This bill prohibits the United Nations or its affiliated bodies from levying any tax, tariff, fee, or penalty on U.S. citizens or U.S. entities without a Senate-approved treaty. It specifically blocks U.S. funding for any United Nations activities related to implementing or enforcing a global carbon tax, defined as a tax on vessel emissions under a global fuel regime. The bill directly affects U.S. citizens and businesses by preventing the UN from imposing such taxes or using U.S. funds to support global carbon tax systems. It establishes a clear legal barrier requiring Senate approval for any UN tax affecting U.S. interests.
This bill repeals four executive orders issued on January 20, 2025, which related to energy policy and environmental agreements. It directly affects federal agencies responsible for implementing those orders, prohibiting the use of federal funds for any of their provisions. The key mechanism is an immediate ban on funding for the orders' implementation upon the bill's enactment, effectively canceling their legal force.
S 1495 reforms how the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) handles wetland compliance and appeals for farmers and ranchers. It requires NRCS to prove violations (not farmers to prove innocence), prohibits retroactive penalties for past wetland conversions, and prevents NRCS from changing its arguments after a successful appeal. The bill also mandates on-site visits during appeals, creates farmer-led State oversight committees, and requires customer satisfaction surveys after wetland determinations. These changes directly affect agricultural landowners who interact with NRCS regarding wetland assessments.
S 990, the Freedom to Haul Act of 2025, prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing or enforcing Phase 3 greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles (finalized in April 2024). It amends the Clean Air Act to require that future emissions rules for vehicles cannot mandate specific technologies or limit the availability of new trucks based on engine type. This directly affects EPA regulatory authority and vehicle manufacturers, ensuring a broader range of new truck options remains available. The bill focuses on preventing regulatory restrictions on vehicle choice, not on emissions outcomes.
This bill removes the lesser prairie-chicken from the federal endangered and threatened species lists under the Endangered Species Act. It specifically amends the Act to permanently prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from re-listing the bird as endangered or threatened in the future. The legislation directly affects the regulatory protections for this bird species, ending federal conservation requirements like habitat restrictions or project reviews under the ESA. The change applies to all populations of the lesser prairie-chicken across its range.
HR 2133, the "Lakes Before Turbines Act," blocks tax credits for offshore wind energy projects in the Great Lakes by amending the federal tax code. It prohibits the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for offshore wind facilities located in the Great Lakes after 2022, directly affecting developers planning such projects. The key provision inserts "other than any of the Great Lakes" into the tax code language that previously allowed credits for wind projects in U.S. inland waters. This policy change takes effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2022.
This bill prohibits U.S. federal funding for two international environmental agreements until China is reclassified as a "developed country" in both treaties. Specifically, it blocks funding for the Montreal Protocol (which addresses ozone-depleting substances) and the UN Climate Change Convention until China is removed from the "developing country" list under the Montreal Protocol and added to Annex I (developed country list) under the UN Climate Convention. The bill requires the President to certify these treaty changes to congressional committees before any funds can be spent on these agreements. It does not alter China's actual economic status but ties U.S. financial participation to procedural treaty revisions. The direct effect is on U.S. government funding for international environmental cooperation.
HR 3147, the "Transparency and Honesty in Energy Regulations Act," prohibits federal agencies from using estimates of the climate damage costs from carbon, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions (known as the "social cost" metrics) when creating new rules or guidance. This applies to all agencies, including the EPA, and bans these calculations from cost-benefit analyses required under major executive orders. The bill also requires agencies to report to Congress within 120 days of enactment on how often they previously used these metrics in rulemaking since 2009. The law directly affects how agencies develop environmental regulations by removing specific climate cost estimates from their decision-making process.
The Energy Freedom Act (S 1721) repeals numerous tax credits and incentives for clean energy, energy efficiency, and alternative fuels currently included in the Internal Revenue Code. This bill affects individuals, businesses, and organizations that currently benefit from these credits, including homeowners making energy-efficient home improvements, clean energy producers, and manufacturers of alternative fuels. The legislation specifically eliminates credits for residential and commercial energy efficiency, clean vehicles, renewable energy production, biofuels, and other clean energy technologies. Most provisions will take effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, with some provisions taking effect January 1, 2026.
HR 6674, the CLAIM Act of 2025, changes the annual maintenance fee for hardrock mining claims on federal land based on proximity to protected areas like National Parks and monuments. It establishes tiered fees: $1,100 for claims mostly within protected areas, decreasing to $300 for claims over 30 miles away, replacing the traditional "assessment work" requirement under the 1872 Mining Law. Small miners (holding ≤10 claims, ≤200 acres, or earning <$50,000 annually from mining) are exempt from these fees. Excess fees collected fund conservation programs, with 40% allocated to infrastructure projects, 20% to Tribal preservation, and 10% each to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and national park restoration. The bill directly affects individual miners and small operations holding claims near protected lands.
