S. 1674, A bill to modify the boundary of the Mammoth Cave National Park in the State of Kentucky, and for other purposes. (Mr. McConnell)
S. 2498, A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to extend certain leases within units of the National Park System without opening the lease to bidding. (Mr. Tillis)
S. 2767/* H.R. 5254, A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events in Gateway Arch National Park buildings, and for other purposes. (Mr. Scmitt/Rep. Bell)
S. 2801, A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the Canterbury Shaker Village National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. (Ms. Hassan)
S. 2887, A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Route 66 National Historic Trail, and for other purposes. (Mr. Cruz)
S. 2933, A bill to redesignate a playground in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in the State of West Virginia as the “Hearts of Gold Playground: In Honor of West Virginia Children and Families Impacted by Childhood Cancer”. (Mr. Justice)
S. 2969, A bill to amend title 54, United States Code, to provide that State law shall apply to the use of motor vehicles on roads within a System unit. (Mr. Lee)
S. 3131, A bill to provide for the inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall of the names of the lost crew members of the USS Frank E. Evans killed on June 3, 1969. (Mr. Schiff)
S. 3194, A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land in California as the Monterey Bay National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. (Mr. Padilla)
S. 3313/* H.R. 6365, A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to issue a right-of-way for an emergency exit on certain National Park Service land in the State of Virginia, and for other purposes. (Mr. Kaine/Rep. McGuire)
S. 3371, A bill to designate the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement in Baltimore, Maryland, as the “National Museum of the Blind People’s Movement”. (Mr. Van Hollen)
S. 3501, A bill to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage Area System the Calumet National Heritage Area in the States of Indiana and Illinois, and for other purposes. (Mr. Young)
S. 3524, A bill to amend title 54, United States Code, to modify certain cost-sharing requirements for grant programs under the American Battlefield Protection Program, and for other purposes. (Mr. McCormick)
S. 3542, A bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the Upper Raritan River Watershed in the State of New Jersey for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. (Mr. Booker)
S. 3720, A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bay Area Ridge as a national scenic trail, and for other purposes. (Mr. Schiff)
S. 3785, A bill to authorize direct emergency acquisition flexibilities for the National Park Service and Forest Service for the purpose of retaining, vetting, approving, and expediting contractor approval for the clearing, rebuilding, maintenance, and improvement of areas of the Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest damaged by certain wildfires, and for other purposes. (Mr. Gallego)
S. 3925, A bill to establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park, and for other purposes. (Mr. Durbin)
S. 4238, A bill to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage Area System the Endless Mountains National Heritage Area in the State of Pennsylvania, and for other purposes. (Mr. McCormick)
S. 4399, A bill to provide for certain conveyances under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other purposes. (Ms. Murkowski)
S. 4538, A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating Washington’s Trail—1753 as a national historic trail, and for other purposes. (Mr. Fetterman)
S. 4595, A bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the Mullica River watershed in New Jersey for study for potential designation as a wild and scenic river, and for other purposes. (Mr. Kim)
S. 4767, A bill to extend the authorization of the African American Civil Rights Network. (Mr. Scott)
H.R. 183, A bill to amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to provide for a free annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass for law enforcement officers and firefighters. (Rep. McClintock)
H.R. 2306, A bill to reauthorize the Adams Memorial Commission, and for other purposes. (Rep. Moolenaar)
H.R. 5729, A bill to authorize direct emergency acquisition flexibilities for the National Park Service for the purpose of retaining, vetting, approving, and expediting contractor approval for the clearing, rebuilding, maintenance, and improvement of the Grand Canyon grounds that have been impacted by the Dragon Bravo Fire. (Rep. Crane)
On July 16, House Budget Committee marked up a $95 billion reconciliation package of $12 billion for USDA, $73 billion for military ($60 billion for armed services and $13 billion for intelligence), and $10 billion for the SAVE America voter suppression bill.
Witnesses
Ted Budd, United States Senator
Alex Padilla, United States Senator
Mike Rounds, United States Senator
The Honorable Peter B. Hegseth
Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense
General John D. Caine
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Honorable Brooke L. Rollins
Secretary, Department of Agriculture
On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 2:00 p.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. 7332 (Rep. Matsui), “Whale CHARTS Act of 2026”, to direct resources to mapping the North Atlantic Right Whale after Trump admin reversal of boat speed limits in habitat
H.R. 7466 (Rep. Jackson of TX), “SAFE CATTLE Act”, to reallocate USDA and DOI staff and resources to combat invasive screwworm after Trump admin slashed USDA and DOI programs
Subcommittee hearing entitled “Measuring What Matters: Science, Standards, and Strategic Competition”.
