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September 29, 2020
From 9/15 to 9/25, 46 bills addressing environmental issues were referred to committees. The House passed one bill. Additionally, the House passed one resolution and one continuing resolution. The Senate held three hearings on topics of environment, energy, and climate, and the House held seven.
Highlights
Bills focused on a wide range of topics, including pollution, public lands, and wildlife conservation, but energy and forest management were some of the most important. The House passed H.R.4447, the Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019, which would provide assistance for rural electric cooperatives to develop energy storage and microgrid projects using renewable energy. H.R.8312 would amend the Clean Air Act to prevent the emission of any greenhouse gas from any electric utility steam generating unit. In the Senate, S.4725 would facilitate the process of commercializing clean energy technology.
Senators proposed forest management bills amid the wildfires on the west coast. S.4625 aims to improve the use of prescribed fires on federal lands in Western states through an interagency collaboration. S.4643 would create a forest preservation incentives program aimed at reducing fire risk and improving carbon sequestration.
Both the House and Senate held hearings on the recent wildfires. The House held two hearings on opportunities for a green recovery from the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.
Senate
Bills referred to committee
S.4681 - A bill to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate certain limitations with respect to pre-production plastic pellet pollution, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM] (Introduced 09/24/2020)
Committees: Senate - Environment and Public Works
S.4704 - A bill to require reforms to programs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (Introduced 09/24/2020)
Committees: Senate - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
S.4725 - A bill to establish programs to facilitate the commercial application of clean energy and related technologies in the United States.
Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (Introduced 09/24/2020)
Committees: Senate - Energy and Natural Resources
S.4726 - A bill to amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require the Secretary of Transportation to develop and carry out a program to improve energy efficiency in transportation.
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (Introduced 09/24/2020)
Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation
S.4727 - A bill to require the establishment of an advanced energy technology research initiative and an advanced energy technology and modeling grant program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (Introduced 09/24/2020)
S.4736 - A bill to prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (Introduced 09/24/2020)
Committees: Senate - Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
S.4673 - A bill to amend the Natural Gas Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider certain factors in issuing certificates of public convenience and necessity under that Act, to modify the requirements for the right to exercise eminent domain in construction of pipelines under that Act, to provide that the right of eminent domain may not be exercised under that Act for projects for the exportation of natural gas, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (Introduced 09/23/2020)
S.4680 - A bill to amend the Natural Gas Act to provide that the United States district courts shall not have jurisdiction to condemn property in which a State holds any interest, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 09/23/2020)
S.4641 - A bill to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to provide for transparency and landowner protections in the conduct of lease sales under that Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (Introduced 09/22/2020)
S.4642 - A bill to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to ensure sufficient bonding and complete and timely reclamation of land and water disturbed by Federal and Indian oil and gas production, and for other purposes.
S.4643 - A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a forest incentives program to keep forests intact and sequester carbon on private forest land of the United States, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (Introduced 09/22/2020)
S.4650 - A bill to amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to clarify the treatment of authentic Alaska Native articles of handicraft containing nonedible migratory bird parts, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (Introduced 09/22/2020)
S.4654 - A bill to amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to require that at least 12 percent of amounts appropriated out of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund are used for projects on the Great Lakes Navigation System, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH] (Introduced 09/22/2020)
S.4616 - A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer certain National Forest System land to the State of South Dakota, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
S.4617 - A bill to provide supplemental appropriations for the cleanup of legacy pollution, including National Priority List sites, certain abandoned coal mining sites, and formerly used defense sites, to replace lead drinking water service lines, to provide grants under certain programs, and to amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the issuance of new major source air pollution permits in overburdened communities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
S.4619 - A bill to amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to impose time limits on the completion of certain required actions under the Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
S.4625 - A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage and expand the use of prescribed fire on land managed by the Department of the Interior or the Forest Service, with an emphasis on units of the National Forest System in the western United States, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
S.4584 - A bill to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to modify the definition of water heater under energy conservation standards, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] (Introduced 09/16/2020)
S.4589 - A bill to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to increase transparency, to support regulatory certainty, and to reauthorize that Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (Introduced 09/16/2020)
S.4590 - A bill to amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to reform agency process requirements, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (Introduced 09/16/2020)
S.4591 - A bill to amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to reform agency process requirements, and for other purposes.
S.4599 - A bill to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (Introduced 09/16/2020)
S.4603 - A bill to promote the use of forest restoration residue harvested on National Forest System land for renewable energy, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. McSally, Martha [R-AZ] (Introduced 09/16/2020)
S.4569 - A bill to modify the boundary of the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in the State of Arizona, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. McSally, Martha [R-AZ] (Introduced 09/15/2020)
Committee hearings
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AMENDMENTS (9/23)
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine S. 4589, to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to increase transparency, to support regulatory certainty, and to reauthorize that Act, focusing on modernizing the Endangered Species Act, after receiving testimony from Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, Cheyenne; Liesa Priddy, Florida Cattlemen's Association, Immokalee, on behalf of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association; and Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife, Leesburg, Virginia.
