Environment (Conservation)

HR 839, the "No FED in West Texas Act," prohibits the U.S. Department of the Interior from finalizing or implementing the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge Land Protection Plan. This bill directly affects the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Secretary of the Interior, blocking action on a specific 2023 plan for the refuge. The key provision bans the federal government from administering or enforcing the refuge's land protection plan as outlined in the February 2023 document. The bill does not create new policy but prevents the implementation of an existing federal land management plan.

The LIT Act of 2025 repeals energy efficiency standards for incandescent light bulbs by amending the Energy Policy and Conservation Act and terminating three specific Department of Energy rules established in 2022 and 2024. It removes requirements that manufacturers must meet for incandescent bulbs' energy efficiency, effectively allowing the sale of bulbs that previously did not comply with these standards. The bill directly affects manufacturers, retailers, and consumers of incandescent lighting products by eliminating these regulatory constraints. This change does not create new standards but eliminates existing ones governing general service lamps.

Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances Act This bill modifies the process by which the Department of Energy (DOE) issues or revises energy conservation standards for consumer products such as household appliances, including by requiring DOE to consider additional factors related to the cost and availability of such products. First, the bill allows DOE to amend an energy conservation standard for a consumer product when needed rather than by a deadline. The bill also allows DOE to grant a petition to revoke or amend energy conservation standards if the standards (1) result in additional costs to consumers, (2) do not result in significant conservation of energy or water, (3) are not technologically feasible, and (4) result in a product (e.g., gas stoves) not being commercially available in the United States to all consumers. Additionally, the bill modifies the criteria used to prescribe new or amended energy conservation standards, including by establishing new criteria for determining whether a standard is economically justified. The bill establishes disclosure requirements for DOE meetings with entities that have (1) ties to China or the Chinese Communist Party; (2) produced studies regarding, or advocated for, regulations or policy to limit, restrict, or ban the use of any type of energy; and (3) applied for or received federal funds. The bill also prohibits DOE from prescribing new or revised energy conservation standards for distribution transformers. Finally, the bill allows DOE to prescribe certain new or amended energy and water conservation standards for clothes washers and dishwashers.

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.

HR 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act, repeals specific energy efficiency standards for federal buildings. It directly affects federal agencies and buildings subject to the repealed standards under Section 305(a)(3)(D) of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6834(a)(3)(D)). The bill removes these standards from federal law, stating they "shall have no force or effect," and updates related provisions in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to eliminate references to the repealed standards. This is a procedural repeal focused solely on removing existing requirements, not creating new infrastructure or policy.

The HEATS Act eliminates the need for federal drilling permits for geothermal exploration and production on non-Federal surface land under specific conditions. It applies to operators who hold a state permit and where the U.S. owns less than 50% of the underlying geothermal rights. Key provisions include: no requirement for federal environmental reviews (NEPA), exemptions from the Endangered Species Act, and a 30-day start period after submitting the state permit. The bill maintains existing royalty payments for geothermal electricity production and explicitly excludes activities on Indian lands. It does not alter federal royalty rates or require additional federal oversight beyond state permitting.

S 449, the Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025, streamlines forest restoration projects by modifying environmental review rules for the U.S. Forest Service. It directs the Forest Service to use categorical exclusions (avoiding full environmental reviews) for hazardous fuel and insect/disease risk reduction projects in designated "insect and disease treatment areas," provided the areas are suitable for timber production or lack timber harvest prohibitions. The bill also requires states to prioritize wildfire/insect risk reduction in these areas and mandates annual public reporting on treated acreage. This primarily affects Forest Service operations and state agencies managing projects under the "Good Neighbor Authority" program, which allows states to use timber sale revenue for additional restoration work.

H.J. Res. 42 is a congressional disapproval resolution that voids a Department of Energy (DOE) rule on appliance energy efficiency standards. The resolution specifically targets the DOE's 2024 rule requiring certification, labeling, and enforcement for energy-efficient appliances and commercial equipment. By disapproving this rule under federal law (5 U.S.C. § 801), the resolution prevents the rule from taking effect, meaning appliance manufacturers and retailers would not need to comply with its requirements. This resolution directly affects the implementation of the DOE's energy conservation program for consumer products and commercial equipment.

The Natural GAS Act of 2025 requires the Department of Energy to conduct a full fuel cycle analysis (referencing a 2009 National Academies report) before setting new energy efficiency standards for residential gas water heaters, furnaces/boilers, and cooktops/ranges/ovens. It mandates that any final rule must certify it won’t cause a significant shift from gas to electric appliances in construction or replacement. Manufacturers must prominently disclose the analysis results on required energy efficiency labels visible to consumers at point-of-sale. The bill exempts small appliance manufacturers (defined in federal regulations) from these requirements.

S 3178 requires the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Agriculture Secretaries to withdraw a specific energy efficiency rule for HUD- and USDA-financed housing. It prevents these agencies (and also the Veterans Affairs and Federal Housing Finance Agency) from implementing or enforcing that rule or similar standards, mandating a return to pre-existing energy efficiency requirements for covered housing programs. The bill also updates a provision to allow states with energy efficiency codes meeting or exceeding the withdrawn standard (at least 26 states) to continue using them. This directly affects federal housing agencies and the housing projects they fund.