Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2026

The Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2026 significantly narrows the federal definition of "navigable waters" by excluding wetlands without continuous surface connections, intermittent streams, and groundwater from federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. The bill prohibits federal agencies from using aggregation methods or the "significant nexus test" to assert authority over these excluded water bodies and invalidates existing regulations that expand the definition of covered waters. Additionally, it requires federal agencies to obtain written consent before entering private property for data collection and mandates that they pay affected landowners double the value of any economic loss caused by new federal water regulations.