Military Readiness Permitting Efficiency Act of 2026

This bill would let the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department make agreements with the National Marine Fisheries Service or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to carry out environmental reviews for military programs or projects the Secretary designates as priorities. Under these agreements, the Defense Department would pay the wildlife agency to hire staff to do the reviews, and the money could be used only for that purpose. An agreement is allowed only if the Secretary decides national defense requires the review to be done within a certain time and the wildlife agency gives notice that it lacks the funds or staff to meet that timeline without help. The reviews covered are those under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Sarah Elfreth Democrat sponsor
• 1 cosponsors