Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | August 4 - August 29, 2025

Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) and Bryan Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) introduced the Public Utility Remediation and Enhancement for Water (PURE Water) Act (H.R.4961) in the House. The bill, if passed, would  provide funding to municipal water treatment facilities to remove perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water. For more information about PFAS, check out EESI’s PFAS issue brief.   

Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) reintroduced the Specialty Crop Domestic Market Promotion Program Act (H.R.5030) to improve the specialty crop industry in the United States. Specifically, the bill would create programs that help specialty crop producers better market their products and make automation technology more accessible to producers. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Josh Harder (D-Calif.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), and Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.).

Reps. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.) reintroduced the bipartisan Next Generation of Farmers Act (H.R.5004) to expand new producers’ access to farm real estate loans by reducing federal barriers to loan qualification. For more information on the financial barriers faced by first-generation farmers, young farmers, and farmers of color, check out EESI’s article, “Growing Career Opportunities for Young People in Agriculture.”

Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Wildfire Grid Resiliency Act (H.R.4490) to improve electric grid resilience to wildfires. The bill would allocate $10 million to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop technology that would mitigate wildfire-related electrical grid damage. It would also provide grants to the DOE’s National Laboratories to support projects related to protecting power grids from fire damage, monitoring vegetation management, and protecting first responders. For more information on how the National Labs are addressing disaster resilience, check out EESI’s article, “Wielding Artificial Intelligence, the National Labs Take a Stab at Disaster Resilience.”

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