Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | May 8-12, 2023

Highlights:

The Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2023 (H.R.676) passed out of the House. The bipartisan bill would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to collaborate with state, local, and tribal entities on efforts to address  ocean acidification.

In the Senate, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the Pollinator Power Act (S.1555), a bill that would incentivize pollinator habitats as part of new solar projects under the Rural Energy for America Program. EESI’s 2023 Farm Bill resource page includes legislative side-by-sides on programs including the Rural Energy for America Program. In addition, EESI’s Climate, Energy, and Economic Win-Wins in the Farm Bill briefing discusses more on the benefits of agrisolar and how it feeds into federal programs.

In the House, the Open Access Evapotranspiration Data Act (H.R.2429/S.1118) was referred to the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries. The reintroduced, bipartisan bill would establish a program to develop and share evapotranspiration data from publicly available sources, which would allow water users to better plan for water usage, particularly when faced with drought conditions. EESI’s article on water data tools discusses how improved access to water data, like evapotranspiration data, can help ensure scarce water resources are used effectively.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on oversight of federal funds for broadband development. EESI’s issue brief on the current state of rural broadband covers how rural broadband can help unlock energy efficiency benefits.

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