Congressional Research Service Reports - 56 Matching Results

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U.S. Agent Orange/Dioxin Assistance to Vietnam

Description: This report discusses U.S. assistance to Vietnam for the environmental and health damage attributed to a dioxin contained in Agent Orange and other herbicides sprayed over much of the southern portion of the country during the Vietnam War, which remains a major issue in bilateral relations.
Date: November 9, 2018
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Title I of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): A Summary of the Statute

Description: This report summarizes selected statutory provisions of Title 1 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) but does not discuss agency regulations and guidance that may provide more detailed direction for conducting risk evaluation and selecting regulatory options to prevent unreasonable risks of specific chemicals.
Date: April 4, 2018
Creator: Yen, Jerry H. & Wyatt, Alexandra M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA): Compensation Related to Exposure to Radiation from Atomic Weapons Testing and Uranium Mining

Description: This report discusses the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides one-time benefit payments to persons who may have developed cancer or other specified diseases after being exposed to radiation from atomic weapons testing or uranium mining, milling, or transporting.
Date: May 18, 2017
Creator: Szymendera, Scott D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: This report discusses concerns about food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
Date: December 16, 2016
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Efforts to Amend Title I of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

Description: This report examines selected differences between the House and the Senate legislation that would amend Title I of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA; 15 U.S.C. 2601-2629). Title I of TSCA is the principal federal statute that applies to the regulation of the lifecycle of commercial chemicals from their manufacture (defined to include importation) to disposal if elements of the lifecycle are found to present unreasonable risks.
Date: March 30, 2016
Creator: Yen, Jerry H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Lead in Flint, Michigan's Drinking Water: Federal Regulatory Role

Description: This report discusses the federal regulatory role in regards to drinking water, more specifically in the context of the Flint water crisis. EPA's current Flint responses include providing technical assistance for water testing and treatment, conducting water monitoring, and identifying lead service line locations.
Date: March 2, 2016
Creator: Tiemann, Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Lead in Flint, Michigan's Drinking Water: Federal Regulatory Role

Description: This report discusses the federal regulatory role in regards to drinking water, more specifically in the context of the Flint water crisis. Lead exposure is a major public health concern, particularly because low-level exposures can impair the neurodevelopment of children. The main source of lead in drinking water is the corrosion of plumbing materials in the distribution system.
Date: February 16, 2016
Creator: Tiemann, Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Agent Orange/Dioxin Assistance to Vietnam

Description: This report discusses U.S. assistance to Vietnam for the environmental and health damage attributed to a dioxin contained in Agent Orange and other herbicides sprayed over much of the southern portion of the country during the Vietnam War, which remains a major issue in bilateral relations.
Date: November 13, 2015
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Proposed Amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in the 114th Congress: S. 697, S. 725, and a House Discussion Draft

Description: This report tracks the legislative status in the 114th Congress of proposals to amend Title I of the Toxic Substances Control Act and includes a discussion of selected issues that have received more attention. This report does not present a comprehensive analysis of all provisions of relevant legislation, nor is this report intended to provide a detailed analysis of precise language and its legal or regulatory interpretation.
Date: May 12, 2015
Creator: Yen, Jerry H. & Wyatt, Alexandra M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA): Compensation Related to Exposure to Radiation from Atomic Weapons Testing and Uranium Mining

Description: This report discusses the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides one-time benefit payments to persons who may have developed cancer or other specified diseases after being exposed to radiation from atomic weapons testing or uranium mining, milling, or transporting.
Date: March 24, 2015
Creator: Szymendera, Scott D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange: Legislative History, Litigation, and Current Issues

Description: This report provides an overview of how Congress and the judiciary have addressed the concerns of Vietnam-era veterans and briefly describes some of the current issues raised by Vietnam-era veterans.
Date: November 18, 2014
Creator: Panangala, Sidath Viranga & Shedd, Daniel T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pesticide Use and Water Quality: Are the Laws Complementary or in Conflict?

Description: This report provides background on the conflict over interpretation and implementation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA). A brief discussion of the two laws is followed by a review of the major litigation of interest.
Date: March 19, 2014
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: This report discusses concerns about food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
Date: January 17, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Chemical Facility Security: Issues and Options for the 113th Congress

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the existing statutory authority and implementing regulation. It describes several policy issues raised in previous debates regarding chemical facility security and identifies policy options for congressional consideration.
Date: November 15, 2013
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Animal Waste and Hazardous Substances: Current Laws and Legislative Issues

Description: This report describes the provisions of the Superfund law and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and enforcement actions under these laws that have increasingly been receiving attention. Congressional scrutiny in the form of legislative proposals and a House hearing in the 109th Congress are discussed.
Date: September 10, 2013
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Regulation of Fertilizers: Ammonium Nitrate and Anhydrous Ammonia

Description: This report focuses on some of the federal regulatory programs overseeing storage of ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia by retailers. It discusses federal occupational safety, environmental, and security statutes and regulations applicable to each chemical. Select policy issues regarding these federal regulatory programs will be highlighted.
Date: May 14, 2013
Creator: Shea, Dana A.; Schierow, Linda-Jo & Szymendera, Scott D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Regulation of Fertilizers: Ammonium Nitrate and Anhydrous Ammonia

Description: This report focuses on some of the federal regulatory programs overseeing storage of ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia by retailers. It discusses federal occupational safety, environmental, and security statutes and regulations applicable to each chemical. Select policy issues regarding these federal regulatory programs will be highlighted.
Date: May 9, 2013
Creator: Shea, Dana A.; Schierow, Linda-Jo & Szymendera, Scott D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange and U.S.-Vietnam Relations

Description: This report examines various estimates of the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnam's people and environment, the history of U.S. policy on the issue, the current cleanup efforts in Vietnam, the various forms of assistance—including U.S. assistance—provided to people with medical conditions associated with dioxin exposure, and the implications for bilateral relations. It concludes with a brief discussion of possible congressional responses to the issue.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Federal Programs Related to Indoor Pollution by Chemicals

Description: This report describes common indoor pollutants, discusses federal statutes that have been used to address indoor pollution, and analyzes key issues surrounding some general policy options for federal policy makers. The focus is on indoor chemical contaminants, rather than on temperature, humidity, or pollution from animals, fungal or bacterial organisms, or plant pests.
Date: July 23, 2012
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo & Bearden, David M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Hydraulic Fracturing: Chemical Disclosure Requirements

Description: This report provides an overview of current and proposed laws at the state and federal levels that require the disclosure of the chemicals added to the fluid used in hydraulic fracturing.
Date: June 19, 2012
Creator: Murrill, Brandon J. & Vann, Adam
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act: A Summary of Superfund Cleanup Authorities and Related Provisions of the Act

Description: This report discusses the background and current status of CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980), which was a response to a growing desire for the federal government to ensure the cleanup of the nation's most contaminated sites to protect the public from potential harm. Concerns for Congress include funding for this act; most funding comes from potentially responsible parties (PRPs), but some also comes from the CERCLA established Hazardous S… more
Date: June 14, 2012
Creator: Bearden, David M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Chemical Facility Security: Issues and Options for the 112th Congress

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the existing statutory authority and the regulation implementing this authority. It describes several policy issues raised in previous debates regarding chemical facility security and identifies policy options for congressional consideration. Finally, legislation in the 112th Congress is discussed.
Date: June 11, 2012
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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