Senate EPW Reports Five Bills, 32 GSA Resolutions Out of Committee
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R–Okla.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, praised reporting the following pieces of legislation today after a Senate EPW full committee markup:
S. 659, the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015
Introduced by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in February 2015, this bill complements the bill the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reported late last year.
“I’d like to thank Senator Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski for their tireless work on this piece of legislation, as I’m pleased that this bill has now moved out of the Senate EPW Committee with bipartisan support for full Senate consideration. This bill cuts red tape by eliminating unnecessary regulations, supports recreational sport shooting, and encourages conservation work.”
S.1024, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2015
This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for FY2016-FY2020.
“With the help of Senators Mark Kirk and Rob Portman, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act has moved out of committee and will now head to the Senate floor. As I’ve said before, a lack of coordination has existed among programs supporting restoration of the Great Lakes. As a result, a Great Lakes Interagency Task Force was created to help address this issue in 2004. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was then launched in 2010 to further enhance interagency coordination. I appreciate the leadership and oversight Senator Mark Kirk has provided to coordinate federal resources for Great Lakes restoration. The substitute amendment today builds on Senator Kirk’s work from last session, and I am pleased to support this initiative and continue to work with him.”
S. 1724, the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act
Introduced by Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), this bill authorizes funding in the Tahoe Basin over the next 10 years toward wildfire prevention, invasive species management, storm water protection, trout recovery, and overall management, among others.
S. 1674, the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act
Introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D- NY), this bill reauthorizes grant programs to support conservation and management plans for the Long Island Sound.
S. 2143, A bill to provide for the authority for the successors and assigns of the Starr-Camargo Bridge Company to maintain and operate a toll bridge across the Rio Grande near Rio Grande City, Texas, and for other purposes permanently authorizes operations of the Starr-Camargo Bridge near Rio Grande City, Texas so that the operating company can rely on long-term authorization to seek loans and other financing mechanisms for improvement.
32 GSA resolutions
32 prospectuses to authorize the General Services Administration to move forward with leases, construction, and alteration projects, pending appropriation. These projects are located throughout the country and will create significant cost savings over the life of the buildings.
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