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March 16, 2021
From March 1 to 12, Congress introduced a total of 134 bills, resolutions, and amendments related to environmental and energy topics. Of these, 51 were in the Senate and 83 in the House. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R.1319) passed in the Senate and was signed into law on March 11. The Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act (H.R.803) was passed in the House on March 2. Committees in both chambers held several relevant hearings during this period.
Highlights
During this period, the historic American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R.1319) was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden on March 11. This $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package will provide relief to address the ongoing public health, economic, and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The act incorporates key provisions to address energy insecurity and environmental issues in tandem with pandemic relief efforts.
Congress proposed a host of bills on topics related to energy infrastructure in the last two weeks. In the Senate, S.704 aims to establish a grant program to improve the power grid’s resilience to natural disasters. S.507 seeks to increase access to electric vehicle charging stations in low-income communities and communities of color. Some House members paid similar attention to infrastructure, introducing H.R.1848, which strives to unify efforts to strengthen the country’s broadband infrastructure while addressing projects related to drinking water, grid modernization, energy supply, brownfield redevelopment, and public health.
Several hearings held in either chamber sought to address topics related to energy, the environment, and climate change, and many of which also addressed the economic crisis. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing to examine climate change in the electricity sector and ways to promote economic growth. The House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife held a hearing entitled “Building Back Better: Building Resilience for the Economy, Climate, and Ecosystems,” which sought to highlight a pathway to resilience in post-pandemic recovery efforts.
Senate
Bills passed
H.R.1319 - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Sponsor: Rep. Yarmuth, John A. [D-KY-3] (Introduced 02/24/2021)
Committees: House - Budget
Bills referred to committee
S.732 - A bill to strengthen Buy American requirements, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH] (Introduced 03/11/2021)
Committees: Senate - Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
S.722 - A bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to establish a program to provide grants and loan guarantees to improve the energy efficiency of publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 03/11/2021)
Committees: Senate - Energy and Natural Resources
S.721 - 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 03/11/2021)
Committees: Senate - Environment and Public Works
S.719 - A bill to amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to provide for project delivery programs, and for other purposes.
S.718 - A bill to amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to reform agency process requirements, and for other purposes.
S.717 - 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.
S.716 - A bill to amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to provide for legal reform, and for other purposes.
S.715 - A bill to amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require the submission of certain reports, and for other purposes.
S.707 - A bill to require a certain percentage of natural gas and crude oil exports be transported on United States-built and United States-flag vessels, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (Introduced 03/11/2021)
Committees: Senate - Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
S.705 - A bill to amend the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 with respect to future interstate designations, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (Introduced 03/11/2021)
S.704 - A bill to require the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program to improve the resiliency of the power grid to natural disasters and reduce the risk of wildfires caused by power lines, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (Introduced 03/11/2021)
S.694 - A bill to require the Secretary of Energy to provide grants for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy improvements at public school facilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (Introduced 03/10/2021)
S.685 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a carbon fee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (Introduced 03/10/2021)
Committees: Senate - Finance
S.684 - A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out an active transportation investment program to make grants to eligible applicants to build safe and connected options for bicycles and walkers within and between communities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (Introduced 03/10/2021)
S.683 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to clarify that products derived from tar sands are crude oil for purposes of the Federal excise tax on petroleum, and for other purposes.
S.667 - A bill to provide regulatory relief to alternative fuel producers and consumers, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] (Introduced 03/10/2021)
S.661 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the qualifying advanced coal project credit, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND] (Introduced 03/10/2021)
S.652 - A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Challenge Grant Program to promote technological innovation in our Nation's communities.
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (Introduced 03/09/2021)
Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation
S.651 - A bill to amend SAFETEA-LU to improve the Intelligent Transportation System Program Advisory Committee, to require information and resources for the development of local smart communities, to help establish a 21st century transportation workforce, and for other purposes.
S.645 - A bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to levy a fee on methane emissions from oil and natural gas facilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (Introduced 03/09/2021)
S.641 - 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 03/09/2021)
S.627 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax credits for energy storage technologies, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (Introduced 03/09/2021)
S.624 - A bill to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to increase certain royalty rates, minimum bid amounts, and rental rates, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (Introduced 03/09/2021)
S.623 - A bill to make daylight saving time permanent, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] (Introduced 03/09/2021)
S.622 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to enhance the qualifying advanced energy project credit.
Sponsor: Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV] (Introduced 03/09/2021)
S.609 - A bill to withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws.
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (Introduced 03/04/2021)
S.607 - A bill to discourage speculative oil and gas leasing and to promote enhanced multiple use management of public land and National Forest System land, and for other purposes.