OFFSHORE AND MARINE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES (9/22)
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to examine emerging offshore and marine energy technologies in the United States, including offshore wind, marine and hydrokinetic energy, and alternative fuels for maritime shipping, after receiving testimony from Daniel R. Simmons, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Walter Cruickshank, Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Department of the Interior; Stuart Davies, ORPC, Inc., Portland, Maine; Siri Kindem, Equinor Wind U.S., Stamford, Connecticut; and Jonathan F. Lewis, Clean Air Task Force, Boston, Massachusetts.
PUBLIC LANDS AND WILDFIRES LEGISLATION (9/16)
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining concluded a hearing to examine S. 180, to streamline the oil and gas permitting process and to recognize fee ownership for certain oil and gas drilling or spacing units, S. 1295, to require the Secretary of the Interior to develop and maintain a cadastre of Federal real property, S. 1765, to sustain economic development and recreational use of National Forest System land in the State of Montana, to add certain land to the National Wilderness Preservation System, to designate new areas for recreation, S. 1870 and H.R. 722, bills to designate a mountain in the State of Utah as ``Miracle Mountain'', S. 2533, to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to exclude certain payments to Alaska Native elders for determining eligibility for certain programs, S. 2828, to require the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement allowing for adaptive management of certain Federal land in Malheur County, Oregon, S. 2890, to promote conservation, improve public land, and provide for sensible development in Douglas County, Nevada, S. 3241, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to establish the Cerro de la Olla Wilderness in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico, S. 3366, to amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available at no cost to members of Gold Star Families, S. 3427, to require the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to digitize and make publicly available geographic information system mapping data relating to public access to Federal land and waters for outdoor recreation, S. 3485, to expand the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to expand revenue sharing for offshore wind, to reauthorize the National Oceans and Coastal Security Act, S. 3670, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River System in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S. 4431, to increase wildfire preparedness and response throughout the United States, S. 4475, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La Paz County, Arizona, and H.R. 255, to provide for an exchange of lands with San Bernardino County, California, to enhance management of lands within the San Bernardino National Forest, after receiving testimony from Senators Feinstein, Whitehouse, and Udall; Chris French, Deputy Chief, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture; Amanda Kaster, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management, Department of the Interior; Mark Dunn, Owyhee Basin Stewardship Coalition, Arlington, Virginia; and Haydn Forward, Heritage Waters Coalition, and Jamie Crockett, Gila Backcountry Services, both of Silver City, New Mexico.
House
H.R.8401 - To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to complete an interagency report on the effects of special recreation permits on environmental justice communities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Haaland, Debra A. [D-NM-1] (Introduced 09/25/2020)
Committees: House - Natural Resources; Agriculture
H.R.8371 - To promote low-carbon, high-octane fuels, to protect public health, and to improve vehicle efficiency and performance, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Bustos, Cheri [D-IL-17] (Introduced 09/24/2020)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce
H.R.8355 - To establish and support advanced nuclear energy research and development programs at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Fulcher, Russ [R-ID-1] (Introduced 09/23/2020)
Committees: House - Science, Space, and Technology
H.R.8359 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the credit for electricity produced from certain renewable resources, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Marchant, Kenny [R-TX-24] (Introduced 09/23/2020)
Committees: House - Ways and Means
H.Con.Res.119 - Recognizing that the climate crisis is disproportionately affecting the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children; recognizing the importance of renewed leadership by the United States in addressing the climate crisis; and recognizing the need of the United States to develop a national, comprehensive, and science-based climate recovery plan to phase out fossil fuel emissions, protect and enhance natural sequestration, and put the United States on a path towards stabilizing the climate system.
Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (Introduced 09/23/2020)
H.R.8333 - To amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to clarify ambiguous provisions, align the Act with relevant case law, reflect modern technologies, optimize interagency coordination, and facilitate a more efficient, effective, and timely environmental review process.
Sponsor: Rep. Graves, Garret [R-LA-6] (Introduced 09/22/2020)
Committees: House - Natural Resources
H.R.8348 - To direct restoration and protection of the New York-New Jersey watersheds and estuaries hydrologically connected to New York-New Jersey Harbor, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (Introduced 09/22/2020)
H.R.8332 - To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize a program to address orphaned, abandoned, or idled wells on Federal land, to establish a program to provide grants to States and Tribes to address orphaned wells, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15] (Introduced 09/21/2020)
H.Res.1130 - Expressing support for the designation of the week of September 21 through September 25, 2020, as "National Clean Energy Week".
