[Senate Report 111-8]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
111th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 111-8
_______________________________________________________________________
HISTORY, JURISDICTION, AND
A SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DURING THE 110TH CONGRESS
__________
COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
UNITED STATES SENATE
March 18, 2009.--Ordered to be printed
For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
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COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
(111th Congress)
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico, Chairman
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
RON WYDEN, Oregon RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington JAMES E. RISCH, Idaho
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
EVAN BAYH, Indiana JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan BOB CORKER, Tennessee
MARK UDALL, Colorado
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire
Robert M. Simon, Staff Director
Sam E. Fowler, Chief Counsel
McKie Campbell, Republican Staff Director
Karen K. Billups, Republican Chief Counsel
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
(110th Congress)
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico, Chairman
DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho
RON WYDEN, Oregon CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming
TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington JIM DeMINT, South Carolina
KEN SALAZAR, Colorado BOB CORKER, Tennessee
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
JON TESTER, Montana MEL MARTINEZ, Florida
Robert M. Simon, Staff Director
Sam E. Fowler, Chief Counsel
Frank J. Macchiarola, Republican Staff Director
Judith K. Pensabene, Republican Chief Counsel*
Karen K. Billups, Republican Chief Counsel
----------
*Judith K. Pensabene retired on February 15, 2008.
MEMORANDUM OF THE CHAIRMAN
----------
To Members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources:
The enclosed report reviews the accomplishments of the
Committee in the 110th Congress. It will be submitted to the
Senate pursuant to section 8 of Senate Rule XXVI.
Jeff Bingaman, Chairman.
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Memorandum of the Chairman....................................... iii
Summary.......................................................... 1
Jurisdiction..................................................... 2
Full Committee:
Jurisdiction................................................. 3
Nominations.................................................. 3
Hearings..................................................... 4
Business meetings............................................ 11
Subcommittee on Energy:
Jurisdiction................................................. 21
Hearings..................................................... 21
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests:
Jurisdiction................................................. 23
Hearings..................................................... 23
Subcommittee on National Parks:
Jurisdiction................................................. 27
Legislative Hearings......................................... 27
Subcommittee on Water and Power:
Jurisdiction................................................. 33
Hearings..................................................... 33
Major legislative initiatives.................................... 37
Other measures enacted into law.................................. 39
111th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 111-8
======================================================================
HISTORY, JURISDICTION, AND A SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES DURING THE 110TH CONGRESS
_______
March 18, 2009.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources, submitted the following
SPECIAL REPORT ON COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
Summary
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources conducted an
extensive oversight and legislative program during the 110th
Congress. A total of 502 bills and resolutions, 16 nominations,
and 294 Executive Communications were referred to the Committee
for consideration.
The Committee and its 4 subcommittees held a total of 118
public hearings, including 8 field hearings during the 110th
Congress. These hearings included 70 oversight hearings, 42
legislative hearings, and 6 nomination hearings. The Committee
also held 9 business meetings.
Action was completed on a broad range of oversight,
legislative, and executive matters. A total of 217 bills and
resolutions were reported by the Committee, and the Committee
was discharged of 2 other matters.
Only 3 of the 217 bills reported by the Committee passed
both the House and the Senate and were signed into law. In
addition, however, 62 separate legislative measures under the
jurisdiction of the Committee were combined into the
Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 (S. 2739), which was
enacted as Public Law No. 110-229. Although S. 2739 was placed
directly on the Senate Calendar without reference to the
Committee, all of the measures that made up S. 2739 were
previously reported by the Committee. Similarly, another 160
separate legislative measures reported by the Committee during
the 110th Congress were consolidated into the Omnibus Public
Land Management Act of 2009 (S. 22), which passed the Senate at
the beginning of the 111th Congress.
Sixteen nominations submitted by President Bush were
referred to the Committee during the 110th Congress. Three
nominations were withdrawn by the President. Nine nominations
were reported by the Committee and confirmed by the Senate.
Four nominations were returned to the President under the
provisions of rule XXXI, paragraph 6, of the Standing Rules of
the Senate upon the sine die adjounment of the Senate at the
end of the 110th Congress.
The Committee filed 162 reports on measures it ordered
reported, and published 118 hearing records.
Jurisdiction
Rule XXV(1)(g)(1) of the Standing Rules of the Senate gives
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources jurisdiction over
matters relating to the following subjects:
1. Coal production, distribution, and utilization.
2. Energy policy.
3. Energy regulation and conservation.
4. Energy related aspects of deepwater ports.
5. Energy research and development.
6. Extraction of minerals from oceans and Outer
Continental Shelf lands.
7. Hydroelectric power, irrigation, and reclamation.
8. Mining education and research.
9. Mining, mineral lands, mining claims, and mineral
conservation.
10. National parks, recreation areas, wilderness
areas, wild and scenic rivers, historical sites,
military parks and battlefields, and on the public
domain, preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects
of interest.
11. Naval petroleum reserves in Alaska.
12. Nonmilitary development of nuclear energy.
13. Oil and gas production and distribution.
14. Public lands and forests, including farming and
grazing thereon, and mineral extraction therefrom.
15. Solar energy systems.
16. Territorial possessions of the United States,
including trusteeships.
FULL COMMITTEE
Jeff Bingaman, Chairman
jurisdiction
During the 110th Congress, the Full Committee retained
jurisdiction, without reference to a subcommittee, over the
following matters: National Energy Policy, including
international energy affairs and emergency preparedness;
strategic petroleum reserves; Outer Continental Shelf leasing;
nuclear waste policy; privatization of federal assets;
territorial policy (including changes in status and issues
affecting Antarctica); and Native Hawaiian matters. In
addition, the Full Committee retained jurisdiction of issues
that: (1) required extremely expeditious handling; (2)
substantially overlapped two or more subcommittee
jurisdictions; or (3) were of exceptional national significance
in which all Members wished to participate fully.
NOMINATIONS
Sixteen presidential nominations were referred to the
Committee during the 110th Congress.
Nominations confirmed
The Committee held hearings on and favorably reported nine
nominations which were subsequently confirmed by the Senate.
These nominations were for:
Department of the Interior
R. Lyle Laverty, to be the Assistant Secretary for Fish,
Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior. Received March
26, 2007. Hearing held May 10, 2007. Reported May 23, 2007.
(Joint referral with Committee on Environment and Public
Works.)
James L. Caswell, to be the Director of the Bureau of Land
Management, Department of the Interior. Received June 4, 2007.
Hearing held July 12, 2007. Reported July 25, 2007.
Brent T. Wahlquist, to be the Director of the Office of
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Department of the
Interior. Received June 28, 2007. Hearing held July 12, 2007.
Reported July 25, 2007.
Department of Energy
Kevin M. Kolevar, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy
(Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability), Department of
Energy. Received January 9, 2007. Reported July 25, 2007.
Steven Jeffrey Isakowitz, to be the Chief Financial
Officer, Department of Energy. Received February 8, 2007.
Hearing held March 20, 2007. Reported May 2, 2007. Confirmed by
the Senate May 25, 2007.
Lisa E. Epifani, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy
(Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs), Department of
Energy. Received June 13, 2007. Hearing held July 12, 2007.
Reported July 25, 2007.
Clarence H. Albright, to be an Under Secretary of Energy,
Department of Energy. Received June 21, 2007. Hearing held July
12, 2007. Reported July 25, 2007.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Joseph Timonthy Kelliher, to be a Member of the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission. Received March 7, 2007. Hearing
held May 10, 2007. Reported May 23, 2007.
Jon Wellinghoff, to be a Member of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, for the term expiring June 30, 2013.
Received December 11, 2007. Hearing held December 18, 2007.
Reported December 18, 2007.
Nominations withdrawn
Three nominations were withdrawn by President Bush. They
were:
John Ray Correll, to be the Director of the Office of
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Department of the
Interior. Received January 9, 2007. Withdrawn by the President
June 28, 2007.
Stanley C. Suboleski, to be an Assistant Secretary of
Energy (Fossil Energy). Received December 11, 2007. Withdrawn
by the President February 26, 2008.
J. Gregory Copeland, to be General Counsel of the
Department of Energy. Received January 22, 2008. Hearing held
February 27, 2008. Reported March 5, 2008. Withdrawn by the
President June 24, 2008.
