On Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 7269 (Rep. Randall), “Helping Our People Act of 2026”, To amend the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 to clarify that amounts in the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Trust Fund may be withdrawn by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians
H.R. 8674 (Rep. Begich), “Geese House Site Conveyance Act”, to convey to Doyon, Limited 21,000 acres of Denali National Park and Reserve
On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 1031 (Rep. Tenney), “Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park Establishment Act”
H.R. 2323 (Rep. Pfluger), “Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act”
H.R. 7495 (Rep. Fitzgerald), To authorize the establishment of memorials to the Wisconsin infantry officers and enlisted men who fought in the Battle of Antietam and the Second Battle of Bull Run, and for other purposes.
H.R. 8276 (Rep. Schmidt), “Quindaro Townsite National Historic Landmark Act”
H.R. 9104 (Rep. Norton), “Rock Creek National Park Act of 2026”
H.R. 9148 (Rep. Hill), “Scipio Jones House Assessment Act”
H.R. 9999 (Rep. Pettersen), “Mountain Pine Beetle Coordination Act”, To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to enter into cooperative agreements with states and tribes to address mountain pine beetle infestations and reduce associated wildfire risk, including by increased logging
S. 1051 (Sen. Lankford), “Historic Greenwood District—Black Wall Street National Monument Establishment Act”
S. 1377 (Sen. Hoeven), “Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act”
On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 177 (Rep. McClintock), “Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act”, to significantly raise the annual rent that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission pays to the National Park Service for Yosemite reservoirs from $30,000 to $2 million a year
H.R. 3717 (Rep. Harder), “Golden Mussel Eradication and Control Act of 2025”, to establish a demonstration program for golden mussel control in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
H.R. 5935 (Rep. Calvert), “Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Water Rights Settlement Act”
H.R. 6869 (Rep. Leger Fernandez), To amend the Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act to modify a provision relating to the extension of certain dates for the completion of the Regional Water System, and for other purposes.
H.R. 8546 (Rep. Issa), “Pechanga Band of Indians Water Rights Settlement Technical Amendments Act”
H.R. 9017 (Rep. Donalds), “Restore Florida Water Independence Act of 2026”, to give the State of Florida the power to approve its own environmental permits for building and digging near wetlands, bypassing the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws
H.R. 10117 (Rep. Steube), “GATOR Act of 2026”, to order federal agencies to review the status of the American alligator as “threatened due to similarity of appearance,” a designation to stop wildlife traffickers and poachers from killing endangered crocodiles by pretending the hides are just common alligators, in response to increased encounters with American alligators due to rapid suburban development
proposed legislation to extend authorizations for aquatic ecosystem restoration projects, multi-benefit watershed health projects, and WaterSMART grants
H.R.1682, BELO’S Act, to amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to provide for lifetime National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes for family members of members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives while serving their country
H.R.2709, Save Our Sequoias Act
H.R.900, Sinkhole Mapping Act of 2025, to direct the Director of the United States Geological Survey to establish a program to map zones that are at greater risk of sinkhole formation
S.1568, LIT Act of 2025, to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to modify standards for general service lamps
S.2644, Camden National Battlefield Park Study Act, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Camden Battlefield area in the State of South Carolina as a unit of the National Park System
S.4023, America’s Living Library Act, to establish the America’s Living Library Project
S.4103/H.R., Save Our Sequoias Act, to use the threat of wildfires to sequoias to justify logging of old-growth California forests
S.4116, Geo POWER Act, to advance next-generation geothermal electricity generation demonstration projects in new regions
S.4166, SECURE Grid Act, to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require States to include supporting the physical security, cybersecurity, and resilience of local distribution systems in State energy security plans
S.4489, Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authorization Act, to authorize the Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System in the State of Montana
S.456, STEAM Act, to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to expedite geothermal exploration and development in previously studied or developed areas
S.4787, Free to Exit Administrative Tribunals (FEAT) Act to bypass the Department of Interior Office of Hearings and Appeals and send disputes to a fast-tracked federal court system
S.4846, TAAP Act, to amend the United States-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act to reauthorize the United States-Mexico transboundary aquifer assessment program
S.4870, Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026, to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to reauthorize the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative
S.4955, Gateway Arch National Park Boundary Revision Act of 2026, to amend the Act of May 17, 1954, to revise the boundary of Gateway Arch National Park
S.5048, Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act, to amend the Federal Power Act to modernize the hydropower licensing process
S.5101, Glenwood Hot Springs Protection Act, to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from taking any action to expand the Mid-Continent Limestone Quarry located near Glenwood Springs, Colorado
S.5169, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District Boundary Expansion and Partnership Act of 2026, to expand the boundaries of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, to recognize and enhance the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District partnership model
S.5293, PREPARE Act, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to establish prepositioning protocols for aerial wildfire suppression for early-season fine fuel wildland fires
S.5338, Energy Efficiency Reform Act of 2026, to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standards for a product that is not technologically feasible and economically justified
S.5352, Desalination Reauthorization Act, to amend the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act and the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to reauthorize certain desalination programs
S.5359, Pennington County Land Conveyance Act, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Pennington County, South Dakota, certain National Forest System land
S.5360, Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act, to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to reauthorize the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program
S.5374, A bill to facilitate the conveyance of certain land in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, platted under section 2387 of the Revised Statutes, and for other purposes.
