Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | June 16 - June 20, 2025

Highlights:

The Senate passed the Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act (S.154). Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and bipartisan cosponsors reintroduced the bill to extend the life of the System Conservation Pilot Program to 2026. The program tests water conservation strategies in the Colorado River Basin to alleviate the impacts of severe drought. For more on conservation efforts across the river basin, check out EESI’s Colorado River briefing.

Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), alongside bipartisan House lawmakers, introduced the Enhancing Science, Treatment, and Upkeep of America’s Resilient and Important Estuarine Systems (ESTUARIES) Act (S.2063/H.R.3962). The ESTUARIES Act would reauthorize the National Estuary Program, which supports local restoration efforts across 28 estuaries of national significance. Episode 8.1 of EESI’s podcast, the Climate Conversation, discusses estuary restoration with Restore America’s Estuaries President and CEO Daniel Hayden. 

Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) introduced the Research for Environmental Uses and Sustainable Economies (REUSE) Act (S.2110). The bill, if passed, would mandate a federal study on plastics reuse and refill systems across different sectors. The study would identify challenges to and opportunities for improving and expanding reuse and refill systems at the local, state, and federal levels.

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