Nominations not confirmed
Four other nominations were not confirmed, as follows:
Kameran L. Onley to be an Assistant Secretary of the
Interior. Received April 1, 2008. Hearing held April 30, 2008.
Reported May 7, 2008.
Jeffrey F. Kupfer to be Deputy Secretary of Energy.
Received April 3, 2008. Hearing held April 30, 2008. Reported
May 7, 2008.
James A. Slutz to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy
(Fossil Energy). Received July 31, 2008.
F. Chase Hutto III to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy
(International Affairs and Domestic Policy). Received September
26, 2008.
HEARINGS
January 10, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-6.
Oversight hearing on the geopolitics of oil and its
implications for U.S. economic and national security.
January 18, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-7.
Oversight hearing on issues relating to oil and gas royalty
management at the Department of the Interior.
January 24, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-9.
Oversight hearing on the Energy Information
Administration's analysis of energy market and economic impacts
of a proposal to reduce greenhouse gas intensity with a cap and
trade system.
January 25, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-10.
Oversight hearing on oil and gas resources on the Outer
Continental Shelf and areas available for leasing in the Gulf
of Mexico.
January 30, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-11.
Oversight hearing on the status of Federal land management
agencies' efforts to contain the costs of their wildfire
suppression activities and to consider recent independent
reviews of and recommendations for those efforts.
January 30, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-15.
Oversight hearing on transportation sector fuel efficiency,
including challenges to and incentives for increased oil
savings through technological innovation including plug-in
hybrids.
February 1, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-16.
Oversight hearing on accelerated biofuels diversity,
focusing on how home-grown, biologically derived fuels can
blend into the nation's transportation fuel mix.
February 7, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-37.
Oversight hearing on the President's proposed budget for
fiscal year 2008 for the Department of Energy.
February 8, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-50.
Oversight hearing on issues relating to labor, immigration,
law enforcement, and economic conditions in the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands.
February 13, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-52.
Oversight hearing on the Stern Review of the Economics of
Climate Change, examining the economic impacts of climate
change and stabilizing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
February 15, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-57.
Oversight hearing on the President's proposed budget for
fiscal year 2008 for the Department of the Interior.
February 28, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-58.
Oversight hearing on the President's proposed budget for
fiscal year 2008 for the Forest Service.
March 1, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-59.
Oversight hearing on the Energy Information
Administration's Annual Energy Outlook.
March 7, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-63.
Oversight hearing on market constraints on large
investments in advanced energy technologies and ways to
stimulate additional private sector investment in the
deployment of these technologies.
March 20, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-67.
Hearing on the nomination of Steven Jeffrey Isakowitz to be
the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Energy.
March 22, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-69.
Oversight hearing on the ``Future of Coal'' report by the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
March 26, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-72.
Oversight hearing on the progress of the European Union's
Emissions Trading Scheme.
April 12, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-81.
Legislative hearing on S. 987, the Biofuels for Energy
Security and Transportation Act.
April 16, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-83.
Legislative hearing on S. 731, the National Carbon Dioxide
Storage Capacity Assessment Act of 2007, and S. 962, the
Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Storage Research,
Development, and Demonstration Act of 2007.
April 23, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-85.
Legislative hearing on S. 1115, a bill to promote the
efficient use of oil, natural gas, and electricity, reduce oil
consumption, and heighten energy efficiency standards for
consumer products and industrial equipment, and for other
purposes.
May 10, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-97.
Hearing on the nominations of Joseph T. Kelliher to be a
Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and R. Lyle
Laverty to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and
Parks, Department of the Interior.
May 15, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-99.
Oversight hearing on the Energy Information
Administration's short-term energy outlook for the summer of
2007.
May 24, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-20.
Oversight hearing on coal gasification.
June 7, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-134.
Oversight hearing on opportunities, issues, and
implementation of section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
related to alternative energy uses of the Outer Continental
Shelf.
June 26, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-139.
Oversight hearing on wildfire management.
June 27, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-148.
Legislative hearing on S. 1171, the Northwestern New Mexico
Water Projects Act.
July 12, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-157.
Hearing on the nominations of Clarenece H. Albright to be
Under Secretary of Energy, Lisa E. Epifani to be an Assistant
Secretary of Energy for Congressional and Intergovernmental
Affairs, James L. Caswell to be the Director of the Bureau of
Land Management, and Brent T. Wahlquist to be Director of the
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
July 19, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-164.
Legislative hearing on S. 1634, the Northern Mariana
Islands Covenant Implementation Act.
August 1, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-174.
Oversight hearing on advances in clean coal technology.
August 7, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-174.
Oversight field hearing on reducing barriers to growth of
emerging energy technologies--relationships between Federal,
State, and local governments. (Held in Albuquerque, New
Mexico.)
August 14, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-179.
Oversight field hearing on the Rural Water Supply Act of
2006 and Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Supply Project. (Held
in Clovis, New Mexico.)
September 12, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-195.
Legislative hearing on S. 2017, the Energy Efficient
Lighting for a Brighter Tomorrow Act of 2007.
September 24, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-228.
Oversight hearing to consider scientific assessments of the
impacts of global climate change on wildfire activity in the
United States.
September 25, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-243.
Legislative hearing on S. 1756, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands Supplemental Nuclear Compensation Act of 2007.
September 26, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-246.
Legislative hearing on S. 1543, the National Geothermal
Initiative Act of 2007.
September 27, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-272.
Oversight hearing on hard-rock mining on federal lands.
November 6, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-288.
Oversight hearing on the domestic energy industry's
workforce.
November 13, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-298.
Oversight hearing on the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977.
November 14, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-306.
Oversight hearing on the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.
November 15, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-307.
Legislative hearing on S. 2203, the Uranium Enrichment
Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund Reauthorization Act of
2007.
December 11, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-312.
Legislative hearing on S. 2156, the Science and Engineering
to Comprehensively Understand and Responsibly Enhance (SECURE)
Water Act.
December 18, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-325.
Hearing on the nomination of Jon Wellinghoff to be a Member
of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, for the term
expiring June 30, 2013.
January 24, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-339.
Oversight hearing on reform of the Mining Law of 1872.
January 31, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-343.
Legislative hearing on S. 2323, the Carbon Capture and
Storage Technology Act of 2007, and S. 2144, the Carbon Dioxide
Pipeline Study Act of 2007.
February 6, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-351.
Hearing on the U.S. Department of Energy's budget for
fiscal year 2009.
February 7, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-362.
Oversight hearing on the energy market effects of the
recently-passed renewable fuel standard.
February 13, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-353.
Hearing on the President's fiscal year 2009 budget for the
Department of the Interior.
February 14, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-354.
Hearing on the President's fiscal year 2009 budget request
for the USDA Forest Service.
February 26, 2008.
Oversight hearing on U.S. oil inventory policies, including
the Strategic Petroleum Reserve policies.
February 27, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-361.
Hearing on the nomination of J. Gregory Copeland, of Texas,
to be General Counsel of the Department of Energy.
February 28, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-388.
Hearing on the impact of increased minimum wages on the
economies of the American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands.
March 4, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-387.
Oversight hearing on the Energy Information
Administration's Revised Energy Outlook.
March 5, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-422.
Oversight hearing on recent amendments to the Russian
Suspension Agreement.
March 12, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-426.
Oversight hearing on hardrock mining and issues relating to
abandoned mine lands and uranium mining.
April 1, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-453.
Legislative hearing on S. 2593, a bill to establish a
program at the Forest Service and the Department of the
Interior to carry out collaborative ecological restoration
treatments for priority forest landscapes on public land, and
for other purposes.
April 3, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-459.
Hearing on the influence of non-commercial, institutional
investors on the price of oil.
April 30, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-502.
Hearing on the nominations of Kameran L. Onley to be an
Assistant Secretary of the Interior and Jeffrey F. Kupfer to be
Deputy Secretary of Energy.
May 1, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-509.
Oversight hearing on the adequacy of state and federal
regulatory structures for governing electric utility holding
companies.
May 1, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-510.
Oversight hearing on the military build-up on Guam, and the
impact on the civilian community, planning, and response.
May 13, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-522.
Oversight hearing on the impacts of climate change on the
reliability, security, economics and design of critical energy
infrastructure in coastal regions.
