CBO’s 2011 Long-Term Budget Outlook
Testimony of Congressional Budget Office's Director, Douglass W. Elmendorf before the Committee on the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives, June 23, 2011.

REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ENSURING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
"....To ensure that the U.S. attracts manufacturing activity and remains a leader in knowledge production, we recommend the following two strategies: (1) Create a fertile environment for innovation so that the United States provides the overall best environment for business. We believe this can be accomplished through tax and business policy, robust support for basic research, and training and education of a
high­skilled workforce; and (2) Invest to overcome market failures, to ensure that new technologies and design methodologies are developed here, and that technology ­based enterprises have the infra­structure to flourish here.

We recommend this be accomplished by launching an Advanced Manufacturing Initiative. This initiative would support innovation in advanced manufacturing through applied research programs for promis­ing new technologies, public­private partnerships around broadly­applicable and precompetitive technologies, the creation and dissemination of design methodologies for manufacturing, and shared technology infrastructure to support advances in existing manufacturing industries..."

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS AND ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERMANENT DISPOSAL OF HIGH-ACTIVITY WASTES: Lessons Learned from Yucca Mountain and Other Programs
"...An important part of the Board’s mission is advising Congress and the Secretary of Energy on technical issues related to management and disposal of high-activity waste. herefore, regardless of the outcome of deliberations over Yucca Mountain, the Board believes that it is important to extract knowledge while it is still available from the experience of the Yucca Mountain program and other programs. Such knowledge may be useful for future U.S. highactivity waste management and disposal eforts.

This report is not meant to be an assessment of the licenseability of a Yucca Mountain repository. If licensing goes forward, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will determine whether a license should be granted. But, as President Harry S Truman astutely observed, “…there is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” he purpose of this report, then, is to extract from the history of the Yucca Mountain program, and to a lesser degree from other programs, some of the technical “lessons learned” that may apply to future U.S. programs for waste management and waste disposal..."

Legislative History Research: A Basic Guide
"This report provides an overview of federal legislative history research, the legislative process,
and where to find congressional documents. The report also summarizes some of the reasons
researchers are interested in legislative history, briefly describes the actions a piece of legislation might undergo during the legislative process, and provides a list of easily accessible print and electronic resources. This report will be updated as needed."

Sunscreen: How To Select, Apply, and Use It Correctly
Information on how to correctly apply sunscreen.

Insect Repellents: Use and Effectiveness
Find information on the use and effectiveness of insect repellents.

UV Index
"The UV Index, developed by the National Weather Service and EPA, indicates the strength of solar UV radiation on a scale from 1 (low) to 11+ (extremely high). You can use the UV Index to take appropriate sun-protective behaviors and avoid overexposure to UV radiation."

Tips to Help Avoid Cell Phone Radiation Scams
"Whether you call them cell phones, smart phones or mobile devices, it seems like everyone has one. According to the wireless telecommunications industry, the U.S. now has an estimated 300 million mobile subscribers, compared to 110 million subscribers a decade ago. The increase in cell phone use has generated concern about possible health risks related to radio frequency electromagnetic fields from this technology, and a market for shields as possible protection against the radio waves the phones emit. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, has some practical tips to help you avoid scams and limit your exposure to electromagnetic emissions from your cell phone...

To limit your exposure to cell phone electromagnetic emissions, the FTC suggests that you:

* Increase the distance between your phone and your head by using a hands-free device, like an earpiece that is wired to the phone, or using the speakerphone feature.
* Consider texting more and limiting your cell phone use to short conversations.
* Wait for a good signal. When you have a weak signal, your phone works harder, emitting more radiation. Phones also give off more radiation when transmitting than when receiving, so tilt the phone away from your head when you're talking, and bring it back to your ear when you're listening.
* When you're in the market for a new phone, research a phone's specific absorption rate (SAR) before you buy. Measured in watts per kilogram of tissue, the SAR reveals how much radiation the body absorbs while using the mobile device. Different phones emit different amounts of radiation. In the U.S., a phone's SAR can't exceed 1.6 watts per kilogram. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has more information at Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) For Cell Phones: What It Means For You..."

