Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | May 11 - May 15, 2026

Highlights:

The President signed P.L.119-90, which requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend construction deadlines for certain hydropower projects, into law. Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Kennedy (R-La.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) reintroduced the bill (S.1020), which passed the Senate with unanimous consent in July 2025 and the House in April 2026. 

The House passed the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 (H.R.1346) to boost biofuel production across the country. Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) lead the bill, which would lift restrictions on the seasonal sale of E15 fuel and make it available year-round, providing greater economic security for biofuel producers. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) leads the bill’s bipartisan Senate companion (S.593). 

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced the Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient (SECURE) Grid Act (H.R.7257) to safeguard the country’s energy infrastructure. Reps. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) introduced the bill to require states to assess electric grid vulnerabilities to extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and cyber threats in their respective State Energy Security Plans. To learn more about grid resilience solutions, check out EESI’s briefing, Powering Up: Improving Energy Grid Reliability and Resilience to Lower Energy Bills.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce agreed to the Energy Emergency Leadership Act (H.R.7258). Reps. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), and Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) reintroduced the bill to strengthen the Department of Energy’s energy emergency and cybersecurity responsibilities. To learn more about the U.S. grid, check out EESI’s briefing, Generation Innovation, Grid Optimization, and Energy Efficiency.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation agreed to the Integrated Ocean Observation System (IOOS) Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S.2126). The bill, introduced by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), would reauthorize the IOOS—which provides real-time data to support fisheries and coastal communities—for five fiscal years, at current funding levels. Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) leads the House version of the bill (H.R.2294), which passed in March 2026. For more ways to support climate data in 2026, check out EESI’s recent briefing.

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