Committee Releases FY25 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Appropriations Committee released the Fiscal Year 2025 bill for the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. The bill will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow, June 28th at 8:00 a.m. The markup will be live-streamed and can be found on the Committee’s website.

Interior and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID) said, “As Chairman of this subcommittee, I promised to draft a bill that protects important programs that states and local communities rely on. To achieve this, I have once again authored language that fully funds the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, makes critical investments for our Tribes, and prioritizes funding for Wildland Fire Management, including permanently addressing wildland firefighter pay.  At the same time, I promised to craft a fiscally responsible bill that reins in unnecessary federal spending and one that rejects President Biden's misguided regulatory agenda. I am proud that the Fiscal Year 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Act does just that by encouraging energy independence, expanding access to domestic resource production, and reining in the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I thank Chairman Cole for his leadership and look forward to getting this bill across the finish line.”

Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said, “This bill delivers essential resources for our public lands and supports an all-of-the-above energy approach – all while cutting millions in wasteful spending. Time and time again, the Administration has shown its desire to grow government and implement heavy-handed policies that make life more difficult for the American people. I am proud that this measure reverses many of the Executive Branch’s misguided rules and regulations. The legislation also safeguards the sacred oath this nation made to protect Native American communities. Chairman Simpson’s approach has been clear: we can both unleash and conserve vital resources through targeted and fiscally responsible investments.”

Fiscal Year 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides a total discretionary allocation of $38.478 billion, which is $72 million (0.2%) below the Fiscal Year 2024 enacted level and $4.407 billion (10%) below the President’s Budget Request. The bill also rescinds $55 million of Department of the Interior funding for the Presidio Trust provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The bill fully funds the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program and prioritizes funding for Tribes and Wildland Fire Management, including permanently addressing wildland firefighter pay. In addition, the bill provides a $2.75 billion fire suppression cap adjustment as authorized.

The bill meets the programmatic needs while rightsizing agency funding levels, including a $1.82 billion (20%) reduction to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Key Takeaways

• Strengthens our national security and promotes domestic energy production by:
  • Requiring the Secretary of the Interior to:
    • Resume quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales.
    • Issue 5-year offshore oil and gas leasing programs on time.
    • Conduct lease sales in the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area, the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area, and the Alaska region.
    • Conduct Lease Sale 262.
  • Prohibiting funds to cancel oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
  • Expanding access to critical minerals by blocking certain Bureau of Land Management withdrawals in Minnesota and reinstating mineral leases in the Superior National Forest.
  • Prohibiting the EPA from imposing the methane fee on oil and gas producers created by the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act.
  • Ensuring ancillary mining activities, including exploration operations and construction of a mine access road, are permitted with or without the discovery of a valuable mineral deposit, codifying the Rosemont decision.
• Prioritizes funding for public safety and critical programs by:
  • Providing $2.81 billion (+14.5%) for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, including $746 million for Public Safety and Justice programs, which is 34% above the FY24 enacted level.
  • Providing $1.47 billion for the Bureau of Indian Education (+7.5%), including $271 million for Education Construction, which is 15% above the FY24 enacted level.
  • Providing $8.56 billion for the Indian Health Service (+23%) along with $5.98 billion in advance appropriations for FY26.
  • Fully funding PILT estimated to be $600 million, which is $85 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • Providing $3.6 billion, which is $177 million above the FY24 enacted level, for wildfire activities and permanently addressing wildland firefighter pay and capacity, without using irresponsible budget gimmicks requested by the Administration.
• Reins in the Biden Administration’s job-killing regulatory agenda by:
  • Ensuring chemical and pesticide manufacturers are not overburdened with requirements that would drive business overseas and threaten American competitiveness.
  • Blocking EPA’s car regulations on light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles.
  • Prohibiting the EPA from allowing California to require that new small off-road engines, such as lawn care equipment, be zero-emission.
  • Limiting abuse of the Endangered Species Act regarding species such as the sage-grouse, the gray wolf, the lesser-prairie chicken, and the dunes sagebrush lizard.
  • Addressing the harmful impacts of the Cottonwood decision to improve forest management.
  • Blocking the Administration’s NEPA rules that give agencies broad leeway to incorporate climate change in permitting, allow preferential treatment for some projects over others, and include social cost of carbon in permit evaluations.
  • Prohibiting funds for the EPA’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 and regulatory overreach regarding ozone emissions and steam electric power plants.
• Protects access to our public lands by:
  • Blocking restrictions on hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on federal lands.
  • Stopping the Bureau of Land Management’s Conservation and Landscape Health rule to ensure continued access to public lands for grazing, recreation, and energy development.
  • Prohibiting multiple U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rulings used to weaponize the Endangered Species Act against land users and energy producers.
  • Blocking a regulation that would make it harder for Americans to use traditional ammunition and fishing tackle.
  • Prohibiting restrictions on where standard lead ammunition and fishing tackle can be used on certain federal lands or waters unless conditions are met.
  • Stopping the Administration’s 30x30 initiative to ensure access to federal lands for mineral exploration and development.
• Focuses the Executive Branch on its core responsibilities by:
  • Reducing funding for the EPA by 20%.
  • Eliminating all discretionary funding for the Presidio Trust and rescinding $55 million provided to the Presidio through the Inflation Reduction Act.
  • Reducing funding for the Council on Environmental Quality to the authorized level of $1 million.
  • Blocking funds for the American Climate Corps, Climate Justice Alliance, and ecogrief counseling.
  • Rejecting eight of the Administration’s climate change executive orders.
  • Prohibiting agencies from using the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) in cost-benefit analyses and blocking the Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases.
• Supports American values and principles by:
  • Prohibiting the use of funds to promote or advance critical race theory.
  • Prohibiting implementation of the Biden Administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
  • Prohibiting funds for COVID-19 mask or vaccine mandates.
  • Prohibiting funds for the National Park Service to provide housing to an alien without lawful status.
  • Ensuring only approved flags are flown over agency facilities.
  • Prohibiting funds for moral conviction discriminatory action.

     

A summary of the bill is available here.

Bill text is available here