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February 2, 2021
From January 3 to 29, the inaugural 117th Congress introduced a total of 97 bills and resolutions related to environmental and energy topics. Of these, 10 were in the Senate and 87 in the House. The Senate was also busy holding key confirmation hearings for positions in Energy, Transportation, Agriculture, and other federal agencies.
Highlights
The new Congress is off to a running start on issues related to the environment and energy.
Senators and representatives have introduced dueling bills at odds with one another on a wide range of topics. For example, several bills attempt to establish or negotiate moratoria on oil and gas leasing and permitting across the United States; among these were S.28 and H.R.479. In contrast, other bills, such as S.76 and H.R.543, seek to halt oil and gas leasing and permitting moratoria.
A few bills focus on environmental justice, such as H.R.260 which aims to address the disparate impact of climate change on women, and S.101 and H.R.516 which seek to establish an environmental justice mapping committee.
Notably, Alaska Representative Don Young introduced a total of thirteen bills during this period, many of which handle issues pertinent to fishing communities.
Senate
Bills referred to committee
S.140 - A bill to improve data collection and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation
S.101 - A bill to establish the Environmental Justice Mapping Committee, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: Senate - Environment and Public Works
S.76 - A bill to prohibit the President from issuing moratoria on leasing and permitting energy and minerals on certain Federal land, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: Senate - Energy and Natural Resources
S.69 - A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require annual lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico region of the outer Continental Shelf, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] (Introduced 01/27/2021)
S.66 - A bill to require the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia to develop a plan for reducing, mitigating, and controlling harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in South Florida, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] (Introduced 01/27/2021)
S.58 - A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permanently prohibit the conduct of offshore drilling on the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] (Introduced 01/27/2021)
S.46 - A bill to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and to establish the United States Coral Reef Task Force, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] (Introduced 01/26/2021)
S.29 - A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize certain programs relating to nonpoint source management, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (Introduced 01/22/2021)
S.28 - A bill to include the State of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico outer Continental Shelf revenue sharing program, to extend the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] (Introduced 01/22/2021)
Resolutions referred to committee
S.Res.17 - A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that clean water is a national priority and that the April 21, 2020, Navigable Waters Protection Rule should not be withdrawn or vacated.
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (Introduced 01/27/2021)
Committee hearings
None relevant.
House
H.R.633 - To authorize States to select and acquire certain National Forest System lands to be managed and operated by the State for timber production and for other purposes under the laws of the State, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Natural Resources; Agriculture
H.R.632 - To provide limitations on maritime liens on fishing permits, and for other purposes.
Committees: House - Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.631 - To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada.
Committees: House - Natural Resources
H.R.630 - To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and for other purposes.
H.R.611 - To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a working group to conduct a study on access to certain resources for infrastructure projects, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-9] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.610 - To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a grant program to support the restoration of San Francisco Bay.
Sponsor: Rep. Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Transportation and Infrastructure; Budget
H.R.587 - To modify permitting requirements with respect to the discharge of any pollutant from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant in certain circumstances, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-52] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.579 - To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a pilot competitive grant program for the development of a skilled energy workforce, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Education and Labor
H.R.577 - To provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.575 - To establish a more uniform, transparent, and modern process to authorize the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of international border-crossing facilities for the import and export of oil and natural gas and the transmission of electricity.
Sponsor: Rep. Mullin, Markwayne [R-OK-2] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Transportation and Infrastructure; Natural Resources
H.R.570 - To require operators of offshore oil and gas facilities to report failures of critical systems to the Secretary of Interior, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. McEachin, A. Donald [D-VA-4] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.569 - To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to withdraw the outer Continental Shelf in the Mid-Atlantic planning area from disposition, and for other purposes.
