Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | April 13 - April 17, 2026

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April 20, 2026

Highlights: 

The House passed the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025 (H.R.1011) to improve federal disaster relief for U.S. agricultural producers. The bill, reintroduced by Reps. Julia Letlow (R-La.) and four bipartisan cosponsors, would reform the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program by increasing the eligibility and timeframe for these programs and increasing the ratio of costs covered by USDA.. The bill will now head to the President’s desk for his signature, having already passed in the Senate (S.629) last month (led by Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.)).

Reps. Josh Riley (D-N.Y.) and Jefferson Van Drew (R-N.J.) introduced the No Taxes on Utility Bills Act (H.R.8350) to reduce utility costs for households and small businesses. The bill, if passed, would allow households and small businesses to deduct taxes and state-mandated surcharges on utility bills from their federal income tax. For more ways to lower energy bills, check out EESI’s briefing on Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) introduced the Federal Mechanical Insulation Act (S.4312) to increase energy efficiency in federal buildings. The bill, if passed, would require federal government-owned buildings to include mechanical insulation in the energy audit of federal buildings.

The House held several budget and appropriations hearings last week. The House Committee on Appropriations held four budget hearings on the Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Forest Service, while the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing to discuss the  Department of Energy’s budget for the fiscal year 2027.

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