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

Highlights:

The House passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (H.R.8812), first introduced by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and bipartisan cosponsors. Every two years, the legislative package reauthorizes flood control, ecosystem restoration, and other water resource projects under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approved its version of the bill in May.

As appropriations season progresses, the House passed the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2025 (H.R.8998), while the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved its appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (S.4802) in a 28 to 1 vote.

Reps. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) and Max Miller (R-Ohio) introduced the Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies (IMPACT) Act (H.R.9136), which would accelerate research and development to increase the manufacturing of low-emission building materials such as cement, concrete, and asphalt mixes. EESI’s article, Achieving Sustainability in the Built Environment, Brick by Brick, highlights the outsized role tackling these “embodied” emissions plays in addressing the climate crisis. 

Reps. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) introduced H.R.9092, which would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to support state and local governments in responding to extreme heat. Learn about other policy solutions to extreme heat on EESI’s podcast, The Climate Conversation.

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