Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | October 26 - October 30, 2026

Highlights:

The House Committee on Natural Resources advanced the Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026 (H.R.9640), led by Reps. Robert Wittman (R-Va.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.). The bill would reauthorize the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative—a U.S. Geological Survey program that helps generate baseline data on geologic hazards, critical minerals, and geothermal resources across the United States—through 2031.

The House Committee on Natural Resources also passed the Don Young Doug LaMalfa Indian Buffalo Management Act (H.R.7954). The bill, led by Reps. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.), and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), would require the Secretary of the Interior to work with tribal governments—through grantmaking, consultation, and collaborative agreements—to restore and manage American bison populations. 

Reps. George Whitesides (D-Calif.), James Gallagher (R-Calif.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), and Vince Fong (R-Calif.) introduced the No Bets on Wildfires Act (H.R. 10951). The bill would ban prediction markets, such as Polymarket or Kalshi, from offering bets on wildfire outcomes, such as what cities might burn. The bill’s leaders noted concerns that allowing gambling on wildfires may incentivize people to start wildfires to fulfill bets.

Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Ben Cline (R-Va.), and Sarah McBride (D-Del.) introduced the Farmer Recovery Opportunity and Support for Temperatures Relief Act (H.R.10928). The bill directs the Department of Agriculture to provide block grants to states that experienced freezes in April 2026 to compensate for any associated crop losses.

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