Sponsor: Rep. Curtis, John R. [R-UT-3] (Introduced 09/21/2020)
H.R.8287 - To amend title 54, United States Code, to increase public access to recreational areas on Federal land.
Sponsor: Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
H.R.8288 - To correct shortfalls in the Great American Outdoors Act by providing fairness and parity to Eastern States, strengthening commitments to urban recreation, establishing logic in funding priorities, and ensuring appropriate consequences for shifts in funding sources, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Bishop, Rob [R-UT-1] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
H.R.8291 - To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program for tree planting to reduce residential energy consumption.
Sponsor: Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
H.R.8296 - To establish and support advanced nuclear energy research and development programs at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Gallagher, Mike [R-WI-8] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
H.R.8297 - To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish and support advanced recycling research and development programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Gonzalez, Anthony [R-OH-16] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
H.R.8299 - To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer certain National Forest System land to the State of South Dakota, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
H.R.8311 - To require a report regarding the potential impacts of any changes to the risk-rating methodology for the National Flood Insurance Program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency before implementation, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Rose, Max [D-NY-11] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
Committees: House - Financial Services
H.R.8312 - To amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the emission of any greenhouse gas in any quantity from any new electric utility steam generating unit, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (Introduced 09/17/2020)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Natural Resources; Foreign Affairs
H.R.8267 - To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to modify the definition of water heater under energy conservation standards, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-12] (Introduced 09/16/2020)
H.R.8271 - To provide supplemental appropriations for the cleanup of legacy pollution, including National Priority List sites, certain abandoned coal mining sites, and formerly used defense sites, to replace lead drinking water service lines, to provide grants under certain programs, and to amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the issuance of new major source air pollution permits in overburdened communities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Haaland, Debra A. [D-NM-1] (Introduced 09/16/2020)
Committees: House - Appropriations; Budget
H.R.8273 - To establish programs and authorities to facilitate the commercial application of clean energy and related technologies in the United States.
Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Eddie Bernice [D-TX-30] (Introduced 09/16/2020)
H.R.8253 - To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require 30 percent of revenues from offshore wind energy to be deposited in the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Beyer, Donald S., Jr. [D-VA-8] (Introduced 09/15/2020)
H.R.8258. To direct the Secretary of energy to conduct an advanced fuel cycle research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49] (Introduced 09/15/2020)
H.R.8263. To ensure opportunities for Department of Defense participation in wildlife conservation banking programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1] (Introduced 09/15/2020)
H.R.8256. To amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to provide a rule to determine venue for a proceeding for judicial review of certain agency actions.
Sponsor: Rep. Cheney, Liz [R-WY-At Large] (Introduced 09/15/2020)
Committees: House - Natural Resources; Judiciary
Bills passed
H.R.4447 - Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019
Sponsor: Rep. O'Halleran, Tom [D-AZ-1] (Introduced 09/20/2019)
Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Science, Space, and Technology
Committee Reports: H. Rept. 116-504
THE 2020 WILDFIRE YEAR: RESPONSE AND RECOVERY EFFORTS (9/24)
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held a hearing entitled ``The 2020 Wildfire Year: Response and Recovery Efforts''. Testimony was heard from John Phipps, Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture.
CLIMATE CHANGE, PART IV: MOVING TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE (9/24)
Committee on Oversight and Reform: Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing entitled ``Climate Change, Part IV: Moving Towards a Sustainable Future''. Testimony was heard from Christopher Castro, Director of Sustainability and Resilience, Orlando, Florida; Reed Schuler, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Governor, Governor Jay Inslee, Washington; and public witnesses.
GREEN RECOVERY PLANS FOR THE COVID–19 CRISIS (9/23)
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment held a hearing entitled “Green Recovery Plans for the COVID–19 Crisis''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BROKEN PROMISES ON RENEWABLE ENERGY (9/23)
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing entitled ``Trump Administration Broken Promises on Renewable Energy''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
EXAMINING THE BARRIERS AND SOLUTIONS TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (9/17)
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing entitled ``Examining the Barriers and Solutions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Department of the Interior''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
BUILDING A 100 PERCENT CLEAN ECONOMY: OPPORTUNITIES FOR AN EQUITABLE, LOW-CARBON RECOVERY (9/16)
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held a hearing entitled ``Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Opportunities for an Equitable, Low-Carbon Recovery''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
ADDRESSING THE LEGACY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE USE OF PFAS: PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES AND IMPLEMENTING REFORM (9/15)
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness held a hearing entitled ``Addressing the Legacy of Department of Defense use of PFAS: Protecting Our Communities and Implementing Reform''. Testimony was heard from Maureen Sullivan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Acquisition and Sustainment, Department of Defense; and a public witness.
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