zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
CAFO Tax Credit Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow owners or operators of a concentrated animal feeding operation a business-related tax credit, up to $500,000 in a taxable year, for the cost of compliance with a national pollutant discharge elimination system permit issued under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Terminates such credit after 2014.

Date: 2007-02-27
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Taxation
Rural Colorado Water Infrastructure Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to establish a pilot program to provide environmental assistance to non-federal interests in Colorado, which may be provided in the form of design and construction assistance for water-related environmental infrastructure and resource protection and development projects. Requires projects to be publicly owned as a prerequisite for assistance.Directs the Secretary to enter into local cooperation agreements with non-federal interests for project design and construction. Sets the federal share of project costs under local cooperation agreements at 75 percent. Sets the non-federal share of operation and maintenance costs for projects constructed with assistance under this Act at 100 percent.

Date: 2007-03-22
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Water resources development
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the current year tax deduction (expensing) for environmental remediation costs; and (2) repeal requirements for the recapture upon sale of such deduction as ordinary income.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the rebuttable presumption that the use of a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 would apply to actions by either the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture in managing public lands with respect to specified activities if such activities are conducted pursuant to the Mineral Leasing Act.

Date: 2007-04-26
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
American Farm Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Farmland Stewardship Process whose purposes shall be to: (1) enable conservation programs to be responsive to local and site-specific conditions; (2) reduce administrative procedures and costs; and (3) coordinate multiple conservation programs and develop a delivery mechanism which can be applied to individual owners, operators, or producers. Sets forth program provisions. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into stewardship conservation agreements with owners, operators, and producers; and (2) make rural land stewardship implementation grants (from funds available for the farmland protection program). Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000, the Clean Air Act, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, and Executive Order 13134 to harmonize specified definitions, including "biomass," "renewable biomass," "cellulosic biomass," and "cellulosic feedstock." Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Secretary to: (1) guarantee loans made by private institutions for construction of facilities to process and convert cellulosic biomass materials directly into alcohol-based fuels, bio-fuels, or other commercial products; and (2) make grants, loans, and loan guarantees to farm owners and tenants for the purchase and installation of equipment and the construction of facilities for processing animal wastes and byproducts into liquid fuel, energy, and other commercial products. Amends the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000 to include the production of crops grown for cellulosic feedstock and biomass (energy crops) in the biomass research and development initiative.

Date: 2007-06-11
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Clean Air and Water Investment Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include air and water pollution control facilities among the projects for which tax exempt facility bonds may be issued. Defines such facilities as any property: (1) to be used to abate or control water or atmospheric pollution or contamination by removing, altering, disposing, or storing pollutants, contaminants, wastes, or heat; (2) which is either land or of a character subject to the allowance for depreciation; and (3) that a federal, state, or local agency has certified is designed for abating or controlling atmospheric or water pollution or for meeting local requirements for controlling such pollution. Provides that a water pollution control facility includes the necessary intercepting sewers, pumping, power, and other equipment, and their appurtenances. Makes this Act applicable to bonds issued after December 31, 2006.

Date: 2007-06-21
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Taxation
Alerting Localities of Environmental Risks and Threats (ALERT) Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promptly notify the governor of a state and/or the head of a local government whenever the Administrator (or the Attorney General) takes specified enforcement actions (including the issuance, settlement, or final determination of an administrative order or complaint) with respect to any environmental law violation in, or directly affecting, that jurisdiction.

Date: 2007-06-25
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Higher Education Sustainability Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to establish sustainability programs at institutions of higher education. Requires such programs to develop and implement: (1) sustainability practices, including in the areas of energy management, green building, waste management, purchasing, transportation, and toxics management; and (2) other aspects of sustainability that integrate campus operations with multidisciplinary educational programs and are applicable to the private and government sectors. Directs the Secretary to convene a summit of higher education experts, federal representatives, and business and industry leaders to encourage cooperative efforts to enhance sustainability programs at institutions of higher education and apply such programs to the community and workplace.

