Energy/Environment

The Senate advanced the Sportsmen’s Act on Thursday morning in an 84-12 vote.

The Sportsmen’s Act, introduced by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), would increase access to federal land for hunters and fishermen while also supporting conservation measures through a package that combines nearly 20 bipartisan measures.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) said Wednesday that Congress should create a program that would allow the federal government to buy homes likely to be in the path of increasingly violent storms caused by global warming.

"We have to look at, in some cases, buyouts," Pallone said on the House floor. "When, in other words, people have said, 'Look, we can't do this every two or three years, and so can we have the government buy our home, or ... what's left of it."

The Senate approved a motion to proceed to the Sportsmen’s Act Tuesday evening, setting up a potential vote on passage later this week.

The Sportsmen’s Act, introduced by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), would increase access to federal land for hunters and fishermen while also supporting conservation measures.

Members debated the bill briefly, then quickly approved it by voice vote after a handful of members indicated opposition.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said Tuesday that states recovering from Hurricane Sandy would need millions of dollars more from the federal government.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that New Yorkers affected by Superstorm Sandy can use funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for temporary relief.

Late last week, Schumer said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would release more than $330,000 in a block grant to help New York.

“These funds will help provide relief to the Hurricane Sandy victims that are still without power and heat,” Schumer said in a statement. “LIHEAP recipients should not have to choose between keeping warm and paying for food, and I am relieved that the federal government will be releasing these critical funds. This will help at-risk New Yorkers access the resources they need to keep warm and be safe during this difficult time.”

The House is looking to pass legislation this week that would legalize the sale of 1 million asthma inhalers, which were banned from drugstore shelves this year in order to comply with an international air quality treaty.

Republicans are expected to call up H.R. 6190, the Asthma Inhalers Relief Act, on Tuesday. The bill would allow the sale of about 1 million remaining Primatene Mist inhalers, despite a ban on the sale of this product since the end of 2011.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) called on the Senate to take action on climate change when it returns to work Tuesday.

“America’s scientists have been sounding the alarm for years on climate change, and the costs of inaction continue to pile up,” Lautenberg said in a statement Thursday. “We will keep fighting for real climate change solutions, such as investments in clean energy, public transportation and resilient infrastructure that protects communities from extreme weather.”

New Jersey Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D) and Robert Menendez (D) applauded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for expediting delivery of fuel to their state, after Hurricane Sandy heavily hit the region.

“The fuel shortage and power outages at gas stations are holding our state back from a full recovery,” the senators said Tuesday in a statement. “We will continue working to do everything possible to get our first responders and all New Jerseyans moving again.”

Republican senators presented new information for an investigation into a potential cover-up of documents that led to the drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico following the BP oil spill.

Sens. David Vitter (R-La.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Thursday that they have information that employees at the Interior’s Office of the Inspector General believe the OIG does not conduct its work in a manner that is “independent” from the Interior Department and has “quashed investigations,” both of which are against the law.

“The moratorium crushed thousands of jobs — many of which Louisiana is still suffering from — and it’s pretty outrageous and offensive to know that politics were more of an influence than sound science,” Vitter said in a statement Thursday. “When there is widespread distrust within the organization in charge of investigating inappropriate political influence, we’re looking at a huge problem. It’s my hope that the ongoing investigation can help us get to the bottom of this political cover-up.”