S. 2586, MARA Act of 2025, to require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish an assessment program for commercial-scale offshore aquaculture through demonstration projects, to establish Aquaculture Centers of Excellence, to support aquaculture workforce development and working waterfronts
S. 3467, Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Reauthorization Act
S. 3929, Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act, to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to acquire and install certified airborne position reference tools at air traffic control towers
S. 4573, Regional Great Lakes Partnership Act of 2026, to designate the Great Lakes Commission as a Regional Great Lakes Partnership
S. 4749, JAWBONE Act, to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to create a Federal cause of action to address jawboning
S. 4938, Bycatch Reduction Act, to reduce trawl gear impacts on bycatch and seafloor habitat in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska, to establish gear performance standards, seafloor contact detection, and salmon excluder requirements, to improve Council transparency and participation, to prioritize ecosystem analyses, to modernize electronic monitoring, to prohibit unsustainable foreign seafood imports, and to establish a Bycatch Mitigation and Habitat Protection Assistance Fund
S. 4950, ITS Codification Act, to amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to codify the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an initiative to support the development of emergency communication and tracking technologies
S. 5188, Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act of 2026, to amend the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 to establish requirements for unified boxing organizations and to further enhance the well-being of professional boxers
S. 5224, Runway SAFE-T Act, to improve training for airport drivers in the movement area at commercial service airports through the establishment of a task force and the use of technology
HR. 7022, Mystic Alerts Act, to provide for the transmission of emergency alerts by satellite
Coast Guard Promotions:
Capt. Stanley P. Fields, PN1028 for Rear Admiral (Lower Half)
Jeffrey W. Novak, Gregory C. Rothrock for Rear Admiral, PN1148
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
The debate over data centers—whether to build them, where to build them, and how they impact communities—has become a dominant issue in small towns and big cities, attracting national attention. While some communities have chosen to proceed with data center development, others have pushed back, citing opaque land use agreements, higher electricity bills, environmental concerns, and workforce concerns. Given that the opinions of residents are becoming increasingly critical in the consideration of these deals, the question is whether industry, community, and government can ever get closer to agreement on data center development.
On September 15, the Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at Brookings will host a conversation that brings together community, economic development, and technology experts to explore the role that communities must play in managing data center development. Panelists will discuss policies and practices that advance equity in data center deals, and strategies to ensure communities are empowered to make choices that truly address their concerns.
Discussion:
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va)
Nicol Turner Lee, Director - Center for Technology Innovation (CTI)
Panel:
Abre’ Conner, Director, Center for Environmental and Climate Justice - NAACP
Michelle Moore, CEO - Groundswell
Elena Schlossberg, Grassroots Coordinator - The Coalition to Protect Prince William County
Marie Sylla-Dixon, Founder and Principal - Tuckahoe Creek Strategies
Melissa Roberts, Founder and Executive Director, American Flood Coalition
Dr. Ali Mostafavidarani, Founder and CEO, Resilitix AI
Dr. Mike Falkowski, Lead Scientist, Earth Fire Alliance
This hearing will examine emerging research and technologies that can strengthen the nation’s
ability to predict, prepare for, and respond to natural disasters. The Committee will explore
cutting-edge developments in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, advanced sensing,
commercial remote sensing capabilities, data analytics, and next-generation communications and
how continued investment in this research can translate into faster, more actionable information
for emergency managers, first responders, infrastructure operators, and the public.
