2021 Climate, Environmental, and Energy Congressional Hearings Tracker

The 2021 Climate, Environmental, and Energy Congressional Hearings Tracker is a fact sheet produced by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). It provides a comprehensive list of hearings held by various House and Senate committees throughout 2021 that focused on climate change, energy transition, environmental protection, and infrastructure resilience.

• The House of Representatives conducted a high volume of hearings across multiple committees, with the Natural Resources Committee holding the most sessions (28 total) and the Energy and Commerce Committee following with 16.
• The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis held 11 hearings in 2021, covering topics such as the costs of inaction, electric grid modernization, transportation investments, and tribal strategies for the climate crisis.
• Senate committees also focused heavily on energy and environment, with the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources holding 20 hearings and the Committee on Environment and Public Works holding 14.
• Congressional oversight in 2021 frequently addressed specific environmental contaminants, particularly PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), across several House and Senate committees including Appropriations, Environment and Public Works, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
• Hearings focused on critical infrastructure and security, including the impact of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and the resilience of the Texas power grid following its 2021 failure.
• Legislative discussions centered on the 'Clean Future Act' and 'Building Back Better' initiatives, with hearings exploring their roles in decarbonizing transportation, promoting environmental justice, and investing in wastewater infrastructure.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2021). 2021 Climate, Environmental, and Energy Congressional Hearings Tracker. https://www.eesi.org/files/2021-Climate-_Environmental-and-Energy-Congressional-Hearing-Tracker.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. 2021 Climate, Environmental, and Energy Congressional Hearings Tracker. 2021. https://www.eesi.org/files/2021-Climate-_Environmental-and-Energy-Congressional-Hearing-Tracker.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=2021 Climate, Environmental, and Energy Congressional Hearings Tracker |date=17 December 2021 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/2021-Climate-_Environmental-and-Energy-Congressional-Hearing-Tracker.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute20212021, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{2021 Climate, Environmental, and Energy Congressional Hearings Tracker}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/2021-Climate-_Environmental-and-Energy-Congressional-Hearing-Tracker.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }