portfolio assets (Treasury securities, corporate stocks and bonds), and to respond to concerns of some that much of the OPEC investments were being driven by political, rather than by economic, motives.
- The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
- The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency committee that serves the President in overseeing the national security implications of foreign investment in the economy. Since it was established by an Executive Order of President Ford in 1975, the committee has operated in relative obscurity.1 According to a Treasury Department memorandum, the Committee originally was established in order to placate Congress, which had grown concerned over the rapid increase in Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) investments in American portfolio assets (Treasury securities, corporate stocks and bonds), and to respond to concerns of some that much of the OPEC investments were being driven by political, rather than by economic, motives.
- Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress
- Congress generally authorizes Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) water resources projects before considering them in the annual appropriations process. The 109th Congress is considering authorizing Corps projects through two Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bills — S. 728 and H.R. 2864. The House passed H.R. 2864 in July 2005; S. 728 was placed on the Senate calendar in April 2005. Previous WRDAs followed a loosely biennial schedule; however, the last WRDA was enacted in 2000.
- Terminal Operators and Their Role in U.S. Port and Maritime Security
- No Description Available.
- Federally Supported Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Programs
- This report provides background information on the types of water supply and wastewater treatment projects traditionally funded by the federal government and the several existing programs to assist communities with water supply and wastewater recycling and treatment.
- Hurricane-Damaged Drinking Water and Wastewater Facilities: Impacts, Needs, and Response
- This report describes information that has been gathered about impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities and on ongoing efforts to assess damages and needs to repair and reconstruct damaged systems.
- Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress
- The Corps is a federal agency in the Department of Defense with military and civilian responsibilities. At the direction of Congress, the Corps plans, builds, operates, and maintains a wide range of water resources facilities in U.S. states and territories.
- Western Water Resource Issues
- For more than a century, the federal government has constructed water resource projects for a variety of purposes, including flood control, navigation, power generation, and irrigation. Growing population and changing values have increased demands on water supplies and river systems, resulting in water use and management conflicts throughout the country, particularly in the West, where the population is expected to increase 30% in the next 20-25 years. Debate over western water resources revolves around the issue of how best to plan for and manage the use of this renewable, yet sometimes scarce and increasingly sought after, resource. The 109th Congress is considering a number of bills on western water issues, including title transfer, water recycling, and rural water supply legislation, as well as Indian water rights settlement legislation.
- An Overview of the Administration's Strengthening America's Communities Initiative
- No Description Available.
- An Overview of the Administration's Strengthening America's Communities Initiative
- No Description Available.
- Protecting New Orleans: From Hurricane Barriers to Floodwalls
- No Description Available.
- Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector
- Report on the threat of terrorism towards water infrastructure, including security measures, appropriations, information sharing, Congressional responses, and more.
- Water Infrastructure Financing: History of EPA Appropriations
- This report summarizes, in chronological order, congressional activity to fund items in the State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) account since 1987. 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.
- Water Infrastructure Project Earmarks in EPA Appropriations: Trends and Policy Implications
- This report discusses appropriations for EPA water infrastructure programs, focusing on congressional earmarks in the account that funds these programs. Information on the programmatic history of EPA involvement in assisting wastewater treatment and drinking water projects is provided in two appendixes.