VIEW THIS ON THE AMERICAN RIVERS WEBPAGE WITH DIRECT LINKS TO THE ACTUAL BILLS!!
http://www.amrivers.org/policynew.html
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This week, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water will issue its draft permitting guidance, a manual that will describe what pollution controls animal factory farms need to put in place to receive Clean Water Act permits. EPA may hand off the determinations of pollution controls to USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) through that agency's creation of Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans. The NRCS favors allowing state-by-state standards as opposed to national baseline regulations.
Environmental groups, who have been strongly advocating for EPA to implement strong, enforceable, measurable, and nationally-consistent conditions, are concerned about EPA's reliance on USDA's state-by-state standards, which would be harder to enforce and measure.
For more information, visit
http://www.cwn.org/.
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Preliminary results from the National Survey of State Animal Confinement Policies are now available on the internet. For detailed information on each state or group of states go to the web site:
http://cherokee.agecon.clemson.edu/confine.htm
The survey results were broken down into three sections: policy issues, confinement and manure management regulations, and industry structure incentives/disincentives.
The National Survey was organized under the auspices of the National Policy Education Committee. The project was sponsored by the Farm Foundation, USDA-CSREES, Land Grant University Extension Services in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
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Last Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee pushed through the $14.1 billion FY'00 funding bill for Interior and related agencies. Even though the dollar figure for the bill was higher than the original allocation of $11.341 billion, it still came up $200 million short of current funding levels and about $1 billion below the Clinton Administration's request.
House Appropriations Committee ranking Democrat David Obey (D-WI) expressed concern that important programs would not receive adequate funding, a situation that could become more serious if the possibility of $200 million being cut from the bill during floor debate becomes a reality.
Representative Don Young (R-AK) stated the bill would be taken up on the House floor the week of July 12.
Below is a comparison of FY'01 appropriation proposals for various agencies by the Senate, House, and Clinton Administration for the Department of Interior and related agencies:
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On June 29, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works pushed gave its approval to S. 1100, Senator Pete Domenici's (R-NM) bill aimed at narrowly amending the Endangered Species Act by changing rules regarding designation of critical habitat.
Co-sponsored by Senators John Chafee (R-RI) and Mike Crapo (R-ID), the legislation would require the federal agencies to shift the designation of critical habitat from the time of listing to the recovery planning process and mandate that recovery plans be completed within three years after a species is listed. S. 1100 would reintroduce the "not determinable" provision, which would exempt the US Fish and Wildlife Service from having to designate critical habitat if the agency is unable to determine what the habitat should be. Congress eliminated the loophole in 1983 because it was being used too widely and frequently. The bill would eliminate all timelines for providing critical habitat to species that already have approved recovery plans.
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On June 30, Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY) introduced an ESA reform bill of his own, the Listing and Delisting Reform Act of 1999 (S. 1305). The stated goal of the bill, co-sponsored by Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY), is to "inject science" into the endangered species listing process. The bill would increase the requirements for a petition to list a species. The bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to use scientific or commercial data that is empirical, field tested, and peer-reviewed; establish minimum requirements for a listing petition that includes an analysis of the status of the species, its range, population trends, and threats; and require the Secretary to determine if sufficient biological information exists in the petition to support a recovery plan.
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In the June 14, 1999 Federal Register, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced its intent to develop policy or guidance and/or to revise regulations, if necessary, to clarify the role of habitat in endangered species conservation. The agency intends to streamline the processes involved in completing critical habitat determinations and designations. The agency has requested public comment, which it will incorporate comments into the new proposed guidance as appropriate. Comments will be accepted through August 13, 1999.
To submit comments to the FWS, write to the Chief, Division of Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Mailstop ARLSQ-420, Washington, D.C. 20240. For more information, contact Chief, Division of Endangered Species, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 703-358-2171.
For more information on S. 1100, see the River Policy Update from June 28 at
http://www.amrivers.org/policy6-28.html
For more information on the federal public comment period and FWS guidance on critical habitat, visit www.stopextinction.org.
