Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | July 20 - July 24, 2026

Highlights: 

The House passed the bipartisan 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 establish grants for supercritical and closed-loop geothermal system research programs. It would also establish a Next-Generation Geothermal Center for Excellence to support commercialization and workforce development. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the Senate version (S.4406) in April. 

Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) reintroduced the National Coordination on Resilience for Security Act of 2026 (S.5035). The bill would establish a national adaptation and resilience strategy and create implementation plans through partnerships with federal, state, local, private sector, and non-profit actors. Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) introduced an identical bill (H.R.9760) in the House the week prior. 

Reps. George Whitesides (D-Calif.), Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.), and Abraham Hamadeh (R-Ariz.) introduced the Lowering Energy Costs through Grid Modernization Act (H.R.9945). The bill would expedite electric grid modernizations by upgrading existing transmission lines with advanced conductors, which can increase capacity without building out new infrastructure. It would also streamline permitting for existing rights-of-way improvements to limit delays. To learn more, check out EESI’s briefing on strategies to modernize the electric grid and lower energy bills. 

Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah.), alongside Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), introduced the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026 (S.5045). The bill would expand eligibility for states to use prescribed fires as preventative tools for wildfire emissions—without penalization from national ambient air quality standards. For more wildfire solutions, check out EESI’s briefing, Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy.

Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Reps. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) introduced the Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act (S.5087/H.R.9827). The bill would redefine renewable biomass under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard, which would strengthen the market for biomass removed during wildfire prevention efforts and improve wildfire resiliency.

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