Congress negotiated an omnibus spending bill for FY17, thus narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. The budget preserves EPA funding at 1% ($81 million) lower than FY16, and increases funding for Army Corps programs in the Mississippi River Basin by $17 million. The Senate also voted against repealing an Obama-era Bureau of Land Management rule limiting methane emissions from oil and natural gas drilling.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has replaced half of the members of the Board of Scientific Counselors in an effort to introduce industry stakeholders to the advisory bodies of the EPA. In a similar move, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will "review the charter and charge" of roughly 200 advisory boards of the Department of Interior.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held hearings on
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security also held a hearing on
