Climate Change Solutions - March 21, 2023

Action on Agriculture: In the House, H.R.1645 was introduced. The bill would establish a nationwide biochar research network. Expanding the use of biochar, a charcoal-like substance resulting from the burning of organic material that is featured in EESI’s Agriculture and Climate article series, is supported by several federal agriculture programs authorized by the Farm Bill. In the Senate, two precision agriculture bills with bipartisan sponsorship were introduced. S.734 would develop a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the private sector to help support the adoption of precision agriculture technology, while S.719 would establish a loan program for precision agriculture technology. Finally, the House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry held a Farm Bill hearing on forestry stakeholder perspectives on the 2018 law. EESI tracks all the climate, environment, and energy highlights of the 2023 Farm Bill hearings on our Farm Bill page.

Water Work: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on implementing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), with a particular focus on the act’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure provisions. Also, S.806 was introduced in the Senate. The bill would create a grant program for purchasing point-of-entry and point-of-use drinking water quality improvements (i.e., systems that can be installed on a faucet or within a building to remove contaminants). Finally, in the Senate, S.776 was introduced. The bill would designate sections of the Gila River in New Mexico as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. EESI’s article, “Keeping the Gila River Wild for People and the Planet” shares more on what securing this designation would mean for the river.

Wildfires: The Senate Committee on the Budget held a hearing on the economic costs of wildfires. EESI’s Living with Climate Change: Wildfires briefing provides information about policies and practices to address wildfires.

We track all environmental, energy, and climate legislation and hearings happening on Capitol Hill. See the full legislative trackers for March 6-10 and March 13-17.