Congress holds 34 climate, energy and infrastructure hearings

The U.S. Congress has held 34 climate, energy, and environment-related committee hearings since reconvening at the start of 2026.

• Summary of main action: Congress held 34 hearings (26 in the House across 8 committees; 8 in the Senate across 6 committees) focusing heavily on electric grid, data centers, water infrastructure, disaster management, and infrastructure reauthorizations (WRDA and the surface transportation bill). The House Natural Resources Committee held 11 hearings, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held 5, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held 3. Notable single hearings included a House Science, Space, and Technology subcommittee hearing on AI and data centers, a House Energy and Commerce session with FERC on energy affordability and reliability, and an oversight hearing by the House Appropriations Committee on potential DHS shutdown impacts (hearing occurred on February 11, 2026).
• Background and other details: Congress held six infrastructure-related hearings in January–February 2026 to inform reauthorization of WRDA and surface transportation, with technical input largely from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; multiple hearings addressed wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water challenges. Congress also held hearings on wildfire prevention and recovery, critical minerals supply chains (including closed and public briefings involving State and Defense officials), and marine and terrestrial conservation. The DHS oversight hearing occurred three days before the start of a partial government shutdown (ongoing as of publication); witnesses warned a lapse in DHS funding could “irrevocably impact” regional partnerships and disrupt first-responder training.