Date: 2007-09-24
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Education
Environmental Justice Access and Implementation Act of 2007 - Requires specified federal agencies to establish an Office of Environmental Justice pursuant to Executive Order 12898 (concerning federal actions to address environmental justice in minority and low-income populations).Defines "environmental justice" as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, educational level, or income in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws and regulations. Requires the inclusion of minority and low-income populations with health vulnerabilities and exposure to certain environmental conditions in criteria for defining an environmental justice community. Requires federal agencies to integrate the environmental justice strategy developed under Executive Order 12898 into their operations and missions and explicitly address compliance with this Act. Directs the Interagency Federal Working Group on Environmental Justice (Working Group) to coordinate an integrated environmental justice training plan for federal agencies.Requires federal agencies subject to the requirements of this Act to carry out certain outreach activities relating to environmental justice and to report on such activities to the Working Group.Directs federal agencies to fund and establish community technology centers to provide technical assistance and other services in the environmental justice area.Requires the President and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide certain reports to Congress relating to environmental justice.

Date: 2007-12-13
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, with respect to abatement actions because of the release of recycled oil and liability for costs or damages resulting from such oil's release in the course of disposal or transport, to limit liability of a service station dealer with respect to any period between November 8, 1986, and the effective date of certain corrective action regulations or standards promulgated under the Solid Waste Disposal Act if the dealer complied with all applicable laws and regulations relating to disposal.

Date: 2007-12-19
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Environment and Public Health Restoration Act of 2008 - States that it is U.S. government policy to work with states, territories, tribal governments, international organizations, and foreign governments to act as a steward of the environment for the benefit of public health, to maintain air quality and water quality, to sustain the diversity of plant and animal species, to combat global climate change, and to protect the environment for future generations.Requires the President to enter into an arrangement under which the National Academy of Sciences will: (1) study and report to the public, Congress, and implementing agencies on the impact on public health, air quality, water quality, wildlife, and the environment of specified clean water, clean air, and forest and land management regulations, laws, proposed laws, and guidance documents; and (2) make recommendations to maintain, restore, or improve protections for public health, air quality, water quality, wildlife, or the environment for each of such regulations, laws, proposed laws, or documents.Requires the head of each federal agency that issued or implemented such laws or regulations to submit to Congress a plan describing steps to restore or improve such protections.

Date: 2008-04-23
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and provide funding for a program of directed and applied research, to be conducted through a nonprofit water research foundation and sponsored by drinking water utilities, to assist suppliers of drinking water in adapting to the effects of climate change.Requires research areas to include: (1) water quality and quantity impacts and solutions; (2) impacts on groundwater supplies from carbon sequestration; (3) infrastructure impacts and solutions; (4) desalination, water reuse, and alternative supply technologies; (5) energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization; (6) regional and hydrological basin cooperative water management solutions; (7) utilities management, decision support systems, and water management models; (8) greenhouse gas emissions reduction and energy demand management; (9) water conservation and demand management; and (10) communications, education, and public acceptance.

Date: 2008-06-18
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Water resources development
People for the Planet Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury the Environmental Protection Trust Fund to promote ecosystem restoration, reforestation, reclamation of timber roads in national forests, watershed protection, preservation of Great Lakes and other bodies of water, and funding of biodiversity partnerships. Allows individual taxpayers (other than nonresident aliens) to designate on their income tax returns a payment of $3 of their income tax liability to such Trust Fund.Makes permanent the tax deduction for individual and corporate contributions of conservation easements.Allows a tax deduction for reforestation expenditures. Expresses the sense of Congress that the government should encourage biodiversity partnerships.

Date: 2008-09-26
Topic: Environment (General)
CAFO Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow owners or operators of a concentrated animal feeding operation a business-related tax credit, up to $500,000 in a taxable year, for the cost of compliance with a national pollutant discharge elimination system permit issued under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Terminates such credit after 2010.

Date: 2007-01-12
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Taxation
Water Infrastructure Revitalization Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to non-federal interests in North Dakota, which may be provided in the form of design and construction assistance for water-related environmental infrastructure and resource protection and development projects. Requires projects to be publicly owned as a prerequisite for assistance. Directs the Secretary to enter into local cooperation agreements with non-federal interests for project design and construction. Sets the federal share of project costs under local cooperation agreements at 75%. Requires a reduction in the non-federal share of the cost of constructing projects under this Act, using a federal formula for water rate affordability, where the rate for affordability relating to the project area exceeds the average state-wide rate by a specified percentage. Sets the non-federal share of operation and maintenance costs for projects constructed with assistance under this Act at 100%.