The subcommittee will “examine how the U.S. can maintain its competitive edge in an ever-growing and rapidly evolving technological landscape, while also assessing how China is pursuing global control through coordinated national strategies and policies to strengthen American leadership.”
Witnesses
Walter Copan, Vice President Emeritus for Research and Technology Transfer, Colorado School of Mines
Dr. Drew Endy, Director of Bio-Strategy and Leadership, Hoover Institution
Dr. Robert Atkinson, Founder and Senior Fellow, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Dr. Julia Phillips, Science Policy Advocate
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness Subcommittee
On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 8003 (Rep. Deluzio), “Expanding the Fast Track Act of 2026”, to lower the threshold for eligibility from $200 million to $50 million, increasing the number of mining, clean energy, and industrial plant projects that could be fast-tracked; however, the Trump administration has blocked fast-tracking for solar, wind, battery, and grid projects
H.R. 9640 (Rep. Wittman), “Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026”
H.R. 8347, Reinforcing Underserved, Rural, and Local (RURAL) Healthcare Act (ANS)
H.R. 6213, Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025 (ANS), to prohibit the Secretary of Labor from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a proposed standard with respect to heat injury and illness prevention
H.R. 8775, Ending Predator Access to Union Power Act (ANS)
The Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a Full Committee markup on Monday,
July 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, and subsequent days (beginning Tuesday at 8 am) as
necessary, to consider the following items:
H.R. 5243, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase data transparency for supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage. (Rep. McClellan)
H.R. 9389,_ Nutrition Education and Chronic Disease Prevention in Community Health Centers Act of 2026_ (Rep. Harshbarger)
H.R. 8201, Expanding Community Access to Health Services Act (Rep. Lee (NV))
H.R. 5526, Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act (Reps. Pfluger and Landsman)
H.R. 8908, STOP GAMES Act of 2026 (Reps. Sorensen and Bice)
H.R. 9661, Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act (Reps. Langworthy and Schrier)
A. H.R. 9340, Ratepayer Protection Act (Reps. Evans (CO) and Castor)
This legislation would amend Section 111(d) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies
Act (PURPA) to require each state regulatory authority to consider establishing a large-load
standard to provide that a rate charged, or related agreement entered into, by an electric utility for
providing electric service to a large-load customer shall recover the full, incremental cost of any
generation, transmission, or distribution upgrade necessary to serve the load of such customer
and to provide for financial assurances to cover such upgrades. The legislation would define
large-load customers as non-residential electric consumers requesting electric energy for one or
more facilities at a site or campus with peak demand of 100 megawatts or more.
B. H.R. 9332, Load Forecasting Enhancement Act (Reps. Balderson and Menendez)
This legislation would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to hold
regional joint boards with state public utility commissions to study and identify best practices for
electric load forecasting that enhance the reliability and affordability of electric service to
customers, and to develop best practices related to load forecasting. The legislation requires a
FERC report to Congress with recommendations from the joint boards and requires each state
regulatory authority to consider incorporating the report’s recommendations regarding load
forecasting. Further, the legislation would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act
(EPCA) to include in state energy conservation plans procedures and programs to improve
accuracy, oversight, and transparency to stakeholders of load forecasting by electric utilities.
C. H.R. 9339, Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act (Reps. Harshbarger and Mullin)
This legislation would direct the Department of Energy, in consultation with FERC and
NERC, to study and report to Congress on opportunities to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and
other high-performance computing technologies to enhance the capacity, reliable operation, and
operational efficiency of the bulk power systems, and provide recommendations to facilitate
adoption of such technologies with respect to grid operation. The bill requires the Department of
Energy to consider AI applications for interconnection processes as part of their study.
