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February 18, 2020
From February 4, 2020 to February 17, 2020, 41 bills were referred to committee to address environmental and energy issues. In addition to the introduction of environmentally relevant legislation, the House passed seven bills.
Highlights
During this time period, Congress focused on plastic pollution and recycling. S.3263/H.R.5845 and S.3281 would place recycling requirements and other limitations on single-use plastics, and S.3306/H.R.5902 would create a program to reduce microplastic pollution.
House Republicans also introduced the first bills of their climate change strategy related the the Trillion Trees initiative. H.R.5859 would establish forest management and reforestation projects to sequester atmospheric carbon, and H.R.5864, H.R.5865, and H.R.5883 would increase research and incentives for carbon capture technology.
Be sure to read through the rest of the round-up. EESI has curated bills most relevant to energy, environment, and climate topics. The bill list belows is drawn directly from congress.gov.
Bills Referred to Committee:
H.R.1620 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act
Sponsor: Rep. Luria, Elaine G. [D-VA-2] (Introduced 03/07/2019) Cosponsors: (19)
Committees: House - Transportation | Senate - Environment and Public Works
Committee Reports: H. Rept. 116-338
H.R.2247 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
PUGET SOS Act
Sponsor: Rep. Heck, Denny [D-WA-10] (Introduced 04/10/2019) Cosponsors: (6)
H.R.4031 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
GLRI Act of 2019
Sponsor: Rep. Joyce, David P. [R-OH-14] (Introduced 07/25/2019) Cosponsors: (49)
H.R.4275 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Graves, Garret [R-LA-6] (Introduced 09/10/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
S.3263 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
A bill to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to reduce the production and use of certain single-use plastic products and packaging, to improve the responsibility of producers in the design, collection, reuse, recycling, and disposal of their consumer products and packaging, to prevent pollution from consumer products and packaging from entering into animal and human food chains and waterways, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (6)
Committees: Senate - Finance
S.3269 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
A bill to set and meet a national goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by not later than 2050, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (33)
Committees: Senate - Environment and Public Works
S.3274 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a decentralized wastewater grant program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (2)
S.3281 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
A bill to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require recycling of beverage containers, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 02/12/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
S.3295 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
A bill to amend the Act of August 18, 1941 (commonly known as the "Flood Control Act of 1941") to authorize the Secretary to provide reimbursement to non-Federal sponsors for emergency response repair and restoration work, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] (Introduced 02/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
S.3304 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
A bill to encourage and facilitate efforts by States and other stakeholders to conserve and sustain the western population of monarch butterflies, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 02/13/2020) Cosponsors: (4)
S.3306 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
A bill to establish a microplastics pilot program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 02/13/2020) Cosponsors: (5)
S.3320 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
A bill to designate as wilderness certain National Forest System land in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Gardner, Cory [R-CO] (Introduced 02/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: Senate - Energy and Natural Resources
Bills Reported On:
S.2299 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
PIPES Act of 2019
Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] (Introduced 07/25/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation
H.R.5751 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Electric Vehicles for Underserved Communities Act of 2020
Sponsor: Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (Introduced 02/04/2020) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Science, Space, and Technology
H.Res.828 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Trade Representative should promptly resume negotiations to conclude the Environmental Goods Agreement.
Sponsor: Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (Introduced 02/04/2020) Cosponsors: (4)
Committees: House - Ways and Means
H.R.5758 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to make technical corrections to the energy conservation standard for ceiling fans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Guthrie, Brett [R-KY-2] (Introduced 02/05/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce
H.R.5760 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To provide for a comprehensive interdisciplinary research, development, and demonstration initiative to strengthen the capacity of the energy sector to prepare for and withstand cyber and physical attacks, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-7] (Introduced 02/05/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House - Science, Space, and Technology; Homeland Security
H.R.5770 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To establish a national network of electric vehicle charging stations, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Levin, Andy [D-MI-9] (Introduced 02/06/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.5775 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To designate as wilderness certain Federal portions of the red rock canyons of the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin Deserts in the State of Utah for the benefit of present and future generations of people in the United States.
Sponsor: Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (Introduced 02/06/2020) Cosponsors: (58)
Committees: House - Natural Resources
H.R.5776 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to ensure community accountability for areas repetitively damaged by floods, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] (Introduced 02/06/2020) Cosponsors: (3)
Committees: House - Financial Services
H.R.5796 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To enhance consumer access to electric energy and natural gas information, to allow for the adoption of innovative products and services to help consumers manage their energy usage, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large] (Introduced 02/06/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
H.Res.835 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Government should establish a national goal of conserving at least 30 percent of the land and ocean of the United States by 2030.
