Congress.

• Date: 08 February 2024

22024 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW REPORTER 54 ELR 10177

In the Congress

“In the Congress” covers notable environment-related activities reported in the Congressional Record during the month

December 2023. Entries are arranged by bill number, with Senate bills listed first. To see all environment-related bills that

are introduced, reported out of commit tee, passed by either house, or signed by the president, including environmental

treaties ratified by the Senate, visit ELR's website at https://elr.info/legislative/congressional-update.

CHAMBER ACTION

CLIMATE CHANGE

H.R. 446 8 (Choice in Automobile Retai l Sales Act of

2023), introduced by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) on July

6, 2023, was passed by the House. e bill would prohibit

the Administr ator of EPA from nalizing, implementing, or

enforcing a proposed rule with respec t to emissions from ve-

hicles. 169 Cong. Rec. H6157 (daily ed. Dec. 6, 2023).

GOVERNANCE

S. 195 (Keweenaw Bay Indian Communit y Land Cla im

Settlement Act of 2 023), introduced by Sen. Gary Peters

(D-Mich.) on January 31, 2023, was passed by the Senate.

e bill would provide compensation to the Keweenaw Bay

Indian Community for t he taking without just compensation

of land by the United States inside the exterior bounda ries of

the L’Anse Indian Reser vation that were gua ranteed to the

Community under a treat y signed in 1854. 169 Cong. Rec.

S6008 (daily ed. Dec. 14, 2023).

S. 992 (I-27 Numbering Act of 2023), introduced by Sen.

Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) on March 28, 2023, was passed by the

House. e bill would amend the Intermodal Sur face Trans-

portation Eciency Act of 1991 to designate the Texas and

New Mexico portions of the futu re interstate-designated seg-

ments of the Port-to-Plains Corridor as Interstate Route 27.

169 Cong. Rec. H6085 (daily ed. Dec. 4, 2023).

S. 1416 (NWR Moderniz ation Act of 2023), introduced by

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) on May 3, 2023, was passed

by the Senate. e bill would provide guidance for and in-

vestment in the upgrade and moderniz ation of the NOAA

Weather Radio All Ha zards Network. 169 Cong. Rec. S6027

(daily ed. Dec. 18, 2023).

H.R. 2839, introduced by Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Or.) on April

25, 2023, was passed by the House and the Senate. e bill

would amend the Siletz Reser vation Act to address the hunt-

ing, shing, t rapping, and anima l-gathering rights of the

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. 169 Cong. Rec. H6749

(daily ed. Dec. 11, 2023); 169 Cong. Rec. S6061 (daily ed.

Dec. 19, 2023).

NATURAL RESOURCES

S. 2228 (Building Chips in A merica Act of 2023), intro-

duced by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-A riz.) on July 11, 2023, was

passed by the Senate. e bill would a mend the William M.

(Mac) ornberry National Defense Authoriz ation Act for

Fiscal Year 2021 to clarify the sc ope of a major federal action

under NEPA with respect to certain projects relating to the

production of semiconductors. 169 Cong. Rec. S6009 (daily

ed. Dec. 14, 2023).

H.R. 1042 (Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Ac t),

introduced by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Wash.) on

February 14, 2023, was passed by the House. e bill would

prohibit the importation into the United States of unirradi-

ated low-enriched uranium that is produced in the Russian

Federation. 169 Cong. Rec. H6760 (daily ed. Dec. 11, 2023).

WATER

S. 318 (Save Our Seas 2.0 Amend ments Act), introduced

by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) on Februar y 9, 2023, was

passed by the Senate. e bill would a mend the Save Our

Seas 2.0 Act to improve the admi nistration of the Marine

Debris Foundation, and amend the Marine Debris Ac t to

improve the administration of NOAA’s Marine Debris Pro-

gram. 169 Cong. Rec. S5967 (daily ed. Dec. 13, 2023).

Copyright © 2024 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®, http://www.eli.org, 1-800-433-5120.