Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | June 22- June 26, 2026

Highlights:

The House passed the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025 (S.629) to improve federal disaster relief for U.S. agricultural producers. Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) reintroduced the bill, which 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 in March.

The House passed Disaster Loan Accountability and Reform Act (DLARA) (H.R. 4238) to improve the transparency of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) disaster loan program. Reps. Tim Moore (R-N.C.) and Don Davis (D-N.C.) introduced the bill in response to the SBA’s shortcomings following Hurricane Helene, when the disaster loan fund was depleted and left communities with delayed support. The bill, if passed, would require the SBA to provide monthly reports and projections of their disaster loan fund. Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) introduced companion legislation (S.300), which passed out of the Senate Small Business Committee this year.

Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), along with eleven Democratic and Independent cosponsors, reintroduced the Small Farm Conservation Act (S.4867) to improve small farms' access to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP is a voluntary conservation program for farmers to receive financial cost-share and technical assistance for conservation practices. To learn more about EQIP, check out EESI’s briefing, Conservation Practices from Farms to Forests and Wetlands. 

Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) introduced S.4870 to reauthorize the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI). Earth MRI is a U.S. Geological Survey program that helps generate baseline data on geologic hazards, critical mineral, and geothermal resources across the United States. The program's funding is set to expire at the end of fiscal year 2026. This bill would extend funding for another five years and expand research to also include natural hydrogen.

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