jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2011-12-14 00:00:00

Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2012 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct: (1) the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to designate a Global Water Coordinator to coordinate and oversee water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, and (2) the Secretary of State to designate a Special Advisor for Water Resources to coordinate and oversee policy relating to water and sanitation assistance. Sets forth principles to ensure that water, sanitation, and hygiene projects carried out under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 achieve maximum impact. Amends the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 regarding the strategy to further the U.S. foreign assistance objective to provide access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries to: (1) transfer primary authority from the Secretary to USAID, (2) include hygiene, and (3) include designation of high priority countries. Directs the Administrator to maintain a webpage for information on U.S. water, sanitation, and hygiene foreign assistance programs.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2011-12-16 00:00:00

Provides that funds appropriated for the Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Recovery, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, and Tributaries and for the carrying out of the Army Corps of Engineers' responsibilities in the management of the Missouri River under the fish and wildlife authorized purpose shall be available only for the reconstruction of flood control structures until the structures are returned to the elevation and design that predates the 2011 Missouri River flood event and the reconstruction efforts are completed.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2012-02-06 00:00:00

Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act of 2012 - Amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of: (1) recycled water system facilities in California in cooperation with the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, the Dublin San Ramon Services District, the Delta Diablo Sanitation District, the cities of Redwood City, Palo Alto, Hayward, Mountain View, and Pleasanton, the San Jose Water Company, and the Town of Yountville; and (2) recycled water distribution systems in California in cooperation with the Ironhouse Sanitary District. Limits the federal share of each project to 25%. Prohibits the Secretary from providing funds for project operation and maintenance. Directs the Secretary to enter into individual agreements with the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Water Coalition participating agencies to fund projects under such Act. Allows the Secretary to include in such agreements a provision for the reimbursement of construction costs, including those construction costs incurred prior to this Act's enactment. Increases the authorization of appropriations for the design, planning, and construction of: (1) recycled water system facilities in cooperation with the city of Antioch, California; and (2) recycled water treatment facilities in cooperation with the city of San Jose, California, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2012-02-27 00:00:00

Dam Safety Act of 2011 [sic] - Amends the National Dam Safety Program Act to authorize appropriations for the national dam safety program for FY2012-FY2015. Requires the head of a federal agency, at the request of a state dam safety agency with respect to any dam the failure of which would affect the state, to provide information to that agency on the dam's condition and on its provisions for emergency operations. Includes as a program objective to develop and implement a comprehensive dam safety hazard education and public awareness program to assist the public in mitigating against, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from dam incidents. Permits the Administrator, in consultation with the National Dam Safety Review Board, to invite representatives from nongovernmental organizations to participate in Board meetings. Prohibits the amount of funds allocated to a state to carry out the dam safety program from exceeding the amount committed by the state to implement program activities (currently, 50% of the reasonable cost of implementing the state dam safety program).
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2012-03-06 00:00:00

Upper Mississippi Conservation and River Protection Act of 2012 or the Upper Mississippi CARP Act - Directs the Chief of Engineers to: (1) study the feasibility of temporarily closing the lock at the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, or implementing control measures at the lock, including permanently closing the lock, modifying lock operations, or using an alternative technology barrier, to manage the threat of Asian carp traveling up the Mississippi River in Minnesota; and (2) assess the potential impacts, including environmental and economic impacts, of temporarily closing the lock or continuing to operate it and of implementing the control measures or not implementing such measures. Authorizes the Chief to close the lock upon determining that closure is justified based on the assessment of potential impacts. Requires the Chief to close the lock upon determining that a live adult Asian carp has been captured above Lock and Dam 2 or that a juvenile Asian carp has been captured above Lock and Dam 4. Allows the Chief to reopen the lock upon determining that adequate measures are in place to manage the threat. Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to incorporate the Upper Mississippi River and tributaries, the Minnesota River, and the St. Croix River into the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework of the Council. Expresses the sense of Congress that federal agencies researching Asian carp control technologies should partner with state and local shareholders, giving priority to collaborative partnerships in which such shareholders contribute to the cost of the research.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2012-03-29 00:00:00

Replaces the map included in the set of maps entitled "Coastal Barrier Resources System" (referred to in specified provisions of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act and relating to Unit L06 in the state of North Carolina) with another map relating to the same unit entitled "John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Corrected Unit L06."
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2012-03-29 00:00:00

Waterways Are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act of 2012 or WAVE4 Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to require certain delivery process reforms for qualifying construction and major rehabilitation projects for navigation infrastructure of inland and intracoastal waterways. Directs the Secretary, working in conjunction with the Inland Waterways Users Board, to submit to Congress a 20-year program for making capital investments on inland and intracoastal waterways. Authorizes such program to be based on the 20-year capital investment strategy contained in the Inland Marine Transportation System (IMTS) Capital Projects Business Model, Final Report published on April 13, 2010, as approved by the Board. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to limit expenditures from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund to 50% of the total cost of the construction or rehabilitation project. Prohibits expenditures from the Fund for: (1) construction or rehabilitation of dams, or (2) rehabilitation expenditures equal to or exceeding $100 million.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2012-04-19 00:00:00

