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.
The Forest Data Modernization Act of 2025 updates how the U.S. Forest Service collects and reports forest data. It requires the agency to modernize its data collection methods - including adding timber product studies and woodland owner surveys - to better track forest carbon (including below-ground carbon), land use changes, and biomass supplies. The bill mandates nationally consistent data protocols, improved transparency in reporting, and regular updates to a strategic plan (submitted to Congress every 5 years) detailing how the agency will integrate remote sensing technologies and collaborate with partners. These changes directly affect the Forest Service’s inventory program and make forest data more accessible to researchers, landowners, and industries while protecting confidential plot locations and owner information.
S 2578, the "Strengthening the Rule of Law in the Brazilian Amazon Act," directs U.S. agencies to support Brazil in combating criminal networks driving deforestation and environmental harm in the Amazon. It requires the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to identify sustainable economic opportunities and investment risks in the region, and authorizes $10 million annually (2025-2028) for U.S. agencies to provide technical assistance, capacity building, and support for sustainable livelihoods and Indigenous rights in Brazil. The bill mandates reports to Congress on drivers of deforestation (including Chinese involvement in illicit resource extraction), progress on disrupting criminal networks, and U.S. efforts to influence international financial institutions to oppose loans exacerbating deforestation. It directly affects U.S. agencies (State, USAID, Treasury) and Brazilian authorities working to address illegal logging, mining, wildlife trafficking, and associated corruption.
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2025 or the GLRI Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which carries out programs and projects to protect and restore the Great Lakes.
The Help Our Kelp Act of 2025 establishes a federal grant program to fund projects restoring and conserving wild kelp forests. It directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to award grants to eligible groups - including fishing industry members, tribes, nonprofits, and local governments - for projects addressing regional kelp decline, enhancing ecosystem resilience, removing sea urchins that harm kelp, and integrating Indigenous knowledge. Projects must include collaboration among eligible entities and meet specific criteria, with grants covering up to 85% of costs (allowing waivers for tribes). The bill authorizes $5 million annually (2026-2030), reserving at least $750,000 yearly for tribal-led projects.
The Feral Swine Eradication Act makes a federal program for controlling feral swine permanent, replacing a previous pilot initiative. It allocates $75 million for fiscal years 2025-2030 to fund eradication efforts in areas where feral swine threaten agriculture, ecosystems, or human/animal health (as determined by the Secretary). The bill requires one year of post-eradication monitoring in affected areas and mandates two reports to Congress detailing program activities, funding use, and success in reducing swine-related damage to crops, wildlife, and public safety.
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 2771, the Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act, allows states to authorize qualified organizations (like accredited land trusts) to acquire, hold, and manage conservation easements under the Forest Legacy Program instead of requiring states to handle all such easements directly. To qualify, organizations must meet IRS standards for conservation purposes, maintain Land Trust Accreditation Commission accreditation, and demonstrate ability to monitor and enforce easements. The bill includes safeguards requiring easements to revert to the state or another approved organization if the qualified organization fails to meet program requirements or modifies easements inconsistently. This directly affects states administering the Forest Legacy Program and eligible land conservation groups working on forestland protection.
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.
