During the 110th Congress,
Senate Democrats have aggressively promoted a legislative agenda to provide our
country and the planet with a cleaner, greener, and more secure future. This
Special Report outlines the environmental accomplishments of Senate Democrats
in the 110th Congress.
Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007
According to an analysis
from the Energy Information Administration, the Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007 is expected to contribute to a reduction in
energy-related CO2 emissions by over 500 million metric tons. For a frame of
reference, this reduction is about the same amount as the current annual CO2
emissions by South Korea, the world's ninth-largest source of CO2 emissions.
The law increased the
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements for the first time in more
than thirty years, raised the renewable fuel standard to 36 billion gallons by
2022 (21 billion must be produced from advanced biofuels
like cellulosic ethanol). Additionally, the law establishes new energy
efficiency and green building requirements for federal government buildings, to
ensure that they use less energy and cause less air and global warming pollution,
as well as grants to help local governments make their buildings more energy
efficient and less polluting. Finally, among other provisions, the Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007 includes strong new efficiency
standards for lighting, and for residential and commercial appliances and
equipment such as refrigerators, freezers, and light bulbs.
Water
Resources Development Act of 2007
Democrats in the House and
Senate led the successful fight to override President Bush's veto of the Water Resources
Development Act of 2007, a law that will help protect New Orleans and Gulf
Coast communities from flooding, restore coastal wetlands after massive
hurricane damage, improve water quality and navigation across the country, and
protect sensitive areas like the Florida Everglades and Mississippi River.
After President Bush's unfortunate veto of the legislation on November 2, 2007,
the House voted to override the President on November 6, 2007 by a vote of 361
to 54, and the Senate voted to override on November 8, 2007, by a vote of 79 to
14.
Food,
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
The Food,
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 became law on May 22, 2008, after
President Bush's veto was over-ridden by the House and Senate. The new law will annually
enroll 13.2 million acres into the Conservation Stewardship
Program, which provides all agricultural producers, including livestock and
specialty crop producers, the opportunity to achieve high levels of
conservation on their soil and their water resources. For Fiscal Year 2009, the
Department of Agriculture will distribute $1.8 billion in Conservation Reserve
Program rental payments to participants across the country. The new law will
also protect valuable wetland areas by reauthorizing the Wetlands Reserve
Program to enroll 250,000 acres per year through 2012. The protection and
restoration of wetlands are important because wetlands simultaneously protect
wildlife habitat, defend against catastrophic flooding, and improve water
quality by filtering out pollutants like nitrogen.
Renewable and Energy
Efficiency Tax Credits
On
October 1, 2008, Democrats in the Senate passed legislation, the Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act, which the President signed, that extended vital
renewable energy and energy efficiency tax credits. The extension of these tax
credits are extremely important in driving economic growth through and job
creation while also moving our nation away from fossil fuels and towards
greater usage of renewable energy and energy efficiency. For instance, it is
estimated that in 2006 renewable energy and energy efficient industries
generated 8.5 million new jobs and nearly $970 billion in revenue. However, the
loss of these tax credits over ten years would have resulted in a decrease of
wind energy generation of 110,000 megawatts of electricity.
The new
law extended the production tax credit for electricity produced from wind
energy for one year while the tax credit for electricity production from other
renewable energy resources like biomass and geothermal energy was extended for
two years. The new law also contained provisions that extended the solar
investment tax credit for eight years, a new tax credit for the purchase of
plug-in electric vehicles, and the extension of tax credits for investments in
energy efficient improvements to existing and new homes.
The Consolidated
Natural Resources Act of 2008
On April 10, 2008, by a vote
of 91-4, the Senate passed S. 2739, the Consolidated Natural
Resources Act of 2008. The House of Representatives subsequently passed by
the bill by a vote of 291 to 117 and it was signed into law by the President on
May 8, 2008. The law created the Wild Sky Wilderness area in Washington State
by designating approximately 106,000 acres of national forest lands in the
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Wilderness designation provides
the highest level of protection that the federal government can give to public
lands. S. 2739 also contained many other provisions created
new natural heritage areas, better water resources management, and improved
national parks.
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008
Democrats
succeeded in giving travelers and commuters more environmentally friendly
transportation options by authorizing $13 billion over five years for Amtrak.
Division B of H.R. 2095, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act
of 2008, passed the Senate on October 1, 2008 by a vote of 74 to 24 and the
House by a voice vote.
