In the nature of a substitute.

In the nature of a substitute.

This joint resolution seeks to overturn an Environmental Protection Agency rule that allows California to set its own pollution control standards for small off-road engines, such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress can disapprove certain federal regulations within a specified timeframe, and if this resolution passes, the EPA rule would be nullified and have no legal effect. The rule, published in the Federal Register on January 6, 2025, relates to California's authority to impose stricter emissions standards than federal requirements on nonroad engines. The resolution was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators and referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. If approved by both chambers and signed by the President, this action would prevent California from enforcing its own small off-road engine pollution standards.

This bill modifies federal water pollution control rules to make it easier for farmers and ranchers to discharge dredged or fill material on their land without obtaining permits. Currently, the Clean Water Act requires permits for most discharges into wetlands and waterways, but it includes exemptions for certain agricultural activities. This legislation expands those exemptions by directing that they be interpreted broadly in favor of landowners and narrowly when the government tries to recapture or limit those exemptions. The bill specifically removes language that would otherwise restrict these exemptions and adds a new provision requiring courts and agencies to interpret the exemption rules in the most permissive way possible for property owners. This change primarily affects farmers, ranchers, and other rural landowners by reducing regulatory burdens when they conduct land management activities involving wetlands or waterways on their property.

The POWER Up Act clarifies that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has jurisdiction over connecting large electricity consumers directly to the nation's interstate power transmission system. A "large load facility" is defined as any facility or group of related facilities at the same or adjacent locations that demand 100 megawatts or more of electricity, though the Commission can adjust this threshold as needed to protect grid reliability. The legislation requires the Commission to create standardized procedures and agreements for these large industrial connections within 18 months of the law's enactment. The bill does not affect states' existing authority over facility siting, permits, construction, retail electric rates, local power distribution, or power generation. This measure aims to establish clear federal oversight for major industrial electricity consumers while preserving traditional state and local regulatory roles.

This bill would exempt small oil and natural gas wells, known as "marginal wells," from federal clean air standards and related environmental requirements under the Clean Air Act. A marginal well is defined as producing 15 barrels of oil per day or less, or 90,000 cubic feet of natural gas per day or less, averaged over the preceding calendar year. The exemption would apply to the wells themselves and their associated equipment, relieving small producers of monitoring, reporting, leak detection, and emission measurement requirements. The EPA would have 180 days to update its regulations to implement this change, and any pending enforcement actions against marginal well operators for violating current standards would be terminated. The bill does not include specific funding amounts and would take effect upon enactment.

This bill directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow nuclear power plants to use commercial-grade steel and concrete in structures that are not directly involved in safety functions, rather than requiring more expensive, specially-qualified materials. The NRC must begin the rulemaking process within 90 days of the bill's enactment to implement this requirement. The agency can only maintain stricter material standards if it determines that doing so is necessary to protect public health, safety, and national security. The bill aims to reduce construction costs for nuclear facilities by permitting the use of locally-sourced, off-the-shelf building materials in non-critical areas like buildings and support structures, which could make nuclear power plant construction more economical and potentially encourage new nuclear development.

This bill converts four executive orders about nuclear energy into permanent federal law. The orders, signed in May 2025, address nuclear reactor testing reforms at the Department of Energy, deployment of advanced nuclear reactor technologies for national security purposes, reforms to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and efforts to strengthen the nuclear industrial base in the United States. By codifying these orders, Congress would make them binding law that cannot be easily reversed by future administrations. The legislation was introduced by Senator Cynthia Lummis and Senator Tom Cotton and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The bill contains no specified funding amounts or implementation timelines in the text provided.

S. 4146 amends the Endangered Species Act to require the federal government to accept and use data collected by states when deciding whether to list species as threatened or endangered, or remove them from protection lists. The bill affects the Secretary of the Interior and state wildlife agencies, as it fundamentally changes how the federal government evaluates species' conservation status. The legislation does not specify funding amounts or implementation timelines. By incorporating state-level data into these decisions, the bill aims to give states a greater role in endangered species determinations, though it does not clarify how conflicting data between federal and state sources would be resolved or what weight state data must receive in decision-making.

