To read the River Policy Update online, visit American Rivers' Online Newsroom at http://www.americanrivers.org/policyupdates/update.htm and click on "River Policy Update." Week of July 23, 2001 IN THIS WEEK'S UPDATE: * Energy policy * Appropriations * Water resources * Air pollution/acid rain * Bush administration environmental nominations * Land conservation * EPA status * Ecosystems and biodiversity * Jobs ENERGY POLICY House energy legislation Four separate committees in the House of Representatives reported energy bills last week; the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Resources Committee, the Science Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. The House leadership hopes to bring these bills to the floor next week, probably merged into a single bill. The Resources Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee bills include hydropower- related provisions. House Resources Committee: Last week the House Resources Committee approved Chairman Jim Hansen's (R-UT) Energy Security Act. Heavily backed by the Bush administration, the Energy Security Act includes, among other things, provisions that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development, promote offshore oil and gas development, provide for studies aimed at maximizing hydroelectric generation under the jurisdiction of the Interior Department, and implement measures to increase efficiency at some hydropower dams under the Interior's jurisdiction. Conservationists oppose many provisions of the bill, including raising concerns that the hydropower efficiency language fails to provide for adequate environmental review. House Energy and Commerce Committee: Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee completed a lengthy markup and reported "the Energy Conservation and Advancement Act of 2001." The comprehensive energy legislation addresses several areas including conservation, automobile fuel efficiency standards, reformulated gasoline, hydropower relicensing, nuclear energy, and so- called "clean coal" technology. Hydropower industry advocates have criticized the hydropower licensing process, which they claim is made more lengthy and complex by the authorities of state and federal resource agencies to insist on environmental safeguards during the licensing process. Conservationists have argued that the changes promoted by the industry would alter the licensing process in a way that would limit the authority of the Interior Department, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service to adequately protect aquatic resources and riparian lands. The Committee staff has developed compromise language on hydropower that both conservationists and industry have agreed to, which would require that the resource agencies consider less costly alternatives when developing conservation measures. APPROPRIATIONS Energy and Water funding A House-Senate Conference committee may be held as early as this week to discuss and settle differences in the FY '02 energy and water funding bill. The conservation community is vigorously opposed to a rider that Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) inserted in the House version of the bill that would prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from revising Missouri River operations to benefit wildlife, and plans to fight the rider's inclusion in conference committee. The Senate bill reported by the Appropriations Committee contained a more limited provision that would allow continued consideration of necessary flow changes. In passing the bill last week, the Senate approved a further amendment that would allow the Corps to consider alternatives other than those recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Conservationists argue that allowing a more natural seasonal rise and fall of water levels would not prevent traditional uses of the river or its floodplain, but would be critical to the survival of several endangered species, including the pallid sturgeon, piping plover, and interior least tern. To encourage the Army Corps to revise its operation of Missouri River dams, American Rivers listed the Missouri as its number one Most Endangered River this year. Conference time and place TBD. Agriculture funding Floor action is likely this week after the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY '02 Agriculture Appropriations Act unanimously last week. The House bill provides $46 million above the Administration's request for four key programs in the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The bill would dedicate $10 million for a new watershed rehabilitation program, repairing structures in Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota. The House measure did not request funding for the NRCS forestry incentives program, which the Senate has insisted on funding. In addition, the House did not fund three other popular conservation programs: the Wetland Reserve Program, the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, and the Farmland Protection Program. EPA funding Floor action is possible this week after the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a $84.15 billion VA-HUD and Independent Agencies appropriations bill last week that would restore funding to EPA water programs that the Bush Administration proposed cutting. The Administration proposed cut backs in the clean water state revolving fund and the safe drinking water state revolving fund, as well as cuts in EPA's environmental enforcement programs. Floor action is also likely in the House, where conservationists are opposing several "riders" and pushing for full funding of environmental enforcement. NOAA Funding Floor action is possible this week after the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a $41.49 billion Commerce, Justice, and State funding bill last week, including $3.33 billion for NOAA, which includes the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The funding bill provides $70 million for NMFS's Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, which funds state, local, and tribal salmon habitat and monitoring projects - $20 million less then the Administration request and less than half of what salmon advocates had requested. $134 million in total would be allocated for Pacific salmon conservation. Floor action: TBA WATER RESOURCES California water bill (CalFed) This Thursday, the House water and power subcommittee will hold a hearing to assess two competing bills that would reauthorize the federal-state effort to improve water quality and endangered species management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's California Ecosystem, Water Supply, and Water Quality Enhancement Act (S 976) and Rep. Ken Calvert's (R-CA) Western Water Enhancement Act (HR 1985) would initiate several major new water storage projects at a cost of at least $3 billion over seven years. Conservationists oppose both the Feinstein and Calvert bills, arguing that they would undermine water rights, authorize an expensive group of new water projects with unknown environmental impacts, and renege on commitments to environmental goals. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) has introduced another bill (HR 2404), supported by California environmental groups, that would authorize numerous water reclamation, reuse, recycling, desalination and groundwater banking projects. "Instead of turning back to 19th century solutions like big new dams that are subsidized by taxpayers," said Miller, "we use 21st century methods -- including recycling and desalination - to generate over a million acre feet of real water for California's diverse needs." Both Interior Secretary Gale Norton and California Gov. Gray Davis (D) have been invited to testify. Hearing: 2:00 p.m., Thursday, July 26, 1324 Longworth Oregon watershed management Floor action is scheduled today (Monday) on a bill to expand the watershed management unit that protects Portland's drinking water supply. Approved by the Resources Committee without amendments, HR 427 would provide further protections for the watershed of the Little Sandy River as part of the Bull Run Management Unit. Oregon Indian tribe hydropower agreement This Tuesday the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs will hold a hearing to examine a hydropower agreement between an Oregon Indian tribe and the Interior Department. The Pelton hydroelectric project on the Deschutes River is operated jointly by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation and Portland General Electric Co. under a pact signed in April 2000. A bill was proposed to codify the agreement in federal law and authorize the sale of bonds to finance the budget. The entire Oregon delegation supports the legislation and representatives of the tribe will testify in favor of the bill. Hearing: 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 24, 485 Russell AIR POLLUTION/ACID RAIN Power plant hearing This Thursday the Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing focusing on air pollution caused by power plants. Senator Jeffords' bill, called the Clean Power Act, would reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and mercury from power plant smokestacks. Although the hearing will not focus on the bill, Jeffords said he hopes to build on his legislation and address climate issues more broadly. Cosponsoring Jeffords' bill are several other New England Senators whose states are suffering from haze and acid deposition caused by emissions from power plants in the Midwest. Hearing: 9:30 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 406 Dirksen BUSH ADMINISTRATION ENVIRONMENTAL NOMINATIONS This Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a confirmation hearing on the nominations of three EPA top- level officials. Robert Fabricant is nominated to be general counsel, Judith Elizabeth was nominated as assistant administrator for the office of international activities, and G. Tracy Mehan was nominated to be assistant administrator for the office of water. None of the nominations are considered controversial according to a spokesperson for the committee. LAND CONSERVATION Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund This Wednesday the House Resources Committee will markup the Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund (CARA). Introduced by Congressmen Young (R-AK), Hansen (R-UT), and Tauzin (R-LA), CARA would use federal oil and gas receipts to fund land conservation, wildlife and recreation programs, as well as "impact aid" for coastal states. $3.125 billion would be dedicated to impact aid annually. Conservationists have expressed concern that the bill inadequately constrains the use of royalty receipts to be devoted to conservation purposes, and creates an incentive for other states to support coastal drilling off Alaska. Markup: 10 a.m., Wednesday, July 25 in 1324 Longworth. EPA STATUS This Tuesday the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to consider renaming the EPA to the Department of Environmental Affairs and give it Cabinet-level status. Introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the Environmental Protection Affairs Act would put the agency on the same level as the environment ministries of other nations. EPA administrator Christie Whitman would not have to be confirmed again in the Senate. Hearing: 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 24, 342 Dirksen ECOSYSTEMS AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Invasive species This Thursday the Environment, Technology and Standards Subcommittee of the House Science Committee will examine the research of various federal agencies on invasive species and coordination efforts by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force and the National Invasive Species Council. Non-native plants, animals, insects and other species pose a serious threat to America's indigenous species. The panel will focus on the research provisions within the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 and the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to determine if possible amendments will be needed as they come up for reauthorization. Hearing: 11:00 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 2318 Rayburn CONGRESSIONAL CALENDAR Senate: Hearing on climate change Energy and Natural Resources Committee 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 24, 106 Dirksen Hearing on EPA cabinet status Governmental Affairs Committee 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 24, 342 Dirksen Hearing on electricity restructuring Energy and Natural Resources Committee 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 25, 366 Dirksen Hearing on EPA nominations Environment and Public Works Committee 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 25, 406 Dirksen Hearing on power plant emissions Environment and Public Works Committee 9:30 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 406 Dirksen. Hearing on electricity restructuring Energy and Natural Resources Committee 9:45 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 106 Dirksen House: Hearing on renewable fuel use Small Business Committee 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 24, 2360 Rayburn CARA markup Resources Committee 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 25, 1324 Longworth Markup of Farm Bill Agriculture Committee 10:00 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 1300 Longworth Hearing on invasive species Science Committee 11:00 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 2318 Rayburn Hearing on CALFED legislation Resources Committee 2:00 p.m., Thursday, July 26, 1324 Longworth Hearing on electricity policy Energy and Commerce Committee 9:30 a.m., Friday, July 27, 1324 Longworth JOBS American Rivers currently has a number of job openings. See our employment page for the following opportunities: * Online Community Manager * Conservation Assistant-Outreach * Organizer/Outreach Specialist-Missouri River Campaign * Communications Assistant * River Restoration Financing Associate * Development Assistant Questions? Contact Michael Garrity, Conservation Associate, at 202-347-7550. Legislative information taken from sources including: Environment and Energy Daily, Greenwire, Congressional Green Sheets, and members of the American Rivers conservation staff.
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