Aquatic Ecology
US Congress 112th Congress
Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act [S.1555]
Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to assess each offshore oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico that is no longer useful for operations, and has become critical for a marine fisheries habitat, to: (1) determine whether there are coral populations or other protected species in the platform's vicinity, and (2) identify any species in the vicinity that have recreational or commercial value. Prohibits the removal of any such platforms until the Secretary has completed each assessment. Requires suspension
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Sponsored by: Sen. Roger Wicker
Read Twice And Referred To The Committee On Energy And Natural Resources. on 09/14/2011
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Great Lakes Water Protection Act [S.147]
Great Lakes Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) from intentionally diverting waste streams to bypass any portion of the treatment facility if the diversion results in a discharge into the Great Lakes unless: (1) the bypass is unavoidable to prevent loss of life, personal injury, or severe property damage; (2) there is no feasible alternative; and (3) the treatment works provides notice; or (4) the bypass does not cause effluent
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Sponsored by: Sen. Richard Durbin
Sponsor Introductory Remarks On Measure. (cr S222) on 01/25/2011
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Maritime Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 [S.1430]
Maritime Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - (Sec. 2) Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), with the concurrence of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard (CG) is operating, to report to Congress on the status of the nation's coastal and inland waterways infrastructure. Authorizes the Secretary to investigate, make determinations concerning, and develop a repository of statistical information relating to marine transportation (i.e. intercoastal and intracoastal transportation, inland waterway transportation,
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Sponsored by: Sen. Frank Lautenberg
Committee On Commerce, Science, And Transportation. Reported By Senator Rockefeller With An Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute. With Written Report No. 112-99. on 12/07/2011
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Clean Estuaries Act of 2011 [S.1313]
Clean Estuaries Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reauthorize the National Estuary Program. Revises the purpose of management conferences convened with respect to estuaries to expand requirements governing a comprehensive conservation and management plan by requiring such a plan to: (1) identify the estuary and the associated upstream waters to be addressed by the plan; (2) recommend priority protection and conservation actions that address point and nonpoint sources of pollution;
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Sponsored by: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
Committee On Environment And Public Works. Reported By Senator Boxer With An Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute. With Written Report No. 112-41. on 07/28/2011
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A bill to provide for a feasibility study before carrying out any Federal action relating to the Chicago Area Water System. [S.1197]
Directs the Chief of Engineers, prior to any major federal action to prevent the introduction or establishment of a population of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basins that would impact the flow of commerce or commercial activity within the Chicago Area Water [sic] System, to prepare an economic impact statement regarding: (1) the impact on commerce and commercial activity and on jobs and job opportunities; (2) any adverse economic effects that could not be avoided; (3) alternatives to the proposed action;
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Sponsored by: Sen. Mark Kirk
Read Twice And Referred To The Committee On Environment And Public Works. on 06/15/2011
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Gulf Coast Restoration Act [S.1140]
Gulf Coast Restoration Act - Establishes the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, which shall: (1) consult with, and provide recommendations to, the Chair of the Task Force regarding approval of State Coastal Ecosystem Restoration Plans submitted by the governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, providing for restoration activities the Gulf Coast ecosystem adversely impacted by the blowout and explosion of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010; (2) coordinate scientific and other research associated
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Sponsored by: Sen. John Rockefeller
Sponsor Introductory Remarks On Measure. (cr S3448) on 05/26/2011
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Expressing the sense of Congress that as one of the world's important wetland and coastal marine ecosystems, the Niger Delta should be protected and its recovery and economic development a priority. [HCR-121]
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Niger Delta should be protected and its economic and environmental recovery and development a priority for all affected governmental and private sector authorities; (2) the United States should increase engagement with Nigeria to ensure oversight of the oil industry and to help control the illegal oil trade; (3) Nigeria should enforce oil company compliance with environmental legislation, social concerns, and the national and international regulatory system; and (4) international oil and gas companies
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Sponsored by: Rep. Bobby Rush
Referred To The House Committee On Foreign Affairs. on 04/27/2012
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Stop Asian Carp Act [HB-892]
Stop Asian Carp Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to study the watersheds of the Illinois, Chicago, and Calumet Rivers, including their tributaries, that drain directly into Lake Michigan to determine the feasibility and best means of implementing the hydrologic separation of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basins to prevent the introduction or establishment of populations of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins through the Chicago Area Water System
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Sponsored by: Rep. Collin Peterson
Referred To The Subcommittee On Water And Power. on 03/07/2011
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Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2011 [HB-738]
Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 to extend the award of remaining coral reef conservation program grant funds to appropriate projects, including monitoring and assessment, research, pollution reduction, education, and technical support. Authorizes actions to: (1) minimize injury to a coral reef or loss of an ecosystem function resulting from human activities; and (2) stabilize, repair, or restore the reef. Deems specified terms (such as "sanctuary resources"
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Sponsored by: Rep. Raul Grijalva
Referred To The Subcommittee On Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, And Insular Affairs. on 02/18/2011
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Strategic Response to Asian Carp Invasion Act [HB-6385]
Strategic Response to Asian Carp Invasion Act - Requires the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service (NPS), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to lead a multiagency effort to slow the spread of Asian Carp in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River basins and tributaries by providing high-level technical assistance, coordination, best practices, and support to state and local government strategies, to slow, and eventually eliminate, the threat posed by such
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Sponsored by: Rep. Janice Schakowsky
Referred To The Subcommittee On Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, And Insular Affairs. on 09/14/2012
