Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | December 2 - December 6, 2024

Highlights:

The House passed the Colorado River Salinity Control Fix Act (H.R.7872/S.2514). The bill would bolster the Salinity Control Program to reduce the Colorado River’s high salinity levels, which have recently threatened biodiversity and decreased water availability for household and agricultural use. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) and Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) introduced the bill alongside bipartisan cosponsors. EESI’s Resilient and Healthy Rivers briefing series discusses environmental, economic, and health impacts of riverine issues across the country’s key river basins.

The Senate passed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024 (S.3738). Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) introduced the bill, which reauthorizes and increases funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to address ongoing and emerging threats to the Great Lakes system. Reps. David Joyce (R-Ohio), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) lead the bill in the House (H.R.7257).

The House passed the Fishery Improvement to Streamline untimely regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation (FISHES) Act (H.R.5103). Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) introduced the bill to expedite federal disaster relief following fishery disaster declarations. The bill has since moved to the Senate for consideration.

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure advanced the Weather Alert Response and Notification (WARN) Act (H.R. 2892). The bipartisan bill, conceived by Rep. Nicholas Langworthy (R-N.Y.) would mandate a study on the effectiveness of federal, state, and local emergency alerts systems and the utility of new technological innovations in improving preparedness for and responses to natural disasters.

To catch up on all of the recent environmental and energy legislation in Congress, read the PDF here.