Military Readiness Permitting Efficiency Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 9188
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-08: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-24T18:07:47Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of H.R. 9188: Military Readiness Permitting Efficiency Act of 2026
Purpose
This legislation aims to speed up required environmental reviews for certain high-priority Department of Defense programs and projects by allowing the military to provide funding assistance to two federal wildlife agencies.
Key Provisions
- Agreements authorized: The Secretary of Defense or a military department secretary may enter into agreements with the Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service or the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Scope of reviews: These agreements cover review processes under three specific laws:
- The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
- The Endangered Species Act of 1973.
- The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
- Financial assistance: The Department of Defense provides direct funding to the wildlife agencies solely to hire additional personnel needed to complete the reviews faster.
- Conditions for use: Agreements are permitted only when the Secretary determines a review must occur within a set timeframe for national defense reasons, and the wildlife agency confirms it lacks sufficient staff or funds to meet that deadline without assistance.
- Eligible expenses: Funding can cover military planning activities before the review, direct review activities including consultations, and development of programmatic agreements.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds a new section 2673 to Chapter 159 of Title 10, United States Code, creating explicit authority for these interagency funding agreements.
- This represents a new mechanism not previously codified in Title 10 for transferring funds to support environmental reviews tied to military projects.
Potential Impacts
- On government agencies: Enables the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to expand review capacity through external funding, potentially reducing delays in processing military-related permits.
- On citizens: May indirectly affect communities near military installations by accelerating project timelines, though no direct changes to public participation requirements are specified.
- On international relations: No provisions address international matters.
Main Stakeholders
- Department of Defense and military departments.
- National Marine Fisheries Service.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Operators of priority military programs and projects requiring environmental reviews.
Notable Implications
- Legal: Establishes a structured process for interagency cooperation on environmental compliance without altering the underlying requirements of the three environmental laws.
- Constitutional or political: The bill introduces no apparent changes to constitutional authorities; it focuses on administrative efficiency for defense-related reviews.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-08: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
- 2026-06-08: Introduced in House
- 2026-06-08: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Military Readiness Permitting Efficiency Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-08 — PDF (4 pages)