THE NATURE CONSERVANCY for NATURE CONSERVANCY

Budget/Appropriations BUD

S. 338, LWCF, Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act, annual appropriations for LWCF, full permanent funding; S. 405, Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2015, Title 2, all provisions relating to habitat conservation and support for amendments related to conservation priorities, Federal Land Transaction and Facilitiation Act, North American Wetlands Conservation Act, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act, National Fish Habitat Conservation Act; S.Con.Res.11, An original concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2016 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2017 through 2025, specific provisions relating to Function 300, Natural Resources and Environment, and Function 350, Agriculture, conservation Funding provisions including U.S. Department of Interior and U.S Forest Service, S. Amdt.434, to provide for an adjustment to committee allocations for wildfire suppression funding, S. Amdt. 1031/1046, the tester amendment would provide important fundings to the Bureau Land Management/United States Forest Service to continue sage grouse habitat conservation work on the ground, and protect the western way of life while allow robust economic activity to continue, sufficient resources to avoid the need to list the Sage Grouse; S. 1, Keystone XL Pipeline Act, specific provision relating to Land Water Conservation Fund; [no bill number yet] Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, all provisions relating to National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's budget/appropriations, National Marine Fisheries Service, electronic monitoring, for science-related programs, and related agencies; [no bill number yet] Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, including agency priorities for State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program, Great Lakes Restoration Inititiative, Department of Interior and Forest Service provision, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budget and U.S. Forest Service Land Acquisition Accounts; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Resource Management and Endangered Species Grant Programs; Bureau of Land Management Resource Management accounts, overall funding increase of 2% for natural resource funding, Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, Wild and Scenic, National Park Service, Land and Water Conservation Fund, Fish Wildlife Service; Presidents Budget Release for Interior Department and Forest Service Department Programs, US Army Corps of Engineers Projects, MAP-21 Reauthroization Act, short-term Highway Trust Fund patch and MAP-21 (Transportation Bill/Budget) extension; [no bill number yet] Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2015, support for appropriation under Title 1; [no bill number] Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, funding levels; [no bill number] State and Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations for FY16, including specific provisions relating to conservation line item for USAID, Global Environment Facility quota funding, special appropriation to fight wildlife peaching and trafficking; [no bill number] Upper Mississippi River Restoration Enivonmental Management Program, funding levels; [no bill number yet] Department of Defense Appropriations Act, funding for Camp Ripley and Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI)/Army Compatible Use Buffers (ACUB) program; [no bill number yet] Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, Specific provision relating to Colorado River Basin and support for Bureau of Reclamation Water Smart program, Hamilton City Ecosystem Restoration and Flood Damage Reduction project;

Contacted: U.S. Forest Service; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD); Natl Park Service (NPS); Interior, Dept of (DOI); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); State, Dept of (DOS); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); White House Office; Executive Office of the President (EOP); Treasury, Dept of; Vice President of the U.S.; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Energy, Dept of

Bills named: S. 1 (114th), S. 338 (114th), S. 405 (114th), S.Con.Res. 11 (114th)

Natural Resources NAT

S.1, Keystone XL Pipeline Act, a bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, S. Amdt. 92, to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and, amendments related to energy efficiency, climate, and land use; H.R. 1335, Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide flexibility for fishery managers and stability for fishermen, and for other purposes; S. 566, Tropical Forest Conservation Reauthorization Act, a bill to reauthorize the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998 through fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes; S. 508, FLAME Act Amendment, a bill to amend the FLAME Act of 2009 to provide for additional wildfire suppression activities, to provide for the conduct of certain forest treatment projects, and for other purposes, Title I, all provisions relating to FLAME act amendments and Title II, all provisions relating to forest treatment projects; S. 405, Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2015, Title 2, all provisions relating to habitat conservation and support for amendments related to conservation priorities, Federal Land Transaction and Facilitiation Act, North American Wetlands Conservation Act, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act, National Fish Habitat Conservation Act; S. 338, LWCF, Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2015, amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Section 1, all provisions relating to relating to permanent reauthorization of Land and Water Conservation Fund, makes monies covered into the Fund available for expenditure to carry out the purposes of the Act without further appropriation (Also work to include this "fix" in various other proposed legislation.), requires not less than 1.5% of the annual authorized funding amount to be made available for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes; [no bill number yet] Digital Coast Act, to authorize the Secretary of Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to establish a constituent-driven program that collects priority coastal geospatial data and supports an information platform capable of efficiently integrating coastal data with decision support tools, training, and best practices to inform and improve local, State, regional, and Federal capacities to manage the coastal region; [no bill number] Ocean acidification, draft bill discussion; [no bill number yet] Asian Carp Prevention Act, requires the Secretary of the Army to study the feasibility of the hydrological separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins; [no bill number yet] Delaware River Basin Conservation Act, directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to build on and help coordinate funding for restoration and protection efforts of the 4-State Delaware River Basin region, and for other purposes; [no bill number yet] Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act, a bill to establish an improved regulatory process for injurious wildlife; [no bill number yet] National Fish Habitat Conservation Act, establishes regions and funding for fisheries protection and restoration, authorizes the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, provides the US Fish and Wildlife Service funding and authority for such plan; [no bill number yet] Long Island Stewardship Act, makes permanent funding authorization for Sound conservation and restoration; [no bill number] Lake Ontario Lake Level Study, Adoption of Plan 2014 for restoring natural flows in St Lawrence Seaway affected waterbodies; [no bill number yet] Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act, to authorize states to allow certain entities to acquire, hold, and manage conservation easements under the forest legacy program; [no bill number yet] Fisheries and Habitat Management, this is implementation across statutues by the agency, not just one bill; [no bill number yet] Resilience, Agency implementation related to resilience and hazard mitigation; [no bill number yet] Migratory Bird and salmon conservation--not-yet-introduced drought legislation;