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The National Wildlife Federation has developed a new report on watershed-based trading. "A New Tool for Water Quality: Making Watershed-Based Trading Work for You," describes how citizens can take important steps to ensure that trading proposals in their state or watershed will actually restore polluted waters. The guide describes the concept of trading and outlines necessary conditions or "safeguards" under which a trade can take place. The report is part of NWF's "Saving Our Watersheds" project, a national educational and advocacy effort to help NWF affiliates, environmental organizations, watershed groups, and the public clean up rivers, lakes, and estuaries that they care about.
For a copy of the report, please contact Kari Dolan, Water Quality Project Manager, at 802-229-0650 or dolan@nwf.org.
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On July 1, more than 1,000 people stood on the banks of the Kennebec River to witness the demolition of the Edwards Dam, the first operating hydroelectric dam ordered destroyed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Commission had determined that the environmental harm caused by the dam outweighed the power it produced.
The Edwards dam was built in 1837 to power seven sawmills, a gristmill and a machine shop. In 1984, the Edwards Manufacturing Co. signed a 15-year contract to sell electricity to Central Maine Power after the textile mill closed in 1983 and all workers were laid off. A number of groups (American Rivers, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and Trout Unlimited) came together in 1989 to form the Kennebec Coalition with the goal of removing the dam. In 1991, the governor of Maine and the State Legislature called for removing the dam, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission refuses to renew the dam's license to operate in 1997. The owners of the dam signed a settlement accord in 1998 agreeing to hand the dam over to the state of Maine. For more information on the Edwards Dam removal, visit
http://www.amrivers.org or
http://www.state.me.us/spo/edwards/
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On July 1, the Clinton Administration formally submitted to Congress its $7.8 billion plan to restore the Florida Everglades. The goal of the plan, a 20-year effort to be led by the Army Corps of Engineers, is to reverse or repair some of the damage caused by the 1,700-miles of flood control and water supply canals built in the area over three decades from the 1940s to the 1970s. The canals have starved the Everglades of much-needed water flow, reduced populations of many species, negatively impacted fisheries, and threaten the rest of the extensive ecosystem.
The Administration's proposal calls for eliminating 240 miles of levees and canals and building 60 projects aimed at restoring natural water flow through the Everglades and catching water that is currently lost to the ocean. Projects include above-ground reservoirs and new wetlands. About 80 percent of the captured water would go toward revitalization of the Everglades and the remainder would be available to cities and farmers.
Many have expressed their support for the plan, including Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R), the entire congressional delegation from Florida, and many conservation groups and state business leaders. Congressional funding stands as the biggest stumbling block. The restoration projects would need $200 million a year from congressional appropriators.
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The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior released a draft of the Unified Federal Policy for Ensuring a Watershed Approach to Federal Land and Resource Management (Unified Federal Policy) to Congress, tribes, states, and interested stakeholders. The goal of the proposed policy, part of President Clinton's Clean Water Action Plan, is to develop a cost-effective watershed approach to preventing and reducing water pollution from federal land and resource management activities.
The working draft is available to the public for comment. It will be posted at
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/whatwedo/cwap/ and
http://www.fs.fed.us/clean/unified/. Copies are also available by calling the USDA Forest Service's Content Analysis Enterprise Team at 406-329-3388.
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H.R. 1487 to outline public comment and environmental analysis procedures before designating national monuments under the 1906 Antiquities Act.
H.R. 1934 to aid efforts to save marine mammals stranded on American shores, with an amendment offered by Representative Jim Saxton (R-NJ) to add regional representatives to an advisory panel and to ensure equitable distribution of funds among the regions.
H.R. 1152 to reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ocean research programs for fiscal 2000 and 2001.
H.R. 2181 to authorize NOAA to acquire and equip six new fisheries research vessels over the next six years.
H.R. 468 to establish the St. Helena Island National Scenic Area in Lake Michigan.
H.R. 2079 to sell approximately 40 acres of land from the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota to a ski resort. The Senate Energy Committee approved a companion bill (S 953) on Wednesday.
H.R. 535 to change the boundaries of the coastal barriers resources system in Delaware.
H.R. 1753 to promote the research and development of methane hydrate.