Date: 2007-01-26
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Water resources development
Rural Colorado Water Infrastructure Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to establish a pilot program to provide environmental assistance to non-federal interests in Colorado, which may be provided in the form of design and construction assistance for water-related environmental infrastructure and resource protection and development projects. Requires projects to be publicly owned as a prerequisite for assistance. Directs the Secretary to enter into local cooperation agreements with non-federal interests for project design and construction. Sets the federal share of project costs under local cooperation agreements at 75%. Sets the non-federal share of operation and maintenance costs for projects constructed with assistance under this Act at 100%.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Water resources development
National Forests, Parks, Public Land, and Reclamation Projects Authorization Act of 2008 - Authorizes specified programs and activities in the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the Department of Energy concerning, among other things, land conveyances, boundary adjustments, studies, memorials, commissions, and museums, national park natural resource protection, national trails and rivers, national heritage areas, and advanced energy technology transfer centers. Sets forth provisions concerning the Northern Mariana Islands. Makes amendments to various public laws, including the National Trails System Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998, the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996, the Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996, the Reclamation and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Steel and Aluminum Energy Conservation and Technology Competitiveness Act of 1988, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Compacts of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003.

Date: 2008-02-08
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Restoring the Value of Every American in Environmental Decisions Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), when using any value of statistical life in decisionmaking, to: (1) not reduce that value below the highest value of statistical life used in a decisionmaking before the enactment of this Act; and (2) increase that value at least once each year, by adjusting the value to reflect the average annual total compensation of individuals, the average capital that may be liquidated upon the death of an individual, and the value of nonpaid activities, including the relevant activities described in the American Time Survey Results published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.Prohibits the Administrator from decreasing the value of statistical life based on age, income, race, illness, disability, date of death, or any other personal attribute or relativistic analysis of the value of life.Requires the Administrator to: (1) ensure that the process for establishing a value of statistical life is open to the public; and (2) provide to specified congressional committees, concurrently with public notice, any proposed revision of a value of a statistical life.Declares that nothing in this Act: (1) expresses on behalf of Congress an endorsement of any use of value of statistical life analysis as a decisionmaking criterion, cost-benefit analysis, regulatory decisionmaking threshold, or single process of agency decisionmaking; (2) creates a duty to make or revise any standard under any other law; or (3) affects any substantive standard for promulgating regulations under any other law.

Date: 2008-09-16
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Restoring the Value of Every American in Environmental Decisions Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), when using in decisionmaking any value of statistical life, including the life of pregnant women, infants, children, and the elderly, to: (1) not reduce that value below the highest value of statistical life used in a decisionmaking before the enactment of this Act; and (2) increase that value at least once each year, by adjusting the value to reflect the average annual total compensation of individuals, the average capital that may be liquidated upon the death of an individual, and the value of nonpaid activities, including the relevant activities described in the American Time Survey Results published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.Prohibits the Administrator from decreasing the value of statistical life based on age, income, race, illness, disability, date of death, or any other personal attribute or relativistic analysis of the value of life.Requires the Administrator to: (1) ensure that the process for establishing a value of statistical life is open to the public; and (2) provide to specified congressional committees, concurrently with public notice, any proposed revision of a value of a statistical life.Declares that nothing in this Act: (1) expresses on behalf of Congress an endorsement of any use of value of statistical life analysis as a decisionmaking criterion, cost-benefit analysis, regulatory decisionmaking threshold, or single process of agency decisionmaking; (2) creates a duty to make or revise any standard under any other law; or (3) affects any substantive standard for promulgating regulations under any other law.

Date: 2008-09-24
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to hold at least one public hearing in each affected county and locality before issuing any authorization for action that may affect public or private land use (other than federal land).

Date: 2008-12-11
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Energy
Environment and Public Health Restoration Act of 2009 - States that it is U.S. government policy to work with states, territories, tribal governments, international organizations, and foreign governments to act as a steward of the environment for the benefit of public health, to maintain air quality and water quality, to sustain the diversity of plant and animal species, to combat global climate change, and to protect the environment for future generations. Requires the President to enter into an arrangement under which the National Academy of Sciences will: (1) study and report to the public, Congress, and implementing agencies on the impact on public health, air quality, water quality, wildlife, and the environment of specified clean water, clean air, and forest, land management, and endangered species regulations, laws, proposed laws, and guidance documents; and (2) make recommendations to maintain, restore, or improve protections for public health, air quality, water quality, wildlife, or the environment for each of such regulations, laws, proposed laws, or documents. Requires the head of each federal agency that issued or implemented such laws or regulations to submit to Congress a plan describing steps to restore or improve such protections.