D. H.R. 9335, Advanced Transmission Technology to Reduce Rates Act (Rep. Goldman (TX))
This legislation would amend EPCA to require the Secretary of Energy to establish and
maintain a publicly available clearinghouse that identifies advanced transmission technologies
(ATT), analyses, and financial assistance related to the technologies, and would require the
Secretary to provide technical assistance to utilities, transmission organizations, and states
seeking such assistance concerning ATT. The legislation would enable states to include
programs to facilitate deployment of ATT in state energy conservation plans. The legislation
would provide that any DOE financial assistance for ATT would not be considered a major
federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act. The legislation would require the
Secretary to establish best practices for utilities to reduce the risk of wildfire ignition from the
bulk power system. This legislation was amended during the Energy Subcommittee markup on
June 24, 2026, to clarify provisions related to NEPA under section 2.
E. H.R. 6633, High-Capacity Grid Act (Rep. Fedorchak)
This legislation would direct FERC to establish a best-available transmission conductor
standard and to apply the standard to new FERC jurisdictional transmission lines and upgrades,
modifications, or replacements. The legislation would establish that a utility is precluded from
recovering any costs for conductors, except for conductors meeting the standard, unless the
utility can demonstrate that use of such conductors is not prudent and the associated costs are not
just and reasonable. This legislation was amended during the Energy Subcommittee markup on
June 24, 2026, to establish, in consultation with DOE, a Best Available Transmission Conductor
Class and to streamline the process for FERC to implement requirements for public utilities
associated with the establishment of such class of conductors.
F. H.R. 6529, Protecting Families from AI Data Center Energy Costs Act (Rep. Landsman)
This legislation would require FERC to hold a Commissioner-led technical conference on
strategies and rate structures for protecting residential and small commercial ratepayers from
increased costs associated with large loads. Participants would include DOE, utilities,
transmission providers, state regulators, consumer advocates, and large loads. FERC would
report to Congress on recommendations and best practices resulting from the conference. This legislation was amended during the Energy Subcommittee markup on June 24, 2026, to clarify
that the authorities of FERC under the proposed technical conference are focused on federal
authorities.
G. H.R. 9338, Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026 (Rep. Weber)
This legislation would reauthorize PHMSA’s pipeline safety program for 5 years and
update policies and procedures to modernize PHMSA and improve safety.
Sec. 1 Short Title. This section provides that the Act may be cited as the “Pipeline Safety
Authorization Act of 2026.”
Sec. 2 Definitions. This section would modify the definition of “transporting gas” to
clarify the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) regulatory
authorities with respect to transfer and in-plant piping.
Sec. 3. Minimum Safety Standards. This section would require PHMSA to consider the
“safety and economic benefits within the United States” when conducting cost-benefit analysis
for proposed regulations.
Sec. 4. Opportunity for Formal Hearing. This section would provide an opportunity for
pipeline operators that have been issued a notice of enforcement from PHMSA to have an onthe-record hearing conducted by an administrative law judge. An operator must prove that
compliance with the enforcement action is more than $125,000, or there must be a proposed civil
penalty of $125,000 or more to have the opportunity for a formal hearing. The section would
also require the Secretary of Transportation to establish protocols for hearings under this section
to ensure orderly process and protection of confidential information.
Sec. 5. Special Permit Program. This section would require that any terms placed on
safety waivers (special permits) are specific to the pipeline safety regulation being waived and
would establish timelines for consideration of special permit applications. The section would
also mandate a report to Congress on the status of safety waivers sought under the special permit
program and directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide a report on
PHMSA’s implementation of the provision.
Sec. 6. Strengthening Penalties for Pipeline Safety Violations. This section would
strengthen penalties for “damaging, destroying, or impairing the operation of” pipeline facilities
or pipeline facilities under construction.
Sec. 7. Authorization Levels. This section would reauthorize PHMSA’s pipeline safety
program for five years.
Sec. 8. Pipeline Safety Voluntary Information-Sharing Program. This section would
direct PHMSA to establish a voluntary information sharing system to gather, evaluate, and
quantify critical pipeline safety data and information to improve safety.
Sec. 9. Excavation Damage Prevention. This section would update PHMSA’s
assessment criteria for State Damage Prevention Programs and would describe additional leading
practices that state one-call programs should consider implementing to prevent excavation
damage to pipelines and other underground utilities.
Sec. 10. Civil Penalties. This section would raise PHMSA’s maximum civil penalty for a
violation from $200,000 to $341,200 and raise the maximum civil penalty for a series of
violations from $2,000,000 to $3,412,000.
Sec. 11. User Fees. This section would clarify that user fees collected from pipeline
operators by PHMSA are to remain in the Pipeline Safety Fund until they are expended and not
to be used for other purposes.
