Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | April 8 - April 12, 2024

Highlights:

Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) reintroduced the Climate Change Education Act (H.R.7946/S.4117). The bill would establish a grant and technical assistance program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ensure that graduating college students are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle a changing climate.  

The Evapotranspiration Data Act (S.1118/H.R.2429) is scheduled for a Senate vote after passing out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The bill, reintroduced by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and bipartisan House cosponsors, would codify the measuring, monitoring, and reporting of evapotranspiration levels in the Colorado River Basin. Hundreds of thousands of acre feet of the river’s flows are lost to evapotranspiration each year, exacerbating already low water levels.

The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act (H.R.6492) passed the House, following its passage in the Natural Resource Committee the previous week. The bill, introduced by Committee Chair Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), aims to improve access to recreation on federal public lands and waters.

The Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023 (H.R.4389) also passed the House. Introduced by Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), and Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), the bill reauthorizes and increases congressionally mandated grant funding for habitat conservation, research and monitoring, and education.

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