Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | September 11 - September 15, 2023

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September 19, 2023

Highlights:

In the House, Reps. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) and Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) introduced a bill (H.R.5459) to prioritize workforce development in precision agriculture within research and extension programs. For more on research opportunities under the U.S. Department of Agriculture and related agricultural extension programs, watch EESI’s latest Farm Bill briefing, Climate-Smart Research for the Farms of the Future. 

Last week, the House passed three bills related to forest management and wildfire risk mitigation. Check out EESI’s Living with Climate Change briefing for more information on policy solutions to the country’s increasing wildfire threat.

  • The Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act (H.R.1450) passed the House with bipartisan support. Reintroduced by Reps. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), the bill expands the capacity of tribes and counties to reinvest revenue from timber sales into wilderness restoration and management projects, such as those to mitigate wildfire risks. A companion bill (S.697) has also been introduced in the Senate.
  • House Democrats and Republicans also passed the Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2023 (H.R.3389). Introduced by Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.), the bill paves the way for the adoption of new, advanced technologies to fight wildfires in the United States. The bill is now under consideration by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  • Finally, the Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions (ACRES) Act (H.R.1567), introduced by Reps. Thomas Tiffany (R-Wis.) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), would require the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to report on wildfire mitigation-related land management activities.

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing examining the impacts of extreme heat and weather on transportation workers, users, and infrastructure. Members and witnesses also highlighted programs within the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that are working to build community resilience to the impacts of extreme heat and weather.

 

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