Contacted: Natl Park Service (NPS); Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD); Executive Office of the President (EOP); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Vice President of the U.S.; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Interior, Dept of (DOI); State, Dept of (DOS); Energy, Dept of; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); White House Office; U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); Treasury, Dept of; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); U.S. Forest Service; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Bills named: S. 338 (114th), S. 1 (114th), S. 508 (114th), S. 405 (114th), S. 566 (114th), H.R. 1335 (114th)

Agriculture AGR

[no bill number yet] Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act, specific provisions relating to Title 2, which funds voluntary easement programs, particularly conservation and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), the Agriculture Land Easement program (ALE), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) allocations by state, plus the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, the Grassland Reserve Program, also Energy Title & Forestry Title;

Contacted: State, Dept of (DOS); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Treasury, Dept of; Interior, Dept of (DOI); Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Natl Park Service (NPS); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); White House Office; Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD); Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Executive Office of the President (EOP); U.S. Forest Service; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Energy, Dept of; SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); Vice President of the U.S.; Office of Management & Budget (OMB)

Transportation TRA

[no bill number yet] Surface Transportation Bill Reauthorization (draft versions of House and Senate Transportation Bills, previous bill H.R. 5021, MAP-21 Reauthorization Act), a bill to reauthorize Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs, and for other purposes, specific provision relating to: Habitat Connectivity & Resilience, potential to add RAMP provision to legislation, Federal lands roads, aquatic connectivity, resiliency, Section 101 Definitions and declaration of policy, Section 119 National Highway Performance program, Section 134 Metropolitan transportation planning, Section 135 Statewide and nonmetropolitan transportation planning, Section 148 Highway Safety Improvement program, Section 150 National goals and performance management measures, Section 328, eligibility for environmental restoration and pollution abatement; [no bill number] Transportation funding reauthorization, advocating for natural infrastructure, connectivity, resilience in a reauthorization of transportation funding; [no bill number] House and Senate Draft Transportation Bills, planning and safety provisions related to State Department of Transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO); [no bill number] Infrastructure Facilitation and Habitat Conservation Act, Grow America Act, the multi-year surface transportation reauthorization proposal by the executive branch; [no bill number] Legislation to establish, expand or replenish Transportation Bill and Budget riders, including energy, Clean Air Act regulations, Interstate Air Transport Rule and Secondary Standards Regulations;

Contacted: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); Treasury, Dept of; Executive Office of the President (EOP); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); U.S. Forest Service; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Natl Park Service (NPS); Interior, Dept of (DOI); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); Energy, Dept of; State, Dept of (DOS); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Vice President of the U.S.; SENATE; White House Office

Bills named: H.R. 5021 (114th)

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

H.R. 644, America Gives More Act 2015, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend and expand the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory, restoring and making permanent the special tax deductions for donation of conservation easements; S. 659, Bipartisan Sportsmans Act of 2015, specific provision relating to ways and Means and Senate finance changes in Tax Code regarding conservation; S. 330/H.R. 641, Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2015, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent the special rule for contributions of qualified conservation contributions, and for other purposes, all provisions, including (estate, tax, capital gains tax, income tax) and recruitment of cosponsors; [no bill number yet] Capital Gains Easement Act, Tax Extender omnibus that also discusses easement incentives,Discussions regarding potential changes to the US Tax Code to provide relief for property owners around Hurricane Sandy and other weather-related losses;

