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Would someone please find the environmental provisions in this letter? Because it looks to me like she is trying to say that tax breaks are pro-environment; or maybe if she doesn't wipe out another species - that's being pro-environment. And I've never even heard of Environmental Working Group, sorry. And Defenders of Wildlife are sending me daily notices about our government wiping out wolves, so they don't sound too happy with it.

Dear Ms. Guynup,           Thank you for contacting me about your concerns with the recent government funding bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016, otherwise known as the Omnibus.  I appreciate and respect your views and the opportunity to hear from you.  Specifically, you wrote to express your concerns about how this legislation would affect the environment.  You will be pleased to know that there were a number of pro-environment provisions in the final package.           I understand the concerns that many have about both the process by which this bill came to pass and having one large spending bill instead of individual appropriations bills.  Fortunately, our new Speaker has already implemented reforms for the next budget cycle to change and improve this process and results going forward.             Fortunately, this legislation included many positives for the environment and was hailed as a victory according to organizations such as the Defenders of Wildlife and the Environmental Working Group.  Some of these provisions include no changes to the Endangered Species Act as well as a three year reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).             In addition to the Omnibus, the Congress also passed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, or the PATH Act, which helps to guarantee $600 billion in tax relief, including in areas beneficial to the environment. Some of those provisions include the extension of expiring tax provisions for renewable energy development which will allow for more incentives to explore and develop alternative energy sources in the coming years.             Additionally, the PATH Act makes permanent the Research and Development (R&D) Credit that will continue to incentivize investment in new technologies, including those in the energy sector, which increase efficiency and reduce consumption.  Another notable provision was that parity is once again brought to Commuter Tax Benefits. This benefit encourages the use of public transit, which reduces traffic congestion as well as emissions.            It has always been a priority of mine to support policies that lower taxes on our businesses and hard-working families while diversifying our nation’s energy portfolio and ensuring we continue on a path towards energy independence.  These bills were signed into law by the president on December 21, 2015.  With passage of these bills, Congress has established a strong base from which to build in the coming year and I look forward to taking on these challenges in 2016 under regular order.           Thank you again for contacting me.  I am honored to serve Virginia’s Tenth Congressional District.  I may be contacted at my Sterling office at 703-404-6903, or my Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-5136.  By visiting http://comstock.house.gov, you can sign up to receive my email newsletters and follow my efforts to serve you.  You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for real-time updates on my activities in Congress and in the District.  If I ever may be of service, please do not hesitate to call on me.           Sincerely,   Barbara Comstock Member of Congress