Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | June 12 - June 16, 2023

Highlights:

The Block Grant Assistance Act of 2023 (H.R.662) passed the House last week with wide bipartisan support. The bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to direct funding to agricultural producers who have suffered economic losses due to droughts, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. 

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), and Zachara Nunn (R-Iowa) introduced H.R.4163, a bill that would amend the Farm Bill’s Food Security Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-198) to promote carbon sequestration through agricultural practices. EESI’s Agriculture and Climate article series covers five sustainable agricultural practices that increase climate resilience and adaptation, from planting cover crops to soil amendments.

Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) introduced H.R.4197 to reauthorize the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. The U.S. Forest Service program promotes collaborative, holistic and science-based forest restoration efforts. During EESI’s Farm Bill in Focus briefing, The Future of Forestry in the Farm Bill, panelists pinpointed opportunities across the USDA to bolster forest maintenance and conservation practices. 

Finally, the House Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development held a hearing on June 13, Stakeholder Perspectives on USDA’s Rural Development Programs, in which witnesses testified on programs that expand electrification and improve infrastructure across rural communities. Members discussed key programs to be reauthorized by the 2023 Farm Bill, such as the Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP) and the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). EESI’s recent briefing, Unlocking Rural Economies: Farm Bill Investments in Rural America, explored how RESP and REAP could further lower access barriers to clean energy and climate-resilient infrastructure.

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