Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026

Bill Number: S. 2431
Origin Chamber: Senate
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: Economics and Public Finance
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2025-07-24: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 124.
Last Updated: 2026-05-19T11:03:44Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

This bill (S. 2431) provides appropriations for the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Forest Service (under the Department of Agriculture), the Indian Health Service (under the Department of Health and Human Services), and related agencies for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026). It funds operations, conservation, environmental protection, tribal health services, and infrastructure, while including restrictions, extensions of authorities, and general provisions to guide fund use.

Key Provisions

The bill allocates funds across titles, with detailed appropriations for specific programs, projects, and activities (often referencing tables in the accompanying Senate report for exact breakdowns). Highlights include:

Title I: Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management (BLM): $1,256,992,000 for land management, including wild horse/burro programs, mining administration, and range improvements; $115,521,000 for Oregon and California grant lands.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS): $1,462,934,000 for resource management, focusing on endangered species (excluding certain petition processing); $13,709,000 for construction; dedicated funds for wetlands ($49,000,000), multinational species conservation ($20,500,000), and state/tribal wildlife grants ($72,384,000).
National Park Service (NPS): $2,869,424,000 for park operations and maintenance; $91,596,000 for recreation and preservation; $168,246,000 for historic preservation (including grants for underrepresented communities and civil rights sites); $140,791,000 for construction.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): $1,485,354,000 for surveys, research, and investigations in topography, geology, hydrology, and resources.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE): $200,057,000 for ocean energy management and $170,330,000 (plus $36,000,000 from fees) for offshore safety/enforcement, reduced by collected fees.
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE): $111,538,000 for regulation; $32,546,000 plus $130,000,000 for abandoned mine reclamation, prioritizing Appalachian states and tribes.
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE): $1,918,712,000 for Indian programs operations; $1,131,617,000 for education; $234,725,000 for construction; dedicated funds for contract support costs, tribal leases, and land consolidation.
Department-Wide Programs: $1,148,171,000 for wildland fire management (including $383,657,000 for suppression); $370,000,000 reserve fund for wildfire suppression; other funds for hazardous materials ($9,661,000), energy community revitalization ($4,800,000), and natural resource damage assessment ($7,715,000).
Other Offices: Funding for Insular Affairs ($120,367,000 for territories), Office of the Solicitor ($97,950,000), Office of Inspector General ($67,000,000), and Office of Natural Resources Revenue ($167,937,000).

Title II: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
$107,883,000 for the Office of the Administrator; $742,595,000 for science and technology research; $2,869,076,000 for environmental programs (including $36,000,000 for Energy Star and Alaska contaminated lands); $44,030,000 for Inspector General; $31,679,000 for buildings/facilities.
Trust fund programs: $291,912,000 for Superfund (CERCLA cleanup); $87,350,000 for leaking underground storage tanks; $16,506,000 for inland oil spills.
$4,386,109,000 for state and tribal assistance grants, including Clean Water ($1,638,861,000) and Drinking Water ($1,126,101,000) revolving funds, with subsidies for underserved areas; $56,870,000 for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation loans.

Title III: Related Agencies
Forest Service: $1,106,000,000 for operations; $308,497,000 for research; $319,594,000 for state/private/tribal forestry; $1,866,143,000 for National Forest System management; $151,250,000 for capital improvements; $2,426,111,000 for wildland fire management (plus $2,480,000,000 reserve).
Indian Health Service (IHS): $4,805,147,000 (available October 1, 2026) for health services, including Purchased/Referred Care ($996,755,000) and loan repayment ($51,000,000); $519,500,000 for facilities (available October 1, 2026); dedicated funds for contract support costs and tribal leases.
Other Entities: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences ($79,714,000); Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ($81,619,000); Council on Environmental Quality ($4,629,000); Chemical Safety Board ($14,400,000); Navajo/Hopi Relocation ($7,000,000); Institute of American Indian/Alaska Native Culture ($13,482,000); Smithsonian Institution ($924,521,000 salaries/expenses + $120,000,000 facilities); National Gallery of Art ($173,254,000 + $25,000,000 repairs); Kennedy Center ($32,340,000); Woodrow Wilson Center ($5,000,000); National Endowments for Arts/Humanities ($207,000,000 each); Commission of Fine Arts ($3,661,000); National Capital Arts/Cultural Affairs ($5,000,000); Advisory Council on Historic Preservation ($8,585,000); National Capital Planning Commission ($8,750,000); U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum ($66,731,000); U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission ($15,000,000).