The Department of Energy has
found that Amtrak trains are a nearly 20 percent more fuel-efficient way to
travel than automobiles and commercial airliners. Also, per
passenger-mile, trains emit half the amount of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere as jet airplanes. These efficiencies will help stem the causes
of global warming and reduce our nation's reliance on oil.
National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
Authorization Act of 2008
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008
(H.R. 6063) would require NASA to pursue a program of Earth observations,
research, and applications activities to better understand the Earth system and
climate change. It would reauthorize the Glory mission, an Earth-orbiting
observatory that will help scientists fill a significant gap in their understanding
of global warming, namely the role of clouds and airborne particles, and
monitor the influence of solar energy on the global climate with unparalleled
accuracy. It would require NASA to establish an aeronautics research,
development, and demonstration initiative on environmentally friendly aircraft,
including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The reauthorization
would also mandate that NASA's Administrator take steps to ensure that the
public has reliable and accurate access to the results of scientific research
on global warming. H.R. 6063 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on
September 25, 2008, and the House by voice vote on September 27, 2008.
The legislation was presented to the President on October 6, 2008 and has not
yet been signed.
Mercury
Export Ban Act of 2008
The Mercury Export Ban
Act of 2008 (S. 906), which passed the Senate on September 26, 2008
by unanimous consent and the House by a vote of 393 to 5 on September 29, 2008,
will prohibit the commercial export of elemental mercury from the United States
in 2013. The legislation will also prohibit the commercial sale or transfer of
federal mercury stockpiles held by the Department of Energy and the Department
of Defense for any purpose except for transfer into permanent storage and
provide for permanent storage of collected mercury by the Department of Energy.
The legislation was presented to the President on October 3, 2008 and has not
yet been signed.
Great
Lakes--St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and the Great Lakes
Legacy Reauthorization Act
The
passage and Presidents signature of the Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources
Compact and the Great Lakes
Legacy Reauthorization Act authorizes important conservation and
restoration efforts throughout the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Legacy
Reauthorization Act authorizes funding to clean up contaminated sediments
and improve habitat restoration while the Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River
Basin Water Resources Compact will implement water conservation and
management efforts that will help safeguard the Great Lakes for future
generations.
The
Maritime Pollution Prevention Act, which was passed by the Senate on
June 26, 2008, and signed into law by the President on July 21, 2008 requires
the Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency issue air emission
standards and requirements for ships. The legislation requires the federal
government to establish maritime standards for nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides,
and other volatile organic compounds.
Clean Boating Act of
2008
The
passage of the Clean Boating Act ensures that recreational boating
vessels, under normal operation, will not be subjected to permitting
requirements under the Clean Water Act. The law codifies a 1973
Environmental Protection Agency regulatory exemption, which had been eliminated
by a U.S. District Court, which gave recreational boaters a waiver from
national pollutant discharge elimination system permitting requirements.
Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009
The Consolidated
Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 included $7.51 billion for the Advanced Vehicle
Manufacturing Loan Guarantee program. This funding is expected to finance
approximately $25 billion in loans for auto manufacturers to produce cleaner
and more fuel efficient vehicles. The legislation also included $910 million in
emergency funding to help restore areas devastated by wildfires and support
wildfire prevention efforts. This funding has important environmental impacts
because it mitigates against catastrophic forest fires that are estimated to
release about 290 million metric tons of
carbon dioxide a year, which is the equivalent of four to six percent of the
nation's carbon dioxide emissions from
fossil fuel burning.
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008
The Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2008 (the Omnibus Appropriations bill), which was signed into law
on December 26, 2007, allocated
$829 million for the drinking water state revolving fund, $689 million for the
clean water state revolving fund, and $133 million for sewer and water grants.
The Omnibus Appropriations bill also distributes $217 million to the states in
clean air grants, $99 million into clean air research, $49 million in grants to
reduce emissions from diesel fuel, $120 million for carbon capture and storage
programs, $6 billion in loan guarantees for clean coal projects with carbon
capture and storage, $486 million more to the Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy (Fiscal Year 2008 request $1.236 Billion), $10 billion in loan
guarantees for renewables, energy efficiency,
distributed energy, transmission, and other technologies, and cut $104.5
million from the budget for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump.
The
legislation also contained a Sense of the Congress resolution which found that
greenhouse gases are: 1) accumulating in the atmosphere are causing average
temperatures to rise at a rate outside the range of natural variability; 2)
posing a substantial risks to the planet. The Sense of the Congress also stated
that human activity is a substantial cause of greenhouse gas accumulation in
the atmosphere, mandatory steps will be required to slow or stop the growth of
greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and Congress should enact a comprehensive effective national program of
mandatory, market-based limits and incentives on emissions of greenhouse gases
that slow, stop, and reverse the growth of such emissions at a rate and in a
manner that will not significantly harm the United States economy and will
encourage comparable action by other nations that are major trading partners
and key contributors to global emissions.
