Congressional Update: Supply Chain; Petroleum Reserve; Protecting Gas Stoves
Now that U.S. House and Senate Committee assignments are largely completed (more on this later), Congressional hearing activity formally kicked off last week.
Supply Chain
In the House, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held its first hearing on “the State of Transportation Infrastructure and Supply Chain Challenges.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) voiced concern about the public deployment of charging for “the mom and pops who built … truck stops and gas stations and invested their hard-earned dollars….”
Petroleum Reserve
In the Senate, Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and many others, introduced the Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act which would block any Strategic Petroleum Reserve Sales to China.
A similar bill recently passed the House by a 331-97 margin.
Protecting Gas Stoves
Sens. Manchin and Cruz also announced bipartisan legislation to protect the use of natural gas stoves. Their legislation, the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, would prohibit federal funds from being used to regulate “an existing or new gas stove as a banned hazardous product.”
Sen. Manchin also sent a joint letter with Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) to the Consumer Product Safety Commission urging them not to take any further action with gas stoves.
Committee Assignments
Many House committee assignments are complete. Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations subcommittee will be led by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) Chairing THUD, and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) serving as Ranking Member.
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security will be Chaired by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), with Rep. Dianna DeGette (D-CO) serving as Ranking Member.
House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee will be led by Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), with Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) serving as Ranking Member.
Despite several leaks, we are still waiting for final committee assignments in the Senate to be made official.
Waters Of US Rule
On Thursday, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) joined Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves (MO-06), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (NC-07), and over 150 of her colleagues in introducing a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) on the Biden administration’s burdensome “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule.
The rule, published last month by the EPA, would lead to sweeping changes to the federal government’s authority to regulate what is considered navigable water, having an enormous impact on small businesses, manufacturers, farmers, home and infrastructure builders, local communities, water districts, and private property owners.
If enacted, the new resolution would terminate the administration’s WOTUS rulemaking utilizing the CRA. The CRA can be used by Congress to overturn certain final agency actions. An identical measure was also introduced in the U.S. Senate today by 49 senators, led by Environment and Public Works Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
Click Here for full text of the resolution.
