This week, the House plans to consider three pieces of legislation: appropriations for the Department of Interior and environmental agencies, the North American-Made Energy Security Act, and the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act.
The FY 2012 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2584) appropriates funding for the Department of the Interior for such agencies as the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and others. It also appropriates funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and related agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, and the Smithsonian Institution.
The House will also consider H.R. 1938, a bill that would set up an expedited schedule for the President’s decision regarding construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would run from Hardisty, Alberta to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The Environmental Protection Agency has expressed concerns about the pipeline’s proximity to ground water and the lack of adequate leak detection measures.
Lastly, the House will consider H.R. 2587, a bill that would limit the National Labor Relations Board’s ability to protect workers from retaliation by employers for participating in collective bargaining.
Additionally, the House may take further action on legislation to raise the nation’s debt and accompanying deficit reduction measures. The United States Department of Treasury predicts that the government will not be able to meet its financial obligations if the limit is not raised by August 2.