H. H.R. 9617, Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals (CHARM) Act (Reps. Palmer and Tonko)
This legislation directs the EPA Administrator, in consultation with the heads of other
federal agencies, to develop and carry out a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy to
coordinate federal efforts to recover critical minerals from discarded materials.
I. H.R. 9616, Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative (EMRTAI) Act (Reps. Pfluger and Landsman)
This legislation would authorize EPA to establish a program to investigate, evaluate, and
support processes, methods, and systems which may be utilized to identify sources of critical
materials at contaminated sites as well as recovery of such critical minerals.
The Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a Full Committee markup on Monday,
July 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, and subsequent days as
necessary, to consider the following items:
H.R. 5243, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase data transparency for supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage. (Rep. McClellan)
H.R. 9389, Nutrition Education and Chronic Disease Prevention in Community Health Centers Act of 2026 (Rep. Harshbarger)
H.R. 8201, Expanding Community Access to Health Services Act (Rep. Lee (NV))
H.R. 5526, Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act (Reps. Pfluger and Landsman)
H.R. 8908, STOP GAMES Act of 2026 (Reps. Sorensen and Bice)
H.R. 9661, Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act (Reps. Langworthy and Schrier)
The subcommittee markup of the grid and pipeline bills took place on June 24.
A. H.R. 9340, Ratepayer Protection Act (Reps. Evans (CO) and Castor)
This legislation would amend Section 111(d) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies
Act (PURPA) to require each state regulatory authority to consider establishing a large-load
standard to provide that a rate charged, or related agreement entered into, by an electric utility for
providing electric service to a large-load customer shall recover the full, incremental cost of any
generation, transmission, or distribution upgrade necessary to serve the load of such customer
and to provide for financial assurances to cover such upgrades. The legislation would define
large-load customers as non-residential electric consumers requesting electric energy for one or
more facilities at a site or campus with peak demand of 100 megawatts or more.
B. H.R. 9332, Load Forecasting Enhancement Act (Reps. Balderson and Menendez)
This legislation would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to hold
regional joint boards with state public utility commissions to study and identify best practices for
electric load forecasting that enhance the reliability and affordability of electric service to
customers, and to develop best practices related to load forecasting. The legislation requires a
FERC report to Congress with recommendations from the joint boards and requires each state
regulatory authority to consider incorporating the report’s recommendations regarding load
forecasting. Further, the legislation would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act
(EPCA) to include in state energy conservation plans procedures and programs to improve
accuracy, oversight, and transparency to stakeholders of load forecasting by electric utilities.
C. H.R. 9339, Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act (Reps. Harshbarger and Mullin)
This legislation would direct the Department of Energy, in consultation with FERC and
NERC, to study and report to Congress on opportunities to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and
other high-performance computing technologies to enhance the capacity, reliable operation, and
operational efficiency of the bulk power systems, and provide recommendations to facilitate
adoption of such technologies with respect to grid operation. The bill requires the Department of
Energy to consider AI applications for interconnection processes as part of their study.
D. H.R. 9335, Advanced Transmission Technology to Reduce Rates Act (Rep. Goldman (TX))
This legislation would amend EPCA to require the Secretary of Energy to establish and
maintain a publicly available clearinghouse that identifies advanced transmission technologies
(ATT), analyses, and financial assistance related to the technologies, and would require the
Secretary to provide technical assistance to utilities, transmission organizations, and states
seeking such assistance concerning ATT. The legislation would enable states to include
programs to facilitate deployment of ATT in state energy conservation plans. The legislation
would provide that any DOE financial assistance for ATT would not be considered a major
federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act. The legislation would require the
Secretary to establish best practices for utilities to reduce the risk of wildfire ignition from the
bulk power system. This legislation was amended during the Energy Subcommittee markup on
June 24, 2026, to clarify provisions related to NEPA under section 2.
E. H.R. 6633, High-Capacity Grid Act (Rep. Fedorchak)
This legislation would direct FERC to establish a best-available transmission conductor
standard and to apply the standard to new FERC jurisdictional transmission lines and upgrades,
modifications, or replacements. The legislation would establish that a utility is precluded from
recovering any costs for conductors, except for conductors meeting the standard, unless the
utility can demonstrate that use of such conductors is not prudent and the associated costs are not
just and reasonable. This legislation was amended during the Energy Subcommittee markup on
June 24, 2026, to establish, in consultation with DOE, a Best Available Transmission Conductor
Class and to streamline the process for FERC to implement requirements for public utilities
associated with the establishment of such class of conductors.