S.606 - A bill to require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue an annual report to Congress projecting and accounting for the economic costs directly and indirectly caused by the impacts of climate change, to require the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to establish a Federal Advisory Panel on the Economics of Climate Change, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 03/04/2021)
S.588 - A bill to establish the Advisory Committee on Climate Risk on the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] (Introduced 03/04/2021)
S.576 - A bill to amend title 14, United States Code, to require the Coast Guard to conduct icebreaking operations in the Great Lakes to minimize commercial disruption in the winter months, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (Introduced 03/03/2021)
S.572 - A bill to provide for the water quality restoration of the Tijuana River and the New River, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] (Introduced 03/03/2021)
S.569 - 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 03/03/2021)
S.567 - A bill to provide for conservation and economic development in the State of Nevada, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (Introduced 03/03/2021)
S.558 - A bill to establish a national integrated flood information system within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (Introduced 03/03/2021)
S.557 - A bill to establish a pilot program for native plant species, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] (Introduced 03/03/2021)
S.554 - A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study on the establishment of, and the potential land that could be included in, a unit of the National Forest System in the State of Hawaii, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (Introduced 03/03/2021)
S.541 - A bill to require the Secretary of Energy to obtain the consent of affected State and local governments before making an expenditure from the Nuclear Waste Fund for a nuclear waste repository, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (Introduced 03/02/2021)
S.532 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the energy tax credit to apply to qualified distributed wind energy property.
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (Introduced 03/02/2021)
S.531 - A bill to provide additional funds for Federal and State facility energy resiliency programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (Introduced 03/02/2021)
S.520 - A bill to amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to modify a provision relating to acquisition of beach fill.
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] (Introduced 03/02/2021)
S.508 - A bill to establish a working group on electric vehicles.
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (Introduced 03/01/2021)
S.507 - A bill to increase deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in low-income communities and communities of color, and for other purposes.
S.506 - A bill to establish the Clean School Bus Grant Program, and for other purposes.
S.504 - A bill to establish the Green Spaces, Green Vehicles Initiative to facilitate the installation of zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure on National Forest System land, National Park System land, and certain related land, and for other purposes.
S.502 - A bill to amend chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, to incorporate zero-emission fueling technology into the definition of "capital project".
S.497 - A bill to establish the American Fisheries Advisory Committee to assist in the awarding of fisheries research and development grants, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (Introduced 03/01/2021)
S.494 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a credit for zero-emission buses.
S.493 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the issuance of exempt facility bonds for zero-emission vehicle infrastructure.
Amendments introduced
S.Amdt.1197 to S.Amdt.891 - Purpose: To require the President to review and approve the Keystone XL Pipeline to assist COVID-impacted communities.
Amends Bill: H.R.1319
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] (Submitted 03/05/2021) (Proposed 03/06/2021)
S.Amdt.944 to S.Amdt.891 - Purpose: To distribute funds for public transportation urbanized area formula grants through the existing formulas.
Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] (Submitted 03/04/2021) (Proposed 03/06/2021)
S.Amdt.902 - Purpose: To provide funding for payments for losses of crops due to disasters.
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (Submitted 03/04/2021) (Proposed 03/06/2021)
Committee hearings
FARMERS AND FORESTERS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded a hearing to examine farmers and foresters, focusing on opportunities to lead in tackling climate change, after receiving testimony from Clay Pope, National Farmers Union, Loyal, Oklahoma; Mark Isbell, USA Rice, England, Arkansas; John Reifsteck, GROWMARK cooperative, Bloomington, Illinois, on behalf of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; Stefanie Smallhouse, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, Gilbert; and Cori Wittman Stitt, Environmental Defense Fund, Lapwai, Idaho.
ELECTRIC SERVICE AND EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the reliability, resiliency, and affordability of electric service in the United States amid the changing energy mix and extreme weather events, after receiving testimony from Mark A. Gabriel, Administrator, Western Area Power Administration, Department of Energy; James B. Robb, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia; Pat Wood, III, Hunt Energy Network, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Houston, Texas; Michael D. Shellenberger, Environmental Progress, Berkeley, California; and Manu Asthana, PJM Interconnection, Audubon, Pennsylvania.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine climate change in the electricity sector and fostering economic growth, including electricity grid resilience and actions that should be undertaken by the Department of Energy and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, after receiving testimony from Frank Rusco, Director of Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office; Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles, California; Ben Fowke, Xcel Energy, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sandra Snyder, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, Washington, D.C.; and Jim Wood, West Virginia University Energy Institute, Morgantown.
MODERNIZING ENERGY DEVELOPMENT LAWS FOR THE BENEFIT OF TAXPAYERS, COMMUNITIES, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing entitled ``Modernizing Energy Development Laws for the Benefit of Taxpayers, Communities, and the Environment''. Testimony was heard from Representatives Levin of California, Porter, and DeGette; Hilary Cooper, Commissioner, District 1, San Miguel County, Colorado; and public witnesses.
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