Current Issues
Recycling, Plastics, Ocean Trash
EU Common Charger Rule
The European Union formally adopted (October 4) a plan to establish a common charging standard for most electronic devices. The standard would be USB Type-C, and would ...
_________________________
Protecting Forests/Rainforests
Brazil’s Amazon Protection Plan
Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva outlined (June 5) the details of a government-wide plan to meet a previous goal of achieving net-zero deforestation of the ...
_________________________
Oil/Gas/Coal Extraction
House Energy Legislation
The US House of Representatives passed the Lower Energy Costs Act (March 30), comprehensive energy policy legislation, by a vote of 225 to 204, with 6 Members of Congress ...
_________________________
National Parks Capacity & Infrastructure
NPS Deferred Maintenance Backlog
The National Park Service (NPS) issued (January) an updated estimate of its deferred maintenance backlog ...
_________________________
Lands & Waters
Waters-of-the-United States
The US Supreme Court issued a long-awaited ruling (May 25) that concerns Federal jurisdiction in the protection of waters under the Clean Water Act (CWA). In general ...
_________________________
Research & Analysis
Mature & Old Growth Forest
Forest Service & BLM
This report (April 21) provides the first estimates of old-growth and mature forests across all US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.
_________________________
Ecosystem Restoration in the Infrastructure Act
Congressional Research Service
This report (October 2022) provides a summary of funding provided in the 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act specifically for ecosystem restoration, which was not a primary focus of the Act and which includes activities that may be less obvious to ecosystem efforts.
_________________________
Recent Developments in Everglades Restoration
Congressional Research Service
This report (August 2022) provides a summary of the latest status information on Florida Everglades restoration projects, including progress on past, current, and future major projects, as well as levels of Federal funding support.
_________________________
PFAS Contamination in U.S. Waterways
Waterkeeper Alliance
This announcement (October 2022) presents the results of U.S. waterways testing which found levels of one or more PFAS–a.k.a. "forever chemicals"–present in 93% of tested waters. Most samples had more than one chemical. One type of PFAS chemical (PFOS) was detected above the EPA’s interim health advisory level of 0.02 parts per trillion at 159 of the 228 sampling sites
_________________________
Future of America's Fish and Wildlife
Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America's Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources
This report (March 2016) provides the results of a review by a panel of primarily private corporate and public interest organizations on actions to strengthen fish and wildlife in the United States. Its core recommendation is to create permanent annual funding of $1.3 billion per year that will finance State wildlife action plans.
_________________________
The Clean Water Act at 50: Promises Half Kept at the Half Century Mark
Environmental Integrity Project
This report (March 2022) provides an analysis of existing data on the conditions of waterways in the United States as measured against the goals and objectives of the landmark Clean Water Act of 1972. The report says that about half of the river and stream miles and lake acres that have been studied across the U.S. are so polluted they are classified as “impaired;” meaning, they are too polluted to meet standards for swimming and recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption, or as drinking water sources.
_________________________
Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal
Congressional Research Service
This report (September 17, 2021) provides the current status of nuclear waste disposal in the United States, including law, regulation, and current policy matters.
Trump’s Border Wall: Where Does It Stand?
FactCheck.org
This article detailes the facts regarding U.S. southwest border wall construction before, and during, the Trump Administration.
_________________________
Report on Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Program
U.S. Department of the Interior
This report (November 2021) provides the results of an internal-DOI review of the oil and gas leasing program on Federal lands. The report provides a number of recommendations such as raising minimum royalties paid for onshore oil and gas leases and increase minimum bids for tracts of land and rental rates that companies pay before they begin producing oil and gas on the leased land.
_________________________
Key Federal Programs
Natural Resources Conservation Service [Agriculture]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$1,017,727,000
$1,001,101,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$1,193,000,000
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [Commerce - NOAA]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$5,877,349,000
$6,884,121,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$3,308,039,000
Water and Related Resources [Interior - Reclamation]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$1,521,125,000
$1,270,376,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$1,870,000,000
Orphan Oil Well Plugging, Remediation, Restoration [DOI]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$0
$0
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$4,677,000,000
Fossil Energy & Carbon Management [DOE]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$825,000,000
$893,160,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$1,839,000,000
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Interior]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$1,645,611,000
$2,062,559,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$244,227,000
National Park Service [Interior]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$3,264,994,000
$3,607,227,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$229,472,000
U.S. Geological Survey [Interior]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$1,394,360,000
$1,779,999,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$265,952,000
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement [Interior]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$268,097,000
$271,218,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$11,293,000,000
Ocean Energy Management [Interior]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$163,748,000
$237,407,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
Offshore Safety and Environmental Enforcement [Interior]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$140,848,000
$172,378,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
Wildfire Management/Supression [Interior]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$1,356,097,000
$1,800,917,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$100,000,000
Environmental Protection National/Geographic Priorities [EPA]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$612,892,000
$578,635,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$343,400,000
Inland Oil Spill Program [EPA]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$20,626,000
$26,502,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
National Forest System [Agriculture - Forest Service]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$1,866,545,000
$2,180,915,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$1,444,800,000
State and Private Forestry [Agriculture - Forest Service]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$315,198,000
$306,963,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$355,360,000
Forest & Rangeland Research [ Agriculture - Forest Service]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$296,616,000
$317,773,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$27,000,000
Wildland Fire Management [Agriculture - Forest Service]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$4,125,106,000
$4,888,659,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$552,200,000
