Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | July 13 - July 18, 2026

Highlights: 

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026 (S.4949). Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) reintroduced the bill, which reauthorizes flood control, ecosystem restoration, and other water resources projects under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers every two years.

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), along with ten bipartisan cosponsors, introduced the Saving the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Act of 2026 (H.R.9647) to block the dismantling of deep-sea monitoring instruments. The bill is a response to the National Science Foundation’s plan to remove the OOI’s sensors, which provide real-time and publicly accessible data for fishery management and coastal communities on marine climate and weather events. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska.) introduced the Senate version (S.4822), which passed the chamber in June.

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology agreed to the Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act (H.R.8790). Reps. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) introduced the bill, which would direct the Department of Energy to support research, development, and commercial application efforts of new geothermal energy systems.

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