May 15, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-515.
Oversight hearing on the development of oil shale
resources.
May 20, 2008.
Oversight hearing on energy and related economic effects of
global climate change legislation.
June 5, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-546.
Oversight hearing on off-highway vehicle management on
public lands.
June 12, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-529.
Oversight hearing on the relationship between U.S.
renewable fuels policy and food prices.
June 17, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-539.
Oversight hearing to examine the challenges and regional
solutions to developing transmission for renewable electricity
resources.
June 18, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-540.
Oversight hearing on the preparedness of Federal land
management agencies for the 2008 wildfire season.
June 25, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-541.
Oversight hearing on the challenges to meeting future
energy needs and to developing the technologies for meeting
increased global energy demand in the context of the need to
address global climate change.
July 2, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-570.
Oversight field hearing to consider the value and examine
the progress of electricity generation from concentrating solar
power. (Held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.)
July 15, 2008.
Legislative hearing on S. 3233, introduced by Senator
Bingaman and S. 2730, introduced by Senator Domenici,
legislation to improve the availability of financing for
deployment of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies
and to enhance United States' competitiveness in this market.
July 17, 2008.
Oversight hearing on fuel prices are so high and what can
be done about it.
July 23, 2008.
Oversight hearing on the status of existing federal
programs targeted at reducing gasoline demand in the near term
and to discuss additional proposals for near term gasoline
demand reductions.
July 31, 2008.
Oversight hearing on the state of the nation's transmission
grid, as well as the implementation of the Energy Policy Act of
2005 transmission provisions, including reliability, siting and
infrastructure investment.
September 12, 2008.
Oversight hearing on how to achieve a more secure,
reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy future for the
American people.
September 16, 2008.
Oversight hearing on the current state of vehicles powered
by the electric grid and the prospects for wider deployment in
the near future.
September 23, 2008.
Oversight hearing on why diesel prices have been so high,
and what can be done to address the situation.
December 10, 2008.
Oversight hearing on investments in clean energy and
natural resources projects and programs to create green jobs
and to stimulate the economy.
BUSINESS MEETINGS
The Committee held 9 business meetings, at which it ordered
reported 11 nominations and 223 bills or resolutions, as
follows:
January 24, 2007.
The Committee approved the following matters:
Subcommittee assignments for the 110th Congress;
Rules of procedure; and
S. Res. 38, an original resolution authorizing expenditures
by the Committee for the 110th Congress.
January 31, 2007.
The Committee ordered reported:
S. 200, the Alaska Water Resources Act of 2007;
S. 202, the Coffman Cove Administrative Site Conveyance Act
of 2007;
S. 216, the Pecos National Historical Park Land Exchange
Act of 2007;
S. 220/H.R. 467, the Southern Idaho Bureau of Reclamation
Repayment Act of 2007;
S. 232, the Watershed Restoration and Enhancement
Agreements Act of 2007;
S. 235, the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District Conveyance
Act of 2007;
S. 240, the National Geologic Mapping Reauthorization Act
of 2007;
S. 241, the Natural Resource Protection Cooperative
Agreement Act;
S. 245, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to designate the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace
Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic Site and unit of
the National Park System, and for other purposes;
S. 255, the New Mexico Water Planning Assistance Act;
S. 260, the Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave National
Conservation Area Act;
S. 262, the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey
National Conservation Area Act;
S. 263, the Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act
of 2007;
S. 264, the Wallowa Lake Dam Rehabilitation and Water
Management Act of 2007;
S. 265, the Little Butte/Bear Creek Subbasins Water
Feasibility Act;
S. 266, the North Unit Irrigation District Act of 2007;
S. 268, the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
Designation Act;
S. 275, the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument
Establishment Act;
S. 277, the Grand Teton National Park Extension Act of
2007;
S. 283, the Compacts of Free Association Amendments Act of
2007;
S. 320, the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act; and
H.R. 57, an Act to repeal certain sections of the Act of
May 26, 1936, pertaining to the Virgin Islands.
May 2, 2007.
The Committee ordered reported:
The nomination of Stephen J. Isakowitz to be the Chief
Financial Officer of the Department of Energy; and
S. 1321, an original bill drawn from the text of S. 731, S.
962, S. 987, and S. 1115.
May 23, 2007.
The Committee ordered reported:
The nomination of Joseph T. Kelliher to be a Member of the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission;
The nomination of R. Lyle Laverty to be Assistant Secretary
for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior;
S. Con. Res. 6, a concurrent resolution expressing the
sense of Congress that the National Museum of Wildlife Art,
located in Jackson, Wyoming, should be designated at ``National
Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States'';
S. 126, the Mesa Verde National Park Boundary Expansion Act
of 2007;
S. 175, a bill to provide for a feasibility study of
alternatives to augment the water supplies of the Central
Oklahoma Master Conservancy District and cities served by the
District;
S. 324, the New Mexico Aquifer Assessment Act of 2007;
S. 542, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water
shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in
the State of Idaho, and for other purposes;
S. 553, the Eightmile Wild and Scenic River Act;
S. 580, a bill to amend the National Trails System Act to
require the Secretary of the Interior to update the feasibility
and suitability studies of four national historic trails, and
for other purposes;
S. 686, the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
National Historic Trail Designation Act;
S. 797, the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
Act;
S. 890, a bill to provide for certain administrative and
support services for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
Commission, and for other purposes;
S. 1037, the Tumalo Water Conservation Project Act of 2007;
S. 1110, the Juab County Surface and Ground Water Study and
Development Act of 2007;
S. 1139, the National Landscape Conservation System Act;
S. 1152, the Wildland Fire Safety and Transparency Act of
2007;
H.R. 161, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Monument
Act of 2007;
H.R. 235, an act to allow for the renegotiation of the
payment schedule of contracts between the Secretary of the
Interior and the Redwood Valley County Water District, and for
other purposes;
H.R. 276, the Piedras Blancas Historic Station Outstanding
Natural Area Act of 2007;
H.R. 376, an act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct a special resource study to determine the
suitability and feasibility of including the battlefields and
related sites of the First and Second Battles of Newtonia,
Missouri, during the Civil War as part of Wilson's Creek
National Battlefield or designating the battlefields and
related sites as a separate unit of the National Park System,
and for other purposes;
H.R. 482, the American River Pump Station Project Transfer
Act of 2007;
H.R. 497, the Brigadier General Francis Marion Memorial Act
of 2007;
H.R. 512, the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of
the National Museum of the American Latino Act of 2007;
H.R. 658, the Natural Resource Protection Cooperative
Agreement Act;
H.R. 839, the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Enlargement Act;
H.R. 886, the Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2007;
H.R. 902, the More Water and More Energy Act of 2007; and
H.R. 1047, an act to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and
feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military
Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the
National Park System.
July 25, 2007.
The Committee ordered reported:
The nomination of Kevin M. Kolevar to be an Assistant
Secretary of Energy (Electricity Delivery and Energy
Reliability), Department of Energy;
The nomination of James L. Caswell to be Director of the
Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior;
The nomination of Lisa E. Epifani to be an Assistant
Secretary of Energy (Congressional and Intergovernmental
Affairs), Department of Energy;
The nomination of Clarence H. Albright to be Under
Secretary of Energy, Department of Energy;
The nomination of Brent T. Wahlquist to be the Director of
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Department of the
Interior;
S. 169, the National Trails System Willing Seller Act;
S. 278, the National Heritage Areas Partnership Act;
S. 289, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National
Heritage Area Act;
S. 443, the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area Act;
S. 444, the South Park National Heritage Area Act;
S. 471, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to convey to The Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark
Interpretive Trail and Visitor Center Foundation, Inc. certain
Federal land associated with the Lewis and Clark National
Historic Trail in Nebraska, to be used as an historical
interpretive site along the trail;
S. 637, the Chattahoochee Trace National Heritage Corridor
Study Act of 2007;
S. 645, a bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to
provide an alternate sulfur dioxide removal measurement for
certain coal gasification project goals;
S. 647, the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of
2007;
S. 722, the Walnut Canyon Study Act of 2007;
S. 800, the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area Act;
S. 817, the National Heritage Areas and National Heritage
Corridors Technical Corrections Act of 2007;
S. 838, the United States-Israel Energy Cooperation Act;
S. 955, the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Act;
S. 1089, a bill to amend the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline
Act to allow the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas
Transportation Projects to hire employees more efficiently, and
for other purposes;
S. 1148, the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial
Commemoration Commission Act of 2007;
S. 1182, the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National
Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2007;
S. 1203, the Department of Energy Electricity Programs
Enhancement Act of 2007;
S. 1728, the Na Hoa Pili O Kaloko-Honokohau Advisory
Commission Reauthorization Act of 2007;
H.R. 85, the Energy Technology Transfer Act;
H.R. 247, an act to designate a Forest Service trail at
Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the State of
Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a
former Member of the House of Representatives;
H.R. 407, the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area Study
Act;
H.R. 995, to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the
authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of
Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled
while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States;
H.R. 1100, the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Boundary Revision Act of 2007;
H.R. 1126, to reauthorize the Steel and Aluminum Energy
Conservation and Technology Competitiveness Act of 1988; and
H. Con Res. 116, a resolution expressing the sense of
Congress that the National Museum of Wildlife Art, located in
Jackson, Wyoming, shall be designated as the ``National Museum
of Wildlife Art of the United States''.