H.R.565 - To require the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia to develop a plan for reducing, mitigating, and controlling harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in South Florida, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Mast, Brian J. [R-FL-18] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Science, Space, and Technology; Natural Resources
H.R.551 - To amend the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to provide for supplemental assistance for COVID-19 relief, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Kuster, Ann M. [D-NH-2] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Education and Labor
H.R.544 - To prohibit drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
Sponsor: Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.543 - To prohibit the President from issuing moratoria on leasing and permitting energy and minerals on certain Federal land, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Herrell, Yvette [R-NM-2] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.539 - To amend the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to waive certain debts owed to the United States related to covered assistance provided to an individual or household, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.522 - To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require annual lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico region of the outer Continental Shelf, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.520 - To provide that an order or action by the President, Secretary of the Interior, or Department of the Interior official imposing a moratorium on coal leasing shall not take effect unless a joint resolution of approval is enacted, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Cheney, Liz [R-WY-At Large] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.519 - To provide that an order or other action by the President, Secretary of the Interior, or Department of the Interior official imposing a moratorium on Federal oil and gas leasing or permitting shall not take effect unless a joint resolution of approval is enacted, and for other purposes.
H.R.516 - To establish the Environmental Justice Mapping Committee, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Bush, Cori [D-MO-1] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Natural Resources
H.R.512 - To require any bus purchased for use in public transportation with funds provided by the Federal Transit Administration to be a zero-emission bus, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
H.R.510 - To amend title 23, United States Code, to modify the percentages of funds to be allocated to certain urbanized areas under the surface transportation block grant program.
H.R.507 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the advanced energy project credit.
Sponsor: Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Ways and Means
H.R.501 - To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to award grants to eligible entities to purchase, and as applicable install, zero emissions port equipment and technology, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Barragan, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (Introduced 01/28/2021)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce
H.R.491 - To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a California New River restoration program to build on, and help coordinate funding for, restoration and protection efforts relating to the New River, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-51] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
Committees: House - Natural Resources; Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.488 - To prohibit a moratorium on mineral development on Bureau of Land Management and National Forest System land, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
H.R.481 - To safeguard taxpayer resources and strengthen the Nation's resilience against severe storms and flooding.
Sponsor: Rep. Price, David E. [D-NC-4] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
Committees: House - Financial Services; Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.479 - To establish a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on public land on the Central Coast of California.
Sponsor: Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-20] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
H.R.476 - To strengthen American economic resiliency and equitably expand economic opportunity by launching a national competition, promoting State and local strategic planning, encouraging innovation by the public and private sectors, and by substantially investing Federal resources in research and development.
Sponsor: Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
Committees: House - Science, Space, and Technology; Small Business; Education and Labor; Energy and Commerce; Transportation and Infrastructure; Ways and Means; Financial Services
H.R.466 - To prohibit the use of funds to provide for the United States to become a party to the Paris Agreement.
Sponsor: Rep. Gonzalez, Anthony [R-OH-16] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
Committees: House - Foreign Affairs
H.R.463 - To amend title 23, United States Code, to provide a set aside for transportation alternatives.
Sponsor: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
H.R.460 - To provide for the establishment of a standing Health Force and a Resilience Force to respond to public health emergencies and meet public health needs.
Sponsor: Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Transportation and Infrastructure; Budget
H.R.456 - To require a new supplemental environmental impact statement for oil and gas development in the Bakersfield Field Office planning area, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
H.R.455 - To permanently prohibit oil and gas leasing off the coast of the State of California, and for other purposes.
H.R.448 - To direct the Secretary of Energy to carry out a grant program to improve the energy resilience, energy democracy, and security of communities, prioritizing environmental justice communities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Barragan, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (Introduced 01/25/2021)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Science, Space, and Technology
H.R.443 - To convey land in Anchorage, Alaska, to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large] (Introduced 01/21/2021)
Committees: House - Natural Resources; Energy and Commerce
H.R.436 - To require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain interests in land in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes.
H.R.420 - To prohibit the use of funds to provide for the United States to become a party to the Paris Agreement.
Sponsor: Rep. Roy, Chip [R-TX-21] (Introduced 01/21/2021)
H.R.407 - To require a notification relating to the nationally determined contribution of the United States prior to any submission with respect to such contribution under article 4 of the Paris Agreement, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] (Introduced 01/21/2021)
Committees: House - Foreign Affairs; Energy and Commerce
H.R.406 - To prohibit the sale of shark parts, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-33] (Introduced 01/21/2021)
H.R.405 - To require the Secretary of the Interior to prohibit the use of lead ammunition on United States Fish and Wildlife Service lands, and for other purposes.