Selection of Bills Approved by the Senate:
S. 323 to elevate the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument to national park status and create several other conservation areas near Montrose, Colorado.
S. 416 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the city of Sisters, Oregon, a small tract of Forest Service land for a sewage treatment facility and for the disposal of treated effluent.
S. 700 to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Ala Kahakai Trail as a national historic trail.
S. 766 to authorize the National Park Service to conduct a feasibility study for the preservation of the Loess Hills in western Iowa, a large expanse of undisturbed mixed prairie and unique geologic formations on along the Missouri River.
Selection of Bills Approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee:
S. 501 to require that the National Park Service continue to allow subsistence fishing and gathering, as well as commercial marine fishing regulated by the state, in Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska.
The Clinton Administration has threatened to veto the bill.
S. 711 to allow outside investments of the settlement funds from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
H.R. 15 to designate the 18,500-acre Otay Wilderness on Bureau of Land Management Land in California.
H.R. 149 to make technical corrections to the 1996 omnibus parks bill.
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For more information or to see the text of any of the bills listed below, go to the Thomas website at
http://thomas.loc.gov/ and enter the bill number.
H.R. 1205: Introduced by Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI), H.R. 1205 would prohibit any drilling activity (including any slant or directional drilling) to extract oil or gas from lands beneath waters under the jurisdiction of the United States in any of the Great Lakes. The bill was referred to the House Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
H.R.2250: Introduced by Representative Don Young (R-AK), the Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Energy Security Act of 1999 directs the Secretary of Interior to establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the approximately 1,549,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge known as the Coastal Plain. The bill calls upon the Secretary to develop the program such that it will result in an environmentally sound and job creating program. H.R. 2250 was referred to the House Resources Committee.
H.R. 2285: Introduced by Representative Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), H.R. 2285 would amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of the San Antonio Water System Water Recycling Project Phase III for the reclamation and reuse of water. The Federal share of the cost of any project shall not exceed 25 percent of the total cost. H.R. 2285 was referred the House Resources Committee.
H.R.2335: Introduced by Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY), the Hydroelectric Licensing Process Improvement Act of 1999 would amend the Federal Power Act, changing the hydroelectric licensing process by granting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission statutory authority over coordination of participation by other agencies and entities. The bill would require agencies to consider the full effects of their mandatory and recommended conditions on a hydroelectric power license and to document the consideration of a broad range of factors. The measure would also require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to impose deadlines by which federal agencies must submit proposed mandatory and recommended conditions to a license. As a result, the bill would have a significant impact on the ability of federal resource agencies to impose mandatory conditions for fish passage and protection of federal lands. H.R. 2335, companion legislation to S. 740 introduced by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) in March, was referred to the House Commerce Committee.
H.R. 2348: Introduced by Representative James Hansen (R-UT), H.R. 2348 would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to provide cost sharing for the endangered fish recovery implementation programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins, with a funding level of $46 million for capital projects. The authority for the Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program would expire in 2005 and 2007 respectively, unless reauthorized by an Act of Congress. The bill was referred to the House Resources Committee.
S. 919: Introduced by Senator Christopher DODD (D-CT), the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 1999 amend the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 to expand the boundaries of the Corridor. The purpose of the bill is to provide assistance to the State of Connecticut, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and their units of local and regional government and citizens in the development and implementation of integrated natural, cultural, historic, scenic, recreational, land, and other resource management programs in order to retain, enhance, and interpret the significant features of the land, water, structures, and history of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley. S. 919 was referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
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No hearings this week -- Congress is in recess.
LINKS TO PAST UPDATES:
CHECK OUT OUR HOMEPAGE!! http://www.amrivers.org
QUESTIONS? Contact Suzy McDowell, Conservation Outreach Coordinator, at smcdowell@amrivers.org or 202-347-7550x3040.
Legislative information taken from many sources including Thomas, Congressional Greensheets, Greenwire, and Roll Call.
Suzy McDowell Outreach Coordinator American Rivers 1025 Vermont Ave, NW, #720 Washington, DC 20005 202-347-7550 x3040 smcdowell@amrivers.org
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