Sponsor: Rep. Haaland, Debra A. [D-NM-1] (Introduced 02/06/2020) Cosponsors: (4)
H.R.5799 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to normal farming activities and to require the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to apply certain decisions of the Secretary of Agriculture when enforcing such Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15] (Introduced 02/07/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House - Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.5805 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To reauthorize the high-speed rail corridor development program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-16] (Introduced 02/07/2020) Cosponsors: (9)
H.R.5839 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To amend title 54, United States Code, to authorize the provision of technical assistance under the Preserve America Program and to direct the Secretary of the Interior to enter into partnerships with communities adjacent to units of the National Park System to leverage local cultural heritage tourism assets.
Sponsor: Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large] (Introduced 02/10/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
H.R.5842 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants to entities to enable such entities to participate in decisions impacting the health and safety of their communities in connection with the release of certain hazardous air pollutants and the permitting of solid waste disposal facilities and hazardous waste facilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Kennedy, Joseph P., III [D-MA-4] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (2)
H.R.5845 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to reduce the production and use of certain single-use plastic products and packaging, to improve the responsibility of producers in the design, collection, reuse, recycling, and disposal of their consumer products and packaging, to prevent pollution from consumer products and packaging from entering into animal and human food chains and waterways, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (29)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Transportation; Foreign Affairs
H.R.5853 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land as the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. McEachin, A. Donald [D-VA-4] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (4)
H.R.5856 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a decentralized wastewater grant program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House - Transportation
H.Con.Res.89 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Encouraging the Trump Administration to maintain protections under the National Environmental Policy Act and reverse ongoing administrative actions to weaken this landmark law and its protections for American communities.
Sponsor: Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-12] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (4)
H.Res.846 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Urging the people of the United States to observe the month of April of each year as Hazel M. Johnson Environmental Justice Month.
Sponsor: Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1] (Introduced 02/11/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Natural Resources
H.R.5857 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To ban the practice of hydraulic fracturing, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] (Introduced 02/12/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House - Natural Resources; Energy and Commerce
H.R.5859 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To establish forest management, reforestation, and utilization practices which lead to the sequestration of greenhouse gases, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Westerman, Bruce [R-AR-4] (Introduced 02/12/2020) Cosponsors: (9)
Committees: House - Agriculture; Foreign Affairs; Natural Resources; Ways and Means
H.R.5860 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To expand the advanced technology vehicles manufacturing incentive program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (Introduced 02/12/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
H.R.5861 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To address the impact of climate change on agriculture, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (Introduced 02/12/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House - Agriculture; Ways and Means; Education and Labor; Energy and Commerce; Oversight and Reform; House Administration
H.R.5864 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To establish and support the research, development, and demonstration of advanced carbon capture and utilization technologies at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2] (Introduced 02/12/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House - Science, Space, and Technology
H.R.5865 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To advance technologies for carbon capture, utilization, and storage, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. McKinley, David B. [R-WV-1] (Introduced 02/12/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Science, Space, and Technology; Natural Resources; Transportation; Ways and Means
H.R.5883 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for an increased credit for carbon oxide sequestration for direct air capture facilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-6] (Introduced 02/12/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
H.R.5902 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To establish a microplastics pilot program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Mast, Brian J. [R-FL-18] (Introduced 02/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House - Transportation; Energy and Commerce
H.R.5905 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a demonstration initiative focused on the development of long-duration energy storage technologies, including a joint program to be established in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (Introduced 02/13/2020) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House - Transportation; Armed Services
H.R.5906 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a consumer recycling education and outreach grant program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Phillips, Dean [D-MN-3] (Introduced 02/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
H.R.5920 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
To encourage and facilitate efforts by States and other stakeholders to conserve and sustain the western population of monarch butterflies, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-20] (Introduced 02/14/2020) Cosponsors: (24)
Committees: House - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Appropriations
H.R.1708 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act
Sponsor: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28] (Introduced 03/13/2019) Cosponsors: (17)
H.R.2199 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Central Coast Heritage Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (Introduced 04/10/2019) Cosponsors: (46)
H.R.2215 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-27] (Introduced 04/10/2019) Cosponsors: (31)
H.R.2250 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act
Sponsor: Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (Introduced 04/10/2019) Cosponsors: (23)
H.R.2546 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Colorado Wilderness Act of 2019
Sponsor: Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (Introduced 05/07/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
H.R.2642 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Sponsor: Rep. Kilmer, Derek [D-WA-6] (Introduced 05/09/2019) Cosponsors: (0)
Measures Passed:
H.R.1132 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
San Francisco Bay Restoration Act
Sponsor: Rep. Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14] (Introduced 02/08/2019) Cosponsors: (11)
Committees: House - Transportation and Infrastructure; Budget
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019
H.R.4044 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Protect and Restore America's Estuaries Act
Sponsor: Rep. Malinowski, Tom [D-NJ-7] (Introduced 07/25/2019) Cosponsors: (26)
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