Shark week on Capitol Hill
As lawmakers ease back into work after the July 4 recess, they'll be considering a couple of bills of interest to the green community:H.R. 5741, the Shark Conversation Act of 2008; H.R. 802, the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act of 2008; and H.R. 4174, the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2007.
The last bill would establish the Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification comprised of members from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the United States Geological Survey, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy.
Within 18 months of the bill's enactment, the Committee would be required to issue a report to Congress on the effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on ocean chemistry, including biological impacts. To carry out this and other related research, the bill would authorize $6 million in FY2009, $8 million in FY2010, $11 million in 2011, and $30 million in FY2012.
Also this week, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark-up the FY2009 Energy and Water spending bill. Mark-up is pretty much what it sounds like -- the committee reads the bill and literally marks up the draft with changes. Following the mark-up, the committee will release a report to accompany the bill. The report includes the committee's recommendations for spending the pots of money allocated in the bill itself. Despite the fact that the report language isn't legally binding, most agencies follow the recommendation contained therein. After all, who wants to irritate the folks holding the purse strings?
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