WASHINGTON, July 28 -- The Congressional Budget Office issued the following cost estimate for the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act Amendments: * * * Bill Summary H.R. 1734 would extend the collection of coal reclamation fees through 2036. The bill would reauthorize annual payments to states and Indian tribes under the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which would be made without further appropriation. Under the bill, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE)  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on July 27, 2021: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) released the following statements after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would set stricter limits on the dischar  more

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, July 28 -- The Maryland Public Service Commission issued the following news release: The Maryland Public Service Commission will hold a virtual public comment hearing on a proposed 175 MW solar generating facility in Garrett County. Community residents and other interested parties are welcome to take part in the hearing which is scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 7 p.m. Public Utility Law Judge Jennifer Grace will preside. CPV Backbone Solar, LLC has applied to the C  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) called on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support Florida's manatees as record numbers have died in 2021. He joined a bipartisan group of Florida legislators urging Administrator Richard Spinrad to take action against the declining water quality in the Indian River Lagoon that has resulted in a shortage of available food manatees rely on. "Seei  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following news on July 27, 2021: U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), delivered the following remarks at a full committee hearing to examine the president's budget request for the Department of the Interior for Fiscal Year 2022. The hearing featured testimony from the Honorable Debra Haa  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following news release on July 27, 2021: U.S. Secretary of the Interior Debra Haaland testified before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee about the Administration's budget request for the U.S. Department of the Interior for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Committee, raised concerns about the lack of fundin  more

SYDNEY, Australia, July 28 (TNSJou) -- The University of Sydney issued the following news: * * * Pandemic shows slowdowns not enough, transformation is needed * * * Since a global declaration of a climate emergency by more than 11,000 scientists, our planet's health hasn't improved. Dr Thomas Newsome says Australia's megafires are just one feature of a problem that hasn't gone away. Twenty months after more than 11,000 scientists declared a global climate emergency, establishing a set of   more