On Tuesday, November 27, 2012, the President signed into law:
H.R. 2606, the “New York City Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Act,” which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for rights-of-way or other necessary authorizations for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a natural gas pipeline and related facilities within specified areas of the Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City, New York;
H.R. 4114, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2012,” which provides for a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the beneficiaries of veterans’ disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation equal to the Social Security COLA;
S. 743, the “Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012,” which amends whistleblower protections for Federal employees by: clarifying the scope of protected disclosures; tightening requirements for non-disclosure agreements; expanding the penalties imposed for violating whistleblower protections; and establishing a Whistleblower Protection Ombudsmen in certain agencies; and
S. 1956, the “European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011,” which requires the Secretary of Transportation to prohibit an operator of a U.S. civil aircraft from participating in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) in any case in which the Secretary determines the prohibition to be in the public interest; encourages the Secretary and other appropriate Federal officials to conduct international negotiations to pursue a worldwide approach to address aircraft emissions; and requires these same officials to take necessary actions to hold operators of civil aircraft of the United States harmless from the EU ETS.