Environment

This bill, titled the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve rivers, harbors, and water resources across the United States while establishing new administrative offices to better manage inland navigation, water supply, and community outreach. It introduces specific mechanisms such as creating a new board for levee owners to advise on flood safety, allowing for categorical permissions to streamline certain environmental reviews, and mandating a prohibition on diverting water from the Missouri River without approval from all relevant state governors. The legislation also authorizes numerous specific projects for flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, and water supply in locations ranging from Alaska to Texas, while simultaneously deauthorizing or modifying older projects that are no longer needed or require changes to better align with current environmental and safety standards.

This bill extends the deadline for specific regulations protecting the North Atlantic right whale from 2028 to 2035. The change directly affects the U.S. government agencies responsible for enforcing these conservation rules, such as the National Marine Fisheries Service. By updating the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, the legislation ensures that current protective measures remain in effect for an additional seven years. This adjustment allows regulators more time to gather data and potentially develop new strategies before the regulations expire.

Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 This bill (commonly known as the farm bill) reauthorizes through FY2031 and modifies Department of Agriculture programs that address commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, energy, horticulture, crop insurance, livestock and other animals, and foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land.

Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to address the limitations on Reid Vapor Pressure (a measure of gasoline's volatility) that are placed on gasoline during the summer ozone season. Specifically, the bill applies the waiver for Reid Vapor Pressure requirements that is applicable to gasoline blended with 10% ethanol (E10) to gasoline blended with up to 15% ethanol (E15). This change allows gasoline that is blended with 10% to 15% ethanol to be sold year-round. Currently, states may be excluded from the waiver for Reid Vapor Pressure requirements by submitting documentation supporting that the waiver would increase air pollution. The bill nullifies existing state exclusions, but states may submit documentation after enactment of the bill to be excluded going forward. The bill also modifies the Renewable Fuel Standard Program, which requires transportation fuel sold or introduced into commerce in the United States to contain minimum volumes of renewable fuel. Under the existing program, obligated parties, such as small refineries, must satisfy the volume obligations by either blending renewable fuels into their gasoline or diesel fuel products or by acquiring credits that represent the required renewable fuel volume. The bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency to return compliance credits to small refineries under certain circumstances.

This resolution allows the House of Representatives to consider four separate pieces of legislation without certain procedural objections. It directly affects the legislative process by streamlining how specific bills and a resolution move through the House. The first three items are bills that amend the Clean Air Act to address air quality monitoring during wildfires, EPA review procedures, and international emissions standards. The fourth item is a resolution expressing support for tax policies aimed at helping working families. This procedural measure does not change policy itself but enables the House to vote on these underlying proposals.

This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to define "critical energy resources" as those essential to U.S. energy systems with vulnerable supply chains. It directs the Energy Secretary to assess supply chain risks, diversify sources, boost domestic production of these resources, develop alternatives, and improve recycling. The law specifically requires evaluating reliance on imports, adversarial nation tactics (like price manipulation), and impacts on energy technology development. The Department of Energy and energy sector stakeholders will implement these measures, directly affecting how the federal government manages energy security. The bill focuses on concrete policy actions, not outcomes or political advocacy.

This bill expands the Miccosukee Reserved Area (MRA) to include Osceola Camp within Everglades National Park, directly affecting the Miccosukee Tribe by adding specific land to their protected area. The expansion uses a designated map (dated July 2023) for precise boundaries, requiring the National Park Service to keep it publicly available and file copies with Miami-Dade County and the Tribe. It also mandates that the Secretary of the Interior, within two years of enactment and in consultation with the Tribe, implement flood protection measures for structures in Osceola Camp. These changes formalize land boundaries and address flooding risks for the Tribe's properties within the park.

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.

HR 1676, the "Make SWAPs Efficient Act of 2025," requires the federal government to approve or deny state wildlife conservation plans within 180 days of receiving them. This directly affects states that submit comprehensive wildlife conservation plans under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. If the Secretary fails to act within that timeframe, the state's plan is automatically approved as of the 180th day. The bill streamlines the approval process to prevent federal delays from blocking state conservation funding.