jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-07-17 00:00:00

State, Tribal, and Local Species Transparency and Recovery Act - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, as appropriate, to provide to affected states all data that is used as the basis of a determination on whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species before making a determination.

Requires the appropriate Secretary to use data submitted by a state, tribal, or county government in making such a determination.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-07-22 00:00:00

21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, as appropriate, to make publicly available on the Internet the best scientific and commercial data available that are the basis for the determination of whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species, including each proposed regulation for the listing of a species.

Prohibits the Secretary from making the information publicly available when: (1) the public disclosure of the information is prohibited by state law relating to the protection of personal information, and (2) the state makes a request to the Secretary to withhold the information.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2014-07-29 00:00:00

Lesser Prairie Chicken Voluntary Recovery Act of 2014 - Removes the Department of the Interior's listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Prohibits further treatment of the species as threatened or endangered before January 31, 2020.

Requires Interior to monitor and submit an annual report on progress in the conservation of the lesser prairie chicken under:

 the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, all related Candidate Conservation Agreements (agreements to voluntarily undertake measures to conserve a covered species), all related Candidate Conservation Agreements With Assurances (agreements to voluntarily undertake measures to conserve a covered species with assurances that additional measures will not be imposed if the species becomes listed in the future), conservation programs administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), state conservation programs, and private conservation efforts. Prohibits the lesser prairie chicken from being treated as threatened or endangered beginning on January 31, 2020, unless Interior publishes a determination that conservation efforts under the Range-Wide Plan, agreements, programs, and efforts have not achieved the Plan's conservation goals.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2014-07-29 00:00:00

American Burying Beetle Relief Act of 2014 - Removes the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's listing of the American burying beetle as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Prohibits the beetle from being listed as a threatened or endangered species.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-07-31 00:00:00

Private Landowner Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to exclude an area from designation as a critical habitat to conserve an endangered or threatened species if the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of including the area, unless the failure to designate the area as critical habitat will result in the extinction of the species.

Requires the appropriate department to make available for public comment with any proposed rule to designate a critical habitat an analysis that: (1) examines the economic effects of all actions that are related to a critical habitat designation or the protection of the species, (2) is quantitative and qualitative, and (3) examines the incremental effects of the critical habitat designation and the cumulative economic effects of both the critical habitat designation and the listing determination.

Prohibits the analysis from effecting the determination to list a species.

Applies the requirements to any critical habitat designation proposed or promulgated on or after October 30, 2013. Requires any designation finalized on or after that date to be reopened for analysis within 30 days of this Act's enactment.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-07-31 00:00:00

Endangered Species Recovery Transparency Act - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to require the Secretary of the Interior to make available online a searchable database detailing federal expenditures for civil actions brought under the ESA containing claims that are based on the actions of the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Western Area Power Administration, the Southwestern Power Administration, or the Southeastern Power Administration. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to Congress including this information.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-09-11 00:00:00

Great Lakes and Fresh Water Algal Bloom Information Act - Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create an online database of research and information on the causes and corrective actions being taken with regard to algal blooms in the Great Lakes, their tributaries, and other surface fresh waters. Requires NOAA to include relevant chemical, physical, and biological data that have been collected by an accredited university, association or organization, research group, federal agency, state, or local government in the United States or Canada.

Declares that this Act does not authorize NOAA to require the submission of additional data.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-12-12 00:00:00

Sage-Grouse Habitat Conservation and Restoration Act of 2014 - Provides a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for a vegetation management project by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the Forest Service involving removal or treatment of any Pinyon or Juniper tree to conserve or restore the habitat of the greater sage-grouse.

(Under NEPA a categorical exclusion is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.)
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-07-09 00:00:00

Sage-Grouse Accountability and Private Conservation Act of 2014 - Directs the Department of the Interior to report on the status of the greater sage-grouse conservation efforts by December 15, 2014. Requires the report to include a description of: (1) public (federal and state) and private programs and expenditures, (2) existing state management plans as well as plans that have been announced but not yet implemented, and (3) plans by land management agencies.

Authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide funding under its agricultural land easements program for a conservation easement in an amount that is up to 75% of the value of land with greater or Gunnison sage-grouse habitat of special environmental significance. Adds maximizing the protection of that habitat as a consideration when ranking applications to the program.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2015-01-06 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Corolla Wild Horses Protection Act

 Directs the Department of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, Currituck County, North Carolina, and the state of North Carolina to provide for the management of free-roaming wild horses in and around the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.

