Capitol Connection Newsletter
Washington,
Jun 22, 2012 -
House Passes Conservation and Economic Growth Act
On Tuesday, the House passed legislation that promotes job growth and the responsible use of our national resources and public lands. For California, the bill will help create jobs and support economic growth by increasing the boundaries of a hydropower project along the Merced River in the San Joaquin Valley, thereby allowing it to increase its water storage capacity. It is estimated that this enhanced water capacity will generate up to an additional ten thousand mega-watt hours of clean, renewable energy, increase water supplies in the region, and create hundreds of new jobs. To address declining forest health in Northern California, the bill extends a bipartisan project to implement forest management activities that will create over 2,000 jobs and boost economic activity. The bill also promotes recreational shooting by giving states flexibility to use wildlife restoration funds to establish, expand, and maintain public target ranges. The Conservation and Economic Growth Act will also strengthen our national security by allowing the Department of Homeland Security to waive current restrictions that hinder the Department from conducting essential border security activities on federal lands along the U.S. border. Congressman Miller supports this legislation that will help spur job creation, encourage the development of clean energy, and conserve our natural resources.
Bill Promoting Domestic Energy Production and Job Creation Clears House
Also this week, a bill that will increase domestic energy production, create thousands of jobs, and strengthen our nation’s energy security was approved by the House. H.R. 4383 requires the Interior Department to streamline its permit process for drilling on federal lands and sets strict timelines to prevent unnecessary delays. The legislation also requires the Interior Department to formulate with the Agriculture Department an onshore energy production strategy to determine the long-term U.S. demand for energy. The departments would then be required to determine how much production on federal lands will be required to meet those needs, and to set goals to meet the estimated demand. The Interior Department would also be required to conduct an environmental review of the production strategy in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. In addition, H.R. 4383 requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take into account costs when updating ozone air standards and establishes a federal interagency committee that would review the impact of EPA regulations on energy prices and the economy.
Congressman Miller Supports Legislation to Eliminate Barriers to Veterans’ Employment
Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate among all of our nation’s veterans was 7.8%. Among those who have served post-September 2001, the jobless rate is even higher at 12.7%. While transitioning to civilian life is never easy, it is even more difficult when veterans are uncertain about whether the skills and training they acquired during their service can be translated into a professional career outside of the armed forces. With more returning veterans seeking work, training and certification requirements for federal licenses are becoming a larger barrier to employment. To help those who have sacrificed so much for our nation, Congressman Miller has co-sponsored H.R. 4155, the Veteran Skills to Jobs Act, which directs federal departments and agencies to treat relevant military training as sufficient to satisfy training or certification requirements for federal licenses. He will continue to work in Congress to support those who have defended our nation put their skills and training back to work.
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