Contacted: SENATE; Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); U.S. Forest Service; Treasury, Dept of; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); State, Dept of (DOS); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); Interior, Dept of (DOI); Vice President of the U.S.; Executive Office of the President (EOP); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); White House Office; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Energy, Dept of; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Natl Park Service (NPS); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

Bills named: S. 330 (114th), H.R. 644 (114th), H.R. 641 (114th), S. 659 (114th)

Energy/Nuclear ENG

S. 720, Shaheen Portman Energy Efficiency,Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2015, a bill to promote energy savings in residential buildings and industry, and for other purposes, all provisions and specific provision relating to miscellaneous FERC and transport issues, legislation to establish, expand or replenish (from various budget and other riders) energy Clean Air Act regulations- Interstate Air Transport Rule and Secondary Standards Regulations; [no bill number] Mercnet, re-authorization and expansion of the program to monitor mercury levels in various ecosystems and their impacts on wildlife discussed; [no bill number] To provide direction to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the establishment of standards for emissions of any greenhouse gas from fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating units, and for other purposes; [no bill number] Offshore Energy, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM); [no bill number] Department of Interior Secretarial Order on Mitigation;

Contacted: Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Natl Park Service (NPS); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Energy, Dept of; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD); SENATE; Interior, Dept of (DOI); Bureau of Land Management (BLM); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; U.S. Forest Service; Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Vice President of the U.S.; White House Office; Treasury, Dept of; State, Dept of (DOS); Executive Office of the President (EOP)

Bills named: S. 720 (114th)

Clean Air and Water (quality) CAW

S. 462/ H.R. 243, Safe and Secure Drinking Water Act of 2015, a bill to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to publish a health advisory and submit reports with respect to microcystins in drinking water, all provisions of the bill; S. 589/ H.R. 1135, Defending Our Great Lakes Act of 2015, a bill to provide an immediate measure to control the spread of aquatic nuisance species from the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes basin and to inform long-term measures to prevent the Interbasin transfer of aquatic nuisance species, all provisions of the bill; H.R. 223, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2015, to authorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, all provisions of the bill; [no bill number] Aquatic invasive species in the Chicago area waterways system and the Mississippi River basin; [no bill number] Enivornmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board Reform Act, adds new peer-review requirements to the US Environmental Protection Agencys Science Advisory Board (SAB). [no number yet] Bill to make adjustments to science disclosure procedures by the Enivornmental Protection Agency (EPA) [no bill number] Water Resources Reform Development Act, authorizes and defines water and other restoration activities by the US Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies, make revisions to the air permitting process and would excuse manufacturers from complying with new National Ambient Air Quality Standards until EPA issues implementation guidelines or regulations; [no bill number] North American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act, to extend the authorization of appropriations for allocation to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act through fiscal year 2017; [no bill number] U.S. Department of Agriculture Groundwater Directive; [no bill number] Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2015, support for appropriation under Title 1;

Contacted: Bureau of Land Management (BLM); White House Office; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Energy, Dept of; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Treasury, Dept of; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Vice President of the U.S.; Interior, Dept of (DOI); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Natl Park Service (NPS); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); U.S. Forest Service; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); State, Dept of (DOS); Executive Office of the President (EOP); Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD); SENATE; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Bills named: S. 589 (114th), S. 462 (114th), H.R. 243 (114th), H.R. 1135 (114th), H.R. 223 (114th)

Real Estate/Land Use/Conservation RES

E.O. 13604 Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of Infrastructure Projects, S. 338, A bill to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, all provisions of the bill, including recruitment of cosponsors; S. 556/S. 405, Bipartisan Sportsmen's Actof 2015, a bill to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes, specifically Title II, Habitat Conservation, and inclusion of National Fish Habitat Conservation Act in bipartisan sportsmen package; S. 235, Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, a bill to provide for wildfire suppression operations, and for other purposes, whole bill Sections 1 & 2; [no bill number] Habitat Conservation Planning, Endangered Species Actimplementation; [no bill number] U.S Fish Wildlife Service Mitigation Policy; [no bill number] Endangered Species Act compensatory Mitigation Policy; [no bill number] Department of Interior Manual Mitigation Policy; [no bill number] Department of Interior National Environmental Policy Act Mitigation Guidance;

Contacted: Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Vice President of the U.S.; Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Interior, Dept of (DOI); State, Dept of (DOS); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); SENATE; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Natl Park Service (NPS); Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Executive Office of the President (EOP); Treasury, Dept of; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; White House Office; Energy, Dept of; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)

Bills named: S. 405 (114th), S. 338 (114th), S. 556 (114th), S. 235 (114th)