Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | February 17 - February 20, 2026

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology reported the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) Act (H.R.390) to the House floor after voting unanimously to advance it. The bill, introduced by Reps. Vince Fong (R-Calif.) and Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), authorizes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s ACERO project, which is focusing on the use of drones to combat wildfires, especially in low-visibility conditions in which manned aircrafts cannot be used. To learn more about federal responses to wildfires, join EESI on March 3 for our briefing, Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy.

Reps. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) and Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) introduced the Rural Water Security Act (H.R.7631) to boost federal funding eligibility for rural water infrastructure projects in Colorado. The bill, if passed, would amend the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to include Colorado in federal water infrastructure assistance projects. To learn more about rural water systems and federal programs, check out this EESI article.

Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), and Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) introduced the Powering Productivity Act (H.R.7606) and the Energy - Modernizing Energy Information Administration Tracking and Reporting to Increase Consistency (Energy METRIC) Act (H.R.7607), which both aim to modernize the U.S. energy system’s reporting. The Powering Productivity Act would direct the Department of Energy to create a national standard for measuring economic energy productivity. The Energy METRIC Act aims to improve the transparency and scope of energy reporting within the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

To catch up on all of the recent environmental and energy legislation in Congress, read the pdf here.