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Legis Update - May 14 -Forwarded



Forwarding legislative information...

      Date:  05/14/1996  06:02 pm  (Tuesday)  
      From:  PATRICIA SCOTT 
        To:  RTPMAINHUB.WPXGATE(GRUBBS-GEOFFREY,"JANIS 
             HASTINGS",GROMAN-HAZEL,FRITZ-MICHAEL,PAWLUKIEWICZ-JANET,"
             MARKE SMITH",BELEFSKI-MARY,BOYD-JOYCE,BRADY-DONALD, . . .
   Subject:  Legis Update - May 14


          Legislative Update -- Week of May 13
          
          Schedule
          
          The House will be in recess for the Memorial Day holiday from May 
          23 until May 29.  The Senate will be in recess May 27 through May 
          31.
          
          The target adjournment for the 104th Congress is October 4 (very 
          tentative).
          
          Budget/Appropriations
          
          This week both the House and Senate are scheduled to consider 
          separate budget resolutions designed to balance the budget by 
          2002.   While the resolutions contain overall blueprints for 
          spending, they are not binding and do not require the president's 
          signature.  The appropriations committees will later release more 
          specific numbers, known as 602(b) allocations, shortly after the 
          budget resolution goes through conference and is passed by the 
          two bodies.
          
          On Friday, May 24, the Administrator is scheduled to testify 
          before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD and 
          Independent Agencies  on the Agency's '97 Budget Request ( 
          Chairman Christopher Bond (R-MO)).
          
          Clean Water Act Reauthorization
          
          With only limited legislative days left in the 104th Congress, 
          action on CWA is looking less and less likely.  Even if the 
          Senate Environment and Public Works Committee successfully 
          reports out a bill, a conference agreement with the House-passed 
          bill,  H.R. 961, will be extremely difficult, especially with 
          elections looming.  Nevertheless, Senator Chafee (R-RI), chair of 
          the Senate EPW Committee, continues to say CWA remains one of his 
          priorities -- just below Superfund and ESA reforms.  Chafee, 
          however, says he is interested in a much more limited bill than 
          H.R. 961, which would focus on SRF reauthorization and stormwater 
          and wetlands reforms.
          
          Coastal Zone Management Act Reauthorization 
          
          H.R. 1965, Rep. Jim Saxton's (R-NJ) bill to reauthorize the core 
          CZMA, unanimously passed the House on April 23 by a vote of 407 
          to 0.  The bill provides $50 million for each of the next five 
          fiscal years for administration, resource management and coastal 
          zone enhancement grants.  The bill also authorizes about $4.5 
          million each of the next five fiscal years for the National 
          Estuarine Reserve System. 
          
          The Senate is expected to either act on the free standing Saxton 
          bill in the next few weeks, or possibly act on S. 1142, a NOAA 
          reauthorization bill.


          
          Last week,  H.R. 3322, the Civilian Science Authorization bill, 
          which would have significantly curtailed NOAA's budget, was 
          pulled from the House calendar.  NOAA Administrator Baker is 
          scheduled to address the Appropriations Subcommittee this week 
          about the need to adequately fund NOAA in order the protect the 
          environment and assure economic growth. 
          
          Takings Legislation
          
          S. 605, the Omnibus Property Rights Act of 1995 sponsored by Sen. 
          Dole, is still pending on the Senate calendar and may   be 
          brought up before Memorial Day.  Opposition to the measure is, 
          however, growing.  Last week, Sen. Bennett Johnston (D-LA), one 
          of Dole's close allies in regulatory reform, wrote a letter to 
          the majority leader asking him not to bring the bill to the 
          Senate floor.  Sen. John Kerry ( D-MA) also claims there are 
          enough Senators (41) opposed to the measure to sustain a 
          filibuster.
          
          The bill would compensate landowners when their property has been 
          devalued by 33% or more due to government regulations and would 
          direct federal agencies to implement clean water and species 
          protection laws that achieve the "least impact" on private 
          property.
           
          There is also a possibility that Dole may offer a more moderate 
          version, perhaps similar to the takings bill that passed the 
          House last year. 
          
