Recent Developments

• Date: 01 June 2018

6-2018 NEWS & ANALYSIS 48 ELR 10535

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

In the Congress

“In the Congress” entries cover activities reported in the Congressional Record from April 1, 2018, through April 30, 2018.

Entries are arranged by bil l number, with Senate bills listed  rst. “In the Congress” covers all environment-related bills that

are introduced, reported out of committee, passed by either house, or signed by the president. “In the Congress” also covers

all environmental treaties ratied by the Senate. is material is updated monthly. For archived materials, visit http://elr.

info/legislative/congressional-update/archive.

Public Laws

S. 2030 (Ceiling Fa n Energy Con-

servat ion Harmonization Act) was

signed into law by President Trump

on April 3, 2018. Pub. L. No. 115-161,

164 Cong. Rec. D351 (daily ed. Apr. 9,

2018). e law deems January 21, 2020,

as the compliance date for amended

energy conservation sta ndards for ceil-

ing fan light kits.

H.R. 4851 (Kennedy-King Nat ional

Commemorati ve Site Act) was signed

into law by President Trump on April

4, 2018. Pub. L. No. 115-163, 164

Cong. Rec. D351 (daily ed. A pr. 9,

2018). e law establishes the Ken nedy-

King Commemorative Site in the state

of Indian a.

Chamber Action

S. Res. 478 (Nationa l Park Week),

which would designate the week of

April 21, 2018, through April 29, 2018,

as “National Park Week,” was agreed to

by the Senate. 164 Cong. Rec. S2330

(daily ed. Apr. 19, 2018).

H.R. 146 (Easter n Band of Cherokee

Historic Lands Reacquisition Act),

which would take cert ain federal lands

in Tennessee into trust for the benet

of the Eastern Band of Cherokee In-

dians, was pa ssed by the House. 164

Cong. Rec. H3323, H3328 (daily ed.

Apr. 16, 2018).

H.R. 3961 (Kissimmee River Wild

and Scenic R iver Study Act of 2018),

which would amend the Wild and Sce-

nic Rivers Act to designate se gments of

the Kissimmee R iver and its tributar-

ies in the state of Florida for study for

potential addition to the National Wild

and Scenic Rivers System, was passed

by the House. 164 Cong. Rec. H3322

(daily ed. Apr. 16, 2018).

H.R. 3979 (Keep A merica’s Refug es

Operational Act), which would amend

the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to

reauthorize the volunteer service s, com-

munity partnership, and refuge educa-

tion programs of the National Wildlife

Refuge System, was pas sed by the Sen-

ate. 164 Cong. Rec. S2017 (daily ed.

Apr. 9, 2018).

Committee Action

S. 35 (land use) was reported by t he

Committee on Natural Resources. H.

Rep. No. 115-626, pt. 1, 164 Cong.

Rec. H3094 (daily ed. Apr. 10, 2018).

The bill would transfer ad ministra-

tive jurisdiction over certa in BLM

land from the Secretar y of the Inte-

rior to the Secretary of Veterans Af-

fairs for inclusion in the Black Hil ls

National Cemetery.

S. 1160 (land use) was reported by

the Committee on Energy a nd Natural

Resources. S. Rep. No. 115-224, 164

Cong. Rec. S2074 (daily ed. Apr. 11,

2018). e bill would include Livings-

ton County, the city of Jonesboro in

Union County, and the city of Freeport

in Stephenson County, Illinois, to the

Lincoln National Heritage Area.

S. 1181 (land use) was reported by the

Committee on Energy and Natu ral

Resources. S. Rep. No. 115-225, 164

Cong. Rec. S2074 (daily ed. Apr. 11,

2018). e bill would direct the Sec-

retary of the Interior and Secret ary of

Agriculture to expedite access to certain

federal land under the ad ministrative

jurisdiction of each Secreta ry for good

Samarit an search-and-recover y mis-

sions, with an amendment in the natu re

of a substitut e.

S. 1260 (land us e) was reported by

the Committee on Energy a nd Natural

Resources. S. Rep. No. 115-226, 164

Cong. Rec. S2074 (daily ed. Apr. 11,

2018). e bill would authorize the

exchange of certa in federal land located

in Gulf Islands Nationa l Seashore for

certain nonfedera l land in Jackson

County, Mississippi.

S. 1602 (land use) was reported by

the Committee on Energy a nd Natural

Resources. S. Rep. No. 115-227, 164

Cong. Rec. S2075 (daily ed. Apr. 11,

2018). e bill would authorize the Sec-

retary of the Interior to conduct a study

to assess the suitabil ity and feasibility of

designating cert ain land as the Finger

Lakes National Heritage Area.

S. 1668 (water) was reported by the

Committee on Commerce, Science,

and Transportation. S. Rep. No. 115-

221, 164 Cong. Rec. S2012 (daily ed.

Apr. 9, 2018). e bill would rename a

waterway in the state of New York as

the “Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel.”

H.R. 401 (land us e) was reported by

the Committee on Natural Resources.

H. Rep. No. 115-630, 164 Cong. Rec.

H3146 (daily ed. Apr. 11, 2018). e

bill would designate the mountain at

the Devils Tower National Monument,

Wyoming, as Devils Tower.

Copyright © 2018 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®, http://www.eli.org, 1-800-433-5120.