Stop Invasive Species Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to: (1) expedite a feasibility study under the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 on the range of options and technologies available to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species (including Asian carp) between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and other aquatic pathways; and (2) if the project is justified, proceed directly to project preconstruction engineering and design. Requires the report on the study to focus on: (1) such prevention as the permanent hydrological separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins, and (2) specified watersheds of rivers and tributaries in Illinois and Indiana associated with the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). Defines "hydrological separation" as a physical separation on the CAWS that would disconnect the Mississippi River watershed from the Lake Michigan watershed and prevent the transfer of all aquatic species between such bodies of water. Requires, within 90 days after enactment of this Act, an interim report to Congress on milestones that will be met prior to final completion of the study. Requires the final report to be completed within 18 months.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2012-04-19 00:00:00

Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act - Requires federal investments in the Upper Mississippi River Basin to be guided by accepted and documented scientific methods and to take into account the results of studies using such methods to identify and quantify the sources, transport, and fate of nutrients and sediment and to quantify the effect of treatment methods or conservation measures on nutrient and sediment management. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, as part of an Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative and acting through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to establish a nutrient and sediment monitoring network for the Basin. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish guidelines for related data collection and storage activities; (2) inventory the sediment and monitoring efforts of governmental, tribal, and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of creating a baseline understanding of overlap, data gaps, and redundancies; (3) integrate such monitoring efforts into the sediment and nutrient monitoring network; and (4) collaborate with other public, tribal, and private monitoring and assessment programs in establishing the monitoring network. Directs the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a water resources assessment of the Basin. Requires the Director of the USGS: (1) as part of the Initiative, to develop and implement a plan to improve existing water-quality models to identify and quantify significant sources of sediment and nutrients in the Basin at the subwatershed scale; (2) to establish a communication plan that includes use of the Internet to provide information on accomplishments of public and private programs designed to manage sediment and nutrients in the Basin and on seasonal and annual concentrations and loads of sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries; and (3) provide an annual report that includes information on concentrations and loads of nutrients and sediment derived from monitoring activities conducted in the Basin.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2012-05-10 00:00:00

Army Corps of Engineers Communications Accountability Act of 2012 - Requires the Chief of Engineers: (1) to notify the public within seven days after determining that runoff conditions in the Missouri River System are likely to reach the upper quartile or upper decile scenarios specified for a year in an annual operating plan for such System; and (2) to meet with a state, local, or tribal government with jurisdiction over an area that will be affected by a flood occurring in the System within seven days after such government requests such a consultation regarding such an upper decile determination. Authorizes the Chief to provide in such consultation information regarding expected water levels, advice regarding preparedness actions, and technical assistance.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2012-05-17 00:00:00

Port Security Equipment Improvement Act of 2012 - Authorizes the use of port security grant program funds for the cost of replacing security equipment or facilities that correct Coast Guard-identified vulnerabilities in port security and ensure compliance with Area Maritime Transportation Security Plans and facility security plans.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2012-05-18 00:00:00

Levee Vegetation Review Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Army to undertake a comprehensive review of the Corps of Engineers policy guidelines on vegetation management for levees in order to determine whether current federal policy is appropriate for all regions of the United States. Requires the Secretary to examine the guidelines in view of factors including: (1) the varied interests and responsibilities in managing flood risks; (2) preserving, protecting, and enhancing natural resources; (3) protecting the rights of Native Americans pursuant to treaties and statutes; and (4) factors that promote and allow for consideration of potential variances from national guidelines on a regional or watershed basis. Directs Corps of Engineers Regional Integration Teams representing districts, divisions, and headquarters, in consultation with state and federal resources agencies and with participation by local agencies, to recommend to the Chief of Engineers vegetation management policies for levees that conform with state and federal laws and other applicable requirements. Directs the Secretary to: (1) solicit and consider the views of the National Academy of Engineering on the engineering, environmental, and institutional considerations underlying the guidelines; and (2) revise the guidelines based on the results of the review and report to Congress. Requires the revised guidelines to: (1) provide a practical process for approving regional or watershed variances from the national guidelines, and (2) be incorporated into a proposed manual.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2012-06-07 00:00:00