January 30, 2008.
The Committee ordered reported:
S. 86, the Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Act of 2007;
S. 127, a bill to amend the Great Sand Dunes National Park
and Preserve Act of 2000 to explain the purpose and provide for
the administration of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge;
S. 128, the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area
Technical Amendments Act of 2007;
S. 189, a bill to decrease the matching funds requirements
and authorize additional appropriations for Keweenaw National
Historical Park in the State of Michigan;
S. 300, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation
Program Act;
S. 327, the Cesar Estrada Chavez Study Act;
S. 390, the Utah Recreational Land Exchange Act of 2007;
S. 617, the Veterans Eagle Parks Pass Act;
S. 783, the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and
Preserve Boundary Adjustment Act of 2007;
S. 868, a bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to
designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic
Rivers System;
S. 1039, a bill to extend the authorization for the Coastal
Heritage Trail in the State of New Jersey;
S. 1143, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural
Area Act of 2007;
S. 1247, the Weir Farm National Historic Site Amendment
Act;
S. 1281, the Snake Headwaters Legacy Act of 2007;
S. 1304, the Arizona National Scenic Trail Act;
S. 1329, the Acadia National Park Improvement Act of 2007;
S. 1341, the Las Cienegas Enhancement and Saguaro National
Park Boundary Adjustment Act;
S. 1365, a bill to amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands
Management Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with any of the
management partners of the Boston Harbor Islands National
Recreation Area, and for other purposes;
S. 1377, the Southern Nevada Limited Transition Area Act;
S. 1380, the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness and
Indian Peaks Wilderness Expansion Act;
S. 1433, the Thomas P. O'Hara Public Land Career
Opportunity Act of 2007;
S. 1476, the Tule Lake Segregation Center Special Resource
Study Act;
S. 1522, the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation
Mitigation Act of 2007;
S. 1634, the Northern Mariana Islands Covenant
Implementation Act;
S. 1740, the North Dakota Enabling Act and First Morrill
Act Amendments Act of 2007;
S. 1802, the Idaho Wilderness Boundary Modification Act of
2007;
S. 1921, the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of
2007;
S. 1939, the Santa Fe National Forest Title Claim
Resolution Act;
S. 1940, the Rio Puerco Watershed Management Program
Reauthorization Act;
S. 1941, the Wolf House Study Act of 2007;
S. 1961, a bill to expand the boundaries of the Little
River Canyon National Preserve in the State of Alabama;
S. 1969, the Alexander Hamilton Boyhood Home Study Act of
2007;
S. 1991, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Extension Study Act of 2007;
S. 2034, the Copper Salmon Wilderness Act;
S. 2098, the Northern Plains Heritage Area Act;
S. 2220, the Outdoor Recreation Act of 1963 Amendments Act;
H.R. 30, the Eastern Municipal Water District Recycled
Water System Pressurization and Expansion Project;
H.R. 299, the Lowell National Historical Park Boundary
Adjustment Act;
H.R. 759, a bill to redesignate the Ellis Island Library on
the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located
on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the ``Bob Hope Memorial
Library'';
H.R. 807, the Columbia Space Shuttle Memorial Study Act;
H.R. 815, the Southern Nevada Readiness Center Act;
H.R. 830, the Denali National Park and Alaska Railroad
Exchange Act of 2007;
H.R. 1021, the Taunton, Massachusetts Special Resources
Study Act;
H.R. 1025, the Lower Republican River Basin Study Act;
H.R. 1191, a bill to authorize the National Park Service to
pay for services rendered by subcontractors under a General
Services Administration Indefinite Deliver/Indefinite Quantity
Contract issued for work to be completed at the Grand Canyon
National Park;
H.R. 1239, the National Underground Railroad Network to
Freedom Amendments Act of 2007;
H.R. 1462, the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program
and Pathfinder Modification Authorization Act;
H.R. 1526, the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program
Authorization Act of 2007; and
H.R. 1662, the Bureau of Reclamation Site Security Costs
Act of 2007.
March 5, 2008.
The Committee ordered reported:
The nomination of J. Gregory Copeland, of Texas, to be
General Counsel of the Department of Energy.
May 7, 2008.
The Committee ordered reported:
S. 27, the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act;
S. 570, the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act of 2008;
S. 617, the Public Land Military Pass Act;
S. 662, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House Special Resource
Study Act;
S. 783, the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and
Preserve Boundary Adjustment Act of 2008;
S. 827, the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area Act;
S. 832, a bill to provide for the sale of approximately 25
acres of public land to the Turnabout Ranch, Escalante, Utah,
at fair market value;
S. 868, a bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to
designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic
Rivers System;
S. 900, the Boy Scouts of America Land Transfer Act of
2008;
S. 1171, the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects
Act;
S. 1281, the Craig Thomas Snake Headwaters Legacy Act of
2008;
S. 1380, the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness and
Indian Peaks Wilderness Expansion Act;
S. 1477, the Jackson Gulch Rehabilitation Act of 2008;
S. 1633, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct a special resource study to determine the
suitability and feasibility of including the battlefield and
related sites of the Battle of Shepherdstown in Shepherdstown,
West Virginia, as part of Harpers Ferry National Historical
Park or Antietam National Battlefield, and for other purposes;
S. 1929, the Sierra Vista Subwatershed Feasibility Study
Act;
S. 2124, the Montana Cemetery Act of 2007;
S. 2207, the Green McAdoo School National Historic Site
Study Act of 2008;
S. 2229, the Wyoming Range Legacy Act of 2008;
S. 2254, the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area Act
of 2008;
S. 2262, the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures
Act;
S. 2370, the Albuquerque Biological Park Title
Clarification Act;
S. 2379, the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Voluntary
and Equitable Grazing Conflict Resolution Act;
S. 2512, the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area Act
of 2008;
S. 2513, the Minute Man National Historical Park Boundary
Revision Act;
S. 2593, the Forest Landscape Restoration Act of 2008;
S. 2604, the Baltimore National Heritage Area Act;
S. 2804, the Everglades National Park Boundary Adjustment
Act of 2008;
S. 2814, the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System
Authorization Act;
S. 2833, the Owyhee Public Land Management Act of 2008;
H.R. 123, a bill to authorize appropriations for the San
Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund;
H.R. 189, the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
Act of 2008;
H.R. 356, a bill to remove certain restrictions on the
Mammoth Community Water District's ability to use certain
property acquired by that District from the United States;
H.R. 523, the Douglas County, Washington, PUD Conveyance
Act;
H.R. 1285, the Snoqualmie Pass Land Conveyance Act;
H.R. 1311, the Nevada Cancer Institute Expansion Act;
H.R. 1483, the Celebrating America's Heritage Act;
H.R. 1528, the New England National Scenic Trail
Designation Act;
H.R. 1725, the Rancho California Water District Recycled
Water Reclamation Facility Act of 2008;
H.R. 1855, the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Act;
H.R. 2085, the McGee Creek Project Pipeline and Associated
Facilities Conveyance Act;
H.R. 2197, the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
Boundary Adjustment Act;
H.R. 2515, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species
Conservation Program Act;
H.R. 2627, the Act Commemorating the LITE, or Lifetime
Innovations of Thomas Edison;
H.R. 3332, the Kalaupapa Memorial Act of 2008;
H.R. 3998, the America's Historical and Natural Legacy
Study Act;
H.R. 5151, the Wild Monongahela Act: A National Legacy for
West Virginia's Special Places;
The Nomination of Jeffrey Kupfer, to be Deputy Secretary of
Energy; and
The nomination of Kameran Onley to be an Assistant
Secretary of the Interior.
