WASHINGTON, DC – The Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), has scheduled a full committee markup on Wednesday, June 28, 2017, at 10 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building to consider legislation that modernizes our energy infrastructure, environmental laws and enhances our energy security.

“Through the first six months of this Congress we’ve been hard at work examining policies and opportunities to modernize our country’s energy infrastructure and environmental laws for the 21st century,” said Chairman Walden. “We’ve done our homework, we’ve jumped into the heart of these issues and Wednesday’s markup is another important step in our efforts to enact policies that make a difference for folks back in Oregon and across the country.”

The committee will consider the following bills:

H.R. 806, Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2017, introduced by #SubEnergy Vice Chairman Pete Olson (R-TX), with Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX), and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), among others, would;

• Provide states the flexibility needed to implement the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone on an efficient and realistic timeline. H.R. 806 would ensure the nation’s infrastructure and manufacturing permitting continue while making improvements to air quality.


• In October of 2015, while states and communities were just beginning to implement the 2008 ozone standard following long-overdue EPA guidance, EPA revised those standards and imposed additional new planning and compliance obligations on states.


• For a fact sheet on the bill, click HERE.

H.R. 2786, to amend the Federal Power Act with respect to the criteria and process to qualify as a qualifying conduit hydropower facility, authored by committee member Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), would;

• Promote the development of small conduit hydropower facilities, an emerging new source of renewable energy that can be added to existing infrastructure.

H.R. 2883, Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act, authored by committee member Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), would;

• Establish a predictable and transparent process to permit the construction of cross-border pipelines and electric facilities.

H.R. 2910, Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act, authored by committee member Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX), would;

• Promote better coordination among FERC and other agencies involved in siting interstate natural gas pipelines. H.R. 2910 also increases transparency and accountability by requiring more information to be disclosed to the public.

H.R. 3017, Brownfields Enhancement Economic Redevelopment and Reauthorization Act of 2017, authored by #SubEnvironment Vice Chairman David McKinley (R-WV), would;

• Reauthorize and make improvements to the EPA Brownfields Program, encourage EPA, states, and local governments to work together to redevelop properties, create jobs, and provide for economic development.

H.R. 3043, Hydropower Policy Modernization Act of 2017, authored by committee member and Conference Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), would;

• Modernize federal policies by designating FERC as the lead agency for licensing hydropower projects. H.R. 3043 would promote affordable, reliable, and renewable hydropower energy.

H.R. 3050, Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act, authored by #SubEnergy Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), would;

• Enhance the energy emergency planning requirements of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to strengthen the capability of states to secure the energy infrastructure of the United States against physical and cybersecurity threats; and mitigate risk of energy supply disruptions.

H.R. 3053, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017, authored by #SubEnvironment Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL), would;

• Preserve Yucca Mountain as the most expeditious path for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste disposal while authorizing interim storage, including private storage initiatives, to provide optionality until Yucca Mountain is fully licensed and prepared to receive shipments.


• Spent nuclear fuel sits idle in 121 communities across 39 states because the country lacks a permanent geologic repository. H.R. 3053 provides practical reforms to the nation’s nuclear waste management policy to ensure the federal government’s legal obligations to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste be fulfilled.


• For a fact sheet on the bill, click HERE.

Electronic copies of the legislation and a background memo can be found at the Energy and Commerce Committee’s website here. Amendment text and votes will be available at the same link as they are posted.

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