Date: 2009-01-15
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Water Use Efficiency and Conservation Research Act - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Research and Development to establish a research and development program to promote water use efficiency and conservation, including: (1) technologies and processes that enable the collection, storage, treatment, and reuse of rainwater, stormwater, and greywater; (2) water storage and distribution systems; and (3) behavioral, social, and economic barriers to achieving greater water use efficiency.Requires the Assistant Administrator to coordinate the development of a strategic research plan for the water use efficiency and conservation research and development program established by this Act with all other EPA research and development strategic plans.Requires the Assistant Administrator to: (1) facilitate the adoption of technology and processes to promote water use efficiency and conservation; and (2) collect and disseminate information on technologies and processes to promote water use efficiency and conservation, including information on incentives and impediments to development and commercialization, best practices, and anticipated increases in water use efficiency and conservation resulting from the implementation of specific technologies and processes.Requires at least four projects under which funding is provided for the incorporation into a building (at least one residential and one commercial building) of the latest water use efficiency and conservation technologies and designs.Requires biennial reports to Congress on research and development projects initiated under this Act, outreach and communication activities concerning water use efficiency and conservation, and development and implementation of the strategic research plan.Directs the EPA Administrator to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences for completion of a study of "low impact" (mimicking predevelopment hydrology) and "soft path" (using natural capacities of ecosystems) strategies for management of water supply, wastewater, and stormwater.Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2009-01-22
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Water resources development
California Drought Alleviation Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior: (1) upon the declaration of a drought emergency by the governor of California, to determine if such an emergency exists for the service areas of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project; and (2) upon determining that such an emergency exists for all or portions of such areas, to temporarily exempt the operations of the Bureau of Reclamation C.W. "Bill" Jones Pumping Plant and the California Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant from the prohibitions under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 against taking endangered or threatened species or adversely modifying critical habitat until the drought emergency conditions are alleviated. Provides that the action of pumping water from these plants is not to be considered discretionary for purposes of such Act. Authorizes the Secretary to include in a determination that a drought emergency exists reasonable and prudent measures for the protection of an endangered species or its critical habitat. Provides that: (1) such measures or the Secretary's failure to prescribe them shall not impede the ability of the Plants to supply sufficient water for municipal, industrial, and irrigation uses; and (2) the cost of such measures shall be borne by the United States and shall be nonreimbursable. Prohibits the Secretary, in implementing this Act, from imposing additional prescriptions under such Act or the Federal Power Act on any other water storage or conveyance facility on the San Joaquin River, the Sacramento River, or their tributaries.Requires the Secretary, if a drought emergency exists for any portion of the Central Valley Project Service Area, to operate the C.W. "Bill" Jones Pumping Plant at a capacity consistent with the Coordinated Operation Agreement between the Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources and otherwise applicable laws and existing water right until the drought emergency conditions are alleviated.Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement with California to support the establishment of a fish hatchery program to preserve and restore the species Hypomesus transpacificus (popularly known as Delta Smelt) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Date: 2009-02-04
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Water resources development
National Public Notification of Environmental Hazards Act of 2009 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to require the President to revise the national contingency plan to provide for improved public notification and community relations in the case of a response action. Requires the head of the lead agency for a response action to: (1) designate a spokesperson, who shall provide notice of the action, respond to inquiries, and provide information to the public; (2) issue a press release within a specified time frame; (3) ensure coordination of press releases and other statements; (4) establish a public information office at or near the response site; (5) establish at least one local information repository; (6) make the administrative record file available for public inspection; (7) provide a public comment period; (8) conduct public meetings; (9) establish a toll-free telephone number and a public Internet website; (10) ensure that each residence and business within a half-mile radius of the response site is visited by a lead agency representative; and (11) mail printed materials containing information about the removal action to such residences and businesses.Directs the head: (1) to take specified actions if the President determines, based on a site evaluation, that an action is appropriate and the head determines that a planning period of at least 180 days exists prior to initiation of on-site activities, including making the engineering evaluation and cost analysis available to the public; and (2) for actions lasting more than 120 days, to interview local officials, community residents, and specified others about their concerns, information needs, and how they would like to be involved and prepare a formal community relations plan.