September 11, 2008.
The Committee ordered reported:
S. 390, the Utah Recreational Land Exchange Act of 2008;
S. 1477, the Jackson Gulch Rehabilitation Act of 2008;
S. 1680, the Izembek and Alaska Peninsula Refuge
Enhancement Act of 2008;
S. 1756, the Republic of the Marshall Islands Supplemental
Nuclear Compensation Act of 2007;
S. 1816, the National Women's Rights History Project Act;
S. 2093, the Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild and Scenic
River Study Act of 2008;
S. 2156, the Science and Engineering to Comprehensively
Understand and Responsibly Enhance Water Act;
S. 2255, the Chisholm Trail and Great Western Trail Studies
Act;
S. 2354, a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to
convey 4 parcels of land from the Bureau of Land Management to
the city of Twin Falls, Idaho;
S. 2359, the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission
Act of 2008;
S. 2448, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of
1977 Technical Corrections Act;
S. 2535, the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Boundary Revision Act;
S. 2561, a bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a theme study to identify sites and resources to
commemorate and interpret the Cold War;
S. 2779, a bill to amend the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 to clarify that uncertified States and
Indian tribes have the authority to use certain payments for
certain noncoal reclamation projects;
S. 2805, the Rio Grande Pueblos Irrigation Infrastructure
Improvement Act;
S. 2842, the Aging Water Infrastructure and Maintenance
Act;
S. 2875, the Wolf Livestock Loss Prevention and Mitigation
Act;
S. 2943, the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Act of
2008;
S. 2974, the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act of 2008;
S. 3010, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program
Reauthorization Act;
S. 3011, the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
Boundary Expansion and Redesignation Act of 2008;
S. 3017, the Beaver Basin Wilderness Act;
S. 3045, the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National
Heritage Area Act;
S. 3051, the National Park Service Special Resource Studies
and Technical Corrections Act of 2008;
S. 3065, the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area
and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area Act;
S. 3069, the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild
Heritage Act;
S. 3085, the Cooperative Watershed Management Act of 2008;
S. 3088, the Oregon Badlands Wilderness Act of 2008;
S. 3089, the Spring Basin Wilderness Act of 2008;
S. 3096, a bill to amend the National Cave and Karst
Research Institute Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations for
the National Cave and Karst Research Institute;
S. 3158, the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission
Reauthorization Act;
S. 3179, the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute Land
Conveyance Act;
S. 3189, the Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Improvement
Act of 2008;
S. 3226, the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical
Park Act of 2008;
H.R. 29, an act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to construct facilities to provide water for irrigation,
municipal, domestic, military, and other uses from the Santa
Margarita River, California, and for other purposes;
H.R. 31, the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District
Wastewater and Recycled Water Facilities Act of 2007;
H.R. 236, the North Bay Water Reuse Program Act of 2007;
H.R. 813, the Santa Ana River Water Supply Enhancement Act
of 2008;
H.R. 816, the Orchard Detention Basin Flood Control Act;
H.R. 838, an act to provide for the conveyance of the
Bureau of Land Management parcels known as the White Acre and
Gambel Oak properties and related real property to Park City,
Utah, and for other purposes;
H.R. 903, the Colorado Northern Front Range Mountain
Backdrop Protection Study Act;
H.R. 1139, the Riverside-Corona Feeder Water Supply Act;
H.R. 1737, the City of Oxnard Water Recycling and
Desalination Act of 2007;
H.R. 1803, the San Diego Water Storage and Efficiency Act
of 2007;
H.R. 2246, an act to provide for the release of any
reversionary interest of the United States in and to certain
lands in Reno, Nevada;
H.R. 2614, an act to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary
of the Interior to participate in certain water projects in
California;
H.R. 2632, the Sabinoso Wilderness Act of 2008;
H.R. 3022, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Wilderness Act of 2008;
H.R. 3323, the Goleta Water Distribution System Conveyance
Act of 2008;
H.R. 3473, the Bountiful City Land Consolidation Act;
H.R. 3490, the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Act of 2008;
H.R. 3682, the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act
of 2008; and
H.R. 5137, an act to ensure that hunting remains a purpose
of the New River Gorge National River.
Subcommittee on Energy
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota, Chairman
DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
RON WYDEN, Oregon LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho
TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana JIM DeMINT, South Carolina
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington BOB CORKER, Tennessee
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
JON TESTER, Montana MEL MARTINEZ, Florida
jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee includes oversight and
legislative responsibilities for: nuclear, coal, and synthetic
fuels research and development; nuclear and non-nuclear energy
commercialization projects; nuclear fuel cycle policy;
Department of Energy National Laboratories; global climate
change; new technologies research and development; nuclear
facilities siting and insurance program; commercialization of
new technologies, including solar energy systems; Federal
energy conservation programs; energy information; liquefied
natural gas projects; oil and natural gas regulation; refinery
policy; coal conversion; utility policy; strategic petroleum
reserves; regulation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and
other oil and gas pipeline transportation systems within
Alaska; Arctic research and energy development; and oil, gas,
and coal production and distribution.
hearings
The Subcommittee on Energy held one legislative hearing,
five oversight hearings, and a joint oversight hearing with the
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
February 12, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-38.
Oversight hearing on policies and programs to improve the
energy efficiency of buildings and to expand the role of
electric and gas utilities in energy efficiency programs.
May 22, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 645, a bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to
provide an alternate sulfur dioxide removal measurement for
certain coal gasification project goals;
S. 838, the United States-Israel Energy Cooperation Act;
S. 1089, a bill to amend the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline
Act to allow the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas
Transportation Projects to hire employees more efficiently, and
for other purposes;
S. 1203, the Department of Energy Electricity Programs
Enhancement Act of 2007;
H.R. 85, the Energy Technology Transfer Act; and
H.R. 1126, an act to reauthorize the Steel and Aluminum
Energy Conservation and Technology Competitiveness act of 1988.
S. Hrg. 110-112.
July 31, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-169.
Oversight hearing to receive testimony on the renewable
fuels infrastructure.
December 11, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-315.
Joint oversight hearing with the Permanent Subcommittee on
Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security on the
role of speculation in recent record crude oil prices.
March 26, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-425.
Oversight field hearing on the challenges associated with
rapid deployment of large-scale carbon capture and storage
technologies. (Held in Bismarck, North Dakota.)
September 16, 2008.
Oversight hearing on recent analyses of the role of
speculative investment in energy markets.
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
RON WYDEN, Oregon, Chairman
DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington JIM DeMINT, South Carolina
KEN SALAZAR, Colorado JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas GORDON SMITH, Oregon
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee includes oversight and
legislative responsibility for: public lands administered by
the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service,
including farming and grazing thereon, and wilderness areas;
establishment of wildlife refuges on public lands and
wilderness designation therein; military land withdrawals;
reserved water rights; Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act;
territorial affairs; national mining and minerals policy and
general mining laws; surface mining, reclamation and
enforcement; mining education and research; Federal mineral
leasing; Outer Continental Shelf leasing; Naval oil shale
reserves; National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska; and deep seabed
mining.
hearings
The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests held eight
legislative hearings and four oversight hearings.
March 1, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-60.
Legislative hearing on S. 380, to reauthorize the Secure
Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, and
for other purposes.
May 3, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 205/H.R. 865, the Copper Valley Native Allotment
Resolution Act of 2007;
S. 390, the Utah Recreational Land Exchange Act of 2007;
S. 647, the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of
2007;
S. 1139, the National Landscape Conservation System Act;
H.R. 276, the Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station
Outstanding Natural Area Act of 2007; and
H.R. 356, an act to remove certain restrictions on the
Mammoth Community Water District's ability to use certain
property acquired by that District from the United States. S.
Hrg. 110-91.
May 30, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-119.
