Recent Federal Bills

Below are summaries of Bills Introduced, Committee Reports, Chamber Actions, and Public Laws reported in the most recent issue of ELR's Weekly Update.

would limit the power of eminent domain.

would designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the state of Washington and designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers.

would amend the National Trails System Act to revise the route of the North Country National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include existing hiking trails along the north shore of Lake Superior, in the Superior National Forest, and in the Chippewa National Forest.

would clarify authority granted under the Act entitled "An Act to define the exterior boundary of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation in the State of Utah."

would amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to establish the Federal Oil Spill Research Committee, and amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to include in a response plan certain planned and demonstrated investments in research relating to discharges of oil and to modify the dates by which a response plan must be updated.

would convey certain cemeteries that are located on National Forest System land in Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota.

would amend OCSLA to include areas off the coast of South Carolina in the outer continental shelf leasing program for fiscal years 2012 through 2017.

would develop a plan to increase oil and gas exploration, development, and production under oil and gas leases of federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Defense in response to a drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

would streamline the application for permits to drill process and increase funds for energy project permit processing.

would direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish goals for an all-of-the-above energy production plan strategy on a four year basis on all onshore federal lands managed by DOI and the Forest Service.