Capital Loop - Feb. 6, 2017

NACo sends letters to president, congressional leadership outlining public lands priorities 

NACo sent letters Jan. 23 to President Trump and bipartisan congressional leaders calling on them to work together to fully fund the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program (PILT) and enact a long-term reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools program. Learn more here

Public lands stakeholders urge Congress to repeal BLM Planning 2.0 regulations

In a Jan. 26 letter, NACo, WIR, regional and state level organizations representing public lands stakeholders urged congressional leaders to ensure that BLM’s Planning 2.0 rule does not go into effect. Learn more here

Legislation to streamline cybersecurity oversight introduced in the Senate 

A bipartisan resolution to establish a Select Committee on Cybersecurity in the U.S. Senate would create a single Senate committee with jurisdiction over cybersecurity and cyberspace issues. Learn more here

NACo submits letter to Congress about impacts of unfunded mandates on counties 

On Jan. 20, NACo sent a letter to Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, about the impacts of unfunded mandates on state, local and tribal governments and private industry. Chaffetz has said that strengthening the regulatory process and bringing transparency to the impacts of unfunded mandates is a top priority for the 115th Congress. Learn more here. 

President Trump signs executive orders to advance Keystone XL and Dakota pipelines 

On Jan. 24, President Trump released executive orders on two pipeline projects blocked by the Obama Administration: the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access pipelines. Learn more here

FEMA releases second disaster deductible proposal

The Federal Emergency Management Administration released its second Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on the agency’s “disaster deductible” proposal. 
The “disaster deductible” would require recipients of FEMA Public Assistance funds to expend a predetermined amount of their own funds on disaster costs before receiving federal funding. 
According to FEMA, the updated ANPRM aims to “offer the public a more detailed deductible concept upon which to provide additional feedback.”  Learn more here

Trump administration temporarily stops work on all pending regulations 

In a Jan. 20 memo to all federal agencies, Reince Priebus, President Trump’s chief of staff, instructed all federal agencies to halt work on all new or pending regulations. This work order will be in place for 60 days, until March 21, pending further review.  Learn more here

Senate Democrats unveil $1 trillion infrastructure blueprint

While the Senate Democrats’ 10-year, $1 trillion infrastructure plan has little chance of being enacted in Republican-controlled Congress, Democrats hope the plan, introduced Jan. 24, will help them find common ground with President Trump. Learn more here
 

Supreme Court to decide which lower courts have authority over WOTUS lawsuits

The U.S. Supreme Court unexpectedly announced Jan. 13 that it would review a lawsuit to determine which lower courts have the authority to decide cases challenging recent updates to federal “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) regulations. Learn more here

Trump executive orders reflect campaign promises

In the hours and days following his inauguration, President Trump has signed a series of executive orders that represent official federal action on promises made during the lengthy campaign, giving shape to his administration’s positions on a variety of matters. 

EPA suspends Risk Management Program rules for chemical facilities 

A final rule slated to take effect March 14 and intended to improve emergency response planning for local emergency response activities or facilities that use hazardous chemicals has been put on hold for 60 days as a result of the Trump administration’s order to halt implementation of new regulations adopted at the end of the Obama administration. Learn more here
 

House advances bill to strengthen network access during disasters

On Jan. 23, the House passed the Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act, H.R. 588, which would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to examine the public safety benefits of making privately owned Wi-Fi networks such as Verizon or AT&T available to the general public during emergencies. Learn more here