Hudson-Mohawk River Basin Act of 2012 - Directs the President to: (1) establish the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin Commission, in cooperation with the governors of the states included in the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin (New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut), to coordinate activities being undertaken by the states, advisory committees, local governments, institutions of higher education, and nongovernmental organizations to address environmental, economic, and cultural issues associated with the management and use of resources in the Hudson-Mohawk Watershed; and (2) designate the Secretary of the Interior to serve as a member of the Commission and as coordinator of participation of relevant federal agencies in the Commission's activities. Requires the Commission to: (1) develop and implement plans, policies, and projects relating to the Basin's water resources; (2) adopt and promote uniform and coordinated policies for management and conservation of such resources; (3) coordinate and direct the development, implementation, operation, and financing of water resources projects consistent with its plans and policies; and (4) develop and adopt a comprehensive plan for the development and use of such resources, which shall address all projects and facilities required for development, conservation, use, management, and control of the Basin's water resources to meet present and future needs. Directs the Commission to adopt a water resources program on an annual basis, based upon the comprehensive plan, that identifies specific projects and facilities to be undertaken during the immediate five-year period.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2012-06-21 00:00:00

North Texas Zebra Mussel Barrier Act of 2012 - Makes the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 and provisions of the federal criminal code prohibiting importation of injurious animals inapplicable to any water transfer by the North Texas Municipal Water District and the Greater Texoma Utility Authority using only closed conveyance systems from the Lake Texoma raw water intake structure to treatment facilities at which all zebra mussels are extirpated and removed from the transferred water.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Energy
Date: 2012-06-26 00:00:00

Hydro 2.0 Act - Amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain additions, improvements, efficiencies, and replacements of power generation facilities at existing Reclamation project facilities, including exclusive development of non-federal power at Bureau of Reclamation facilities. Predicates such authority upon: (1) use of the lease of power privilege by the Commissioner to approve such development of non-federal power; and (2) construction, operation, and maintenance of the power generation facilities consistent with water supply and other purposes specifically authorized for the project. Requires revenues from the lease of power privileges to be deposited into the Reclamation Fund and credited to the project from which such power is derived. Prescribes allocation guidelines governing the construction cost component of such revenues from the lease of power privilege.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Energy
Date: 2012-08-01 00:00:00

Saving Our Dams and New Hydropower Development and Jobs Act of 2012 - Amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to authorize small conduit hydropower development. Designates the Power Resources Office of the Bureau of Reclamation as the lead office of small conduit hydropower policy and procedure-setting activities. Requires the Administrators of the Bonneville Power Administration, the Western Area Power Administration, the Southwestern Power Administration, and the Southeastern Power Administration to include in monthly billings sent to customers estimates and reports of costs related to compliance with federal environmental laws impacting fish and wildlife. Authorizes the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation to partner or enter into an agreement with local joint power authorities to complete planning and feasibility studies authorized by Congress for water storage projects. Prohibits the Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies from bypassing hydroelectric turbines if a state in which the affected facilities are located has declared a drought emergency or if such bypass could result in harming endangered fish, unless such bypasses are necessary for flood control purposes. Exempts from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or impact statement an electricity right-of-way holder, including a Power Marketing Administration, that applies to remove insect-infected trees or other hazardous fuels within 500 feet of the right-of-way. Prohibits: (1) federal funds from being used to implement a new program, project, activity, or action required by or proposed in a March 16, 2012, memorandum from Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, to the Power Marketing Administrators, until a report justifying the implementation of such program, project, activity, or action is submitted to Congress; (2) federal funds from being used to remove, breach, or study the removal or breaching of any hydroelectric-producing dam unless explicitly authorized by Congress; (3) federal funds or funding from congressionally chartered organizations that provide grants impacting federal land and fish and wildlife from being used for mitigation activities related to hydroelectric-producing dam removal unless explicitly authorized by Congress; and (4) federal agencies or congressionally chartered organizations that provide grants impacting federal land and fish and wildlife from funding any nongovernmental organization that is or was involved in litigation that would negatively impact hydropower generation during the preceding 10 years.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2012-08-01 00:00:00

Ports-to-Forts Act of 2012 - Directs the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to make grants to states or port authorities to cover the direct or indirect costs for repair or construction of: (1) commercial strategic seaports; or (2) bridges, roads, rail systems, and other infrastructure near such seaports.
Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2012-08-01 00:00:00

Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2012 - Amends the National Dam Safety Program Act to require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a program to provide grant assistance to states for use in rehabilitating publicly-owned dams that fail to meet minimum safety standards and pose an unacceptable risk to the public (deficient dams). Sets forth provisions regarding procedures for grant awards and fund allocation. Requires the FEMA Administrator to: (1) require a state to provide an assurance that the owner of the dam to be rehabilitated has developed and will carry out a maintenance plan during the expected life of the dam, (2) require a recipient of a grant under this Act to comply with requirements applicable to contributions of federal funds under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and (3) develop a risk-based priority system for identifying deficient dams for which such grants may be made. Limits the federal share of rehabilitation costs to 65%. Prohibits funds from being used to: (1) rehabilitate a federal dam, (2) perform routine operation or maintenance, (3) modify a dam to produce hydroelectric power, (4) increase water supply storage capacity, or (5) make any other modification that does not also improve safety. Conditions the receipt of grants by states upon compliance with specified requirements regarding contracts for architectural and engineering services. Provides that such contracts shall not be considered to confer a proprietary interest upon the United States.