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NRDC's Legislative Watch - Page 2

© Kenneth Friedman

"On 4/22, the House overwhelmingly approved the Beaches Environmental Assessment, Cleanup, and Health bill (or BEACH, H.R. 999). Riding a wave of bipartisan support, H.R. 999 authorizes $30 million for states to establish minimum water quality standards, monitor their coastal recreational waters, and notify the public when beach waters are contaminated with disease-causing pathogens. A companion bill (S. 522) was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Lautenberg (D-NJ) but no action has been taken.

"On 6/29, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a limited Endangered Species Act reform bill (S. 1100) introduced by Sens. Chafee (R-RI), Crapo (R-ID), and Domenici (R-NM). The bill was introduced after attempts for more comprehensive reform legislation failed. It addresses the issue of species recovery plans, which is one of the most criticized aspects of the existing law. Several pro-environment changes were made to the bill in committee, including increased funding for recovery plans and the establishment of specific schedules for their completion.

"In the House, Rep. Miller (D-CA) has introduced a comprehensive bill (H.R. 960) to reform the Endangered Species Act. Rep. Miller's bill is widely supported by environmentalists.

"On 6/17, the House Commerce Energy and Power Subcommittee held a hearing on the Clinton administration's bill (H.R. 1828) to restructure the nation's electric industry. Although its incentives for renewable energy, energy efficiency, andlow-income energy services represent a step in the right direction, the plan falls short of what many environmentalists believe is necessary to reduce air pollution from electric utilities. Such pollution is a dominant cause of smog, deadly soot, global warming, pollution in national parks, toxic contamination of fish, and polluted estuaries.

"On 6/16, Rep. McIntosh (R-IN) introduced a bill (H.R. 2221) to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies from regulating carbon dioxide, the main contributor to global warming. The bill is designed to block implementation of the unratified Kyoto Protocol, and also overrides the EPA's existing authority to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act.

The Natural Resources Defense Council distributes two biweekly bulletins by mailing list: LEGISLATIVE WATCH, which tracks bills moving through Congress, and EARTH ACTION, which calls out urgent environmental issues requiring grassroots action.

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