Category: US Senate

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Capito, Miller Introduce Bill to Block Implementation of EPA’s Power Plant Proposals

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and U.S. Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.-01) are introducing legislation to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing its recently announced proposal that would force the closure of coal- and gas-fired power plants.

The Protect Our Power Plants (POPP) Act outlines the illegalities of the EPA’s latest proposal, which attempts to severely restrict power generation at new and existing facilities, and states, “the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency may not finalize, implement, or enforce” the proposed rule.

“With its Clean Power Plan 2.0, the Biden administration has made it quite clear they intend to ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, put the people who help power our nation out of work, and increase energy costs for millions of Americans. In the face of this illegal overreach, Congresswoman Miller and I are standing up for workers and families in energy-producing communities across the country, including those in West Virginia. The Protect Our Power Plants Act would maintain America’s status as a leading global energy producer and prevent the EPA’s current proposal from inflicting further damage on our state,” Ranking Member Capito said.

“The Environment Protection Agency has overstepped their role and is waging war on power plants across the United States. The Biden administration and Washington Democrats continue to shut down domestic energy production in the name of their Green New Deal agenda while the United States should be focused on maintaining its energy dominance. West Virginia will not stand for this spineless, and frankly, ridiculous rule. Senator Capito and I are focused on promoting American energy policies that will ensure West Virginia remains an energy dominant state for years to come. The Protect Our Power Plants Act is a needed check on Washington Democrats’ radical environmental policies and promotes American energy production,” Congresswoman Miller said.

For bill text of the Protect Our Power Plants Act, which will be introduced in the Senate by Capito and in the House by Miller, click here.

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Manchin Announces $270K for Aviation Center at Fairmont State University

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin

June 12, 2023

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $270,000 from the Department of Education (DOE) to purchase equipment for Fairmont State University’s Aviation Center for Excellence. This federal funding is one of the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests Senator Manchin secured on behalf of West Virginia through the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill.

“As our nation faces a workforce shortage in the aviation industry, programs like Fairmont State University’s Aviation Center for Excellence are as important as ever,” said Senator Manchin. “I proudly secured this funding to provide state-of-the-art equipment to the Center to properly train and prepare students for a career in the industry. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for funding through Congressionally Directed Spending and other programs to ensure West Virginia universities have the resources they need to help our students thrive.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provides an opportunity for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted funding for projects that bolster their communities and directly support West Virginians. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Manchin works to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated to priorities that benefit all West Virginians, boost economic growth and support the needs of communities across the Mountain State while remaining fiscally responsible.

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On 75th Anniversary of Armed Forces’ Permanent Opening to Women, Boozman Shares Service Memories of Bella Vista Veteran

Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

WASHINGTON– On the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into law allowing women to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces as permanent, regular members of all branches of the military, U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) recognized the service and sacrifice of Lora Burch in ‘Salute to Veterans,’ a series recognizing the military service of Arkansans. 

Growing up in a small town and in a military family, Lora believed the Armed Forces would provide many opportunities. At 19, she enlisted in the Navy.

“I was always an adventure seeker. That’s why I went in,” she said.

“My father was in the Army during World War II. He was in London, and he kind of resisted me going in when I got that idea, but my mother was more than happy to have me move out. She was ready to be an empty nester,” said Lora. While her father did not have fond memories of military service, she recalled a love of listening to the military march songs – specifically “Anchors Away,” the official Navy song – while growing up and truly looked up to her father and her brother-in-law for their service. 

Lora went to Maryland for bootcamp and served a three-year tour processing security clearance paperwork before leaving active duty. However, she decided to re-enlist and made a request of her Iowa-based recruiter. “I said I’ll go back in if you give me the West Coast and send me to a school.” Lora was then stationed in San Diego for one year followed by an assignment at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado where she received training as an Intelligence Specialist. “I was one of the first women that went through that school. They had just opened it up to women.”

Lora’s next assignment took her to Guam. “What I did there was I would brief the pilots before they took off on a P3 that was spying on Russia off the Sea of Japan and then I would be in touch with them by phone. During the nine months only once did I get a call where they had been shot at, so I had to run down the hall and tell the real top-secret people,” she said.

Being the only woman in her detachment presented different challenges, but Lora was always eager to do things other women didn’t do including going on a rest and recuperation trip to South Korea. “I said ‘I wanna go,’ so I was the only girl on the whole flight, and they actually took me up to the front and I got to push a button and the whole plane banked and it was kind of fun,” she said.