This
hearing will examine the research pipeline behind these technologies, from early-stage
development to real-world deployment, and identify where continued federal investment,
streamlined regulatory processes, and public-private partnerships can accelerate the next
generation of warning systems.
The Subcommittee on Energy will hold a hearing on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at
10:00 a.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Nuclear Spent
Fuel Policy: Examining Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses.” The hearing will examine the
potential role of the Department of Energy’s proposed Nuclear Lifecycle Innovations Campuses
in carrying out the nation’s nuclear waste policy.
Theodore J. Garrish, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, Department of Energy
Jared S. des Rosiers, Deputy General Counsel and VP for Public, Government & Regulatory Affairs, Maine Yankee, on behalf of Decommissioning Plants Coalition
Maria Korsnick, President and CEO, Nuclear Energy Institute
[Stacey Paradis], Commissioner, Illinois Commerce Commission, on behalf of National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
Greg R. White, Legacy Officer, Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition
Since the Manhattan Project ushered in the nuclear age, the United States has accumulated
high-level radioactive waste that requires permanent disposal. Use of nuclear reactors to power U.S.
Navy ships and activities to maintain a nuclear deterrent have resulted in about 14,000 tons of
defense waste, which is currently located primarily in Washington State, South Carolina, and Idaho.
For the purposes of this hearing, civilian commercial use of nuclear power to produce electricity has
produced over 99,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), currently stored safely at seventy-five sites
in thirty-three states, accumulating at a rate of approximately 2,000 tons annually.2 About a quarter
of the sites no longer have operating reactors.
Congress formally established the nation’s nuclear waste policy with the enactment of the
Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA). The NWPA created the federal government
obligation to dispose of all high-level radioactive waste. The law established the Department of
Energy (DOE) program and the objective, scientifically based process to select two sites for
permanent geologic disposal. The law established a process to consult with and provide benefits
to states, tribes, and local hosts of a site and obligated DOE to take title of commercial SNF and
remove and transport it for disposal beginning no later than January 31, 1998.
The law established that nuclear utility ratepayers would pay fees—one tenth of a cent
per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated by commercial nuclear plants—into the Nuclear Waste
Fund to cover the disposal costs of SNF, under the principle that those who benefit from nucleargenerated electricity should cover the disposal costs.
In 2002, following extensive scientific and technical analysis by DOE and its national
laboratories, the Secretary of Energy determined Yucca Mountain was suitable as a repository,
and Congress enacted a resolution formally designating the site for a repository. DOE
subsequently prepared and submitted a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) for the Yucca Mountain facility in 2008.
In 2010, the Obama administration announced its intention, for policy not technical
reasons, to abandon the Yucca Mountain project and made a motion to withdraw the Yucca
Mountain license application from the NRC with prejudice. The administration dismantled the
DOE office responsible for implementing the NWPA, terminated all activities to support the
repository program, and established the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future
(BRC) to conduct a review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle,
including alternatives for storage, processing, and disposal of civilian and defense SNF and highlevel waste.
In January 2013, DOE released a document titled Strategy for the Management and
Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste, which included a response to
the BRC’s recommendations and a framework for meeting the government’s obligation to dispose
of nuclear waste.8 DOE agreed with the BRC that a consent-based siting process would be critical
to the successful implementation of the agency’s waste management strategy. On January 12,
2017, DOE released a document outlining a draft consent-based siting process for disposal and
storage of nuclear waste.
In the meantime, following the administration’s attempt to withdraw the license
application, the states of Washington and South Carolina, in addition to private parties, sued the
federal government to resume NRC’s review of the license. On August 13, 2013, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the petitioners and issued a writ of mandamus forcing
NRC to continue the licensing process for Yucca Mountain.10 As a result, the NRC resumed
consideration of the scientific and technical review of the DOE’s license application and in 2015,
found that DOE’s license application met applicable regulatory requirements, including postclosure requirements that the repository could be reasonably expected to safely protect public
health for one million years. Prior to the Commission making a final decision on the Yucca
Mountain license application, DOE and NRC would have to resolve approximately 300
contentions filed by affected parties associated with the project. DOE has taken no action to
resume the licensing process, and Congress has not supplied the funding to do so.