This resolution recognizes 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. It also encourages federal agencies, universities, and organizations across the country to promote education, research, and outreach related to rangeland management.

The FENCES Act amends the Clean Air Act to exempt states from federal penalties and sanctions if they can demonstrate that air quality problems in their regions are caused primarily by pollution sources outside the United States rather than local emissions. The bill allows states to avoid being designated as "nonattainment areas" (regions failing to meet federal air quality standards) if foreign emissions are the main culprit, and it shields states from fines and sanctions for failing to meet air quality deadlines when they can prove international pollution is responsible. The law applies specifically to severe ozone and particulate matter pollution in areas classified as "Severe," "Extreme," or "Serious." States seeking this exemption must demonstrate their case to the Environmental Protection Agency and renew their proof every five years. The bill essentially gives states an escape valve from Clean Air Act enforcement if they can show that foreign pollution, rather than failures in state pollution controls, is responsible for poor air quality.

This bill clarifies that certain developers and providers of blockchain technology are not subject to federal money transmission laws and their associated registration requirements. Specifically, it exempts "non-controlling developers or providers" — those who create or maintain blockchain software but cannot unilaterally control or initiate transactions on behalf of users without third-party approval — from being classified as money transmitting businesses under federal law. The bill applies to developers providing software maintenance, custody tools, or infrastructure support for distributed ledger systems. However, the exemption is narrow: it does not protect developers from other financial regulations, anti-money laundering laws, or state-level requirements, and it does not apply to developers who actually control user transactions or operate outside the specified scope. The legislation takes effect upon enactment and allows states to enforce consistent state laws.

The CLEAR Act of 2025 blocks the Secretary of Agriculture from implementing and enforcing a Forest Service rule on criminal prohibitions that was published in November 2024. The bill invalidates this specific regulation and prevents the Forest Service from administering any substantially similar rules going forward. The legislation affects how the Forest Service enforces criminal laws on federal forest lands and could impact law enforcement operations in those areas. Introduced by Senator Lummis and three colleagues in December 2025, the bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry but contains no specified funding amounts or implementation timeline. The bill's stated purpose is to restore community law enforcement authority, suggesting supporters believe the blocked regulation inappropriately limited local or state law enforcement involvement on national forests.

This bill would prohibit foreign governments designated as "foreign adversaries" and their nationals or companies from submitting public comments during the federal rulemaking process. Currently, the Administrative Procedure Act allows any interested party to submit comments on proposed federal rules, but this legislation would exclude entities connected to countries the Secretary of Commerce identifies as foreign adversaries. The bill amends federal law to prevent these foreign governments and associated individuals and organizations from participating in the public comment period or petitioning federal agencies on proposed regulations. The measure does not establish new funding requirements or implementation timelines. If enacted, it would affect the scope of public participation in federal rulemaking by restricting comments from certain international actors, though the bill does not specify which countries would be classified as foreign adversaries or how the determination would be made beyond referencing existing Commerce Department criteria.

The SMART Infrastructure Act directs the Secretary of Transportation to create a centralized online platform called the e-NEPA portal for managing environmental permits and reviews for transportation infrastructure projects, along with guidelines for using "digital twin" technology—advanced 3D digital models that simulate how infrastructure projects will perform and impact the environment. The bill affects companies and agencies involved in federal transportation infrastructure projects by requiring them to use this new portal and digital modeling tools, which are designed to speed up the permitting process by at least 25 percent while improving communication with the public and other government agencies. Key timelines include establishing digital twin guidelines within 18 months, launching a pilot program within four months to test the approach on at least 10 projects, and developing the full e-NEPA portal within two years, with all federal agencies required to use it by January 1, 2028. The bill does not appear to contain new funding authorizations but requires agencies to use existing authorities and resources to implement these modernized permitting processes. The legislation is sponsored by Senators Lummis and Kelly and aims to reduce project delays caused by inefficient coordination and outdated paper-based processes.

