Military Readiness Permitting Efficiency Act of 2026

Overview

• Bill: H.R. 9188 (Military Readiness Permitting Efficiency Act of 2026)
• Purpose: Authorize interagency agreements to expedite reviews of priority Department of Defense (DoD) programs and projects by leveraging other federal agencies’ review processes, specifically through agreements with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
• Introduced: June 8, 2026 by Rep. Elfreth, with Rep. Bergman as a co-sponsor; referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

What the bill would do

• Create a new mechanism (Section 2673) to enter interagency agreements between DoD (or a military department) and NMFS or FWS.
• Under an eligible agreement:
  • NMFS or FWS would undertake a review process for a designated priority DoD program or project.
  • DoD would provide direct financial assistance to NMFS or FWS to hire personnel to conduct the review, with funds strictly limited to those purposes.
• Eligibility and conditions:
  • The review must be for a program or project the DoD Secretary designates as a priority.
  • The DoD Secretary must determine that expedited review is in the national defense interest.
  • NMFS or FWS must indicate that they lack sufficient funds or adequate personnel to complete the review within the desired timeframe without the assistance.
• Laws that could be used for the expedited review:
  • Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
  • Endangered Species Act of 1973
  • Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

Key provisions and definitions

• Eligible expense: Includes costs related to pre-review military planning, the review process itself (including consultations), and development of programmatic agreements.
• Review process: Defined as the process of assessing potential environmental impacts to determine compliance with the applicable law (including consultations, plans, permits, or approvals).

Who is affected

• DoD and its military departments: Potentially faster approval or permitting timelines for priority programs/projects.
• DoD environmental compliance workflow: May leverage NMFS/FWS review processes in lieu of or alongside standard DoD timelines.
• NMFS and FWS: Would take on expedited review responsibilities for designated DoD projects, supported by DoD funding for staffing.
• Environmental compliance landscape: Interaction with major environmental laws (MMPA, ESA, Magnuson-Stevens Act) in the context of expedited reviews.

Procedural and timeline considerations

• The bill specifies interagency agreements as the vehicle for expedited reviews, subject to the national defense interest and the other agency’s capacity.
• Funding is contingent on an agreement and cannot be used for purposes other than hiring personnel to conduct the review.
• The agreement would spell out the specific program or project and the required expedited timeline, subject to the cited environmental statutes.

Practical implications

• Potentially significant reduction in time required to complete environmental reviews for select defense programs, enhancing overall military readiness and project implementation speed.
• Introduces a new interagency funding mechanism to support expedited environmental reviews.
• Creates a framework to coordinate defense priorities with environmental compliance requirements under major federal environmental laws.

Status

• Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services (as of the bill’s introduction on June 8, 2026).
• No Senate action noted in the provided text.