Federal Environmental Legislation - In the news
Energy bill with no Arctic Refuge provisions nears passage
WASHINGTON -- A major national energy bill, with construction programs and power subsidies in Alaska, cleared a House-Senate negotiating committee Tuesday and is almost ready for final passage in Congress.
The bill has been in the works for more than four years, since President Bush first took office. It includes financial incentives for oil drilling in Alaska and elsewhere in the country, provides risk insurance for nuclear power plants, sets efficiency standards for battery chargers and heaters, and lengthens daylight-saving time by four weeks, among many other provisions. It also tells the Interior Department to inventory the nation's offshore oil and gas deposits.
Continue reading this story from the Anchorage Daily News:
Energy bill with no ANWR provisions nears passage
Federal court says dam spills will continue
The 9th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a judge's order on the Columbia and Snake to help at-risk salmon
A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld an order requiring heavy releases of river water over Columbia and Snake river dams to benefit threatened salmon this summer, an action that could cost as much as $81 million.
The spills, which began this month, were ordered by U.S. District Judge James Redden, who said they were necessary to avoid irreparable harm to Snake River fall chinook salmon migrating downstream.
Federal agencies including the Bonneville Power Administration asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the order, arguing that the additional spill could worsen survival of young salmon in a low-water year with slower and hotter river conditions.
Continue reading this story from The Oregonian:
Federal court says dam spills will continue
Puget Sound gets federal muscle
Bill calls for a broad cleanup plan uniting federal, state, local agencies
WASHINGTON - A significant federal role in the cleanup of Puget Sound emerged Tuesday from negotiations on the final version of a $26 billion Interior appropriation bill.
Under the language pushed by one of the negotiators, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Belfair), the federal Environmental Protection Agency would be required to develop a comprehensive program to clean up Puget Sound.
The measure would initially provide $2 million for the effort, though supporters expect that amount to grow significantly once the federal involvement has begun.
Continue reading this story from the Tacoma News Tribune:
Sound gets federal muscle
