Congressional Research Service Reports - 66 Matching Results

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Chemical Facility Security: Reauthorization, Policy Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: The statutory authority to regulate chemical facilities for security purposes, granted to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by the 109th Congress, expires in October 2009. The 111th Congress is taking action to reauthorize this program, but the manner of its reauthorization remains an issue of congressional deliberation and debate. Key policy issues debated in previous Congresses are likely to be considered during the reauthorization debate. These issues include what facilities should b… more
Date: July 13, 2009
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Animal Waste and Hazardous Substances: Current Laws and Legislative Issues

Description: This report describes the provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, the Superfund law) and the 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 two House hearings are discussed. Bills intended to exempt animal manure from the requirements of Superfund and EPCRA were introduced i… more
Date: January 21, 2009
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Concerns in Agricultural Trade

Description: This report categorizes, describes, and in some cases quantifies these barriers on a country-by-country basis. Sixty-two major trading partners are covered in the 2008 report.10 Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBTs) are generally detailed in each country’s profile and, where feasible, their impacts on U.S. exports are quantified by U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
Date: December 15, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Water Infrastructure Needs and Investment: Review and Analysis of Key Issues

Description: This report identifies a number of issues that have received attention in connection with water infrastructure investment. It begins with a review of federal involvement, describes the debate about needs, and then examines key issues, including what is the nature of the problems to be solved; who will pay, and what is the federal role; and questions about mechanisms for delivering federal support, including state-by-state allotment of federal funds. Congressional and Administration activity on … more
Date: November 24, 2008
Creator: Copeland, Claudia & Tiemann, Mary
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal

Description: This report looks at the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), Yucca Mountain. Most of the current debate surrounding civilian radioactive waste focuses on highly radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power plants.
Date: October 7, 2008
Creator: Holt, Mark
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Program: Scope, Authorities, and Implementation

Description: The federal role in assisting states and communities to clean up brownfield sites -- real property affected by the potential presence of environmental contamination -- has been an ongoing issue for more than a decade. While there appears to be a broad consensus that a federal role in the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields is desirable, issues regarding the degree of financial assistance and overall program effectiveness have been raised.
Date: October 7, 2008
Creator: Ramseur, Jonathan L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Managing Disaster Debris: Overview of Regulatory Requirements, Agency Roles, and Selected Challenges

Description: This report addresses debris resulting from a “major disaster” or “emergency” declared by the President. First, it discusses the types of debris commonly generated during and after a disaster and selected factors that can make “debris removal” such a costly, complex operation. Second, it discusses the roles of federal, state, and local agencies after a disaster has been declared — with regard to both funding debris removal and the actual physical process of removal.
Date: July 15, 2008
Creator: Luther, Linda
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Exemptions from Environmental Law for the Department of Defense

Description: Whether broader expansions from federal environmental laws are needed to preserve military readiness has been an issue. Questions have been raised as to whether environmental requirements have limited military training activities to the point that readiness would be compromised. The potential impacts of broader exemptions on environmental quality have raised additional questions. Although certain exemptions the Department of Defense (DOD) first requested in FY2003 have been enacted into law, Co… more
Date: May 1, 2008
Creator: Bearden, David M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Managing Electronic Waste: An Analysis of State E-Waste Legislation

Description: As more states propose e-waste legislation, potentially regulated stakeholders (particularly electronics manufacturers and retailers) have expressed concern that they will be required to comply with a patchwork of state requirements throughout the United States. This concern has led to an increased call for federal legislation regarding e-waste management. To help policy makers better understand the impact of state e-waste legislation, this report discusses issues that have led to state action,… more
Date: September 10, 2007
Creator: Luther, Linda
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Managing Electronic Waste: An Analysis of State E-Waste Legislation

Description: In 2005, two congressional hearings were held to explore issues associated with e-waste, and the Congressional E-Waste Working Group was formed. One goal common to both the hearings and the establishment of the working group was to explore potential national solutions to the e-waste management issue. With increased legislative activity in the states, it is anticipated that stakeholders will increase their call for federal legislation regarding e-waste management. To illustrate the issues associ… more
Date: August 29, 2007
Creator: Luther, Linda
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal

Description: Management of civilian radioactive waste has posed difficult issues for Congress since the beginning of the nuclear power industry in the 1950s. Federal policy is based on the premise that nuclear waste can be disposed of safely, but proposed storage and disposal facilities have frequently been challenged on safety, health, and environmental grounds. Although civilian radioactive waste encompasses a wide range of materials, most of the current debate focuses on highly radioactive spent fuel fro… more
Date: August 8, 2006
Creator: Holt, Mark
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal

Description: The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) calls for disposal of spent nuclear fuel in a deep geologic repository that is unlikely to be disturbed for thousands of years. Low-level waste sites are a state responsibility under the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980. Pursuant to that act, 10 regional compacts for disposal of low level waste have been approved by Congress. Three commercial low-level waste sites are currently operating, in the states of South Carolina, Utah, and Washin… more
Date: August 8, 2006
Creator: Holt, Mark
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal

Description: The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) calls for disposal of spent nuclear fuel in a deep geologic repository that is unlikely to be disturbed for thousands of years. Low-level waste sites are a state responsibility under the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980. Pursuant to that act, 10 regional compacts for disposal of low level waste have been approved by Congress. Three commercial low-level waste sites are currently operating, in the states of South Carolina, Utah, and Washin… more
Date: August 8, 2006
Creator: Holt, Mark
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nuclear Energy Policy

Description: This report discusses the nuclear energy policy issues facing Congress, which include the implementation of federal incentives for new commercial reactors, radioactive waste management policy, research and development priorities, power plant safety and regulation, and security against terrorist attacks.
Date: July 20, 2006
Creator: Holt, Mark
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Radioactive Tank Waste from the Past Production of Nuclear Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: How to safely dispose of wastes from producing nuclear weapons has been an ongoing issue. The most radioactive portion of these wastes is stored in underground tanks at Department of Energy (DOE) sites in Idaho, South Carolina, and Washington State. There have been concerns about soil and groundwater contamination from some of the tanks that have leaked. This report provides background information on the disposal of radioactive tank waste, analyzes waste disposal authority in P.L. 108-375, and … more
Date: June 13, 2006
Creator: Andrews, Anthony & Bearden, David M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cleanup After Hurricane Katrina: Environmental Considerations

Description: This report aims to provide an overview of the immediate and intermediate cleanup tasks across the diverse communities in the affected region, and federal legal authorities and plans for tackling them. The report also discusses coordinated roles and activities among local, state, and federal agencies and officials. Finally, the report serves to reference other, more detailed CRS reports and other sources on particular Katrina cleanup activities.
Date: May 3, 2006
Creator: Esworthy, Robert; Schierow, Linda-Jo; Copeland, Claudia; Luther, Linda G. & Ramseur, Jonathan L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Hurricane-Damaged Drinking Water and Wastewater Facilities: Impacts, Needs, and Response

Description: 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.
Date: March 22, 2006
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Hurricane-Damaged Drinking Water and Wastewater Facilities: Impacts, Needs, and Response

Description: This report describes information that has been gathered about impacts of the August 29 hurricane (Hurricane Katrina) on drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities, and on ongoing efforts to assess damages and needs to repair and reconstruct damaged systems.
Date: October 19, 2005
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cleanup After Hurricane Katrina: Environmental Considerations

Description: This report aims to provide an overview of the immediate and intermediate cleanup tasks across the diverse communities in the affected region, and federal legal authorities and plans for tackling them. The report also discusses coordinated roles and activities among local, state, and federal agencies and officials. Finally, the report serves to reference other, more detailed CRS reports and other sources on particular Katrina cleanup activities.
Date: October 13, 2005
Creator: Esworthy, Robert; Schierow, Linda-Jo; Copeland, Claudia & Luther, Linda G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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