Requires that such agreement: (1) allow a herd of between 110 and 130 free-roaming wild horses in and around the Refuge; (2) provide for cost-effective management of such horses while ensuring that natural resources within the Refuge are not adversely impacted; (3) provide for the introduction of a small number of free-roaming wild horses from the herd at Cape Lookout National Seashore as is necessary to maintain the genetic viability of the herd in and around the Refuge; and (4) require such Fund to pay the costs of inspecting the health of the horses, maintaining records, coordinating the removal and placement of such horses, and administering a viable population control plan for the horses.

Prohibits the removal of any horse from the Seashore for introduction at the Refuge except with the approval of the Foundation for Shackleford Horses Inc. and consistent with the memorandum of understanding between the National Park Service and the Foundation and the management plan for the Shackleford Banks Horse Herd.

 Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed as creating liability of the United States for any damages caused by the free-roaming wild horses to any person or property located inside or outside the boundaries of the Refuge.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2015-01-09 00:00:00

Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act

 Designates approximately 1,559,538 acres of land within Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2015-01-13 00:00:00

Restoration of the U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Conservation Fund Act of 2015

This bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the importation of polar bear parts taken legally in sport hunts in Canada.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2015-01-13 00:00:00

Polar Bear Conservation and Fairness Act of 2015

This bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct Department of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of a polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any permit applicant who has submitted proof that the polar bear was: (1) legally harvested by the applicant before the May 15, 2008, listing of the polar bear as threatened, and (2) harvested from an approved polar bear population. Interior must issue these permits without regard to limits on importing marine mammals with depleted populations.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2015-01-13 00:00:00

This bill amends the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit the Department of Commerce from designating as a national marine sanctuary an area of the marine environment off the coast of Alaska seaward of the high tide line unless an Act of Congress requires Commerce to make the designation and prescribes the boundaries of the designated area.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2015-01-22 00:00:00

Clarification of Legal Enforcement Against Non-criminal Energy Producers Act of 2015 or the CLEAN Energy Producers Act of 2015

This bill amends the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act to require the Department of the Interior to issue or deny an eagle permit for no less than 30 years that authorizes the taking of a bald eagle or golden eagle that is incidental to, but not the purpose of, an otherwise lawful activity. If Interior fails to act on a permit within a reasonable time (not exceeding one year), the permit is deemed issued.

This bill amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to exempt from criminal liability any taking, killing, or other harm to a migratory bird that is accidental or incidental to the presence or operation of an otherwise lawful activity.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2015-01-28 00:00:00

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to revise provisions governing citizen suits against the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, that allege a failure of the relevant department to perform an act or duty related to an endangered species or threatened species. Interior must publish the complaint in a citizen suit within 30 days of being served. Affected parties shall be given a reasonable opportunity to intervene in the suit. If affected parties intervene, the court must refer the action to a mediation program or magistrate judge to facilitate settlement discussions.

The court is prohibited from: (1) awarding litigation costs in a citizen suit that is settled by a consent decree, or (2) awarding litigation costs to a plaintiff in a citizen suit that is settled.

Interior must provide notice of a proposed settlement to each state or county in which an affected species occurs. A settlement can only be approved if states or counties approve the settlement or fail to respond.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2015-02-02 00:00:00

Lesser Prairie Chicken Voluntary Recovery Act of 2015

This bill removes the Department of the Interior's listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and prohibits further treatment of the species as threatened or endangered before January 31, 2020.

Interior must monitor and submit an annual report on progress in the conservation of the lesser prairie chicken under:

 the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, all related Candidate Conservation Agreements (agreements to voluntarily undertake measures to conserve a covered species), Candidate Conservation Agreements With Assurances (agreements to voluntarily undertake measures to conserve a covered species with assurances that additional measures will not be imposed if the species becomes listed in the future), conservation programs administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), state conservation programs, and private conservation efforts. The lesser prairie chicken may not be treated as threatened or endangered beginning on January 31, 2020, unless Interior publishes a determination that conservation efforts under the Range-Wide Plan, agreements, programs, and efforts have not achieved the Plan's conservation goals.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2015-02-05 00:00:00

Animal Welfare in Agricultural Research Endeavors Act or the AWARE Act

This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to apply standards for humane treatment to farm animals at federal research or laboratory animal facilities.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2015-02-10 00:00:00

Western Great Lakes Wolf Management Act of 2015 

This bill prohibits any wolf of the species Canis lupus in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan from being treated under any status of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, including as an endangered species, a threatened species, an essential experimental population, or a nonessential experimental population.

Each of those states are given exclusive jurisdiction over the management of those wolves within its borders.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2015-02-11 00:00:00

This bill requires the Department of the Interior to reissue: (1) the final rule published on December 28, 2011, that removed the gray wolf in the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and that removed the designation of critical habitat for that wolf in Minnesota and Michigan; and (2) the final rule published on September 10, 2012, that removed the gray wolf in Wyoming from the list and removed the Yellowstone Experimental Protection Area that was established to facilitate reintroduction of the wolf.

