House Republicans Press Leadership for FARM Bill Vote: Last Thursday, 140 representatives, including House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA) sent a letter to Speaker Johnson urging a FARM Bill vote in the lame duck session. A version of the bill passed the House Agriculture Committee in May, and the lawmakers say further “Farmers and ranchers do not have the luxury of waiting until the next Congress for the enactment of an effective farm bill.” Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) has called for another one-year stopgap.

DOE Plans Industrial Product Emissions Pilot: Last Wednesday, the White House and Department of Energy launched a pilot project to measure the greenhouse gas emissions of industrial products like steel and concrete. The White House Task Force on Climate, Trade and Industrial Competitiveness is leading the pilot, as DOE is spending billions for zero- and low-emissions manufacturing projects.

Interior Delays Oregon Offshore Wind Sale: Last Friday, the Biden administration said it is delaying a planned Oregon offshore wind auction after receiving "insufficient" interest from bidders. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management planned to auction two lease areas offshore Oregon and identified five companies that qualified to participate in the sale; BOEM said it received bidding interest from just one of those five companies. This marks the second offshore lease auction stalled by lack of interest this year.

Bipartisan Energy Research Bills Pass Committee: Last Tuesday, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee passed several bipartisan bills for select energy investments. The committee passed the Department of Energy Artificial Intelligence Act to provide new guidance and investment in AI-related research and development at the Department of Energy; the Small Modular Reactor Demonstration Act for advanced nuclear technology research; and Pipeline Security Act to protect pipeline networks from cyberattacks.

Bipartisan Senate Group Introduces Critical Minerals Act: Last Friday, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Critical Materials Future Act to establish a pilot program for the Department of Energy to financially support domestic critical mineral processing projects. In their released statement, the senators said China’s dominance of these products’ supply chains threatens U.S. defense and energy security.  

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