The CLEAR Act aims to limit repeated lawsuits challenging energy projects by establishing a "one lawsuit per project" rule. Once a court makes a final decision on any legal challenge to an energy project's authorization—whether involving permits, licenses, or agency approvals for electricity, fossil fuels, or critical minerals—no additional lawsuits can be filed against that same project in any federal or state court, even if they challenge different permits or raise new issues. The bill also makes it harder to sue in the first place by requiring challengers to file within 150 days of a final agency decision and to have submitted detailed comments during public comment periods, while courts reviewing these cases must defer heavily to federal agencies and can only remand decisions for corrections within 180 days. The restrictions benefit only the federal agencies that issued permits and the project sponsors, and do not prevent lawsuits alleging violations that occur after a project begins operating or enforcement actions brought by the government itself.
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