Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | June 10 - June 14, 2024

Highlights:

The House passed the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (H.R.8070), known as the NDAA. This annual “must-pass” legislation—reintroduced this year by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and bipartisan cosponsors—sets defense policy and authorizes national security spending, including spending on energy security, climate resilience, and pollution cleanup. The Senate Committee on Armed Services subsequently considered and passed its version of the bill, which will now move to the Senate floor for debate.

The House also passed the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act (H.R.2964/S.1350), which the Senate subsequently took up. Reps. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), and Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) reintroduced the bill, which would improve labeling for non-flushable products, preventing expensive damage to sewage systems and reducing trash flow into rivers and oceans.

The Rural Small Business Resilience Act (H.R.7984), penned by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and bipartisan cosponsors, passed the House. The bill aims to ensure that rural small businesses have access to emergency assistance following natural disasters. EESI’s Congressional briefing, Living with Climate Change: Integrating Equity into Emergency Management, explores more ways to ensure that disaster funding reaches those who need it most. 

Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Marcus Molinaro (R-N.Y.) introduced the Enteric Methane Innovation Tools for Lower Emissions and Sustainable Stock (EMIT LESS) Act (H.R.8676), which would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study methane-reducing conservation standards for agricultural practices, create programs to train farmers and ranchers on methane-reducing practices, create incentives for these practices through the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and more. The bill’s sponsors expect the bill to be included in the upcoming Farm Bill.

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