H.R.404 - To improve the management of driftnet fishing.
H.R.395 - To ensure transparency with Congress and the American people by requiring that the President report to Congress on a nationally determined contribution to the Paris Agreement prior to the submission of the nationally determined contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat and to provide that nothing in the Paris Agreement may be used to establish or demonstrate the existence of a violation of United States law or an offense against the law of nations in United States courts, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5] (Introduced 01/21/2021)
Committees: House - Foreign Affairs; Rules
H.R.385 - To direct the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for the operation of a clearinghouse to collect, conduct, and fund research on the influences of highly automated vehicles on land use, urban design, transportation, real estate, and municipal budgets, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] (Introduced 01/21/2021)
Committees: House - Science, Space, and Technology; Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.383 - To include certain eligibility requirements in the surface transportation system funding alternatives program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] (Introduced 01/21/2021) Cosponsors: (1)
H.R.382 - To amend titles 23 and 49, United States Code, with respect to bikeshare projects, and for other purposes.
H.R.376 - To require the advice and consent to ratification of the Paris Agreement by the United States Senate before any action may be taken to carry out the goals of the Paris Agreement, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-3] (Introduced 01/21/2021)
H.R.314 - To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to enter into cooperative agreements with States to carry out grant programs to assist in remediation and relocation efforts relating to hazardous air pollution, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Richmond, Cedric L. [D-LA-2] (Introduced 01/13/2021)
Committees: House - Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce; Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.309 - To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to revoke a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act as such certificate applies to the Weymouth Compressor Station, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8] (Introduced 01/13/2021)
H.R.297 - To require the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study on the establishment of, and the potential land that could be included in, a unit of the National Forest System in the State of Hawaii, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (Introduced 01/13/2021)
H.R.286 - To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exclude the gray wolf from the authority of such Act, to remove the gray wolf from the lists of threatened species and endangered species published pursuant to such Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-WI-7] (Introduced 01/12/2021)
H.R.283 - To amend the Clean Air Act to give States the option of monitoring covered criteria air pollutants in designated areas by greatly increasing the number of air quality sensors in exchange for greater regulatory flexibility in the methods of monitoring, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-6] (Introduced 01/12/2021)
H.R.279 - To provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System.
Sponsor: Rep. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ-7] (Introduced 01/12/2021)
Committees: House - Agriculture; Natural Resources
H.R.274 - To prohibit the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce from authorizing commercial finfish aquaculture operations in the Exclusive Economic Zone except in accordance with a law authorizing such action.
Sponsor: Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large] (Introduced 01/11/2021)
H.R.273 - To prevent the escapement of genetically altered salmon in the United States, and for other purposes.
H.R.272 - To amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prescribe an additional requirement for the designation of marine sanctuaries off the coast of Alaska, and for other purposes.
H.R.271 - To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require labeling of genetically engineered fish.
H.R.270 - To amend the market name of genetically altered salmon in the United States, and for other purposes.
H.R.267 - To extend the wildfire and hurricane indemnity program to cover certain crop losses in calendar year 2020, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-5] (Introduced 01/11/2021)
Committees: House - Agriculture
H.R.263 - To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to clarify provisions enacted by the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, to further the conservation of certain wildlife species, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] (Introduced 01/11/2021)
H.R.260 - To address the disparate impact of climate change on women and support the efforts of women globally to address climate change, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-13] (Introduced 01/11/2021)
H.R.250 - To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish the January 8th National Memorial in Tucson, Arizona, as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Kirkpatrick, Ann [D-AZ-2] (Introduced 01/11/2021)
H.R.248 - To amend title 23, United States Code, to expand eligibility for the surface transportation block grant program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Hastings, Alcee L. [D-FL-20] (Introduced 01/11/2021)
Committees: House - Transportation and Infrast
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