The Military Readiness Permitting Efficiency Act of 2026 allows the Department of Defense to enter into agreements with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to speed up environmental reviews of priority military programs and projects. Under the bill, the Defense Department can provide direct financial assistance to these agencies to hire additional personnel needed to complete reviews required by federal wildlife and fisheries laws, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Defense Secretary can designate a military program or project as a priority and invoke this expedited review process if the agency confirms it lacks sufficient funding or staff to complete the environmental review within the required timeframe without additional assistance. The funded activities can cover preparatory military planning, the actual review process itself, and development of related agreements. This legislation aims to reduce delays in military construction and operations caused by lengthy environmental permitting reviews while ensuring those reviews still occur.
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