In November 2013, the D.C. Court of Appeals also ruled in favor of state utility regulators
and held that the Nuclear Waste Fund fee may not be collected from electricity ratepayers due to
the federal government’s lack of a nuclear waste management plan due to DOE’s closure of the
Yucca Mountain Project. The approximately $750 million annual collection was suspended by
DOE in May 2014. As of September 30, 2025, the NWF maintained a balance of $51 billion.13
Given DOE’s failure to fulfill its contractual obligations to begin disposing of SNF in
1998, nuclear utilities began filing lawsuits to recover additional storage costs they would not
have incurred had DOE begun accepting waste as scheduled. Court decisions have held that
compensation would come from the U.S. Treasury’s Judgment Fund, a permanent account that is
used to cover damage claims against the government with taxpayer funds that do not require
congressional appropriations. In FY 2024 and FY 2025, the Judgement Fund paid $500 million
and $1.1 billion, respectively, to settle claims. With $12.2 billion already paid out, DOE
estimates its potential future liabilities for delays in taking SNF could total as much $44 billion
in additional expenditures.
In January of 2026, the DOE issued a Request
for Information (RFI) inviting states to express interest in hosting Innovation Campuses. The
proposed Innovation Campuses would host activities across the nuclear fuel cycle, including
fabrication, enrichment, reprocessing SNF, and disposition of waste.
The proposed goals of the Innovation Campus RFI to co-locate functions across the
nuclear fuel cycle leading to final disposition of waste resulted in several states expressing
interest in hosting a site. In July 2026, DOE signed memoranda of understanding with Utah,
Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho, and, in September, with West Virginia, expressing
the shared intention of continuing to explore the opportunity to become a host state for an Innovation Campus. DOE plans to continue negotiating with the 6 states to try to reach hosting
agreements for the Innovation Campuses.
The Committee on Rules will meet Monday, September 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET in H-313, The Capitol on the following measures:
H.J. Res. 210 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth; Notice of Decision”.
H.J. Res. 213 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the “California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Commercial Harbor Craft Regulations; Notice of Decision”.
H.R. 9576 – National Fraud Enforcement Division Act
H.R. ____ – Protecting Taxpayers from Health Care Fraudsters Act
H.R. 10326 – Preventing Rip-offs and Obtaining Oversight of Funds Act
Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
*Julie Moore, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, and Vice Chair, Water Committee, Environmental Council of States (ECOS)
Mae Wu, Founder and Principal, Health and Environmental Advising, LLC
Items to be considered:
H.R. ____, Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2026
H.R. ____, Water Cost Accountability Act of 2026, to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to limit the pass-through of data center costs
The Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvement Act would extend or re-establish existing programs to 2027 and add cybersecurity to the Safe Drinking Water Act grant programs.
The Water Cost Accountability Act would require public water systems in states receiving grants from Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Loan Funds to charge data centers for costs for connecting to public water system or expanding the system’s infrastructure, and would require the Environmental Protection Agency to provide a report to Congress on data centers whose water usage exceeds 200,000 gallons per day on average.
The Subcommittee on Environment is considering two pieces of draft legislation to
amend the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which is the main federal law regulating drinking
water in the United States. Under SDWA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes drinking water regulations to protect public health and administers funding programs,
including the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), to help states deliver safe,
reliable and affordable drinking water to their communities. Congress originally enacted SDWA
in 1974, and the law has been reauthorized and amended multiple times, including in 1986, 1996,
2015, 2018, and most recently with enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(IIJA).
The DWSRF provides capitalization grants to states, enabling states to finance drinking
water infrastructure through low-interest loans. Eligible projects include the construction and
replacement of treatment facilities, upgrades to distribution and storage systems, improvements
to existing infrastructure, and lead service line replacement. The IIJA provided about $50 billion
in supplemental funding to multiple EPA programs, including $11.7 billion in general DWSRF
capitalization grants for fiscal years 2022 through 2026, $15 billion for lead service line
replacement set-asides, and $4 billion to address emerging contaminants such as per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Annual discretionary appropriations for the core DWSRF program have remained largely
consistent from Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 through FY2026, generally about $1.1 billion per year.
Of the approximately $1.1 billion appropriated by Congress for FY2026, roughly $715 million
was congressionally directed spending in the form of grants for specific projects, rather than used
to capitalize state revolving loan funds, which provide loans that are repaid with interest to fund
future infrastructure investments.
As part of this work, the Subcommittee on Environment staff has examined proposals to
improve access to safe and affordable drinking water, strengthen the security and resilience of
water systems against cyber and other threats, and to ensure that SDWA funding is reaching
small, rural, and disadvantaged systems that need it most.