This bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from reallocating renewable fuel requirements from small refineries that have extended exemptions under the Clean Air Act. It directly affects small refineries with extended exemptions and the companies that would otherwise cover their renewable fuel obligations. The key provision requires the EPA to include gasoline or diesel refined by these exempt small refineries in the total fuel volume calculation for the year, preventing other entities from bearing their share of the renewable fuel mandate. This changes how renewable fuel obligations are calculated to protect consumers from potential cost increases tied to reallocated requirements.
This bill prohibits federal agencies from using estimates of climate-related damages (like the "social cost of carbon," methane, or nitrous oxide) in regulatory analyses. It bans these metrics from cost-benefit reviews required under laws or executive orders (such as Executive Order 12866), rulemaking, guidance documents, or agency actions. Agencies must report by December 2025 on how often they previously used these metrics in regulations since 2009. The law directly affects federal agencies like the EPA when developing environmental rules, requiring them to rely only on legally mandated environmental considerations.
HR 1080, the "No Solar Panels on Fertile Farmland Act of 2025," amends federal tax codes to exclude solar energy projects on "prime farmland" from key clean energy tax credits. The bill defines "prime farmland" using the USDA's standard (7 CFR §657.5) and removes eligibility for residential solar credits (Section 25D), production credits (Section 45), investment credits (Section 48), and clean electricity credits (Sections 48E and 45Y) for projects on such land. This directly affects solar developers and property owners seeking these tax incentives for installations on designated prime farmland. The policy change applies to projects placed in service after the bill's enactment date.
SJRES 24 is a joint resolution that would block an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule setting new standards for reducing harmful air pollutants from rubber tire manufacturing facilities. If passed, the resolution would prevent the rule - published in the Federal Register on November 29, 2024 - from taking effect, meaning tire manufacturers would not have to comply with the new requirements. The bill directly affects the rubber tire manufacturing industry by removing a specific regulatory obligation. This resolution uses a congressional disapproval process under federal law to stop the EPA rule without creating new regulations.
This bill exempts the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and its contractors from key environmental review laws - including the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Clean Water Act - for defense activities certified as countering threats from the Chinese Communist Party. It directly affects DoD readiness, training, infrastructure projects, and defense technology development when certified by the President or Secretary of Defense. The exemption eliminates mandatory environmental reviews or evaluations for these activities, prohibits substitute reviews by federal or state authorities, and retroactively cancels ongoing legal challenges related to such projects. The bill requires the DoD to review environmental best practices every five years but bars courts from reviewing or blocking certified defense activities.
This joint resolution (SJRES 14) seeks congressional disapproval of a specific Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule implementing the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent greenhouse gases used in refrigeration and air conditioning. The resolution targets the EPA's rule published in the Federal Register on October 11, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 82682), which manages HFCs and substitutes under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2020. If passed, the resolution would block the EPA rule from taking effect, preventing it from regulating the phasedown of these chemicals. This is a procedural action to overturn an existing agency rule, not a new policy.
HR 2923 would eliminate a 2023 rule requiring large financial institutions to assess climate-related financial risks. It specifically targets guidance issued by the Federal Reserve, OCC, and FDIC titled "Principles for Climate-Related Financial Risk Management." The bill states this guidance "shall have no force or effect" and prohibits those agencies from issuing similar requirements. This directly affects major banks and financial firms that would have been required to implement climate risk management practices under the repealed rule.
HR 1309, the "Protect America’s Lands Act," prohibits national securities exchanges from processing transactions involving securities issued by "natural asset companies." These are defined as companies that hold rights to manage specific land areas for conservation, restoration, or sustainable use, with the primary purpose of maintaining or growing natural assets and ecosystem services. The bill directly affects financial markets by restricting how securities tied to environmental land management are traded, not landowners or conservation efforts. It amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to create this new regulatory barrier for such financial instruments. The bill focuses on securities regulation, not direct land protection or policy changes for land use.
HCONRES 29 is a non-binding congressional resolution supporting the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, a 2015 UN climate pact adopted by 196 nations. It expresses Congress's backing for the President's action to withdraw the United States from this international climate agreement, which aims to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The resolution does not change U.S. policy or require new action - it merely states legislative support for the existing withdrawal effort. It directly affects U.S. participation in global climate negotiations but has no legal force.
The SPEED Act amends the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to streamline federal environmental reviews for projects like infrastructure, energy, or development. It limits agencies to considering only "reasonably foreseeable" environmental effects directly tied to a specific project - excluding speculative or distant impacts - and prohibits requiring new scientific research unless essential and reasonable. The bill sets strict deadlines (e.g., 180 days for court remands) and restricts legal challenges by requiring claims to be filed within 150 days of a project’s approval and limiting disputes to issues raised during public comment. This directly affects federal agencies (e.g., EPA, Corps of Engineers) and project developers, aiming to accelerate permitting while maintaining procedural NEPA compliance.