While in Japan, Lora married a man from her hometown she met while they were both stationed in San Diego. She has fond memories of their honeymoon along the bullet train up and down Japan. After returning stateside she had her first child and decided to go into the U.S. Navy Reserves and eventually retire to be able to better support her family.

Lora used the GI Bill to earn a college degree and to pay for child care while she worked. Over the years, she worked in city government, for nonprofits and as a career counselor at Crowder College in Missouri where she received her master’s degree.

Although she faced many obstacles as a woman in the military, Lora believes the strength and skills she gained from the experience shaped her critical ways. Military life taught her the importance of speaking up for herself, which helped when she moved to a town where she didn’t know anyone at a new job. “I really had to fall back on that I think, the strength I had learned in the military,” Lora remembered. 

Today, Lora calls Bella Vista home. Looking back on her own service, she believes serving in the military helps people mature and that serving others, whether in the military or in the community, has a positive impact on everyone who takes the opportunity.

“I am grateful to Lora Burch for her service to our country. As we celebrate Women Veterans Recognition Day this month, let us always remember the key role she and all women in uniform have played in protecting our freedoms and serving their country. Preserving her memories for the Veterans History Project is a great way to show our appreciation for her service,” Boozman said.

Boozman will submit Burch’s entire interview to the Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center to collect and retain the oral histories of our nation’s veterans.

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Kennedy announces $1 million in hurricane aid for Lake Charles

Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $1,042,016 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.

“Hurricane Laura battered Lake Charles, and Louisianians are still rebuilding. This $1 million will go toward the cost of demolition as Lake Charles works toward a full recovery,” said Kennedy.

The FEMA aid will fund the following:

  • $1,042,016 to Lake Charles, La. for emergency protective measures to demolish private structures that Hurricane Laura damaged.
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Murkowski Statement on DOJ Indictment of Former President Trump

Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski

06.12.23

Washington, DC –U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) issued the following statement on the 37-count federal indictment unsealed today against former President Donald Trump:

“As I’ve stated before, no one is above the law but every American is innocent until proven guilty. Still, the charges in this case are quite serious and cannot be casually dismissed. Mishandling classified documents is a federal crime because it can expose national secrets, as well as the sources and methods they were obtained through. The unlawful retention and obstruction of justice related to classified documents are also criminal matters. Anyone found guilty – whether an analyst, a former president, or another elected or appointed official – should face the same set of consequences.”

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Sullivan Meets with Senior Japanese, Korean Officials on Military Cooperation & Energy Security

Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

06.12.23

Senator Highlights Opportunity Alaska LNG Poses for Trilateral Relationship

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), recently returned from a visit to South Korea and Japan, where he met with senior government and private sector officials about deepening the nations’ trilateral cooperation on military matters, countering the aggressive dictatorships in Moscow and Beijing, and advancing energy security and the central role liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Alaska should play. The senator’s visit comes just eight months after another trip he made to the two countries last October, which included an Alaska LNG Summit he convened with U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel in Tokyo and a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul.

“The bilateral alliances between the United States and Japan and the United States and Korea are very strong. This fact was reinforced by polling shared with me during my visit that demonstrated the public’s strong support of their nations’ respective alliances with the U.S., especially among young people,” said Senator Sullivan. “In addition to cooperation on military and trade, I emphasized the enormous opportunity we have in terms of deepening our energy relationship and energy security. The United States is an energy superpower. In the wake of Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, our Asian allies now face a strategic and moral imperative to get off of Russian oil and gas. My message to them was clear: Don’t fund the Russian war machine for another 20 years by continuing to buy LNG and oil from Russia. Get your energy from your allies—particularly Alaska. Alaska has a stellar, 50-year, uninterrupted record of exporting LNG to Japan. It is a seven-day cargo shipment with no strategic choke points. Working with Ambassador Goldberg and Ambassador Emanuel, I will continue to press the case with our Korean and Japanese allies for the Alaska LNG Project as a critical piece of our deepening trilateral alliance.”

Following meetings in Tokyo, Ambassador Emanuel tweeted: “Make no mistake: energy security is national security. Great to welcome back [Senator Sullivan] to Tokyo to discuss with [Japanese Foreign Affairs] Minister Hayashi and other Japanese partners how the [United States] and [Japan] can energize our energy ties.”

