Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | September 21 - September 25, 2026

Highlights:

The president enacted the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act (H.R.3657), which will bolster the clean energy sector and help meet increased energy demand by making hydropower dam licensing processes more efficient. Reps. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) and Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) led the bill to its passage. 

The president also signed the Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act (S.759) into law. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Angus King (I-Maine) reintroduced the bill to  improve data collection and publication on the use of U.S. marine waterways. By requiring more accessible and accurate data, the bill would improve Americans’ recreational experience in U.S. waterways, promote safe and legal marinel activity, and boost coastal economies. 

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry advanced the Agricultural Act of 2026 (S.5526)—the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill—from Committee Chair Sen. John Boozman’s (R-Ark.). The Senate Farm Bill would improve disaster programs, invest in risk management tools, expand access to crop insurance, increase loan limits for new and young farmers, strengthen partnerships with land grant institutions, and improve drinking water systems, among other measures. Stay tuned for EESI’s updated side-by-side comparisons of the Senate Committee’s text, the House’s Farm Bill text, and the enacted 2018 Farm Bill text.

Senators introduced or reintroduced three bills to prevent or remediate pollution from perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS: the Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act (S.5516), reintroduced by Sens. Margaret Hassan (D-N.H.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.); the Banning Toxics from Plastic Bottles Act (S.5525) led by Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); and the PFAS Rapid Response Act (S.5555) from Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). 

Reps. Josh Riley (D-N.Y.) and James Gallagher (R-Calif.) introduced the Improving Rural Transportation Act (H.R.10598). The bill would create a grant program under the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve mobility in small, rural communities. Specifically, it would help fund rideshare and micro-transit programs and incentivize public-private partnerships. For more policy solutions for expanding and improving public transit, check out EESI’s briefing, Next Stop: Sustainable Public Transit and Mobility.

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