Congress

EPA Administrator Michael Regan says he is aiming for an “electric future” for road transportation, though he sees a useful role for near-term measures to reduce diesel exhaust, greenhouse gases and other air emissions from vehicles, statements that may heighten tensions with the oil and biofuels industries who compete over liquid fuels markets.

House Democrats are optimistic they will reach agreement with the Senate on clean water infrastructure investments for EPA even while pushing a bill that authorizes higher funding levels than the Senate approved, pointing to offers from Senate Republicans during failed talks with President Joe Biden.

With backing from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democrats are pushing new legislation that aims to speed the cleanup of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at Defense Department (DOD) locations by setting deadlines for testing and remediating sites and authorizing a one-time $10 billion investment to fund the effort.

House Democrats’ new bill reauthorizing surface transportation programs is threaded with multiple climate change-related provisions including new greenhouse gas performance measures, with the legislation potentially poised to form a key component of a broader infrastructure package.