In Korea, Sullivan met with Foreign Minister Park Jin and National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong. In Japan, Sullivan met with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba, and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara.

Below is a timeline of Senator Sullivan’s recent work on deepening the ties between the U.S. and America’s Indo-Pacific allies, and other related developments:

  • On May 18, 2023, Senator Sullivan introduced the Indo-Pacific Strategic Energy Initiative Act, legislation to promote the financing and development of new energy infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific region—with a focus on natural gas—in order to end U.S. allies’ dependance on Russian natural gas in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
  • In May 2023, Senator Sullivan spoke at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference about the Alaska LNG Project and opportunities to deliver clean-burning, low-cost gas to Alaskans and to America’s Indo-Pacific allies.
  • In May 2023, Senator Sullivan, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) welcomed a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upholding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval of the Alaska LNG Project.
  • On March 6, 2023, Senator Sullivan led a letter with his Senate colleagues to Ambassador Emanuel urging the Biden administration to publicly support the export of abundant U.S. natural gas to America’s allies in Europe and Asia, particularly Japan, which has prioritized energy security in its term leading the G7.
  • On December 16, 2022, Senator Sullivan welcomed a new national security strategy and related documents released by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that focuses on deepening Japan and the U.S.’s national security cooperation.
  • In October 2022, Senator Sullivan and Ambassador Emanuel convened an Alaska LNG Summit of U.S. and Japanese energy and policy leaders in Tokyo. 

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Warner & Kaine Announce $17 Million for Improvements to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge & Assateague Island National Seashore

Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $ 17,744,862 in federal funding to enhance beach access at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island National Seashore. Specifically, these federal dollars will be used to relocate the existing public recreational beach to a more stable part of the island. This funding will also go towards constructing a new access road, four new parking lots, new boardwalks, and paving for a multiuse path. 

“This award would not have been possible without the bipartisan infrastructure law, which we were proud to help usher into law. We are thrilled to see these federal dollars go towards enhancing beach access at Chincoteague and Assateague – a project that will help preserve this natural treasure, provide visitors with a better experience, and generate more economic activity in the region,” said the Senators.  

This funding, awarded through the Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) Program, was only made possible by the passage of the Warner and Kaine-backed bipartisan infrastructure law, which reduced minimum project sizes from $25 million to $12.5 million and increased the federal share of projects on Tribal transportation facilities to 100 percent. 

The Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program (NSFLTP) provides funding for the construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of nationally-significant projects within, adjacent to, or accessing Federal and tribal lands. The program provides an opportunity to address significant challenges across the nation for transportation facilities that serve Federal and tribal lands.

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Cassidy Announces $35.4 Million for Hurricane Relief

Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

06.12.23

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced that Louisiana will receive $35,403,979.13 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in hurricane relief.

“The impact of these hurricanes has lasted long after they hit, but our communities have continued to remain strong,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This funding will help return our state to wholeness and keep us prepared for the next storm.”

Grant Awarded

Recipient

Project Description

$7,545,673.28

New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board 

This grant will provide federal funding for repairs as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

$24,599,524.03

Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)

This grant will provide federal funding for state management costs as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

$1,089,922.36

Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)

This grant will provide federal funding for state management costs as a result of Hurricane Rita.

$1,126,843.33

Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)

This grant will provide federal funding for state management costs as a result of Hurricane Rita.

$1,042,016.13

Lake Charles

This grant will provide federal funding for emergency protective measures to demolish private structures damaged as a result of Hurricane Laura.

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Cortez Masto Introduces Legislation to Support Business Development at Apex Industrial Park in Las Vegas

Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

June 12, 2023

Washington, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto introduced legislation to make it easier to grow existing businesses and open new businesses in the Apex Industrial Park in North Las Vegas.

“Business is booming in Apex Industrial Park, and I’m working to update an outdated law that is causing too many businesses to get bogged down in lengthy permitting processes,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “It’s crucial that we continue to support sites like Apex that are diversifying our economy and creating hundreds of good-paying jobs for Nevadans.”

“The City of North Las Vegas is thankful for Senator Cortez Masto’s steadfast commitment to supporting practical solutions to public land use in Nevada,” said Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown. “The Apex Area Technical Corrections Act cleans up some policies which inadvertently make the job of our federal land managers much harder and hampers economic development and diversification. I look forward to working with the Senator and our congressional delegation in the House to advance this bill into law.”