Oversight field hearing on the impacts of the Chinese
hardwood plywood trade on the National Forest System and other
public lands, and the communities that depend on them. (Held in
Medford, Oregon.)
September 20, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 1143, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural
Area Act of 2007;
S. 1377, the Southern Nevada Limited Transition Area Act;
S. 1433, the Thomas P. O'Hara Public Land Career
Opportunity Act of 2007;
S. 1608/H.R. 815, the Southern Nevada Readiness Center Act;
S. 1740, the North Dakota Enabling Act and First Morrill
Act Amendments Act of 2007;
S. 1802, the Idaho Wilderness Boundary Modification Act of
2007;
S. 1939, the Santa Fe National Forest Title Claim
Resolution Act;
S. 1940, the Rio Puerco Watershed Management Program
Reauthorization Act; and
S. 2034, the Copper Salmon Wilderness Act. S. Hrg. 110-216.
October 11, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-273.
Oversight field hearing to consider the major environmental
threats to the Great Basin in the 21st century. (Held in Las
Vegas, Nevada.)
December 13, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-315.
Oversight hearing on forest restoration and hazardous fuels
reduction efforts in the forests of Oregon and Washington.
February 27, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 832, a bill to provide for the sale of approximately 25
acres of public land to the Turnabout Ranch, Escalante, Utah,
at fair market value;
S. 2229, the Wyoming Range Legacy Act of 2007;
S. 2379, the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Voluntary
and Equitable Grazing Conflict Resolution Act;
S. 2508/H.R. 903, the Colorado Northern Front Range
Mountain Backdrop Protection Study Act;
S. 2601/H.R. 1282, the Snoqualmie Pass Land Conveyance Act;
H.R. 523, the Douglas County, Washington, PUD Conveyance
Act; and
S. 532/H.R. 838, a bill to require the Secretary of the
Interior to convey certain Bureau of Land Management land to
Park City, Utah, and for other purposes. S. Hrg. 110-364.
March 13, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-430.
Oversight hearing on old-growth forest science, policy and
management in the Pacific Northwest region.
April 15, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 570/H.R. 1011, to designate additional National Forest
System lands in the State of Virginia as wilderness or a
wilderness study area, to designate the Kimberling Creek
Potential Wilderness Area for eventual incorporation in the
Kimberling Creek Wilderness, to establish the Seng Mountain and
Bear Creek Scenic Areas, to provide for the development of
trail plans for the wilderness areas and scenic areas, and for
other purposes;
S. 758/H.R. 1311, the Nevada Cancer Institute Expansion
Act;
S. 1680, the Izembek and Alaska Peninsula Refuge
Enhancement Act of 2008;
S. 2109, the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act;
S. 2124, the Montana Cemetery Act of 2007; and
S. 2581, the Wild Monongahela Act: A National Legacy for
West Virginia's Special Places. S. Hrg. 110-485.
April 22, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 934/H.R.1374, to amend the Florida National Forest Land
Management Act of 2003 to authorize the conveyance of an
additional tract of National Forest System land under that Act,
and for other purposes;
S. 2833, the Owyhee Public Land Management Act of 2008; and
S. 2834, the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act
of 2008. S. Hrg. 110-493.
July 9, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 2443/H.R. 2246, to provide for the release of any
reversionary interest of the United States in and to certain
lands in Reno, Nevada;
S. 2779, to amend the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 to clarify that uncertified States and
Indian tribes have the authority to use certain payments for
certain non-coal reclamation projects;
S. 2875, the Wolf Livestock Loss Prevention and Mitigation
Act;
S. 2898/H.R. 816, the Orchard Detention Basin Flood Control
Act;
S. 3088, the Oregon Badlands Wilderness Act of 2008;
S. 3089, the Spring Basin Wilderness Act of 2008;
S. 3157, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and
Conservation Act of 2008; and
S. 3179, the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute Land
Conveyance Act. S. Hrg. 110-572.
July 16, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 2354, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey
four parcels of land from the Bureau of Land Management to the
city of Twin Falls, Idaho;
S. 2448, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of
1977 Technical Corrections Act;
S. 3065, the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area
and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area Act;
S. 3069, the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild
Heritage Act;
S. 3085, the Cooperative Watershed Management Act of 2008;
H.R. 2632, the Sabinoso Wilderness Act of 2008;
H.R. 3473, the Bountiful City Land Consolidation Act;
H.R. 3490, the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Act of 2008;
and
H.R. 3651, the Utah National Guard Readiness Act.
Subcommittee on National Parks
DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii, Chairman
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
KEN SALAZAR, Colorado BOB CORKER, Tennessee
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon
JON TESTER, Montana JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee includes oversight and
legislative responsibilities for: the National Park System;
Wild and Scenic Rivers System; National Trails System; national
recreation areas; national monuments; historic sites; military
parks and battlefields; Land and Water Conservation Fund;
historic preservation; outdoor recreation resources; and
preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects of interest on
the public domain.
legislative hearings
The Subcommittee on National Parks held 12 legislative
hearings encompassing bills, and 1 field hearing.
March 20, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 126, the Mesa Verde National Park Boundary Expansion Act
of 2007;
S. 257, the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area Study
Act;
S. 289, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National
Heritage Area Act;
S. 443, the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area Act;
S. 444, the South Park National Heritage Area Act;
S. 500/H.R. 512, the Commission to Study the Potential
Creation of the National Museum of the American Latino Act of
2007;
S. 637, the Chattahoochee Trace National Heritage Corridor
Study Act of 2007;
S. 817, the National Heritage Areas and National Heritage
Corridors Technical Corrections Act of 2007; and
S. Con. Res. 6, Expressing the sense of Congress that the
National Museum of Wildlife Art, located in Jackson, Wyoming,
should be designated as the ``National Museum of Wildlife Art
of the United States.'' S. Hrg. 110-73.
April 26, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 169, the National Trails System Willing Seller Act;
S. 312/H.R. 497, the Brigadier General Francis Marion
Memorial Act of 2007;
S. 580, a bill to amend the National Trails System Act to
require the Secretary of the Interior to update the feasibility
and suitability of four national historic trails, and for other
purposes;
S. 686, the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
National Historic Trail Designation Act;
S. 722, the Walnut Canyon Study Act of 2007;
S. 783, the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and
Preserve Boundary Adjustment Act of 2007;
S. 890, a bill to provide for certain administrative and
support services for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
Commission, and for other purposes; and
H.R. 1047, an act to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and
feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military
Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the
National Park System. S. Hrg. 110-88.
May 15, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 553, the Eightmile Wild and Scenic River Act;
S. 800, the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area Act;
S. 916, the Minidoka National Historic Site Act of 2007;
S. 1057, the New River Wild and Scenic River Act of 2007;
S. 1209, the Channel Islands National Park Management Act
of 2007;
S. 1281, the Snake Headwaters Legacy Act of 2007;
H.R. 161, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Monument
Act of 2007;
H.R. 247, an act to designate a Forest Service trail at
Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the State of
Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a
former Member of the House of Representatives; and
H.R. 376, an act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct a special resource study to determine the
suitability and feasibility of including the battlefields and
related sites of the First and Second Battles of Newtonia,
Missouri, during the Civil War as part of Wilson's Creek
National Battlefield or designating the battlefields and
related sites as a separate unit of the National Park System,
and for other purposes. S. Hrg. 110-104.
July 12, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 488/H.R. 1100, the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic
Site Boundary Revision Act of 2007;
S. 617, the Veterans Eagle Parks Pass Act;
S. 824/H.R. 995, to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the
authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of
Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled
while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States;
S. 955, the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Act;
S. 1148, the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial
Commemoration Commission Act of 2007;
S. 1182, the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National
Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2007;
S. 1380, the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness and
Indian Peaks Wilderness Expansion Act; and
S. 1728, the Na Hoa Pili O Kaloko-Honokohau Advisory
Commission Reauthorization Act of 2007. S. Hrg. 110-158.
August 2, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-185.
To receive testimony on S. 1253, the National Park
Centennial Challenge Fund Act.
