Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | February 9 - February 13, 2026

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025 (S.714), reintroduced by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). The bill would reconcile differences between the U.S. Department of Energy’s critical materials list and the U.S. Geological Survey’s critical minerals list,  and increase the number of critical minerals and materials eligible for clean energy tax credits. Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.) lead the House version of the bill (H.R.755). To learn more about these minerals—and their lists—matter, check out EESI’s issue brief.

The House Committee on Natural Resources agreed to H.R.2294 to support ocean and coastal monitoring efforts. Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) introduced the bill with bipartisan support to reauthorize and improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Integrated Ocean Observing System, which provides real-time data on ocean conditions, for the next five fiscal years.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations agreed to the Protecting Global Fisheries Act of 2025 (S.1369). Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and John Curtis (R-Utah) reintroduced the bill to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing—which contributes to fishery depletion and threatens economic and food security—by authorizing visa, asset, and financial sanctions on parties involved in IUU. 

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced the Pipeline Integrity, Protection, and Enhancement for Leveraging Investments in the Nation’s Energy to assure Safety Act (PIPELINE Safety Act) of 2025 (S.2975). Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced the bill, which aims to improve the safety of domestic energy transportation. The bill would reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s pipeline safety program for five years and authorize $1.65 billion to fund safety, education, and technology improvements. 

House Committee on Agriculture Chair Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567), otherwise known as the  Farm Bill. The legislative package, which Congress reauthorizes roughly every five years, governs key programs ranging from crop insurance and capacity-building support for beginning farmers to climate-smart farming practices, rural energy, and research and development. The last Farm Bill, passed in 2018, was set to expire in 2023 and has since been extended annually. To learn more, check out EESI’s Farm Bill resources.

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