Energy

This bill establishes a Small Business Administration (SBA) pilot program to help eligible small businesses manage volatile input costs for essential commodities like gasoline and diesel. The SBA will offer cost-based futures contracts, including price protection options for 5%+ increases, to qualifying businesses that are not financial institutions, new startups (under 1 year), or otherwise excluded. Eligible businesses must apply through the program, which includes guidance to help them assess if hedging aligns with their operational costs. The program requires annual reports tracking participation, commodity coverage, and business impacts, with initial funding authorized for five years.

The Pipeline Security Act (HR 5062) assigns the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) primary responsibility for securing U.S. pipelines against cybersecurity threats and terrorism, replacing prior authority. It requires the TSA Administrator to develop and update security guidelines based on NIST standards, issue necessary regulations, inspect pipeline facilities (including critical ones), and share threat information with stakeholders. Pipeline owners and operators must implement these security measures, while the TSA must report biennially to Congress and create a personnel strategy focused on cybersecurity expertise. The bill directly affects pipeline companies and TSA operations, mandating concrete security protocols without specifying new funding or penalties.

S 1464, the Buffalo Tract Protection Act, withdraws approximately 4,288 acres of federal land in New Mexico (described as Tracts A-D on a 2019 map) from mining claims, mineral leasing, and other disposal under federal law. This directly affects the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which administers the land, by prohibiting new mineral development on the surface. The bill allows the surface estate to be conveyed (sold or transferred) under existing laws like the Federal Land Policy Act, but requires the federal government to retain all mineral rights permanently.

HJRES 61 is a congressional resolution that formally disapproves an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule setting new air pollution standards for rubber tire manufacturing. It directly affects tire manufacturers by blocking the EPA’s proposed rule (published November 29, 2024), which would have required them to meet specific limits on hazardous air pollutants. The resolution’s key mechanism is a formal congressional vote to nullify the rule, making it legally ineffective under Title 5, U.S. Code. This action stops the EPA rule from taking effect without creating new regulations.

This bill prohibits the United Nations or its affiliated bodies from levying any tax, tariff, fee, or penalty on U.S. citizens or U.S. entities without a Senate-approved treaty. It specifically blocks U.S. funding for any United Nations activities related to implementing or enforcing a global carbon tax, defined as a tax on vessel emissions under a global fuel regime. The bill directly affects U.S. citizens and businesses by preventing the UN from imposing such taxes or using U.S. funds to support global carbon tax systems. It establishes a clear legal barrier requiring Senate approval for any UN tax affecting U.S. interests.

This bill codifies existing protections for designated roadless areas within the National Forest System by prohibiting new road construction, road reconstruction, and logging in these areas. It directly affects National Forest lands already identified as "inventoried roadless areas" under the current Roadless Rule, which covers roughly 58 million acres. The key mechanism requires the Secretary of Agriculture to enforce these prohibitions, maintaining current protections without expanding restrictions to other lands or altering existing multiple-use management. The bill does not create new protected areas but legally solidifies the existing regulatory framework to preserve ecological and recreational values.

This resolution formally recognizes 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, acknowledging the ecological and economic importance of these lands to the United States. The bill highlights that rangelands cover a significant portion of U.S. territory and support domestic production of food, fiber, and energy while providing critical ecosystem services like carbon storage and wildfire risk reduction. It encourages federal agencies, universities, and organizations to engage in education, research, and outreach activities related to sustainable rangeland management during the designated year. The measure does not create new laws or funding but serves to raise awareness and promote collaboration among stakeholders involved in rangeland stewardship.

This bill, the No Harm Data Centers Act, requires large data centers to pay their full share of electricity costs and infrastructure upgrades without shifting those expenses to residential or small business customers. It gives the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authority to approve rates for data centers and mandates that utilities cover all transmission, distribution, and generation costs needed to support these facilities. The legislation also establishes a new penalty system for violations and directs the EPA to conduct an assessment of data centers' environmental and public health impacts.

Critical Minerals Security Act of 2025 This bill establishes requirements for the Department of the Interior related to securing U.S. access to critical minerals and rare earth element (REE) resources.  Critical minerals mean any mineral, element, substance, or material designated as critical by the U.S. Geological Survey.  REEs mean cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium, and yttrium.  First, Interior must report on the critical mineral and REE resources, including recyclable or recycled materials containing those resources, around the world. Among other information, the report must include an assessment of the global ownership and supply of critical mineral and REE resources. Interior must submit the report within a year and every two years thereafter. Next, Interior must establish a process to assist a U.S. person—a U.S. citizen, a non-U.S. National (alien under federal law) lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or an entity organized under U.S. laws—seeking to divest stock in mining, processing, or recycling operations for critical minerals and REEs in a foreign country with finding a purchaser that is not under the control of North Korea, China, Russia, or Iran. Finally, Interior must develop (1) a strategy to collaborate with U.S. allies and partners to develop advanced mining, refining, separation, processing, and recycling technologies; and (2) a method for sharing related intellectual property with U.S. allies and partners to enable those countries to license those technologies and develop their resources.

HR 52, the Stop Woke Investing Act, limits shareholder proposals on corporate proxy materials based on company size. Public companies must exclude proposals that do not have a "material" financial impact on the business, defined as directly affecting investment returns or risks. This excludes proposals focused on non-financial social, environmental, or political goals (like diversity initiatives or climate action) from being included in voting materials. The bill caps the number of proposals companies must include: 2 for small firms, 4 for mid-sized firms, and 7 for large firms, with companies deciding which proposals meet the financial impact requirement.