Congress mandates public database of environmental lawsuits and review timelines

What it does

This bill requires federal agencies to submit annual reports to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) documenting all lawsuits alleging violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including case details, outcomes, and settlements. The CEQ must then publish these reports publicly along with data on environmental impact statement lengths, preparation costs, and timelines, disaggregated by industry sector. The bill creates a comprehensive public database of NEPA litigation and environmental review metrics, with special tracking of 15 named sectors including energy, infrastructure, and mining.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is mandatory public disclosure of NEPA litigation, environmental review metrics, and timelines. It functions as a transparency and accountability tool, not a deregulation or exemption measure, despite the sector-disaggregation language that may signal industry interest in the data.

What the text implies

• Sector-level disaggregation of NEPA litigation data may enable industry groups to identify and challenge environmental review patterns, potentially informing coordinated legal strategies against specific agencies or review types.
• Public disclosure of environmental review timelines and costs could create political pressure on agencies to accelerate reviews or reduce scope, even where thorough analysis is warranted, if data shows longer timelines than industry prefers.
• The bill's inclusion of settlement and consent decree data may expose negotiated environmental commitments to public scrutiny in ways that could undermine future agency-plaintiff negotiations or reveal enforcement priorities.
• Tracking of 'notice to proceed' dates alongside environmental review completion may create a metric that conflates agency efficiency with environmental rigor, potentially framing longer reviews as bureaucratic failure rather than due diligence.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill increases transparency and public accountability by mandating disclosure of NEPA litigation data, environmental review costs, and timelines—information previously scattered or unavailable. Citizens and advocacy groups gain visibility into how environmental reviews function, which projects face legal challenges, and whether agencies are meeting statutory deadlines, enabling more informed participation in the democratic process.

Who stands to gain

• Infrastructure and energy development sectors (aviation, broadband, renewable energy, conventional e
• Mining and forestry industries
• Legal and consulting firms specializing in NEPA litigation and environmental compliance

Named in the bill

Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Federal lead agencies, House Committee on Natural Resources, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Where it stands

6 cosponsors: 5 Republicans, 1 Democrats.

• Jan 21, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 21, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Sep 10, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Committee Hearings Held”
• Nov 20, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Nov 20, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Unanimous Consent”
• Dec 9, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5086-5087)”
• Dec 9, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Crank moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

19 lobbying clients named this bill on 28 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $10,193,811 in lobbying spend. A filing names 40 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 96% of bills with at least one filing.

Rudy Yakym, the sponsor, reported $1,401,759 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $1,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.

• Edison Electric Institute — $4,248,610 on 2 filings
• Associated Builders and Contractors Inc — $1,400,000 on 2 filings
• Airports Council International -- North America — $775,201 on 1 filing
• Puget Sound Energy — $750,000 on 2 filings
• Pinnacle West Capital Corporation — $460,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.