“The Apex Industrial Park is a major source of investment, employment and showcases the area’s progress for North Las Vegas and beyond. We have worked with federal partners in good faith and are pleased that Senator Cortez Masto is working on this bipartisan effort to fix dated policies which unnecessarily burden those partners and hamper Apex development by introducing the Apex Area Technical Corrections Act,” said Lisa Cole, Vice President of Land Development Associates. “The Senator has always been a strong supporter of Apex and North Las Vegas and a leader on federal lands policy. We thank her for this effort and look forward to our continued collaboration.”

When the Apex Industrial Site was created in 1989, Congress passed legislation to transfer federal land to Kerr-McGee, a former U.S. chemical company, and to other private ownership. But, the Bureau of Land Management maintained control over large utility corridors that crisscross the whole development. Right now, every business that wants to start construction or expand at Apex has to go through a complicated permitting process with the BLM to get permission to run their sewer, gas, power, access roads, and broadband lines across those BLM-controlled corridors. In the original 1989 law, Clark County originally had authorization to facilitate a shorter process, but now it is the City of North Las Vegas and the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association who has primary management of the site, not the County. Without an update to the original legislation, the City and Association do not have the authority to permit new pipelines, power connections, or roads for businesses and their facilities, causing delays that can last years.

Cortez Masto’s bill will fix this cumbersome permitting process and promote economic growth by allowing the City of North Las Vegas and the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association to issue permits and get new and existing businesses the utilities they need to operate. Companion legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04).

Senator Cortez Masto has worked to strengthen and diversify Nevada’s economy and create new jobs by passing legislation to upgrade American infrastructure, support Nevada’s manufacturing industry and American economic competitiveness, and invest in Nevada’s booming clean-energy economy.

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King Cosponsors Bipartisan Bill to Promote Environmental Standards Worldwide

Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and original member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, is cosponsoring a bipartisan bill to study carbon emissions and promote America’s environmental leadership. The Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act would direct the Department of Energy to compare the amount of emissions from manufacturing goods in the United States to the emissions of those same goods when produced in countries worldwide.

This research would be the first step towards developing policy – like a potential carbon tariff – that would combat climate change while ensuring a more level playing field for American producers who are forced to compete against rivals in countries like China with lower environmental standards

“Climate change is one of the most pressing, existential threats facing our country. As we race against time to find and implement solutions, we must be guided by the facts from a global perspective – and that means accounting for the carbon footprint of nations around the world,” said Senator King. “The PROVE IT Act is a bipartisan, commonsense effort to quantify emissions and then develop strategies to support the United States’ continued environmental leadership in manufacturing. America has taken historic steps to address climate change with clean energy investments, but we aren’t operating in a vacuum and there is still more work to be done. Along with much needed permitting reform, this bill would be a significant boost in our mission to find a clean, sustainable energy path forward that protects the planet for generations to come.”

American manufacturers abide by some of the cleanest production standards in the world, and U.S. production is widely regarded as cleaner and more responsible than its competitors. The PROVE IT Act would obtain high-quality data to back up this claim up by determining the emissions intensity of domestically produced goods like steel, cement, glass, and aluminum, compared to those around the globe.

The PROVE IT Act would direct the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study, alongside the Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, United States Trade Representative, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State, to:

  • Determine the average emissions intensity of covered products produced in the United States and identify any gaps in that data
  • Determine the average emissions intensity of covered products produced by G7 countries, free trade agreement partners, foreign countries of concern, and countries that hold a substantial global market share for a covered product
  • Determine the emissions intensity of products produced in the United States compared to products produced in covered countries
  • Facilitate collaboration among entities with expertise in data collection and analysis, support international coordination on emissions intensity data, and establish a process for receiving data from private industry on a voluntary basis.

Senator King is joined on the bill by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). A one-pager summary of the bill is availablehere. The text of the bill is availablehere.

As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator King has advocated for climate solutions that support Maine communities and has been one of the Senate’s most vocal advocates for improving energy technologies and development as a way to unlock America’s clean energy future. He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of permitting reform to unlocking the promise of clean energy development opportunities created in last year’s historic Inflation Reduction Act . In addition to a recent discussion with FERC, he has stressed the importance of streamlining and speeding project timelines while maintaining environmental standards to the Secretaries of Energy and Interior.