Rules reissued under this Act are not subject to judicial review.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2015-02-12 00:00:00

Marine Disease Emergency Act of 2015

This bill authorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare and respond to a marine disease emergency that: (1) is caused by a marine disease or environmental stressor, (2) is likely to threaten the sustainability of a marine species or the health of a marine ecosystem, and (3) is likely to expand in geographic scope. "Marine species" does not include aquacultured animals, marine mammals, or birds. NOAA may take appropriate actions to respond to the emergency, including making grants, entering into contracts, and investigating the cause, treatment, or prevention of the emergency.

Upon declaring an emergency, NOAA must: (1) designate an individual to coordinate the response to the emergency, (2) develop a response plan within 28 days of the declaration, and (3) publish a summary of the plan within 21 days of the declaration.

The emergency terminates when NOAA declares that the emergency no longer exists or 120 days after the declaration was made, whichever occurs first. NOAA may renew a declaration.

The Marine Disease Emergency Working Group is established in NOAA to provide advice on assessing, declaring, and responding to emergencies.

The Marine Disease Emergency Fund is established to respond to emergencies.

NOAA must establish a National Data Repository for Marine Diseases Research and Services to collect, store, and disseminate information on marine diseases and facilitate the development and rapid dissemination of research.

Sea star wasting syndrome is deemed to be a marine disease emergency.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2015-02-26 00:00:00

Defending Our Great Lakes Act of 2015

This bill requires federal agencies to take immediate actions to prevent the upstream transfer of aquatic nuisance species from the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes basin through the Brandon Road Lock and Dam site. The actions must place a special focus on Asian carp species and other aquatic nuisance species of concern to the Great Lakes referred to in the Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Army Corps must implement measures to improve the site to prevent the upstream transfer of Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species swimming through the lock and dam, including by constructing an engineered channel in the approach to the site from the Mississippi River direction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must implement all appropriate measures around the site on the Illinois River to prevent the upstream transfer of swimming and floating aquatic nuisance species, with a focus on Asian carp species.

 Federal entities must take actions for the long-term prevention of the transfer of aquatic nuisance species between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins, including through the Chicago Area Waterway System. The Army Corps must design, engineer, and construct flood mitigation and water quality measures on the Chicago Area Waterway System related to preventing such transfer.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2015

This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program to provide grants in each of FY2016-FY2020 for programs or projects to increase the resiliency or adaptability of water systems to any ongoing or forecasted changes to the hydrologic conditions of a U.S. region. A water system is a community water system, a treatment works, a decentralized wastewater treatment system for domestic sewage, a groundwater storage and replenishment system, a system for transport and delivery of water for irrigation or conservation, or a natural or engineered system that manages floodwaters.

The EPA must give priority to owners or operators of water systems that are at the greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant negative impacts due to changing hydrologic conditions.

The EPA must ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that the list of grant applications funded includes a substantial number that propose to utilize innovative approaches that meet at least one of these goals:

 promote more efficient water use, conservation, reuse, or recycling; use decentralized, low-impact development technologies and nonstructural approaches; reduce stormwater runoff or flooding by protecting or enhancing natural ecosystem functions; modify, upgrade, enhance, or replace existing water system infrastructure in response to changing hydrologic conditions; improve water quality or quantity for agricultural and municipal uses; and provide multiple benefits, including water supply enhancement or demand reduction, water quality protection or improvement, increased flood protection, and ecosystem protection or improvement.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2015-03-19 00:00:00

Federal Lands Invasive Species Control, Prevention, and Management Act

Directs the Department of the Interior (respecting federal lands administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) (respecting federal lands administered through the U.S. Forest Service) to plan and carry out activities on lands directly managed by the department concerned to control and manage invasive species in order to inhibit or reduce their populations and to effectuate restoration or reclamation efforts.

Requires the department concerned to develop a strategic plan for the implementation of an invasive species program that endeavors to achieve an annual 5% net reduction of invasive species populations on lands managed by that department.

 Requires USDA and Interior to require the use of the least costly options necessary to perform effectively, based on sound scientific data and other commonly used cost-effective benchmarks in the area.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2015-03-24 00:00:00

This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from using any funds to make a determination on the listing of the northern long-eared bat (myotis septentrionalis) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Interior proposed in October 2013 to list the northern long-eared bat as endangered.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2015-03-26 00:00:00

21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act 

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, to make publicly available on the Internet the best scientific and commercial data available that are the basis for the determination of whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species, including each proposed regulation for the listing of a species.

The departments are prohibited from making the information publicly available when: (1) the public disclosure of the information is prohibited by state law relating to the protection of personal information, and (2) the state makes a request to a department to withhold the information.