lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2009-11-06 00:00:00

Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2009 - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Makes monies covered into the Fund available for expenditure to carry out the purposes of the Act without further appropriation.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2010-05-13 00:00:00

Water Resources Research Amendments Act of 2010 - Amends the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to: (1) authorize appropriations for water resources research and technology institutes through FY2016; and (2) require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct his or her evaluation of each institute's research and effectiveness as an institution for planning, conducting, and arranging for research at least once every five (currently, three) years.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2010-05-24 00:00:00

Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Act of 2010 - Amends the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to expand requirements for the operation and maintenance of the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel, Colorado, to require the Secretary of the Interior to take any action necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the Tunnel to maintain public safety and to prevent an uncontrolled release of water. Makes the Secretary responsible for the operation and maintenance of the water treatment plant, including authorized sludge disposal. Authorizes the Secretary to offer to enter into one or more contracts with any appropriate individual or entity for the conduct of any required service. Authorizes the Secretary: (1) to enter into an agreement with any other entity or government agency to provide funding for an increase in any operation, maintenance, replacement, capital improvement, or expansion cost that is necessary to improve or expand the Treatment Plant; and (2) upon entering into an agreement, to make any necessary capital improvement to or expansion of the water treatment plant and to treat flows that are conveyed to the Plant, including any surface water diverted into the Tunnel and water collected by the dewatering relief well installed in June 2008. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consult with the Secretary regarding each feature of the proposed new or amended Record of Decision for operable unit 6 of the California Gulch National Priorities List Site that may require any alteration to, or otherwise affect the operation and maintenance of, the Tunnel or the water treatment plant. Authorizes the Secretary to implement any improvement to, or new operation of, the Tunnel or water treatment plant only upon entering into an agreement with the EPA Administrator or other entity or agency to provide funding for the improvement or new operation. Authorizes appropriations.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2010-05-25 00:00:00

Research in Aquaculture Opportunity and Responsibility Act of 2010 - Prohibits any executive agency or any Regional Fishery Management Council from developing or approving a rule, regulation, or fishery management plan to permit or regulate offshore aquaculture until the date that is three years after the date of the submission of the reports required by this Act. Applies such prohibition to existing offshore aquaculture permits issued by federal agencies. Directs the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to report to Congress regarding: (1) offshore aquaculture; and (2) the economic potential of land-based recirculating aquaculture systems. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide grants for research related to land-based recirculating aquaculture systems.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2010-06-29 00:00:00

Columbia River Basin Restoration Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Columbia Basin Restoration Program to: (1) build on the work and collaborative structure of the existing Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group to develop a collaborative toxic contamination reduction approach for the Columbia River Basin; and (2) build on the work and collaborative structure of the Estuary Partnership in the Lower Columbia River Basin and Estuary. Requires the Administrator to establish a Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Working Group to: (1) assess trends in water quality and toxic contamination or toxics reduction; (2) collect, characterize, and assess data on toxics and water quality to identify possible causes of environmental problems; (3) develop periodic updates to the Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan and the Estuary Plan; (4) submit to the Administrator annually a prioritized list of projects that would implement such Plans for consideration for funding; and (5) monitor the effectiveness of actions taken. Requires the Estuary Partnership to function as the Working Group in the Lower Columbia River Estuary for such time as the Estuary Partnership is the management conference for the Lower Columbia River National Estuary Program. Transboundary Flathead River Basin Protection Act of 2010 - Requires the President to preserve and protect the unique, pristine area of the transboundary Flathead River, with a particular focus on the River's North Fork. Authorizes the President to: (1) engage in negotiations with the government of Canada to establish an executive agreement to ensure permanent protection for the North Fork of the Flathead River watershed and the adjacent area of Glacier-Waterton National Park; and (2) participate in cross-border collaborations with Canada on environmental assessments of any project of cross-border significance that has the potential to degrade land or water resources. Authorizes the President, acting through the Administrator, to provide grants to protect and preserve the natural resources, water quality, wildlife, and environmental conditions in the transboundary Flathead River Basin.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2010-09-21 00:00:00

Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide payments to owners and operators of qualifying muck land (as determined by the Secretary) in agricultural production to conserve and improve such land's soil, water, and wildlife resources.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2010-11-15 00:00:00