          Safe Drinking Water Act
          
          The House Commerce Committee is working on a bipartisan safe 
          drinking reform bill that may be marked up by both the 
          subcommittee and full committee this week if both sides can reach 
          consensus.  The leadership hopes to bring the bill to the floor 
          the week of May 20.  However, some remaining differences over 
          standard setting and source water protection provisions may delay 
          swift action.  Community "right-to-know" language to require 
          water systems to disclose contaminant levels even if the systems 
          are in compliance with health standards and "polluter pays" 
          language to allow public water systems to take legal action 
          against source water polluters are two other outstanding issues.
          
          The environmental community, however, has been very critical of 
          the GOP draft bill, arguing it weakens basic health protections.  
          Last week, EWG and NRDC released a report showing that more than 
          45 million Americans were exposed to drinking water containing 
          contaminants at levels above federal health standards.   Several 
          water associations, including the American Water Works & the 
          Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, called the report 
          "misleading" and accused the environmentalists of using it to 
          block negotiations between Republicans and Democrats.
          
          The Senate passed a SDWA bill last year with considerable 


          bipartisan support.
          
          Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)
          
          The House Subcommittee on Transportation is holding its first 
          hearing this Thursday on ISTEA reauthorization.  The law, passed 
          in 1991, expires at the end of FY '97.  The law contains a number 
          of environmental provisions to help mitigate environmental damage 
          from highway and other transportation projects.  The subcommittee 
          is planning on as many as a dozen hearings. Witnesses at Thurs. 
          hearing will include DOT, GAO, IRS and CBO.
          
          Interior Appropriations Hearing
          
          Sec. Babbitt is scheduled to testify this week before the Senate 
          Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.  He is expected to outline 
          the Administration's FY '97 budget request, which includes 
          increases for Everglades Restoration  (+$105.9 million), 
          Endangered Species Act Programs (+$34 million) and timber 
          harvesting and Jobs in the Woods Programs, which are part of the 
          Northwest Forest Plan (+$23.9 million).
          
          On Friday, DOI lifted the moratorium on new species listings 
          under the ESA, which was imposed during the budget debate. 
          
          Oversight Hearing on Fish and Wildlife Foundation
          
          On Thursday, the House Resources Committee is holding an 
          oversight hearing on the work of the National Fish and Wildlife 
          Foundation.  The foundation uses federal monies to leverage 
          private donations for conservation projects.  To date, the 
          foundation has funded 1,212 projects, including the North 
          American wetlands programs, conservation education, and a 
          wildlife and habitat program.  Funding authorization for the 
          program does not, however, expire until  Sept. 30, 1998.  
          Witnesses will include Amos Eno, the executive director of the 
          foundation; Georgia Pacific; Champion International; Phillips 
          Petroleum; representatives from the Administration and private 
          citizens.
          
          Forest Health Bill
          
          The Senate Energy and Nat'l Resources Committee is scheduled to 
          markup S. 391, a comprehensive forest health bill, on Wed.  Sen. 
          Larry Craig (R-ID), the bill's sponsor, has joined in 
          negotiations with Democrats over the measure.  The Democrats are 
          seeking to have the timber salvage rider eliminated and set aside 
          $ from salvage timber accounts to buy out timber contracts.
          
          Farm Bill
          
          EPA staff are beginning to work with USDA staff on rules to 
          implement the new Farm bill. 
          


          Fund for Rural America  (provision I forgot to mention in 
          previous Update)
          
          The farm bill creates a new Fund for Rural America to augment 
          existing resources for agricultural research and rural 
          development.  Funding is authorized from the Commodity Credit 
          Corporation for $50 million in FY '96, $100 million in FY '97, 
          and $150 million in FY' 98.  
          
          Non Indigenous Species Legislation
          
          OCPD is preparing comments for the Administrator's signature on 
          Sen. Glenn's bill, S. 1660, which seeks to prevent the 
          introduction and spread of non indigenous species in waters of 
          the US.   EPA was asked to provide comments by Senator Chafee and 
          Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD), chair of the Senate Commerce, Science 
          and Transportation Committee. 
          
          Upcoming Legislative Meetings/Events
          
          Thurs May 16
          Meeting on Lake Onondaga with Rep. James Walsh (R-NY) and staff
          (Minerva/Caspe/OW)
          
          Friday, May 24
          Press Event - Rep. Jim Saxton - Ocean Water Quality Sampling
          (Muszynski, DRA - Region II)
           
          
          Please call me at 202/260-1956 for copies of any legislation, 
          transcripts, floor statements, etc.