Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | January 22 - January 26, 2024

Highlights:

In the Senate, the Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act of 2023 (S.1863) passed out of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and will now be up for a vote on the Senate floor. Introduced by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), this tripartisan bill will mandate a report on the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of various American-made products. The bill would also quantify the climate benefits of domestic low and zero-emission manufacturing investments. 

The Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2023 (S.2781), reintroduced by Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), also passed the Environmental and Public Works Committee and is scheduled for a full Senate vote. The tripartisan bill will make it easier for local governments as well as nongovernmental organizations and other groups to remediate and improve water quality in and around abandoned hardrock mines. EESI’s article on clean energy development on reclaimed mine lands exemplifies some of the benefits of remediating these areas. 

Reps. Donald Beyer (D-Va.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) introduced the Innovative Practices for Soil Health Act (H.R.7076). This bipartisan bill aims to bolster existing U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs to ensure those programs can better support farmers who protect soil health and resilience. EESI’s briefing, Conservation Practices from Farms to Forests and Wetlands, highlights conservation opportunities within the upcoming Farm Bill as well as barriers to accessing conservation programs.

The Senate Budget Committee concluded a hearing titled Warming Seas, Cooling Economy: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Ocean Industries. Experts representing ocean and climate research, large-scale commercial fishing, small business, and supply chain economics testified on economic impacts of climate-induced sea level rise, ocean ecosystem destruction, and mass fish migrations.

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