Combating Obstruction Against Leasing Act of 2025 or the COAL Act of 2025This bill requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to process certain pending applications to lease coal mineral estates owned by the federal government in order to develop coal.If the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 has commenced for an application, then the BLM must publish a draft environmental assessment and any applicable implementing regulations, finalize the fair market value of the coal tract for which a lease by application is pending, take all intermediate actions necessary to grant the application, and grant the application.With respect to previously awarded coal leases, the BLM must grant any additional approvals required for mining activities to commence.Finally, the bill nullifies the Department of the Interior's Secretarial Order 3338, which placed a hold on most new federal coal leases until the BLM completes a comprehensive review of the federal coal program.

S. Res. 457 is a symbolic resolution that designates the week of October 19, 2025, as "Coal Week" to honor workers and the role of coal in American energy production. The resolution recognizes coal industry workers for their contributions and emphasizes coal's historical importance to U.S. industrial development and current role as a baseload power source, noting it provided 19.5 percent of U.S. utility-scale electricity in 2022. The bill highlights coal's significance to national security and military readiness while acknowledging improvements in emissions reduction technologies from coal power plants. This is a non-binding resolution with no direct funding or regulatory impact—it serves purely to make a congressional statement recognizing the coal industry and its workers.

The Diesel Truck Liberation Act of 2025 would prohibit the federal government from enforcing laws requiring manufacturers, importers, and distributors to install or maintain emissions control devices on motor vehicles and engines. Specifically, it would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from creating or enforcing regulations under the Clean Air Act related to emissions controls and onboard diagnostic systems. The bill would also eliminate all existing EPA regulations on this topic, shield manufacturers and individuals from criminal or civil penalties for selling or using vehicles without these devices, and vacate any criminal sentences and expunge records for past violations. No specific funding or timeline for implementation is mentioned in the legislation. The bill essentially eliminates federal authority to regulate vehicle emissions through emissions control technology requirements.

Connor's Law strengthens English proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers by amending federal transportation regulations. The bill requires that commercial motor vehicle operators be able to read and speak English well enough to converse with the public, understand highway signs and signals, respond to official inquiries, and complete required reports and records. Drivers who fail to meet these English proficiency standards can be declared "out of service" by enforcement officers, meaning they cannot legally operate commercial vehicles until they comply. The legislation does not specify funding amounts or implementation timelines, and it applies to all commercial motor vehicle operators subject to federal Department of Transportation regulations. The bill was introduced in October 2025 and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on November 20, 2024, which amended the 2015 resource management plan (RMP) for the Buffalo Field Office in Wyoming to make no federal coal available for future leasing. Thus, the joint resolution requires the BLM to follow the 2015 RMP as it was before it was amended in 2024 and make coal available for leasing.By way of background, the BLM developed the amendment to the plan in response to Western Organization of Resource Councils v. Bureau of Land Management. In that case, the court held that the BLM must evaluate the climate impacts of federal coal leasing in the Buffalo Field Office and include alternatives to limit or stop coal leasing in the evaluation in order to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. After conducting the evaluation, the BLM amended the RMP and made BLM-managed coal resources in the Buffalo Field Office planning area unavailable for future leasing.

The amendment introduces provisions to enhance transparency and accountability in the allocation of federal funds, requiring detailed reporting on expenditures and the outcomes of funded programs. Additionally, it mandates regular audits to ensure compliance with the new reporting standards.

This resolution designates October 4, 2025, as National Energy Appreciation Day.

$2.50 for America’s 250th ActThis bill requires the minting of $2.50 coins to commemorate the 250th anniversary, or the semiquincentennial, of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.Specifically, the Department of the Treasury must mint and issue a $2.50 circulating coin upon determining that such minting is technically feasible, economically feasible, and not cost prohibitive. The design of such a coin during the first five years of its issuance must be as described by the bill, however, subsequent designs may be selected by Treasury to celebrate the founding of the United States.Treasury may also mint and issue $2.50 numismatic coins (i.e., collectible coins) in silver, clad, and other alloys, including gold.