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March 30, 2021
From March 15 to 26, Congress introduced a total of 120 bills, resolutions, and amendments related to environmental and energy topics. Of these, 51 were in the Senate and 69 in the House. Committees in both chambers held several relevant hearings during this period.
Highlights
Many bills introduced during this period address waste management. For example, S.984 seeks to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act in order to reduce the production and use of single-use plastics. H.R.2101 offers a directive to the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants to zero-waste projects. Several other bills deal with issues related to water, including S.953, which plans to improve the reliability of water supplies and enhance drought preparedness, and H.R.2202, which repeals an exemption for hydraulic fracturing in the Safe Drinking Water Act.
On the topics of waste and water, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing entitled “Examining the Challenges Facing Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects,” discussing climate resilience, research and development, and workforce training in the context of enhancing U.S. wastewater infrastructure.
Other hearings held during this period include “The CLEAN Future Act: Industrial Climate Policies to Create Jobs and Support Working Communities,” during which members of the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce discussed ways to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 while creating jobs and elevating working class communities.
Senate
S.1057 - A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Civilian Climate Corps, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.1053 - A bill to require the Secretary of Transportation to establish a working group to study regulatory and legislative improvements for the livestock, insect, and agricultural commodities transport industries, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation
S.1043 - 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 03/25/2021)
Committees: Senate - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
S.1038 - A bill to establish the Office of Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs within the Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
Committees: Senate - Environment and Public Works
S.1034 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the publicly traded partnership ownership structure to energy power generation projects and transportation fuels, and for other purposes.
Committees: Senate - Finance
S.1017 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a tax credit for the production of hydrogen using electricity produced from renewable energy resources.
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.1016 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a tax credit for installation of regionally significant electric power transmission lines.
S.1015 - A bill to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to initiate a rulemaking to reform the interregional transmission planning process, and for other purposes.
Committees: Senate - Energy and Natural Resources
S.1012 - A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from prohibiting the transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.1011 - A bill to amend the Natural Gas Act to provide for expanded natural gas exports.
S.1000 - A bill to designate additions to the Rough Mountain Wilderness and the Rich Hole Wilderness of the George Washington National Forest, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.986 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a 5-year extension of the carbon oxide sequestration credit, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.985 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide direct payments of the renewable electricity production credit, the energy credit, and the carbon oxide sequestration credit.
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.984 - A bill to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to reduce the production and use of certain single-use plastic products and packaging, to improve the responsibility of producers in the design, collection, reuse, recycling, and disposal of their consumer products and packaging, to prevent pollution from consumer products and packaging from entering into animal and human food chains and waterways, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.978 - A bill to provide for the adjustment or modification by the Secretary of Agriculture of loans for critical rural utility service providers, and for other purposes.
S.977 - A bill to amend the Sherman Act to make oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal.
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
Committees: Senate - Judiciary
S.975 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend and modify the credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property.
S.973 - A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a final rule relating to removing the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears from the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.966 - A bill to require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a Climate Change Education Program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.953 - A bill to provide for drought preparedness and improved water supply reliability.
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (Introduced 03/24/2021)
S.952 - A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a presumption of service connection for certain diseases associated with exposure to toxins, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (Introduced 03/24/2021)
Committees: Senate - Veterans' Affairs
S.949 - A bill to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to foster efficient markets and increase competition and transparency among packers that purchase livestock from producers.
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (Introduced 03/24/2021)
S.941 - A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to improve the transportation infrastructure finance and innovation (TIFIA) program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (Introduced 03/24/2021)
S.939 - A bill to encourage the research and use of innovative materials and associated techniques in the construction and preservation of the domestic transportation and water infrastructure system, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (Introduced 03/24/2021)
S.938 - A bill to require the President to declare a national emergency relating to climate change under the National Emergencies Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (Introduced 03/23/2021)
S.923 - A bill to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a consumer recycling education and outreach grant program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH] (Introduced 03/23/2021)
S.916 - A bill to provide adequate funding for water and sewer infrastructure, and for other purposes.
S.914 - A bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize programs under those Acts, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (Introduced 03/23/2021)
S.907 - A bill to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to add Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (Introduced 03/23/2021)
S.904 - A bill 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, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (Introduced 03/23/2021)
S.899 - A bill to establish the Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund to ensure a safe, sustainable, convenient transportation option for the people of the United States, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (Introduced 03/23/2021)
S.891 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a refundable tax credit for the installation of energy efficient air source heat pumps.
Sponsor: Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (Introduced 03/23/2021)
S.877 - A bill to provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System.
Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (Introduced 03/22/2021)
S.874 - A bill to establish a green transportation infrastructure grant program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (Introduced 03/18/2021)
S.873 - A bill to establish the Climate Change Advisory Commission to develop recommendations, frameworks, and guidelines for projects to respond to the impacts of climate change, to issue Federal obligations, the proceeds of which shall be used to fund projects that aid in adaptation to climate change, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (Introduced 03/18/2021)
S.872 - A bill to restore, reaffirm, and reconcile environmental justice and civil rights, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (Introduced 03/18/2021)
S.866 - A bill to amend the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to promote reforestation following unplanned events on Federal land, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] (Introduced 03/18/2021)
S.843 - A bill to establish the Committee on Large-Scale Carbon Management in the National Science and Technology Council and a Federal Carbon Removal Initiative, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Sinema, Kyrsten [D-AZ] (Introduced 03/18/2021)
S.832 - A bill to amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to fund job-creating improvements in energy and resiliency for Federal buildings managed by the General Services Administration, to enable a portfolio of clean buildings by 2030, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] (Introduced 03/18/2021)
S.809 - A bill to encourage and facilitate efforts by States and other stakeholders to conserve and sustain the western population of monarch butterflies, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 03/17/2021)
S.806 - A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to provide grants to carry out activities to benefit pollinators on roadsides and highway rights-of-way, including the planting and seeding of native, locally-appropriate grasses and wildflowers, including milkweed, and for other purposes.
S.799 - A bill to require the Secretary of Energy to establish programs for carbon dioxide capture, transport, utilization, and storage, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (Introduced 03/17/2021)
S.768 - A bill to amend section 5303 of title 49, United States Code, to consider housing in metropolitan transportation planning, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (Introduced 03/16/2021)
Committees: Senate - Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
S.761 - A bill to require the publication of fossil-fuel powered travel by the President, the Vice President, and political appointees, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (Introduced 03/16/2021)
Committees: Senate - Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
S.759 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the credit for production of refined coal.
Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND] (Introduced 03/16/2021)
S.758 - A bill to support financing of affordable and reliable energy projects by international financial institutions, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (Introduced 03/16/2021)
Committees: Senate - Foreign Relations
S.755 - A bill to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide additional assistance for public water systems damaged by Winter Storms Uri and Viola, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] (Introduced 03/16/2021)
S.421 - Western Tribal Water Infrastructure Act of 2021
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (Introduced 02/24/2021)
Committees: Senate - Indian Affairs
S.335 - Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2021
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH] (Introduced 02/22/2021)
Resolutions referred to committee
S.Res.141 - A resolution recognizing the critical importance of access to reliable, clean drinking water for Native Americans and Alaska Natives and confirming the responsibility of the Federal Government to ensure such water access.
Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (Introduced 03/25/2021)
S.J.Res.14 - A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources Review".
Committee hearings
NUCLEAR ENERGY
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the latest developments in the nuclear energy sector, focusing on ways to maintain and expand the use of nuclear energy in the United States and abroad, after receiving testimony from Jeffery J. Lyash, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville; Chris Levesque, TerraPower, Bellevue, Washington; Scott Melbye, Uranium Energy Corporation, Castle Rock, Colorado, on behalf of the Uranium Producers of America; Amy C. Roma, Atlantic Council's Nuclear Energy and National Security Coalition, Washington, D.C.; and J. Clay Sell, X-energy, Rockville, Maryland.
21ST CENTURY ECONOMY: FINANCIAL SYSTEM AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the 21st century economy, focusing on protecting the financial system from risks associated with climate change, including S. 563, to amend the Federal Reserve Act to prohibit certain financial service providers who deny fair access to financial services from using taxpayer funded discount window lending programs, after receiving testimony from Gregory Gelzinis, Center for American Progress, and Benjamin Zycher, American Enterprise Institute, both of Washington, D.C.; Nathaniel Keohane, Environmental Defense Fund, New York, New York; Marilyn Waite, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Menlo Park, California; and John Cochrane, Stanford University Hoover Institution, Stanford, California.
SOLARWINDS SUPPLY CHAIN ATTACK
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the SolarWinds supply chain attack, focusing on the Federal perspective, after receiving testimony from Christopher J. DeRusha, Federal Chief Information Security Officer, Office of Management and Budget; Brandon Wales, Acting Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security; and Tonya Ugoretz, Acting Assistant Director, Cyber Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice.
DRINKING WATER AND WASTE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a joint hearing with the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water to examine the challenges facing drinking water and waste water infrastructure projects, after receiving testimony from Shellie R. Chard, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma City, on behalf of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators; Kishia L. Powell, DC Water, Washington, D.C., on behalf of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies; Michael McNulty, Morgantown Utility Board, Morgantown, West Virginia; and Nathan Ohle, Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia.
TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to examine ways to strengthen research and development in innovative transportation technologies with a focus on solutions that decrease emissions, reduce our reliance on foreign supply chains, and increase manufacturing in the United States, after receiving testimony from Kelly Speakes-Backman, Acting Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy; E. Adam Muellerweiss, Clarios, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Janvier Desire Nkurunziza, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Division on International Trade and Commodities, Geneva, Switzerland; Tony Satterthwaite, Cummins Inc., Columbus, Indiana; and Robert Wimmer, Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland.
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