Environment

HR 3937, the Wabeno Economic Development Act, directly transfers approximately 14 acres of National Forest System land in Wisconsin from the federal government to Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix, LLC. The bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the land via quitclaim deed after an appraisal determines its market value, with the company paying that value plus all conveyance costs. It also includes provisions for disclosing hazardous material conditions but exempts the government from remediation responsibilities. Separately, the bill mandates a federal review of permitting processes for stone, sand, and gravel development on public lands, requiring a report on current timelines and recommendations for streamlining. This legislation primarily affects the specific company and federal land management practices, with no broader regulatory changes beyond the review requirement.

Mining Regulatory Clarity Act This bill allows mining operators to use federal lands for activities ancillary to mining, such as waste disposal, regardless of whether those lands contain mineral deposits valuable enough to be mined (mineral validity). It also establishes the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund. The bill addresses a 2022 decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit related to the Rosemont Copper Mine in Arizona (commonly known as the Rosemont decision , described further in CRS Report R48166 ). The court held that mining claims are only allowed where mineral validity has been established and that mill site claims are more appropriate means for establishing a mining waste disposal site under the Mining Act. The bill allows a mining operator to (1) locate and include within its plan of operations as many mill site claims (e.g., areas for waste rock disposal) as are reasonably necessary for its operations, and (2) use or occupy public land in accordance with an approved plan of operations. Additionally, the bill requires any revenue generated from fees for such mill site claims to be deposited into the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund. The Department of the Interior must use the fund for certain abandoned hardrock mine reclamation activities.

The SPEED Act reforms the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to streamline federal environmental reviews for projects. It limits agencies to considering only "proximate" environmental effects directly tied to a specific project (not speculative or distant impacts), sets strict 180-day deadlines for court remands, and restricts judicial review to procedural errors - not environmental outcomes. This primarily affects federal agencies (like the EPA or Corps of Engineers) and project developers (e.g., for infrastructure, energy, or construction projects) by reducing review scope and accelerating approvals. The bill clarifies NEPA is purely procedural, prohibiting courts from substituting their judgment on environmental effects or delaying actions for new scientific data after deadlines.

This bill, titled "Pet and Livestock Protection Act," is misleading; it actually focuses on gray wolf management. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a 2020 rule removing gray wolves from the endangered species list within 60 days of enactment. The bill also prohibits courts from reviewing this reissuance. This directly affects gray wolf populations and management policies in states where wolves are present, shifting regulatory control away from federal endangered species protections.

The PERMIT Act (HR 3898) amends the definition of "navigable waters" under the Clean Water Act to exclude specific water features from federal regulation. It explicitly removes waste treatment systems, ephemeral streams (flowing only after rain), prior converted cropland, groundwater, and other features designated by regulators. This change directly affects federal agencies like the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, reducing their jurisdiction over these excluded water bodies. The bill aims to streamline permitting by clarifying which waters fall under federal Clean Water Act oversight.

This bill makes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the sole lead agency for environmental reviews (NEPA) of natural gas pipeline projects, replacing the current multi-agency process. It requires FERC to coordinate early with other federal, state, or tribal agencies that issue permits, sets strict 90-day deadlines for final approvals after FERC's review, and mandates that other agencies defer to FERC's environmental assessment scope. The bill also streamlines water quality reviews by shifting certification requirements to FERC coordination and requires public tracking of all agency actions and deadlines through FERC's website. Pipeline applicants, FERC, and all agencies involved in permitting (like environmental or water quality authorities) are directly affected by these coordination and timeline requirements.

HJRES 131 blocks a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule that would have allowed oil and gas leasing in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain. The bill uses the Congressional Review Act to formally disapprove this specific rule, making it legally void. It directly affects the BLM's ability to advance the leasing program and companies seeking permits for oil and gas development in that area. The resolution became law after passing both chambers of Congress in late 2025.

HJRES 130 is a congressional disapproval resolution that blocks a specific rule issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for its Buffalo Field Office. The resolution, enacted December 11, 2025, prevents the "Buffalo Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment" from taking effect under federal law. This action directly affects the BLM's management of public lands in the Buffalo area by invalidating the resource management plan amendment. The resolution follows the Congressional Review Act process, which allows Congress to reject agency rules within a specified timeframe.

This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) relating to the Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Alaska’s Central Yukon planning area and issued on November 12, 2024.  By way of background, an RMP guides the management of lands administered by the BLM. This Central Yukon RMP modified the prior RMP for the area, including by designating 21 areas of critical environmental concern or research natural areas, encompassing approximately 3,611,000 acres.

HJRES 105 is a procedural resolution that blocks a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule concerning North Dakota's resource management plan. It directs Congress to disapprove the BLM's "North Dakota Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan" (issued January 2025), which the Government Accountability Office determined qualified as a "rule" under the Congressional Review Act. The resolution states this BLM rule will have no legal effect once enacted. This action directly affects the implementation of the BLM's resource management plan for North Dakota's public lands.