Revisiting the Kyoto Protocol

Former Vice President Al Gore was on capitol hill recently to testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in preparation for UN sponsored climate change talks scheduled to take place in Copenhagen at the end of this year. For more information on these new climate change discussions, see the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. You can view Mr. Gore's testimony and read his prepared statement at the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing "Addressing Global Climate Change: the Road to Copenhagen".

For some background information on the Kyoto Protocol, including a chronology and bibliography, see this report from CQ Press "Global Warming Treaty" (available through CQ Researcher, OCA required). The full text of the Kyoto Protocol is available through the "Official Documents of the United Nations" database. For other UN resources, see our International & United Nations Resources page.

Congress has a held a number of hearings regarding the Kyoto Protocol. You can see which hearings are publicly available online and in print at McHenry library by searching in Cruzcat. Or you can search for hearings and reports in Lexis Nexis Congressional (OCA required).

The Environmental Protection Agency also offers a number of reports regarding the Kyoto Protocol through their now archived page on Global Warming. This is a useful resource for finding older documents related to climate change. For more recent climate change documents and resources, see the EPA's new Climate Change page.

For additional climate change government resources and information, check out the US Climate Change Science Program/US Global Change Research Program and for California-centric information, visit the California Climate Change Portal. Also check out the other resources listed at Gov Info by Topic: Environment.

Government Calculators

With tax season upon us, many people are discovering the variety of free forms and tools available on the IRS website. Some of the tools available include the Sales Tax Deduction Calculator and the IRS Withholding Calculator.

Many government agencies offer calculators to assist people in making plans or assessments on a wide variety of topics. Here are just a few examples:

Money

• Budget Calculator from the US Dept. of Education


• Calculators for Investors (retirement savings, loans, mutual funds, etc.) from the US Securities & Exchange Commission


• Inflation Calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics


• Home Ownership calculators (buy vs. rent, affordability, etc.) from Ginnie Mae


• Cost of Raising a Child calculator from the US Dept. of Agriculture

Health

• Personal Health calculators (BMI, physical activity recommendations, etc.) from the US Dept. of Health & Human Services


• Drug Cost calculator (money spent on alcohol, tobacco, etc.) from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration


• Breast Cancer Risk Assessment tool from the National Cancer Institute


• Estimating Your 10-year Risk of Having a Heart Attack from the National Institutes of Health

Environment

• Home Energy Saver calculator from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory


• Household Emissions calculator from the Environmental Protection Agency


• Hybrid Electric Vehicle Cost calculator from the US Dept. of Energy

And here's a fun calculator from the Maine State Library: What is Your Library Worth to You?

Presidential Proclamations: New Marine National Monuments

On January 6, 2009, President Bush issued three proclamations establishing the Rose Atoll, Pacific Remote Islands, and Marianas Trench Marine National Monuments. These proclamations were issued under 16 USC 431-433, also known as "The Antiquities Act" which grants the President authority to declare national monuments. For more information about the Antiquities Act, including its history and monument profiles, see the National Park Service Archeology Program page.

The management of these marine national monuments will be overseen by both the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

To learn more about presidential proclamations and to find proclamations from 1789 through the present, check out UC Santa Barbara's American Presidency Project's page on presidential proclamations.

To learn more about national monuments, check out the article, "A National Monument, Memorial, Park . . . What's the Difference?" from the National Atlas of the United States.

Effects of Recession in California

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer released a report about the impact of the recession on the California economy titled "The Realities of Recession in California". The report is based on interviews the Senator's staff held with representatives from all 58 counties and 20 selected cities.

The report is available in two forms: the full report includes data on unemployment and foreclosures, as well as a one-page narrative outlining economic conditions in each county. The supplemental "quick guide" includes charts which provide a color coded snapshot of budget deficits, program cuts, layoffs, foreclosures, crime, unemployment, and credit.

Senator Boxer's report is a helpful source for examining impacts on cities and counties. Additionally, several California State agencies take a big-picture look at the budget and economy, such as the Office of the Governor, and the California Department of Finance. Other state agencies who track and analyze the budget include the California State Controller, and the State Treasurer.

Of course, the Federal government also tracks data and analyzes government, consumer and business spending for both the nation and states. A variety of federal agencies gather, analyze, and report economic conditions: The Commerce Department, including the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Treasury Department, the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Presidents National Economic Council.

Presidential Nominations & Confirmations

Senate confirmation hearings for President-elect Obama's cabinet nominees are scheduled to begin later this week. For an overview of this process, check out "Senate Confirmation Process: A Brief Overview" (2008) from the Congressional Research Service. To read the full text of Senate rule XXXI, see the Rules of the Senate on the website for the Senate Committee on Rules & Administration. For information on Presidential nominations from the 100th congress onward, check out the Presidential Nominations database from LOC's THOMAS.