Onondaga Lake Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Onondaga Lake Watershed Council to: (1) develop and periodically revise an Adaptive Management Plan for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake; (2) establish and implement a program for the public's participation in the Plan's development and revision; and (3) establish the Onondaga Lake Scientific Center to advise the Council on development and implementation of the Plan. Requires the Plan to: (1) identify measurable goals for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake and for compliance with all laws affecting the restoration and conservation of the Lake and the Amended Consent Judgment entered January 20, 1998, in the case of Atlantic States Legal Foundation v. The Onondaga County Department of Drainage and Sanitation; and (2) incorporate and update the recommendations of the Onondaga Lake Management Plan to recommend strategies for management of the biological makeup of the Lake, the physical development of the Lake and its surroundings, and the use of the Lake for recreational and other purposes. Requires the Administrator, after providing an opportunity for public review and comment, to approve the Plan if the Administrator determines that it meets the requirements of this Act and the governor of New York concurs. States that this Act shall not affect any other provision of federal or state law or responsibility assigned thereunder, including provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) or the New York State Environmental Conservation Law that require, and assign responsibility for, the performance of cleanup activities or other activities affecting the restoration or conservation of Onondaga Lake. Authorizes the Administrator to make funds available to members of the Council and the Center to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to specified governmental officials in New York and members of the Center: (1) to implement Plan strategies; (2) for research, surveys, administrative services, and studies; and (3) to gather data. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 to revoke provisions that require the Secretary of the Army to plan and construct projects that are consistent with the Onondaga Lake Management Plan and to provide financial assistance for the development and implementation of projects to restore, conserve, and manage the lake.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2011-03-03 00:00:00

Burn Area Flood Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act of 2009 to include within the purpose of FLAME Wildlife Suppression Reserve Funds to cover the costs of burn area responses, including flood prevention. Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to make the waiting period for coverage under a new contract for flood insurance coverage, and any modification to coverage under an existing flood insurance contract, inapplicable to the initial purchase of flood insurance coverage upon a determination by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that such period should be waived for private property affected by flooding on federal land affected by wildfire. Establishes the Schultz Fire Flooding Area Task Force. Designates the FEMA Administrator as the Chair of the Task Force. Directs the Task Force to: (1) coordinate the efforts of the entities represented on the Task Force (including FEMA, the Corps of Engineers, the Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the United States Geological Survey [USGS], state and local governments, and community-based organizations and other interested parties) to immediately implement interim flood protection systems, including the retention of water retention basins; (2) identify existing and potential funding, technical assistance, general investigations, and construction of short-term flood protection projects; and (3) carry out a detailed study of the affected area to evaluate the potential of integrating projects and programs of the Corps of Engineers, FEMA, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) into a comprehensive, long-term flood protection system for the affected area. Directs the Attorney General to report on court costs and legal fees and expenses awarded in connection with the Jack Smith/Schultz Fuels Reduction Healthy Forest Restoration Project.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2011-03-17 00:00:00

Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments of 2012 - Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2015 for, and revises provisions of, the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act. (Sec. 3) Renames such Act as the Marine Debris Act. Replaces provisions establishing within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Program with provisions establishing the Marine Debris Program to identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove the occurrence and adverse impacts of marine debris on the U.S. economy, the marine environment, and navigation safety. (Sec. 5) Revises Program components, including by requiring the Administrator of NOAA to provide national and regional coordination to assist states, Indian tribes, and regional organizations in identification, determination of sources, assessment, prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris. Amends the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 to repeal the plastic pollution public education program. (Sec. 7) Replaces provisions of the Marine Debris Program concerning interagency coordination with provisions establishing the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee under the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987. Requires such Committee to submit biennial (currently annual) progress reports. (Sec. 8) Requires the Administrator to ensure the confidentiality of information submitted into the federal information clearinghouse on marine debris. (Currently, the Administrator is required to take steps to ensure the confidentiality of only such information that is submitted by the fishing industry.) (Sec. 9) Defines the term "marine debris" as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2011-04-15 00:00:00

Save the Chesapeake Bay Homeowner Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) develop and implement the Save the Chesapeake Bay Home program, which shall designate property owners in the Chesapeake Bay watershed as program participants if such owners perform a specified number of actions on a list of actions developed by the Administrator to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into the Bay, and (2) determine an appropriate amount of credit for compliance with total maximum daily load requirements to award to a state based on the number of property owners in the state who have been designated as program participants.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2011-05-31 00:00:00

Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to modify the boundary of the Crooked River, Oregon. Requires the developer for any hydropower development at Bowman Dam to analyze any impacts to the Outstanding Remarkable Values of the Wild and Scenic River that may be caused by such development and propose mitigation for such impacts as part of any license application submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). (Sec. 3) Increases (from 10 to 17 cubic feet per second) the minimum release that shall be maintained from the Prineville Reservoir for the benefit of downstream fish life. Requires 7 of the 17 cubic feet per second release to serve as mitigation for the city of Prineville groundwater pumping, as determined necessary for any given year by the city, including any shaping of the release of the up to 7 cubic feet per second to coincide with the city's groundwater pumping as may be required by the state of Oregon. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to make applications to that state in conjunction with that city to protect these supplies instream. Directs the city to make payment to the Secretary for that portion of the minimum release that actually serves as mitigation under Oregon law. Authorizes the Secretary to contract exclusively with the city for additional amounts in the future at the city's request. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary, on a "first fill" priority basis, to store in and release from the Reservoir: (1) 68,273 acre feet of water annually to fulfill all 16 Bureau of Reclamation contracts existing as of January 1, 2011; (2) up to 2,740 acre feet of water annually to supply the McKay Creek lands; and (3) up to 10,000 acre feet of water annually to the North Unit Irrigation District, upon request, pursuant to a Temporary Water Service Contract. (Sec. 5) Authorizes any landowner within Ochoco Irrigation District, Oregon, to repay construction costs of project facilities allocated to that landowner's lands within that District. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, upon the request of a landowner who has repaid project construction costs, to provide certification of freedom from ownership and pricing limitations. Modifies the District's reclamation contracts, on approval of the District directors, to: (1) authorize the use of water for instream purposes in order for the District to engage in, or take advantage of, conserved water projects and temporary instream leasing as authorized by Oregon law; (2) include within the district boundary approximately 2,742 acres in the vicinity of McKay Creek; (3) classify approximately 685 of such acres as irrigable; and (4) provide the District with stored water from Prineville Reservoir for supplying such 685 acres, contingent on the transfer of existing appurtenant McKay Creek water rights to instream use and the state's issuance of water rights for the use of stored water.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2011-06-23 00:00:00

Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to establish a Delaware River Basin restoration program, under which the Director shall: (1) draw on management plans for the four-state Delaware Basin region (defined as including all of Delaware Bay and portions of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania located in the Delaware River watershed) and work in consultation with applicable management entities, including representatives of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, the Delaware River Basin Commission, the federal government, other state and local governments, and regional and nonprofit organizations to identify, prioritize, and implement restoration and protection activities within the Basin; and (2) adopt an investment strategy that supports the implementation of such activities, targets cost-effective conservation projects, and supports measurable conservation efforts. Requires the Director to: (1) provide technical assistance to carry out the restoration program; and (2) establish the Delaware River Basin restoration grant program to provide competitive matching grants to carry out the restoration program. Requires the Director to develop criteria to ensure that funded activities: (1) restore or protect fish and wildlife species and their habitats; (2) improve or protect water quality by reducing nonpoint and point source pollutants; (3) reduce or improve management of water volume and flooding; (4) include priority needs or actions identified in the investment strategy; and/or (5) include restoration and protection activities with multiple benefits in the Basin, including habitat, water quality, and flood damage reduction. Limits the federal share of the total cost of a funded project to 75%. Authorizes the Director to contract with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or another organization with applicable expertise to manage the grant program.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2011-06-24 00:00:00

Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Act - Authorizes as an eligible project cost for the construction of a federal-aid highway the cost of improving habitat for pollinators (i.e. bees, birds, bats, and butterflies) on rights-of-way adjacent to such highways. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), in conjunction with the states, to carry out programs that encourage: (1) integrated vegetation management practices on roadsides and other transportation rights-of-ways, including reduced mowing; (2) the development of habitat for pollinators through planting of native forbs and grasses; and (3) research and demonstration projects on economic and environmental benefits and best practices for integrated vegetation management, reduced mowing, and planting of native forbs and grasses for pollinator habitat. Authorizes the use of federal funds for the provision of habitat for pollinators that is related to a federally-funded transportation project.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2011-07-06 00:00:00

Flood Control Facility Maintenance Clarification Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to: (1) include the removal of sediment, debris, and vegetation as "maintenance" of a currently serviceable structure for which the discharge of dredged or fill material into the navigable waters at specified disposal sites is not prohibited; and (2) include a channel or basin as such a structure.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2011-07-08 00:00:00

Bringing Economic Advancement and Coastal Health Act - Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1976 to: (1) authorize the Chief of Engineers to provide periodic authorized beach nourishment for a water resources development project for such additional period as he or she determines necessary, but not beyond the 50th year that begins after the date of initiation of construction (current law) or after the date of the last estimated periodic nourishment as contemplated in the Chief's Report, whichever is later; and (2) require the Chief of Engineers, before the end of such 50-year period, to evaluate the feasibility of continuing federal participation in the beach nourishment project.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2011-11-17 00:00:00

Preserving Marginal Lands and Protecting Farming Act of 2011 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to set forth the maximum number of acres that may be enrolled at any one time in the conservation reserve program through FY2017. Prohibits the enrollment of land in the conservation reserve that is classified as class I or class II land under the National Soil Survey Handbook's land capability classification system.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2012-04-27 00:00:00

California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2012 - Expands the boundary of the California Coastal National Monument, established by Presidential Proclamation 7264, to include the Point Arena-Stornetta public lands in Mendocino County, California. Requires management of such lands: (1) under the provisions of such Proclamation, and (2) as part of the Monument. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to finalize an amendment to the management of the Monument for the long-term protection and management of the lands added to the Monument under this Act. Permits the use of motorized and mechanized vehicles in the Monument only on roads and trails designated for their use. Specifies this Act's effect on: (1) aviation overflights, special use airspace, or military flight training routes; (2) low-level overflights above the adjacent Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; (3) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) law enforcement authorities; (4) the rights of Indian tribes and Indian religious communities; and (5) protective perimeters and buffer zones. Requires management of the Monument as part of the National Landscape Conservation System.