Committee InfoDescriptionHello representatives, and welcome to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. On Wednesday, December 2nd 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Radioactive Import Deterrence Act (H.R.515), a bill submitted by this committee. This legislation will prohibit the importation of certain low-level radioactive waste into the United States. The bill states, “…the Commission shall not issue a license authorizing the importation into the United States of – (1) low-level radioactive waste (as defined in section 2 of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 2021b)); or (2) specific radioactive waste streams exempted from regulation by the Commission under section 10 of the Low-Level Radioactive Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 2021j).” Exceptions in the act include, “(1) low-level radioactive waste being returned to a United States Government or military facility which is authorized to possess the material; or (2) low level radioactive waste resulting from the use in a foreign country of nuclear material obtained by the foreign user from an entity in the United States that is being returned to the United States for management and disposal.”As nuclear power becomes more prevalent in our society, regulating the transportation of hazardous wastes becomes more crucial. It is the responsibility of our federal government to ensure these hazardous materials do not endanger U.S. citizens. Recently, regulations of the imported and exported radioactive materials have been insufficient. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce has recently established more stringent policies policing imported radioactive materials in hopes of standardizing importation procedures. The Committee on Energy and Commerce was established in 1795, making it one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. The committee has experienced several name changes as well as jurisdictional changes in its more than 200 years of operation. Today, the committee is responsible for legislative oversight relating to telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health, air quality and environmental health, the supply and delivery of energy, and interstate and foreign commerce in general. This wide jurisdiction extends over five Cabinet level departments and seven independent agencies; this includes the Department of Energy, Health and Human Services, the Transportation Department, the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission. The committee has recently passed bills such as the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act which “replaces the physician payment formula with a more stable system that ends the unrealistic cycle of threats of ever larger fee cuts followed by short-term patches” as well as the Satellite Home Viewer and Reauthorization Act which “makes changes to the existing rules on significantly viewed signals in an effort to promote competition between satellite and cable companies…bringing satellite delivered local television programming to communities throughout the country that lack such service.” The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, due to its wide jurisdiction, relies heavily on hearings held by its subcommittees about topics relating to future bills. The following are some links that may help with research: http://energycommerce.house.gov/ http://www.house.gov/ http://thomas.loc.gov/ ---------- Hi, my name is Chen Ding. I am a current sophomore at Penn in the School of Arts and Sciences. I plan to declare a major in biochemistry and a minor in East Asian languages-Chinese. I also plan to submatriculate to obtain a master’s degree in chemistry. I grew up in Branford, CT just outside of New Haven (where a lesser known ivy is located). I participated in my high school’s model congress club all four years and last year in Penn’s conference. Here at Penn, I am also a member of the Undergraduate Advisory Board for CURF, a center facilitating undergraduate research, the Kite and Key Society, a service organization, and the Red Cross Club. I am also currently doing research at the Wistar Institue of Anatomy in Philadelphia where I study proteins involved in controlling pathways active in cancerous cells. If you have any questions about the conference, writing a bill, or about Penn in general, feel free to email me at cding@sas.upenn.edu. I look forward to meeting all of you and hope you are all as excited as I am to participate in the conference this year! Hi, my name is Greg Kauffman and I’m currently a sophomore in the school of arts and sciences here at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, I’m majoring in both economics and mathematics. I am a graduate of Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington New Jersey, where I’ve lived for the past 15 years. I’m currently a member of the Kite and Key Society, where I help in maintaining quality alumni relations. I also plan on becoming a student ambassador in the upcoming semester to answer questions of prospective students. I really look forward to meeting everyone at our upcoming conference. If anyone has any questions and needs to contact me, I can be reached at gkauf@sas.upenn.edu. Chairs
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Account LoginConference DatesMarch 31 - April 3, 2011 RegistrationRegistration is now closed. InformationClick here for more details about PENNMC 2011! Check us out on Facebook!
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