Date: 2009-02-11
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Climate and Ocean Research and Coordination Act of 2009 - Reestablishes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its leadership. (NOAA was created by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970.) Includes in NOAA the National Weather Service and the Science Advisory Board. National Climate Enterprise Act of 2009 - Directs the President to establish a National Climate Enterprise to coordinate international, federal, and nonfederal activity to provide scientifically based climate and climate impact data, information, products, and services to better forecast climate, climate change, and climate variability and to understand climate impacts at regional and local scales. Requires that the Enterprise consist of an Interdepartmental Oversight Board, an Interagency Coordinating Committee, and a Climate Operations Office established by this Act, and nonfederal contributors. Requires the Office, subject to appropriations, to develop and implement a quality assurance program to certify climate products and services that satisfy this Act's standards. Defines "climate product and service" as any publicly or commercially available product or service produced by a nonfederal contributor that includes or displays climate data, meta-data, or information. Allows the Enterprise to authorize the use of the emblem or any trademark of the Enterprise on a certified climate product or service. Establishes in the Treasury the Climate Products And Services Account. Requires the Enterprise Advisory Board to provide advice to the Interagency Coordinating Committee on policy implementation by the Climate Operations Office, the effectiveness of data, meta-data, information, products, and services delivered to end-users, priorities for climate research and information needs, the performance of non-federal contributors, and critical climate research needs.

Date: 2009-06-03
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Brownfields Remediation Permanent Tax Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the taxpayer election to expense (deduct in the current taxable year) expenditures for environmental remediation (i.e., abatement or control of hazardous substances at contaminated sites).

Date: 2009-07-20
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Taxation
Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) establish and operate a Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network to provide for public access to an electronic national database on the incidence and prevalence of priority chronic conditions and health effects and relevant environmental and other factors; (2) award grants to states for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of state networks; (3) enter into a cooperative agreement with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to train and place applied epidemiology fellows in state and local health departments to enhance public health capacity in the areas of environmental health, chronic and other noninfectious diseases and conditions, and public health surveillance; and (4) enter into cooperative agreements with states or consortia of states to expand the scope and amount of biomonitoring data collected and analyzed by the CDC, state laboratories, and consortia of state laboratories in order to obtain robust information about a range of environmental exposures. Requires the Secretary to integrate the enactment of this Act with all funded environmental health tracking programs.

Date: 2009-07-30
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Health
Brownfield Cleanup Enhancement Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to authorize appropriations for FY2010 and each fiscal year thereafter for: (1) the brownfield site characterization and assessment grant program and for grants and loans for brownfield remediation; and (2) state and Indian tribe brownfield sites response programs.

Date: 2009-12-02
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Global Conservation Act of 2010 - Directs the President, through the Coordinator for Global Conservation, to establish the International Conservation Strategy to help combat global natural resource and biodiversity degradation in developing countries. Directs the Coordinator to establish the Interagency Working Group on Global Conservation. Directs the President to establish the President's Advisory Committee for Global Conservation. Urges the President to work with the world's major foreign assistance donor countries to: (1) develop an international conservation assistance strategy; (2) identify multilateral coordinating mechanisms; and (3) promote existing multilateral initiatives designed to identify meaningful levels of interim funding for forest conservation in developing countries.

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: International affairs
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delay the implementation of the final rules entitled "Lead; Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program; Lead Hazard Information Pamphlet; Notice of Availability; Final Rule" (published on April 22, 2008) and "Lead; Amendment to the Opt-out and Recordkeeping Provisions in the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program" (signed by the Administrator on April 22, 2010) in each state until accredited certified renovator classes to train contractors in practices necessary for compliance with such rules have been held in such state for at least a year. Requires the Administrator to: (1) monitor each state to determine when such classes are offered; and (2) notify each Member of Congress about the location and time of each such class held in their state and the date on which the classes have been held for one year.

Date: 2010-04-29
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in addition to making capitalization grants for state water pollution control revolving funds, to make available additional funds for the same purposes (constructing publicly owned treatment works, implementing nonpoint source management programs, and developing and implementing conservation and management plans under the National Estuary program) for distribution among states that have adopted smart growth principles.