CBO'S 2011 Long Term Budget Outlook
"This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report presents the agency’s projections of
federal spending and revenues over the coming decades. Under current law, an aging population and rapidly rising health care costs will sharply increase federal spending for health care programs and Social Security. If revenues remained at their historical average share of gross domestic product (GDP), such spending growth would cause federal debt to grow to unsustainable levels. If policymakers are to put the federal government on a sustainable budgetary path, they will need to increase revenues substantially as a percentage of GDP, decrease spending significantly from projected levels, or adopt some combination of those two approaches. In keeping with CBO’s mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis, this report makes no recommendations..."

EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?
"In the two years since Barack Obama was sworn in as President, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed and promulgated numerous regulations implementing the pollution control statutes enacted by Congress. Critics have reacted strongly. Many, both within Congress and outside of it, have accused the agency of reaching beyond the authority given it by Congress and ignoring or underestimating the costs and economic impacts of proposed and promulgated
rules. Republican leaders have promised vigorous oversight of the agency in the 112th Congress, and the House has already voted to overturn specific regulations and to limit the agency’s authority. Particular attention is being paid to the Clean Air Act, under which EPA has moved forward with the first federal controls on emissions of greenhouse gases and addressed conventional pollutants from a number of industries...

This report provides background information on recent EPA rulemaking to help address these issues. It examines 43 major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of the rule (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA’s estimates of costs and benefits, where available..."

Cigarette Health Warnings
"Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States. These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking.

View Final Warnings

The final set of cigarette health warnings contains nine different text warnings and accompanying color graphics to

* increase awareness of the specific health risks associated with smoking, such as death, addiction, lung disease, cancer, stroke and heart disease;
* encourage smokers to quit; and
* empower youth to say no to tobacco."

Pathway to Global Product Safety and Quality
"We live in a nation that increasingly relies on other countries to produce the food, drugs, cosmetics, and devices we use in our daily lives. Between 10% and 15% of all food consumed by United States (U.S.) households is imported from abroad. Nearly two thirds of the fruits and vegetables--and 80% of seafood--eaten domestically come from
outside the U.S. Half of all medical devices used in this country are imported, while 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients in medications sold here are manufactured elsewhere.

At the center of this global bazaar is the FDA. Today, nearly 25 cents of every dollar spent by Americans are on products regulated by the agency. FDA-regulated products account for about 10% of all imports into the U.S., arriving from more than 300,000 facilities in 150 different countries..."

Energy & Financial Markets :WHAT DRIVES CRUDE OIL PRICES?
"As part of its Energy and Financial Markets Initiative, EIA is assessing the various factors that may influence oil prices — physical market factors as well as those related to trading and financial markets. This website describes 7 key factors that could influence oil markets. The analysis explores possible linkages between each factor and oil prices, and includes regularly-updated graphs that depict aspects of those relationships..."

What are greenhouse gases and how much are emitted by the United States?
"Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun and warm the planet's surface. Of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, 87% are related to energy consumption. From 1990 to 2009, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States have grown by about 0.04% per year. The United States accounts for about 20% of the world's total energy-related carbon dioxide..."

Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes in the United States
"...Congress attempted to clarify the federal role in mitigating damages from windstorms (including tornadoes and thunderstorms) by passing the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-360). It is not evident whether the program made progress toward its objective:achievement of major measurable reductions in the losses of life and property from windstorms. Authorization for the program expired at the end of FY2008. In the 112th Congress, legislation introduced in the Senate (S. 646) and in the House (H.R. 1379) would reauthorize the wind hazards program (Title II) through FY2015. Similar legislation was passed by the House in the
111th Congress, but no action was taken by the Senate.

It is not clear whether changes to climate over the past half-century have increased the frequency or intensity of thunderstorms and tornadoes, or were responsible for the intense and destructive tornado activity in April and May of 2011. An issue for Congress is whether future climate change linked to increases in greenhouse gas emissions will lead to more frequent and more intense thunderstorms and tornadoes, and whether efforts by Congress to mitigate long-term climate change will reduce potential future losses from thunderstorms and tornadoes..."