Finally,
the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2008 provides $3.5 million within the
Federal Support Air Quality Management program for the EPA to use its existing
authority under the Clean Air Act to develop and publish a rule
requiring mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions above appropriate
thresholds in all sectors of the economy.
The Fiscal Year 2007
Continuing Appropriations Resolution
The Revised Continuing
Appropriations Resolution, which was signed into law on February 15, 2007,
provided an increase of $300 million over Fiscal Year 2006 levels for energy
efficiency and renewable energy programs.
Fiscal
Year 2009 Senate Budget Resolution
The Fiscal Year
2009 Senate Budget Resolution, which passed the Senate on March 14,
2008, includes a deficit-neutral reserve fund which could be used for
legislation to address global climate change and rejects the President's cuts
to a variety of programs that fund climate change research. The Senate-passed Budget
Resolution includes approximately $7.9 billion for the EPA. This funding
level will accommodate significant increases for programs such as Superfund and
EPA's programs to support clean and safe drinking water. The Fiscal Year 2009 Senate Budget Resolution
also rejects the President's
proposal to permit oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Fiscal
Year 2008 Senate Budget Resolution
The Fiscal Year
2008 Senate Budget Resolution, which passed the Senate and House on March
17, 2007, included a deficit-neutral reserve fund for energy legislation and energy tax incentives that
helped shape the Senate's passage of legislation to provide the production and
use of clean alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles as well as
expanded use of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Budget
Resolution also rejected the President's proposal to permit oil and gas
leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The America COMPETES Act of 2007
The
America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology,
Education, and Science Act of 2007 (The America COMPETES Act of 2007)
which was enacted into law on August 9, 2007, establishes the Advanced Research
Projects Authority-Energy (ARPA-E) within the Department of Energy to support
research of high-risk technological barriers in the development of applied
energy technologies, including carbon neutral technologies. The America COMPETES Act of 2007 also requires the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in consultation with the National
Science Foundation and NASA, to establish a coordinated program of ocean and
atmospheric research and development to promote U.S. leadership in ocean and
atmospheric science.
Reauthorizations of the
Asian and African Elephant Conservation Funds, and of the Rhino and Tiger
Conservation Fund
The reauthorizations of
Conservation Funds for African Elephants, Asian Elephants, Rhinos, and Tigers
through Fiscal Year 2012, which were signed into law on December 6, 2007, will
support field conservation projects, including scientific research, habitat
enhancement, law enforcement, monitoring and local community outreach and
education that benefit African and Asian elephants, rhinos, tigers and their
habitats.
Lieberman
Warner Climate Security Act of 2008
On December 5, 2007, the
Environment and Public Works Committee approved S. 2191, Lieberman-Warner
Climate Security Act, by a vote of 11-8. The legislation
was approved by the Environment and Public Works Committee with support
from Democrats, Independents, and a Republican but was eventually filibustered
on the Senate floor. The consideration of the bill on the Senate floor was an
important milestone because it was the first time that greenhouse gas
cap-and-trade legislation has proceeded through regular order on the Senate
floor.
The greenhouse-gas emissions
caps in the bill covered U.S. electric power, transportation fuel,
manufacturing, and natural gas sources that together account for 87 percent of
U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions. The cap over those sources starts at
roughly 2005 emission levels in 2012, and reaches 71 percent below the 2005
emissions levels in 2050. Together, the gradually tightening cap and other
provisions in the bill are projected to reduce total U.S. greenhouse-gas
emissions by as much as 25 percent in 2020 and by as much as 66 percent below
the 2005 emission levels in 2050.
Federal
Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring, Global Change Research
Improvement, and Climate Change Adaptation Acts of 2007
On December 4, 2007, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
approved three bills to improve how the United States addresses climate change
and ocean acidification. S. 2307, the Global Change Research
Improvement Act of 2007, improves the basic research and products that the
federal government develops on climate change and its impacts and refocuses the
Global Change Research Program to be more relevant to state, local, and
non-governmental decision makers. S. 2355, the Climate Change
Adaptation Act of 2007, calls for the federal government to develop a
strategic plan for dealing with the effects of climate change. S. 1581,
the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2007,
provides for a coordinated federal research program on ocean acidification.
