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May 25, 2021
From May 8 to May 24, Congress introduced a total of 144 bills and resolutions related to environmental and energy topics and 7 bills passed the House. The Senate and House held 26 hearings and markups related to environmental and energy topics.
Many bills introduced during this period addressed biodiversity ahead of the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22. H.R.3396 and S.1728 would create funds to conserve butterflies, plants, mussels, and fish. H.R.3399 would amend the Federal Power Act to require consideration of invasive species when prescribing fishways. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing to examine biodiversity loss, and focused on the divers, impacts, and potential solutions.
Mitigating climate impacts, especially flooding, was another focus. The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held a hearing on reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program which resulted in a flurry of related legislation. S.1688 would establish a Federal standard to improve resilience to current and future flood risk. Both H.R.3161 and S.1581 would create programs to map urban flooding risks to help understand and mitigate risk of such flooding.
Other climate impacts, such as ocean acidification, also received attention. H.R.1447 passed the House of Representatives and would expand funding for ocean acidification research and monitoring. The Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2021, H.R.2570, would require certain disclosures relating to climate change. Finally, H.R.3404, which passed the House and is currently in the Senate, would provide drought preparedness and improved water supply reliability.
Senate
Bills/joint resolutions passed Senate
None.
Bills referred to committee
S.1791 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand existing tax credits to include non-passenger electric-powered vehicles, associated recharging and refueling infrastructure, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
Committees: Senate - Finance
S.1792 - A bill to establish certain requirements for the small refineries exemption of the renewable fuels provisions under the Clean Air Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]
Committees: Senate - Environment and Public Works
H.R.1983 - MONARCH Act of 2021
Sponsor: Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-20]
Committees: House - Natural Resources; Agriculture
H.R.3404 - To provide drought preparedness and improved water supply reliability to the Nation.
Sponsor: Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
Committees: House - Natural Resources; Science, Space, and Technology; Ways and Means; Transportation and Infrastructure; Judiciary; Energy and Commerce
H.R.3422 - To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make changes with respect to water quality certification, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. McKinley, David B. [R-WV-1]
Committees: House - Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.3459 - To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to expand eligibility for individual and public assistance to certain areas and to include cumulative damage from multiple natural catastrophes in the definition of major disaster, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36]
H.Res.430 - Supporting the designation of May 21, 2021, as "Endangered Species Day".
Sponsor: Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-12]
Committees: House - Natural Resources
S.1535 - A bill to designate as wilderness certain Federal portions of the red rock canyons of the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin Deserts in the State of Utah for the benefit of present and future generations of people in the United States.
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Committees: Senate - Energy and Natural Resources
S.1537 - A bill to modernize certain Federal agencies for an era of strategic energy and mineral competition, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
Committees: Senate - Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
S.1538 - A bill to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
S.1553 - A bill to require the Secretary of Energy to submit to Congress an annual report on peaker plants in the United States and to provide financial incentives for replacing peaker plants with technology that receives, stores, and delivers energy generated by renewable energy resources, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
S.1554 - A bill to make certain irrigation districts eligible for Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program pumping power, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND]
S.140 - BLUE GLOBE Act
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation
S.497 - American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act
Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]
S.1260 - Endless Frontier Act
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
S.1289 - A bill to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to reauthorize and modify the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program, and for other purposes.
S.1581 - A bill to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to carry out a pilot program to enhance the mapping of urban flooding and associated property damage and the availability of that mapped data to homeowners, businesses, and localities to help understand and mitigate the risk of such flooding, and for other purposes.
S.1583 - A bill to reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
S.1589 - A bill to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
S.1600- A bill to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to make modifications to the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
H.R.1447 - COAST Research Act of 2021
Sponsor: Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]
Committees: House - Science, Space, and Technology | Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation
H.R.2533 - NEAR Act of 2021
Sponsor: Rep. Posey, Bill [R-FL-8]
Committees: House - Science, Space, and Technology; Natural Resources | Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation
S.1695 - A bill to amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to provide for a high-speed broadband deployment initiative.
Sponsor: Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]
S.1702 - A bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a national strategic action plan and program to assist health professionals and systems in preparing for and responding to the public health effects of climate change, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.1710 - A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to ensure that Federal-aid highways, bridges, and tunnels are more resilient, and for other purposes.
S.1718 - A bill to amend the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park Establishment Act of 200 to provide for additional areas to be added to the park, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
S.1673 - A bill to preserve access to Federal land, control fires, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Marshall, Roger W. [R-KS]
S.1682 - A bill to prohibit certain provisions of an Executive Order relating to land conservation from taking effect, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
S.1686- A bill to amend the Wilderness Act to allow local Federal officials to determine the manner in which nonmotorized uses may be permitted in wilderness areas, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
S.1688 - A bill to establish a Federal standard in order to improve the Nation's resilience to current and future flood risk.
Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
S.Res.224 - A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by accelerating the electrification of households, buildings, and businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States electricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing electricity generation in the United States by 2035.
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
S.1603 - A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Committees: Senate - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
S.1606- A bill to designate as wilderness certain National Forest System land in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Romney, Mitt [R-UT]
S.1608 - A bill to support the sustainable aviation fuel market, and for other purposes.
S.1609 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ensure that electrochromic glass qualifies as energy property for purposes of the energy credit.
