This report discusses the appropriations act for FY2001, proposed budget includes $ 445 million in federal payments and assistance to the District of Columbia.

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In August 1999 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed regulations to clarify and strengthen the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. Section 303(d) requires states to identify surface waters for which wastewater discharge limits are not stringent enough to achieve water quality standards and to allocate further required pollutant reductions among sources in order to attain those standards. This report discusses the major changes in EPA's proposals, compared with existing regulatory program requirements, and potential impacts on agriculture and forestry sources, which have been controversial.

Preventing the acquisition of nuclear weapons is a longstanding goal of U.S. national security policy. Five countries are recognized as having legal status as nuclear weapons states: United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, and France. All five signed the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which recognizes only these five that tested nuclear weapons before 1968 as de jure nuclear weapons states. Three more: India, Israel, and Pakistan, have significant nuclear capabilities, but are not members of the NPT. India and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in May 1998.

The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) was the source of $18 billion of oil and natural gas during 1998. This amounted to 25% of the nation's natural gas production and nearly 20% of the nation's crude oil. Nearly all of this output comes from the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico, where supporting infrastructure is already in place and there is little environmental opposition. Except for one sale in Alaska, no leases have been auctioned since 1991 in any other OCS region. The deep waters off Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas are the current focus of producer interest in the OCS.

President Clinton created a number of new national monuments, using authority given the President under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Many of the designations were controversial and renewed discussion of that Act and whether a President can modify or eliminate a Presidentially created national monument. This report examines that question.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program offers extended unemployment benefits and job training to workers left jobless by the impact of foreign trade. A similar program was begun with the adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program (NAFTA-TAAP) not only aids trade-affected workers but also helps those who lose jobs because their firms have relocated production to Canada or Mexico.

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This report examines military airstrikes and ground operations that Russia launched against its Chechnya region in late September 1999. It provides background information on earlier Chechen guerrilla attacks on the neighboring Dagestan region of Russia and on the unsolved terrorist bombing of several apartment buildings in Russia. Current problems of governance in Chechnya are discussed, as well as Chechnya’s response to the Russian offensive. The concerns of the United States and other Western governments about the conflict are examined. A map is included. This report supersedes CRS Report RS20358, Chechnya Conflict.

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This report reviews the role of energy efficiency in federal policies to curb CO2 emissions. In particular, it discusses targets for CO2 reductions, projected energy efficiency impacts, strategies for measuring impacts, and legislative proposals that would affect support for energy efficiency programs.

This report "includes background information (encyclopedias, almanacs, and business, statistical, and biographical directories), current information (books and magazines), sources such as organizations and foundations and sources for government, politics, and legislation. It lists a number of Internet search engines, which can be used at many public libraries." (from Summary)