September 11, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 127, a bill to amend the Great Sand Dunes National Park
and Preserve Act of 2000 to explain the purpose and provide for
the administration of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge;
S. 327/H.R. 359, the Cesar Estrada Chavez Study Act;
S. 868, a bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to
designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic
Rivers System;
S. 1184/H.R. 1021, a bill to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resources study regarding the
suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic
buildings and areas in Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the
National Park System, and for other purposes;
S. 1247, the Weir Farm National Historic Site Amendment
Act;
S. 1304, the Arizona National Scenic Trail Act;
S. 1329, the Acadia National Park Improvement Act of 2007;
H.R. 759, a bill to redesignate the Ellis Island Library on
the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located
on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the ``Bob Hope Memorial
Library''; and
H.R. 807, the Columbia Space Shuttle Memorial Study Act. S.
Hrg. 110-213.
September 27, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 128, the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area
Technical Amendments Act of 2007;
S. 148, the Paterson Great Falls National Park Act of 2007;
S. 189, a bill to decrease the matching funds requirements
and authorize additional appropriations for Keweenaw National
Historical Park in the State of Michigan;
S. 697, the Steel Industry National Historic Site Act;
S. 867/H.R. 299, the Lowell National Historical Park
Boundary Adjustment Act;
S. 1039, a bill to extend the authorization for the Coastal
Heritage Trail in the State of New Jersey;
S. 1341, the Las Cienegas Enhancement and Saguaro National
Park Boundary Adjustment Act;
S. 1476, the Tule Lake Segregation Center Special Resource
Study Act;
S. 1709/H.R. 1239, the National Underground Railroad
Network to Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2007; and
S. 1808, the Denali National Park and Alaska Railroad Land
Exchange Act of 2007. S. Hrg. 110-266.
November 8, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 86, the Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Act of 2007;
S. 1365, a bill to amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands
Management Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with any of the
management partners of the Boston Harbor Islands National
Recreation Area, and for other purposes;
S. 1449, the Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center Act
of 2007;
S. 1921, the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of
2007;
S. 1941, the Wolf House Study Act of 2007;
S. 1961, a bill to expand the boundaries of the Little
River Canyon National Preserve in the State of Alabama;
S. 1991, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Extension Study Act of 2007;
S. 2098, the Northern Plains Heritage Area Act;
S. 2220, the Outdoor Recreation Act of 1963 Amendments Act;
and
H.R. 1191, an act to authorize the National Park Service to
pay for services rendered by subcontractors under a General
Services Administration Indefinite Deliver/Indefinite Quantity
Contract issued for work to be completed at the Grand Canyon
National Park. S. Hrg. 110-282.
April 9, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 1633, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct a special resource study to determine the
suitability and feasibility of including the battlefield and
related sites of the Battle of Shepherdstown in Shepherdstown,
West Virginia, as part of Harpers Ferry National Historical
Park or Antietam National Battlefield, and for other purposes;
S. 1933/H.R. 2197, the Small Community Drinking Water
Funding Act;
S. 2207, the Green McAdoo School National Historic Site
Study Act of 2007;
S. 2254, the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area Act
of 2007;
S. 2262, the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures
Act;
S. 2329/H.R. 2627, the Act Commemorating the LITE, or
Lifetime Innovations of Thomas Edison;
S. 2502/H.R. 3332, the Kamapapa Memorial Act of 2007;
S. 2512, the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area Act
of 2007; and
H.R. 3998, the America's Historical and Natural Legacy
Study Act. S. Hrg. 110-480.
April 23, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 662, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House Special Resource
Study Act;
S. 827, the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area Act;
S. 923/H.R. 1528, the New England National Scenic Trail
Designation Act;
S. 956, the Land Between the Rivers Southern Illinois
National Heritage Area Act of 2007;
S. 2073, the Trails Act Technical Correction Act of 2007;
S. 2513, the Minute Man National Historical Park Boundary
Revision Act;
S. 2604, the Baltimore National Heritage Area Act;
S. 2804, the Everglades National Park Boundary Adjustment
Act of 2008;
H.R. 53, the Virgin Islands National Park School Lease Act;
and
H.R. 1483 (Subtitles C, D, and F of title II, title III,
section 4006 of title IV, and titles V and VI only), the
Celebrating America's Heritage Act. S. Hrg. 110-514.
June 17, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 1774/H.R. 3022, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National
Parks Wilderness Act of 2008;
S. 2255, the Chisholm Trail and Great Western Trail Studies
Act;
S. 2359, the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission
Act of 2008;
S. 2943, the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Act of
2008;
S. 3010, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program
Reauthorization Act;
S. 3017, the Beaver Basin Wilderness Act;
S. 3045, the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National
Heritage Area Act;
S. 3096, a bill to amend the National Cave and Karst
Research Institute Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations for
the National Cave and Karst Research Institute; and
H.R. 1143, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to lease certain lands in Virgin Islands National
Park, and for other purposes. S. Hrg. 110-539.
July 21, 2008.
Oversight field hearing on the All Taxa Biodiversity
Inventory of all species within the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. (Held in Asheville, North Carolina.)
July 30, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 1816, the National Women's Rights History Project Act;
S. 2093, the Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild and Scenic
River Study Act of 2008;
S. 2535, the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Boundary Revision Act;
S. 2561, to require the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a theme study to identify sites and resources to
commemorate and interpret the Cold War;
S. 3011, the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
Boundary Expansion and Redesignation Act of 2008;
S. 3113, a bill to reinstate the Interim Management
Strategy governing off-road vehicle use in the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore, North Carolina, pending the issuance of a
final rule for off-road vehicle use by the National Park
Service;
S. 3148, the Oregon Caves National Monument Boundary
Adjustment Act of 2008;
S. 3158, the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission
Reauthorization Act;
S. 3226, the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical
Park Act of 2008;
S. 3247, the River Raisin National Battlefield Act; and
H.R. 5137, to ensure that hunting remains a purpose of the
New River Gorge National River.
Subcommittee on Water and Power
TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota, Chairman
BYRON DORGAN, North Dakota BOB CORKER, Tennessee
RON WYDEN, Oregon LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington JIM DeMINT, South Carolina
KEN SALAZAR, Colorado JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon
JON TESTER, Montana JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee includes oversight and
legislative responsibilities for: irrigation; reclamation
projects, including related flood control purposes; power
marketing administrations (i.e., Bonneville Power, Southwestern
Power, Western Area Power, Southeastern Power); energy
development impacts on water resources; groundwater resources
and management; hydroelectric power; low head hydro; and energy
related aspects of deepwater ports.
hearings
The Subcommittee on Water and Power held eight legislative
hearings, two oversight hearings, and one field hearing.
April 25, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 175, a bill to provide for a feasibility study of
alternatives to augment the water supplies of the Central
Oklahoma Master Conservancy District and cities served by the
District;
S. 324, the New Mexico Aquifer Assessment Act of 2007;
S. 542, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water
shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in
the State of Idaho, and for other purposes;
S. 752, the Plate River Recovery Implementation Program and
Pathfinder Modification Authorization Act of 2007;
S. 1037, the Tumalo Water Conservation Project Act of 2007;
S. 1112, a bill to allow for the renegotiation of the
payment schedule of contracts between the Secretary of the
Interior and the Redwood Valley County Water District, and for
other purposes;
S. 1116/H.R. 902, the More Water and More Energy Act of
2007; and
H.R. 235, an act to allow for the renegotiation of the
payment schedule of contracts between the Secretary of the
Interior and the Redwood Valley County Water District, and for
other purposes. S. Hrg. 110-86.
May 3, 2007.
Legislative hearing on S. 27, the San Joaquin River
Restoration Settlement Act. S. Hrg. 110-93.
June 6, 2007--S. Hrg. 110-130.
Oversight hearing on the impacts of climate change on water
supply and availability in the United States, and related
issues from a water use perspective.
July 26, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 300, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation
Program Act;
S. 1258, a bill to amend the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act
of 1978 to authorize improvements for the security of dams and
other facilities;
S. 1477, the Jackson Gulch Rehabilitation Act of 2007;
S. 1522, Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation
Act of 2007; and
H.R. 1025, the Lower Republican River Basin Study Act. S.
Hrg. 110-52.