S.1624 - A bill to direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a National Laboratory Biotechnology Programs to address biotechnology threats, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Lujan, Ben Ray [D-NM]
S.1631 - A bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain National Forest System land in the State of Arizona to the Arizona Board of Regents, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]
S.1632 - A bill to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to establish a program to provide loans to implement cost-effective energy efficiency measures, and for other purposes.
S.1639 - A bill to amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reauthorize the energy efficiency and conservation block grant program.
S.1643 - A bill to establish the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Shelby, Richard C. [R-AL]
S.1728 - A bill to create dedicated funds to conserve butterflies in North America, plants in the Pacific Islands, freshwater mussels in the United States, and desert fish in the Southwest United States, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
S.1734 - 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.
S.1747- A bill to provide for an equitable management of summer flounder based on geographic, scientific, and economic data, and for other purposes.
S.1750 - A bill to redesignate land within certain wilderness study areas in the State of Wyoming, and for other purposes.
S.1753- A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend and update the credit for nonbusiness energy property.
Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
S.1761 - A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make changes with respect to water quality certification, and for other purposes.
S.1768 - A bill to make grants to support online training of residential contractors and rebates for the energy efficiency upgrades of homes and multifamily buildings, and for other purposes.
S.1769 - A bill to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
S.1782 - A bill to direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program to facilitate tree planting that reduces residential energy consumption, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Committee Meetings
NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program, after receiving testimony from Chad Berginnis, Association of State Floodplain Managers, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin; Velma Smith, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Steve Ellis, Taxpayers for Common Sense, both of Washington, D.C.; and Rebecca Kagan Sternhell, City of New York Office of Federal Affairs, and R.J. Lehmann, International Center for Law and Economics, both of New York, New York.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND FORESTLANDS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded a hearing to examine Federal, state, and private forestlands, focusing on opportunities for addressing climate change, after receiving testimony from Joe Fox, Arkansas Department of Agriculture, on behalf of the National Association of State Foresters, and Jessica Orrego, American Carbon Registry at Winrock International, both of Little Rock, Arkansas; Kedren Dillard, Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Network, Washington, D.C., on behalf of the American Forest Foundation; Troy Harris, Jamestown, Atlanta, Georgia; and Tony Cheng, Colorado State University Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Fort Collins.
FOREST MANAGEMENT, FOREST PRODUCTS, AND CARBON
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the role of reforestation, active forest management, and carbon storage in fostering resiliency, after receiving testimony from Jennifer S. Cover, WoodWorks, San Marcos, California; Thomas W. Crowther, United Nations Trillion Trees Initiative, Zurich, Switzerland; James D. Irving, J.D. Irving, Limited, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; Mary Mitsos, National Forest Foundation, Missoula, Montana; and Ben Wudtke, Intermountain Forest Association, Rapid City, South Dakota.
DISASTER RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine rethinking disaster recovery and resiliency, focusing on protecting communities and accelerating assistance, after receiving testimony from Arthur Jemison, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Community Planning and Development; and John Pendleton, Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, Government Accountability Office.
MILITARY INFRASTRUCTURE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine military infrastructure and climate resilience, after receiving testimony from Richard Kidd, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment and Energy Resilience, Jack Surash, Senior Official, performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, and Environment, James Balocki, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations, Energy, and Facilities, and Mark Correll, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety, and Infrastructure, all of the Department of Defense.
BIODIVERSITY
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine biodiversity loss, focusing on drivers, impacts, and potential solutions, after receiving testimony from Leah Gerber, Arizona State University Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Tempe; Edmund Patrick Sullivan, Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency, Morgan Hill, California; Andy Treharne, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Henrico, Virginia; and John Schmidt, PARTNERSCAPES, Elkins, West Virginia.
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine rethinking disaster recovery and resiliency, focusing on protecting our nation's transportation systems, including preliminary observations on options for improving climate resilience of transportation infrastructure, after receiving testimony from Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation; Elizabeth Repko, Acting Director, Physical Infrastructure, Government Accountability Office; Edwin H. Sniffen, Hawaii Department of Transportation, Honolulu, on behalf of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Committee on Transportation System Security and Resilience; and Habib Joseph Dagher, University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center, Orono.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee ordered favorably reported the nomination of Tommy P. Beaudreau, of Alaska, to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior.
OFFSHORE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to examine offshore energy development in federal waters and leasing under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, after receiving testimony from Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Department of the Interior; Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Baton Rouge; Russell Holmes, Center for Offshore Safety, Houston, Texas; and Mike Minarovic, Arena Energy, The Woodlands, Texas.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Shannon Aneal Estenoz, of Florida, to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife, and Radhika Fox, of California, to be an Assistant Administrator, and Michal Ilana Freedhoff, of Maryland, to be Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances, who was introduced by Senator Markey, both of the Environmental Protection Agency, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
EQUITY IN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure concluded a hearing to examine equity in transportation infrastructure, focusing on connecting communities, removing barriers, and repairing networks across America, after receiving testimony from Toks Omishakin, California Department of Transportation Director, Sacramento; William T. Panos, North Dakota Department of Transportation Director, Bismarck; Veronica O. Davis, Houston Public Works, Houston, Texas; and Steven E. Polzin, Lutz, Florida.
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee ordered favorably reported the nomination of Jewel Hairston Bronaugh, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.
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