Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | October 12 - October 16, 2026

Highlights:

The Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act (P.L. 119-123) was signed into law. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) led the bill through Congress to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop tests and methods that would assist in determining whether red snapper and certain tuna species were illegally caught before being imported to the United States. Illegal fishing contributes to fishery depletion and threatens economic and food security around the world. 

The President also enacted the Crow Tribes Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 (P.L. 119-122), led by Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.). The Act amends the Crow Tribes Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009 to give the tribe more flexibility to develop and advance their own water infrastructure projects, such as hydropower generation on the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam. 

Reps. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), and Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) introduced the Northwest Wetlands Voluntary Incentives Program Act (H.R.10823). This bill would create a Department of Interior grant program that rewards states, tribes and private landowners for maintaining and restoring wetland bird habitats in the Columbia River Basin. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) introduced an identical bill in the Senate (S.1615) in May 2025. EESI’s 2025 briefing highlights other conservation efforts along the Columbia River.

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