Environment

This joint resolution seeks to disapprove a rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency regarding Colorado's regional haze air quality plan. If passed, it would nullify the EPA's decision to disapprove Colorado's second implementation period plan for reducing air pollution from distant sources. The measure directly affects the state of Colorado and the EPA by preventing the federal agency from enforcing its disapproval of the state's air quality strategy. Under this legislation, the EPA's rule would have no legal force or effect, leaving the status of Colorado's air plan unchanged.

This bill (SJRES 91) seeks congressional disapproval of a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule authorizing oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Coastal Plain. It directly affects the BLM's ability to implement this leasing program by aiming to block the rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The resolution would nullify the rule (issued December 2024) if passed, preventing the BLM from moving forward with leasing activities in the Coastal Plain area. The resolution references a Government Accountability Office opinion confirming the rule qualifies for disapproval under the CRA.

Senate Joint Resolution 69 (SJRES 69) seeks to disapprove a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule titled "Record of Decision for the Barred Owl Management Strategy" in Washington, Oregon, and California. The rule, issued in September 2024, outlines a plan to manage barred owl populations to protect endangered spotted owls by controlling their numbers in the region. Under the Congressional Review Act, this resolution would block the rule from taking effect, voiding its implementation. This directly affects the federal agency's ability to carry out the barred owl management strategy in the three states.

SJRES 60 is a joint resolution that would disapprove an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule setting pollution emission limits and allocating allowances for Indiana under a revised cross-state air pollution plan. The rule, published in the Federal Register on May 20, 2025, would have required Indiana-based power plants and industrial facilities to adhere to specific emissions caps and manage pollution allowances. If passed, this resolution would cancel the EPA rule, preventing it from taking effect and halting its implementation. The resolution uses the congressional disapproval process under the Congressional Review Act to nullify the agency's regulation.