Environment & Energy Congressional Round-Up | September 8 - September 12, 2025

The Senate passed the bipartisan Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments (HABHRCA) Act of 2025 (S.93). The bill seeks to reauthorize the original HABHRCA Act of 1998 to support federal and state government responses to harmful algal blooms, which occur in all 50 states and threaten coastal economies and ecosystems. Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tammy Bladwin (D-Wis.) reintroduced the bill alongside 14 bipartisan cosponsors. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) lead companion legislation (H.R.644) in the House. 

The Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025 (S.306) passed the Senate. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the bill alongside seven bipartisan cosponsors. The bill aims to establish a Fire Weather Services program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and authorize funding for the development of innovative wildfire forecasting technologies. The bill now moves to the House for further consideration. 

The Senate passed the Enhancing First Response Act (S.725). The bill, introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), updates the 9-1-1 emergency reporting system to increase reliable connection during natural disasters. The bill now moves to the House for further consideration. Two companion bills are in the House: the 911 SAVES Act (H.R.540) led by Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) and the Emergency Reporting Act (H.R.5200) led by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.). 

Reps. Troy Downing (R-Mont.) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) introduced the Improvement of Mapping, Addresses, Geography, Elevations, and Structures (IMAGES) Act (H.R. 5229) to modernize and improve flood mapping standards. The bill, if passed, would require data that informs flood risk mitigation to be accessible to the public, mandate that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Insurance Rate Maps use planimetric features, and order that FEMA flood maps are updated every five years (maps are currently updated every 35 years on average).

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