Date: 2010-09-22
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Prohibits importing or delivering for importation into the United States any paper product if: (1) its labeling does not include an official certification that it was manufactured in accordance with air and water pollution requirements that are at least as stringent as those under the Clean Air Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act), respectively; or (2) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finds that it was not manufactured in accordance with such requirements. Provides for a civil penalty of up to $10 million per transgression for violations. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Administrator to enforce this Act.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Protecting Small Businesses From Costly Regulations Act of 2010 - Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), during the one-year period after the enactment of this Act, from issuing a regulation that would result in increased costs for a small business, unless the regulation is in response to a major disaster, necessary to prevent a major disaster, or necessary to protect human life.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Commerce
Water Efficiency, Conservation, and Adaptation Act of 2009 - Establishes within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a WaterSense program to identify and promote water efficient products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services (products, facilities, and services) so as to: (1) reduce water use and the strain on water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure; (2) conserve energy used to pump, heat, transport, and treat water; and (3) preserve water resources through voluntary labeling of, or other forms of communications about, products, facilities, and services that meet the highest water efficiency and performance criteria. Sets forth the duties of Administrator of the EPA under the program, including to: (1) establish a WaterSense label and certification procedures and to promote labeled products, facilities, and services for reducing water use and ensuring performance; (2) review and update WaterSense criteria for categories of products, facilities, and services; (3) estimate and make available the production and relative market shares of, and the savings of water, energy, and capital costs of water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure attributable to, labeled products, facilities, and services; (4) notify the public of any changes on the adoption of a new or revised WaterSense category, specification, installation criterion, or other criterion and explain such changes; (5) implement other voluntary approaches in commercial, institutional, residential, industrial, and municipal sectors to encourage recycling and reuse technologies to improve water efficiency or lower water use; and (6) apply the WaterSense label as appropriate to water-using products that are labeled by the Energy Star program. Requires the Administrator to: (1) allocate funds to establish and implement a program of financial incentives for consumer purchase and installation of water-efficient products, facilities, and services; and (2) make grants to owners or operators of specified water systems to address any ongoing or forecasted climate-related impact on the water quality or quantity of a region of the United States for the purposes of mitigating or adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Date: 2009-09-24
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Superfund Polluter Pays Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reinstate and increase the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate through 2018; and (2) increase the environmental excise tax on certain chemicals sold by their manufacturers, producers, and importers.

Date: 2010-03-16
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Taxation
Polluter Pays Restoration Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code by reinstating until January 1, 2017, the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate and the corporate environmental income tax.

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Taxation
NEPA Certainty Act - Declares that the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) should not be used to document, predict, or mitigate the climate effects of specific federal actions. Provides that compliance with NEPA does not include consideration of: (1) the greenhouse gas emissions, or any climate change effects of those emissions, of a proposed action and alternative actions; or (2) the relationship of climate change effects to a proposed action or alternatives, including the relationship to proposal design, environmental impacts, mitigation, and adaptation measures. Declares that this Act does not preempt or interfere with: (1) any authority to consider the climate change effects of proposed legislation or regulations specifically addressing greenhouse gas emissions; or (2) requirements to consider the potential effects of climate change on proposals for agency action during planning or design processes under provisions of law other than NEPA.

Date: 2010-04-20
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Environmental Crimes Enforcement Act of 2010 - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review and amend the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of offenses under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reflect the intent of Congress that penalties for such offenses be increased to appropriately account for the actual harm to the public and the environment from such offenses. Amends the federal criminal code to require mandatory restitution for harm resulting from negligent and intentional violations of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

Date: 2010-06-09
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow a state to opt out of the renewable fuel standard, other than with respect to the applicable volume of advanced biofuel, cellulosic biofuel, or biomass-based diesel, upon state enactment of a law electing to opt out. Requires the Administrator, upon a state making such election, to: (1) reduce the applicable volume of renewable fuel by the percentage that reflects the national gasoline consumption attributable to the state; and (2) provide for the generation of credits for all gasoline provided through a fuel terminal in the state to be calculated as though the gasoline were blended with the maximum allowable ethanol content of gasoline to apply toward the applicable volume of renewable fuel.

Date: 2010-08-05
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Establishing Public Accountability Act of 2011 - Requires notice of a rule making by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include a statement that identifies any net gain or loss of domestic jobs that is likely to result if the rule is adopted and the analysis used to identify that net gain or loss.