Title IV: General Provisions
Restrictions on fund use (e.g., no promotion of legislation, no pornography on networks, humane treatment of wild horses/burros).
Extensions of authorities (e.g., grazing permits, Good Neighbor Authority through 2026, Alaska Native health entities).
Reporting requirements (e.g., quarterly disaster estimates, grant cancellations).
Rescissions: $41,000,000 from EPA buildings; $50,000,000 from Kennedy Center repairs.
Repurposing: Transfers $764,514,000 from prior infrastructure funds to wildland fire management (excluding suppression); $67,000,000 to DOI Inspector General.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

Extensions and Amendments: Extends grazing permit extensions (Sec. 415), Good Neighbor Authority (Sec. 442 to 2026), Forest Service facility realignment (Sec. 418 to 2026), and Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans land allotments (Sec. 440 to 10-year period). Amends Denali naming restoration (Sec. 129), sage-grouse protections (Sec. 119 prohibiting certain Endangered Species Act rules), and historic preservation fund deposits (Sec. 121 to FY 2026).
Rescissions and Repurposing: Permanently rescinds specified unobligated balances (Sec. 452); repurposes infrastructure funds for fire management and oversight (Sec. 453), treating them as prior emergency designations.
New Authorities: Allows DOI/Forest Service to waive non-Federal cost shares for conservation projects (Sec. 441); expands IHS housing allowances (administrative provisions); updates emergency law enforcement ceilings (Sec. 123 to $500,000).
Prohibitions: Bans funds for certain EPA regulations (e.g., lead in ammunition, Sec. 437; greenhouse gas reporting from manure, Sec. 436); restricts oil/gas leasing in Chaco Canyon (Sec. 426 until cultural investigation completes).

Potential Impacts

Government Agencies: Provides stable funding for core operations (e.g., $2.4B+ for Forest Service fire management, $4.8B for IHS services), enabling maintenance of public lands, wildlife protection, and tribal health infrastructure. Repurposed funds bolster fire suppression reserves amid increasing wildfire risks, but rescissions may strain facilities. Quarterly reporting enhances oversight.
Citizens: Supports access to national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges; funds clean water/wastewater projects benefiting rural and tribal communities (e.g., $4.3B state/tribal grants). Tribal members gain from expanded health/education funding; underserved areas (e.g., persistent poverty counties) receive targeted aid. Restrictions on evictions (e.g., Navajo/Hopi) protect vulnerable populations.
International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though multinational species conservation ($20.5M) aids global wildlife efforts, and EPA/FS international programs support foreign technical assistance.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Federal Agencies: DOI bureaus (BLM, FWS, NPS, USGS, BIA, IHS), EPA, Forest Service—primary recipients for operations and projects.
Tribes and Tribal Organizations: Major beneficiaries via $1.9B+ for BIA/BIE, $4.8B for IHS (including contract support costs), and targeted grants (e.g., abandoned mine reclamation, wildlife).
States, Local Governments, and Territories: Receive revolving fund grants ($2.7B+ for water infrastructure), fire assistance, and PILT payments; insular areas get $120M for assistance.
Industry and Private Sector: Energy/mining sectors benefit from BOEM/BSEE/OSMRE funding but face leasing restrictions (e.g., Chaco); timber/biomass interests supported by forest management extensions.
Environmental/Conservation Groups and Public: Enhanced protections for parks, wildlife, and historic sites; citizens using public lands gain from maintenance/fuels reduction.
Nonprofits and Museums: Funding for Smithsonian, endowments, and cultural institutions supports education/outreach.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Legal: Extends expiring authorities (e.g., Good Neighbor for cross-boundary forest treatments) to maintain status quo without new legislation; reinforces trust responsibilities to tribes via IHS/BIA funding (constitutional treaty obligations). Prohibitions (e.g., on EPA rules) limit regulatory expansion, potentially facing challenges under statutes like the Endangered Species Act or Clean Air Act.
Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's power of the purse (Art. I, Sec. 9) by specifying appropriations and restrictions; supports equal protection via targeted aid to underserved/tribal groups.
Political: As an appropriations bill, it reflects bipartisan priorities (e.g., fire funding amid climate concerns) but includes partisan elements (e.g., sage-grouse/protections, Denali renaming). Reporting/reprogramming requirements enhance congressional oversight; rescissions/repurposing could spark debates on fiscal priorities. Neutral implementation avoids bias, focusing on statutory mandates.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]

Recent Actions

2025-07-24: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 124.
2025-07-24: Committee on Appropriations. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Murkowski. With written report No. 119-46.
2025-07-24: Committee on Appropriations. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Murkowski. With written report No. 119-46.
2025-07-24: Introduced in Senate
2025-06-11: Subcommittee on Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Hearings held on the subject prior to the subcommittee ordering to be reported an original measure. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 119-67.
2025-05-21: Subcommittee on Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Hearings held on the subject prior to the subcommittee ordering to be reported an original measure. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 119-67.
2025-05-14: Subcommittee on Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Hearings held on the subject prior to the subcommittee ordering to be reported an original measure. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 119-67.

Bill Versions

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 — issued 2025-07-24 — PDF (202 pages)