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Transparent and Science-Based Fishery Management Act of 2012 [HB-6350]
Transparent and Science-Based Fishery Management Act of 2012 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide that a Regional Fishery Management Council is not required to develop an annual catch limit for: (1) an ecosystem component species; or (2) a species, fishery, or stock for which a survey and stock assessment have not been performed within the preceding five years. Defines "ecosystem component species" as a stock of fish that is a nontarget, incidentally harvested stock of fish in a fishery, or a nontarget,
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Sponsored by: Rep. Don Young
Referred To The House Committee On Natural Resources. on 08/02/2012
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Marine Debris Emergency Act of 2012 [HB-6251]
Marine Debris Emergency Act of 2012 - Amends the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act to authorize the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare a marine debris emergency upon determining that marine debris: (1) is an immediate threat to living marine resources, the marine environment, navigation safety, or public health of the United States; and (2) requires federal resources to supplement the state and local resources available to alleviate such threat. Authorizes: (1) a governor of
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Sponsored by: Rep. Earl Blumenauer
Referred To The Subcommittee On Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, And Insular Affairs. on 08/09/2012
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Atlantic Fisheries Statutes Reauthorization Act of 2012 [HB-6096]
Atlantic Fisheries Statutes Reauthorization Act of 2012 - Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2017 for the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act, Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act, Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986, and Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Convention Act of 1995. Directs the National Marine Fisheries Service to conduct: (1) a survey and stock assessment, a cooperative research program, and analyses of genetic samples to determine the stock structure of Atlantic sturgeon distinct population segments along the U.S. Atlantic Coast,
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Sponsored by: Rep. Frank Pallone
Subcommittee Hearings Held. on 07/19/2012
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Western Hemisphere Security Cooperation Act of 2012 [HB-6067]
Western Hemisphere Security Cooperation Act of 2012 - Sets forth U.S. policy statements regarding: (1) the threat posed by Iran and deterrence of Western Hemisphere cooperation in enhancing Iran's development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons; (2) the security and environmental threat posed by Cuba; (3) implementation by Western Hemisphere countries of counterterrorism conventions; (4) nonproliferation, including nonproliferation of nuclear fuel fabrication; and (5) Small Quantities Protocols. Directs the Secretary of State to notify
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Sponsored by: Rep. Gus Bilirakis
Referred To The Subcommittee On International Monetary Policy And Trade. on 10/23/2012
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Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2012 [HB-6060]
Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2012 - Extends through FY2019 the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to use power revenues collected pursuant to the Colorado River Storage Project Act for annual base funding of endangered fish recovery implementation programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins. Sets forth restrictions with respect to the indirect cost recovery rate for any transfer of funds to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from another federal agency for the purpose of funding any activity associated
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Sponsored by: Rep. Jared Polis
Became Public Law No: 112-270. on 01/14/2013
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DREDGE Act of 2012 [HB-6026]
Dredging for Restoration and Economic Development for Global Exports Act of 2012 or the DREDGE Act of 2012 - Modifies the project for navigation, Mississippi River Ship Channel, Gulf of Mexico to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to direct the Secretary of the Army to: (1) achieve, operate, and maintain a navigation channel of 50 feet with respect to the portion of the project from Baton Rouge to the Southwest Pass sea buoy; (2) complete such work not later than the last day of the third fiscal year beginning after the enactment of this Act; (3) conduct a
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Sponsored by: Rep. Cedric Richmond
Referred To The Subcommittee On Water Resources And Environment. on 06/27/2012
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North Texas Zebra Mussel Barrier Act of 2012 [HB-6007]
North Texas Zebra Mussel Barrier Act of 2012 - Makes the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 and provisions of the federal criminal code prohibiting importation of injurious animals inapplicable to any water transfer by the North Texas Municipal Water District and the Greater Texoma Utility Authority using only closed conveyance systems from the Lake Texoma raw water intake structure to treatment facilities at which all zebra mussels are extirpated and removed from the transferred water.
Sponsored by: Rep. Blake Farenthold
Received In The Senate And Read Twice And Referred To The Committee On Environment And Public Works. on 09/11/2012
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Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012 [HB-5864]
Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012 - Authorizes any person, entity, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to propose the regulation of nonnative wildlife taxa. Requires FWS to determine whether the proposal should be approved within 180 days. Requires FWS to promulgate regulations to: (1) specify the criteria for regulating a nonnative taxon as an Injurious I taxon or Injurious II taxon that is injurious to humans, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, wildlife, or wildlife resources; (2) establish a process for assessing
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Sponsored by: Rep. Raul Grijalva
Referred To The Subcommittee On Crime, Terrorism, And Homeland Security. on 08/01/2012
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Gulf Coast Restoration Act [HB-56]
Gulf Coast Restoration Act - Establishes the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, which shall: (1) consult with, and provide recommendations to, the Chair of the Task Force regarding approval of State Coastal Ecosystem Restoration Plans submitted by the governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas providing for restoration activities the Gulf Coast ecosystem adversely impacted by the blowout and explosion of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010; (2) coordinate scientific and other research
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Sponsored by: Rep. Steve Scalise
Referred To The Subcommittee On Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, And Insular Affairs. on 01/26/2011
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Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 [HB-5325]
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for FY2013. Title I: Corps Of Engineers - Civil - Department of the Army - Appropriates funds to the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers-Civil, for: (1) civil functions pertaining to river and harbor, flood and storm damage reduction, shore protection, and aquatic ecosystem restoration (including the Mississippi River alluvial valley below Cape Girardeau, Missouri); (2) the regulatory program
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Sponsored by: Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen
Received In The Senate. Read Twice. Placed On Senate Legislative Calendar Under General Orders. Calendar No. 425. on 06/11/2012