Date: 2011-04-04
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011 - Requires the President to establish the Committee for the Cumulative Analysis of Regulations that Impact Energy and Manufacturing in the United States to analyze and report on the cumulative and incremental impacts of covered rules and actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning air, waste, water, and climate change for each of calendar years 2016, 2020, and 2030. Requires such analysis to include: (1) estimates of the impacts of the such rules and actions on the global economic competitiveness of the United States, electricity prices, fuel prices, employment, and the reliability and adequacy of bulk power supply in the United States; and (2) a discussion and an assessment of the cumulative impact on consumers, small businesses, regional economies, state, local, and tribal governments, local and industry-specific labor markets, and agriculture. Includes among "covered rules" specified national standards for air quality, hazardous and solid waste, and water pollutants and other rules promulgated under specified provisions of the Clean Air Act on or after January 1, 2009. Defines "covered action" as any action on or after such date by the EPA, a state, a local government, or a permitting agency as a result of the application of specified Clean Air Act (CAA) provisions with respect to an air pollutant that is identified as a greenhouse gas.

Date: 2011-05-04
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Employment Protection Act of 2011 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), prior to issuing a regulation, policy statement, guidance, or other requirement, implementing any new or substantially altered program, or issuing or denying any permit, to analyze its impact on employment levels and economic activity, disaggregated by state. Requires such analysis to include estimated job losses and decreased economic activity due to the denial or issuance of permits, including permits issued under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act). Requires the Administrator to: (1) post such analysis on EPA's website and request governors of states experiencing more than a de minimis negative impact to post such analysis in their capitols; (2) hold public hearings in each state in which a requirement, program, or permit will have more than a de minimis negative impact; and (3) give notice of such impact in a state to such state's congressional delegation, governor, and legislature at least 45 days prior to the effective date of such requirement or program or the denial or issuance of a permit. Defines "de minimis negative impact" to mean: (1) with respect to employment levels, a loss of more than 100 jobs; and (2) with respect to economic activity, a decrease in economic activity of more than $1,000,000 over any calendar year.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.

Date: 2011-05-24
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Taxation
Reducing Environmental Barriers to Unified Infrastructure and Land Development Act of 2011 Act or the REBUILD Act - Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to authorize a responsible federal official to assign, and a state to assume, the responsibilities of such official with respect to covered federal projects within such state under such Act and under other federal environmental laws pertaining to project review or approval. Provides that any responsibility of such official not explicitly assumed by the state by written agreement shall remain the responsibility of the official. Defines "responsible federal official" as: (1) the Secretary of the Interior; (2) the Secretary of Transportation; (3) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (4) the Secretary of the Army; and (5) the head of a federal agency, with respect to the preparation of environmental impact statements for major federal actions. Requires each responsible federal official to promulgate regulations that establish requirements relating to information required to be contained in state applications to assume such responsibilities. Permits such official to approve an application only if: (1) public notice requirements have been met; (2) the state has the capability to assume such responsibilities; and (3) the head of the state agency having primary jurisdiction over covered projects enters into a written agreement with such official to assume such responsibilities and to maintain the financial resources necessary to carry them out. Requires such federal official to audit state compliance with federal laws for which responsibilities are assumed and authorizes such official to terminate such responsibilities, after providing notice and an opportunity to take corrective action, if a state is not adequately carrying them out.

Date: 2011-07-14
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Sustainable States Act of 2011 - Establishes a program under which the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shall provide no more than 20 grants to sustainable state consortia (partnerships consisting of local governments, states, public universities, and other municipal organizations, businesses, or nonprofit organizations) to establish and carry out municipal sustainability certification programs. Requires each grant to have a three year term. Defines "municipal sustainability certification program" as a program that: (1) determines a set of state-specific benchmarks for use in evaluating sustainability, and (2) certifies a municipality as sustainable based on documented achievement of those benchmarks. Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish flexible guidelines that reflect regional differences for use by such consortia in establishing such programs; (2) annually compile data from such consortia and report on municipal actions undertaken to obtain municipal sustainability certification; (3) encourage such consortia to establish certification standards beyond the guidelines established by the Administrator, adapt the administration of the program to meet regional or local needs, and plan for public-private partnership agreements that will sustain the operation of the certification program of a state beyond the term of the grant; and (4) establish a website that permits interactive dialogue and collaboration among community leaders and citizens engaged in municipal sustainability certification. Establishes a program under which the Administrator shall award no more than 20 project grants to municipalities certified by sustainable state consortia to extend the leadership of the municipalities in meeting sustainability challenges.

Date: 2011-11-15
Topic: Environment (General)
Subject: Environmental protection