August 1, 2007.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 1054/H.R. 122, the Inland Empire Regional Water
Recycling Initiative;
S. 1472, the North Bay Water Reuse Program Act of 2007;
S. 1475/H.R. 1526, the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling
Program Authorization Act of 2007;
H.R. 30, the Eastern Municipal Water District Recycled
Water System Pressurization and Expansion Project;
H.R. 609, the Central Texas Water Recycling Act of 2007;
and
H.R. 1175, an act to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to increase the ceiling on
the Federal share of the costs of phase I of the Orange County,
California, Regional Water Reclamation Project. S. Hrg. 110-
170.
February 28, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 177/H.R. 2085, the McGee Creek Project Pipeline and
Associated Facilities Conveyance Act;
S. 1473/H.R. 1855, the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Act;
S. 1474/H.R. 1139, the Riverside-Corona Feeder Water Supply
Act;
S. 1929, the Sierra Vista Subwatershed Feasibility Study
Act;
S. 2370, the Albuquerque Biological Park Title
Clarification Act; and
H.R. 2381, the Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection
Act. S. Hrg. 110-376.
April 8, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 2259/H.R. 813, the Santa Ana River Water Supply
Enhancement Act of 2007;
H.R. 31, the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District
Wastewater and Recycled Water Facilities Act of 2007;
H.R. 716, the Santa Rosa Urban Water Reuse Plan Act;
H.R. 786, a bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary
of the Interior to participate in the Los Angeles County Water
Supply Augmentation Demonstration Project, and for other
purposes;
H.R. 1140, the South Orange County Recycled Water
Enhancement Act;
H.R. 1503, the Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian
Restoration Project;
H.R. 1725, the Rancho California Water District Recycled
Water Reclamation Facility Act of 2007;
H.R. 1737, the City of Oxnard Water Recycling and
Desalination Act of 2007; and
H.R. 2614, a bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary
of the Interior to participate in certain water projects in
California. S. Hrg. 110-460.
April 17, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-488.
Oversight hearing on the increasing number of issues
associated with aging water resource infrastructure that is
operated and maintained, or owned, by the United States Bureau
of Reclamation.
April 24, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 2680, Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Environmental
Improvement Act of 2008;
S. 2805, Rio Grande Pueblos Irrigation Infrastructure
Improvement Act;
S. 2814, Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System
Authorization Act;
H.R. 29, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
construct facilities to provide water for irrigation,
municipal, domestic, military, and other uses from the Santa
Margarita River, California, and for other purposes;
H.R. 1803, San Diego Water Storage and Efficiency Act of
2007; and
H.R. 123, to authorize appropriations for the San Gabriel
Basin Restoration Fund.
May 27, 2008--S. Hrg. 110-517.
Oversight field hearing on the Bureau of Reclamation's
implementation of the Rural Water Supply Act of 2006, and the
status of implementation of authorized rural water projects in
the Great Plains Region. (Held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.)
July 8, 2008.
Legislative hearing on:
S. 2842, the Aging Water Infrastructure and Maintenance
Act;
S. 2974, the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act of 2008;
H.R. 3323, the Goleta Water Distribution System Conveyance
Act of 2008; and
S. 3189, the Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Improvement
Act of 2008. S. Hrg. 110-571.
MAJOR LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
The Committee began consideration of comprehensive energy
legislation in the 110th Congress with three oversight hearings
on fuel efficiency in the transportation sector, biofuels,
energy efficiency programs, advanced energy technologies, and
coal during the first three months of 2007. On the basis of the
Committee's hearing record, the Chairman and Ranking Member
introduced three bipartisan bills on carbon capture and storage
(S. 962), biofuels (S. 987), and energy efficiency (S. 1115).
In addition, Senator Salazar introduced another carbon capture
and storage bill (S. 731). The Committee held legislative
hearings on the four bills on April 12 (S. 987), April 16 (S.
731 and S. 962), and April 23, 2007 (S. 1115). The Chairman and
Ranking Member consolidated the four bills into an original
bill, which the Committee amended and ordered favorably
reported as S. 1321, the Energy Savings Act of 2007, on May 2,
2007.
The Majority Leader combined the text of the Committee's
bill (S. 1321) with measures on energy efficiency in public
buildings reported from the Committee on Environment and Public
Works (S. 992), automobile fuel economy standards reported from
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (S.
357), and energy diplomacy reported from the Committee on
Foreign Relations (S. 193). The Majority Leader introduced the
consolidated text as S. 1419, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer
Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007, and as Senate
amendment 1502, an amendment in the nature of a substitute to
H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007.
The Senate passed H.R. 6, as amended by Amendment 1502, on
June 21, 2007. The House of Representatives passed a different
omnibus energy policy bill, H.R. 3221, the New Direction for
Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection
Act, on August 4, 2007. The differences between H.R. 3221 and
the Senate amendment to H.R. 6 were resolved by amendments
between the House and the Senate without a conference. On
December 6, 2007, the House agreed to the Senate amendment to
H.R. 6 with a further amendment, which included a renewable
electricity portfolio standard, new tax incentives for energy
efficiency and renewable energy, and the modification of
certain taxes on oil and natural gas production.
The Senate failed to invoke cloture on the House amendment
to the Senate amendment to H.R. 6 on December 7, 2007. The
Majority Leader then offered Amendment 3850 to the House
amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 6. Amendment 3850
eliminated the renewable electricity standard and most of the
tax provisions. The Senate concurred in the House amendment to
the Senate amendment to H.R. 6 with Amendment 3850 on December
13, 2007. The House of Representatives agreed to the Senate
amendment on December 18, 2007. H.R. 6, as amended and retitled
the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, was signed
into law by President Bush on December 19, 2007, and became
Public Law 110-140.
Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008
The Senate has traditionally passed most of the public land
bills reported from the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources by unanimous consent. The Committee was unable to get
unanimous consent to take up and pass most of its bills during
the 110th Congress. Thus, in order to facilitate Senate
consideration of the large number of public land bills reported
from the Committee, the Chairman consolidated 62 separate
legislative measures into a single bill, S. 2739, the
Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, which he introduced
on March 10, 2008, and which was placed on the Senate Calendar
the following day. All but one of the 62 measures incorporated
in S. 2739 had previously passed the House of Representatives,
and all had been ordered reported by the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources. The Senate passed S. 2739 on April 10,
2008. The House passed it on April 29, and the President signed
it into law on May 8, 2008. It became Public Law 110-229.
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009
Following the enactment of the Consolidated Natural
Resources Act, the Chairman introduced the Omnibus Public Land
Management Act of 2008 (S. 3213), a collection of 90 additional
House or Senate public land bills reported by the Committee,
but was unable to obtain floor time for its consideration. The
Chairman reintroduced S. 3213, as expanded by the addition of
over 60 additional measures, as Amendment 5662 to H.R. 5151, a
bill to designate as wilderness additional National Forest
System lands in the Monongahela National Forest in the State of
West Virginia, but was unable to obtain floor time for this or
any other vehicle before the sine die adjournment of the 110th
Congress.
The Chairman reintroduced the text of Amendment 5662, as
further expanded by the addition of several other measures, as
the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S. 22) at the
beginning of the 111th Congress. Although S. 22 was placed
directly on the Senate Calendar without reference to the
Committee, the 160 measures included in the bill that were
within the jurisdiction of the Committee were previously
reported by the Committee during the 110th Congress. The Senate
passed S. 22 on January 15, 2009.
OTHER MEASURES ENACTED INTO LAW
Public Law 110-40 (H.R. 57): An Act to repeal certain
sections of the Act of May 26, 1936, pertaining to the Virgin
Islands. Passed the House on January 17, 2007. Reported on
February 15, 2007. S. Rept. 110-19. Passed by the Senate by
unanimous consent on June 12, 2007. Signed by the President on
June 29, 2007.
Public Law 110-47 (S. 277): Grand Teton National Park
Extension Act of 2007. Reported on February 15, 2007. S. Rept.
110-16. Passed by the Senate by unanimous consent with an
amendment (S. Am. 1709) on June 19, 2007. Passed the House on
June 27, 2007. Signed by the President on July 13, 2007.
Public Law 110-106 (H.R. 995): An Act to amend Public Law
106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial
in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans
who become disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the
United States. National Parks Subcommittee hearing held on July
12, 2007. S. Hrg. 110-158. Reported on September 17, 2007. S.
Rept. 110-165. Passed by the Senate without amendment by
unanimous consent on October 24, 2007. Signed by the President
on October 25, 2007.