Environment (Conservation)

Securing Our Lands and Resources Act or the SOLAR Act This bill prohibits the Department of Agriculture from providing financial assistance for certain projects that would result in the conversion of covered farmland for solar energy production. Under the bill, covered farmland generally refers to prime farmland, unique farmland, and farmland that is of statewide or local importance. Conversion means any activity that results in the covered farmland no longer meeting certain requirements for agricultural production, activity, or use. The bill includes an exception for certain smaller projects that result in the conversion of (1) less than 5 acres of covered farmland, or (2) less than 50 acres of covered farmland if the majority of the energy produced by the project is for on-farm use. The bill also includes an exception for projects that have the approval or support from the local county and municipality. For these projects, the applicant must (1) develop a farmland conservation plan for the project (e.g., implementing best practices to protect future soil health and productivity), and (2) ensure that sufficient funds are provided for the decommissioning of the solar energy production system and the remediation and restoration of the farmland.

HR 704 would direct the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special "Manatee Semipostal Stamp" for public sale. All extra money collected from selling this stamp (above the standard postage rate) would be sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fund manatee conservation and habitat protection in the U.S. The stamp would be available for at least two years starting within a year of the bill's passage.

This bill designates approximately 6,817 acres in Routt National Forest as part of the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, adding it to the existing wilderness area established by the 1993 Colorado Wilderness Act. It directly affects the land itself by protecting it from development like logging or mining, while clarifying that tribal treaty rights and traditional cultural uses remain unaffected. The bill includes administrative provisions allowing the Forest Service to manage fire, insects, and disease within the area and permits tribes access for religious and cultural purposes under existing law. This is a procedural land designation bill with no direct impact on people beyond the protected land management and tribal access terms.

This bill amends the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership program to expand its scope and improve coordination. It adds wildfire recovery and soil/water resource enhancement as eligible project purposes, requires the Natural Resources Conservation Service to coordinate with the Forest Service on science and management plans, and extends the program's authorization through 2031. The changes apply directly to federal agencies administering the program, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Forest Service, and affect projects managed under the partnership. Key provisions include updated wildfire risk assessments and alignment with state forest action plans. The bill makes concrete adjustments to existing program rules without creating new funding or altering core program eligibility.

S 392 expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area boundary from 48,438 to 57,728 acres. It grants the Southern Nevada Water Authority a right-of-way (without fees) to build a water pipeline outside the Conservation Area, including provisions for excavating materials and disposing of excess earth. The bill requires the pipeline to avoid wilderness areas and not permanently harm conservation resources, while preserving existing utility corridors and rights-of-way. This directly affects the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s infrastructure plans and the management of the Conservation Area under federal land laws.

The NO TIME TO Waste Act (S 1395) establishes a new Office of Food Loss and Waste within the Department of Agriculture to coordinate federal efforts to reduce food waste. The bill creates grant programs for states, local governments, and nonprofits to collect data on food waste policies and develop model approaches for reducing waste, with a goal of cutting food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. It requires federal contractors to report on their food waste prevention efforts and funds public-private partnerships to help communities reduce food loss and waste. The legislation also creates a national education campaign to teach consumers about food safety, preservation, and upcycled food products. The bill mandates annual reports tracking progress toward the 2030 goal and sets funding levels for these programs through 2030.

This bill changes federal permitting rules for oil and gas drilling on land where the federal government owns less than half the mineral rights beneath non-federal surface land. It requires operators to use a state permit instead of a federal drilling permit, removes federal environmental review requirements under NEPA and the Endangered Species Act, and allows operations to start 30 days after submitting the state permit. It does not affect royalty payments to the federal government or apply to Indian lands. The policy directly affects oil and gas operators working on non-federal surface estates with partial federal mineral ownership.

The Saving NEMO Act of 2025 prohibits the trade and possession of certain vulnerable coral reef species within the United States. It designates species (like those listed under international trade agreements) as "covered" and bans their take, import, export, or sale without authorization, directly affecting businesses in the aquarium and curio trade. Exceptions exist for scientific research, approved breeding programs, and aquaculture facilities meeting strict conservation standards, but not for species collected using destructive methods like explosives or poison. Violations can trigger civil penalties up to $25,000 per incident or criminal charges, and citizens can sue to enforce the law.

HR 3831, the Florida Safe Seas Act of 2025, amends an existing federal law to specifically include Florida in a prohibition against feeding sharks within the exclusive economic zone off the Florida coast. The bill modifies Section 317 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to replace "the State" with "the States" and add "and Florida" after Hawaii, ensuring Florida is explicitly covered under the current rule. This is a technical correction to clarify that Florida's waters are included in the existing federal ban on shark feeding, which already applied to Hawaii. The bill does not create new restrictions but formally extends the existing prohibition to Florida's exclusive economic zone. It directly affects activities involving shark feeding by vessels operating in Florida's offshore waters under federal jurisdiction.

# Summary of Proposed Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Amendments This comprehensive legislative proposal contains numerous amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, with the following key provisions: ## Fisheries Science and Data Modernization - Establishes a national strategic plan for fisheries data with user-centric systems - Mandates electronic monitoring and reporting in fisheries (replacing or complementing human observers) - Creates an electronic technologies innovation prize competition to accelerate data collection technology development - Requires standardized bycatch reporting program to assess bycatch across fisheries - Establishes a recreational data improvement program to improve timeliness, accuracy, and validation of recreational catch data ## Essential Fish Habitat and Ecosystem Management - Redefines "adverse effect" on essential fish habitat - Creates "habitat areas of particular concern" with specific criteria - Requires Councils to develop habitat protection plans with quantitative targets - Requires consideration of both fishing and non-fishing impacts on habitat ## Forage Fish Conservation - Defines "forage fish" (species that function as a main pathway for energy transfer in marine ecosystems) - Requires Councils to develop lists of unmanaged forage fish and recommend prohibitions on new directed fisheries - Mandates that annual catch limits for forage fish consider diet needs of higher trophic level species ## Bycatch Reduction - Requires conservation and management measures to minimize bycatch - Establishes a national standardized bycatch reporting program - Creates a bycatch reduction engineering program with technical assistance and outreach ## Fishery Management Improvements - Requires objective and measurable criteria for identifying overfished stocks - Mandates development of rebuilding plans with specific timeframes and measurable criteria - Requires consideration of climate change impacts in management decisions - Establishes a "Zeke Grader Fisheries Conservation and Management Fund" for research and adaptation ## International Fisheries Management - Proposes changes to U.S. representation on international fisheries commissions (Atlantic Tunas Convention, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission) ## Funding - Authorizes specific funding amounts for 2026-2030 ($698 million to $765 million annually) This legislation represents a significant modernization of U.S. fisheries management, with strong emphasis on data-driven decision making, ecosystem-based management, climate resilience, and technological innovation in fisheries monitoring and management.