Environment

The MAWS Act of 2026 establishes a 3-year pilot program (2027-2029) to purchase invasive blue catfish from watermen and seafood processors within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. It authorizes $2 million annually to fund covered entities - manufacturers of pet food, animal feed, or aquaculture feed - to buy blue catfish caught in the watershed, requiring certification of origin and setting minimum prices based on market factors. The program mandates detailed reporting on environmental impacts, economic effects on watermen, and market responses to inform future policy. This directly supports watermen and processors by creating a market for invasive blue catfish while collecting data for potential expansion to other watersheds.

This resolution provides for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 556) to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from prohibiting the use of lead ammunition or tackle on certain Federal land or water under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1958) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify that aliens who have been convicted of defrauding the United States Government or the unlawful receipt of public benefits are inadmissible and deportable; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4638) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable, and for other purposes; and relating to consideration of motions to suspend the rules.

Mining Regulatory Clarity Act This bill allows mining operators to use federal lands for activities ancillary to mining, such as waste disposal, regardless of whether those lands contain mineral deposits valuable enough to be mined (mineral validity). It also establishes the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund. The bill addresses a 2022 decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit related to the Rosemont Copper Mine in Arizona (commonly known as the Rosemont decision , described further in CRS Report R48166 ). The court held that mining claims are only allowed where mineral validity has been established and that mill site claims are more appropriate means for establishing a mining waste disposal site under the Mining Act. The bill allows a mining operator to (1) locate and include within its plan of operations as many mill site claims (e.g., areas for waste rock disposal) as are reasonably necessary for its operations, and (2) use or occupy public land in accordance with an approved plan of operations. Additionally, the bill requires any revenue generated from fees for such mill site claims to be deposited into the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund. The Department of the Interior must use the fund for certain abandoned hardrock mine reclamation activities.

Homeowner Energy Freedom Act This bill repeals the Department of Energy's (1) high-efficiency electric home rebate program for certain electrification projects in low- or moderate-income households, (2) state-based home energy efficiency contractor training grants, and (3) assistance for states and local governments to adopt specified building energy codes. It also rescinds any unobligated balances available for the rebates or adopting the building energy codes. (The unobligated balances for the contractor training grants were previously rescinded by the 2025 reconciliation act.)

The Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 prohibits the National Marine Sanctuaries Act from requiring additional authorizations for undersea fiber optic cables that already have federal or state permits. It directly affects cable operators who have obtained licenses, leases, or permits from any federal or state agency for cable installation or maintenance in national marine sanctuaries. The bill prevents the Secretary from blocking or demanding new permits for these cables once they have valid existing authorization. This simplifies regulatory processes by eliminating redundant federal oversight for cables already approved by other agencies.

This bill repeals federal energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing that were set to take effect in 2022. It specifically nullifies a Department of Energy rule published in May 2022, removing requirements for energy conservation in manufactured homes. The change directly affects manufacturers and buyers of manufactured housing by eliminating these new efficiency mandates. The bill does not establish new standards but removes existing ones from the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

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.

The SPEED Act reforms the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to streamline federal environmental reviews for projects. It limits agencies to considering only "proximate" environmental effects directly tied to a specific project (not speculative or distant impacts), sets strict 180-day deadlines for court remands, and restricts judicial review to procedural errors - not environmental outcomes. This primarily affects federal agencies (like the EPA or Corps of Engineers) and project developers (e.g., for infrastructure, energy, or construction projects) by reducing review scope and accelerating approvals. The bill clarifies NEPA is purely procedural, prohibiting courts from substituting their judgment on environmental effects or delaying actions for new scientific data after deadlines.

This bill, titled "Pet and Livestock Protection Act," is misleading; it actually focuses on gray wolf management. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a 2020 rule removing gray wolves from the endangered species list within 60 days of enactment. The bill also prohibits courts from reviewing this reissuance. This directly affects gray wolf populations and management policies in states where wolves are present, shifting regulatory control away from federal endangered species protections.

The PERMIT Act (HR 3898) amends the definition of "navigable waters" under the Clean Water Act to exclude specific water features from federal regulation. It explicitly removes waste treatment systems, ephemeral streams (flowing only after rain), prior converted cropland, groundwater, and other features designated by regulators. This change directly affects federal agencies like the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, reducing their jurisdiction over these excluded water bodies. The bill aims to streamline permitting by clarifying which waters fall under federal Clean Water Act oversight.