Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | January 27, 2025 - January 31, 2025

Highlights:

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), alongside Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), introduced the Strategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act of 2025 (S.351). The bill aims to establish a pilot grant program under the Environmental Protection Agency to improve upon and expand domestic recycling efforts, particularly in rural and underserved areas. The STEWARD Act would also require the agency to collect and report data on domestic recycling and composting rates. 

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the Smoke and Heat Ready Communities Act (H.R.903/S.341) to protect communities from the health, environmental, and economic impacts of wildfires and extreme heat. Specifically, the bill would establish a grant program for early detection, communication, and mitigation of these impacts at the state level. EESI’s Living with Climate Change briefings on wildfires and extreme heat discuss policy solutions for reducing risk.

Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) reintroduced the Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S.347) to reauthorize funding for the brownfield revitalization program, which facilitates the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated legacy industrial sites. In the House, Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Michael Turner (R-Ohio) reintroduced the Brownfields Redevelopment Tax Incentive Reauthorization Act (H.R.815). The bill would reauthorize a currently-expired tax credit to incentivize developers to remediate and repurpose contaminated properties. 

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and bipartisan cosponsors reintroduced the Fire Ready Nation Act (S.306). If passed, the bill would establish a Fire Weather Services program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and authorize funding for the development of innovative wildfire forecasting technologies.

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