F. H.R. 6529, Protecting Families from AI Data Center Energy Costs Act (Rep. Landsman)
This legislation would require FERC to hold a Commissioner-led technical conference on
strategies and rate structures for protecting residential and small commercial ratepayers from
increased costs associated with large loads. Participants would include DOE, utilities,
transmission providers, state regulators, consumer advocates, and large loads. FERC would
report to Congress on recommendations and best practices resulting from the conference. This legislation was amended during the Energy Subcommittee markup on June 24, 2026, to clarify
that the authorities of FERC under the proposed technical conference are focused on federal
authorities.
G. H.R. 9338, Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026 (Rep. Weber)
This legislation would reauthorize PHMSA’s pipeline safety program for 5 years and
update policies and procedures to modernize PHMSA and improve safety.
Sec. 1 Short Title. This section provides that the Act may be cited as the “Pipeline Safety
Authorization Act of 2026.”
Sec. 2 Definitions. This section would modify the definition of “transporting gas” to
clarify the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) regulatory
authorities with respect to transfer and in-plant piping.
Sec. 3. Minimum Safety Standards. This section would require PHMSA to consider the
“safety and economic benefits within the United States” when conducting cost-benefit analysis
for proposed regulations.
Sec. 4. Opportunity for Formal Hearing. This section would provide an opportunity for
pipeline operators that have been issued a notice of enforcement from PHMSA to have an onthe-record hearing conducted by an administrative law judge. An operator must prove that
compliance with the enforcement action is more than $125,000, or there must be a proposed civil
penalty of $125,000 or more to have the opportunity for a formal hearing. The section would
also require the Secretary of Transportation to establish protocols for hearings under this section
to ensure orderly process and protection of confidential information.
Sec. 5. Special Permit Program. This section would require that any terms placed on
safety waivers (special permits) are specific to the pipeline safety regulation being waived and
would establish timelines for consideration of special permit applications. The section would
also mandate a report to Congress on the status of safety waivers sought under the special permit
program and directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide a report on
PHMSA’s implementation of the provision.
Sec. 6. Strengthening Penalties for Pipeline Safety Violations. This section would
strengthen penalties for “damaging, destroying, or impairing the operation of” pipeline facilities
or pipeline facilities under construction.
Sec. 7. Authorization Levels. This section would reauthorize PHMSA’s pipeline safety
program for five years.
Sec. 8. Pipeline Safety Voluntary Information-Sharing Program. This section would
direct PHMSA to establish a voluntary information sharing system to gather, evaluate, and
quantify critical pipeline safety data and information to improve safety.
Sec. 9. Excavation Damage Prevention. This section would update PHMSA’s
assessment criteria for State Damage Prevention Programs and would describe additional leading
practices that state one-call programs should consider implementing to prevent excavation
damage to pipelines and other underground utilities.
Sec. 10. Civil Penalties. This section would raise PHMSA’s maximum civil penalty for a
violation from $200,000 to $341,200 and raise the maximum civil penalty for a series of
violations from $2,000,000 to $3,412,000.
Sec. 11. User Fees. This section would clarify that user fees collected from pipeline
operators by PHMSA are to remain in the Pipeline Safety Fund until they are expended and not
to be used for other purposes.
H. H.R. 9617, Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals (CHARM) Act (Reps. Palmer and Tonko)
This legislation directs the EPA Administrator, in consultation with the heads of other
federal agencies, to develop and carry out a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy to
coordinate federal efforts to recover critical minerals from discarded materials.
I. H.R. 9616, Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative (EMRTAI) Act (Reps. Pfluger and Landsman)
This legislation would authorize EPA to establish a program to investigate, evaluate, and
support processes, methods, and systems which may be utilized to identify sources of critical
materials at contaminated sites as well as recovery of such critical minerals.
David Cummins, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration
Cummins worked as a senior vice president of the Citizen Services Business Group at Serco, a government contractor that works with local and federal agencies. He was the Director of Operations Management for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic organizing committee. Cummins holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School, an MA in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a BA in Political Science from Messiah College.