Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill funds fiscal year 2026 Interior, environment, and related-agency accounts and sets detailed operating rules for those funds. It gives Interior bureaus emergency transfer authority for reconstruction, replacement, and repair of facilities or equipment damaged by fire, flood, storm, or other unavoidable causes after emergency funds are exhausted and requires replenishment requests. It authorizes no-year Interior funds for wildland-fire suppression, emergency rehabilitation, oil-spill response and natural-resource damage assessment, grasshopper and Mormon cricket outbreaks, emergency reclamation, and backup support if a primacy state fails to carry out Surface Mining Act regulatory duties.
The bill also includes tribal, offshore-energy, and public-land provisions. It lets Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, and Bureau of Trust Funds Administration accounts support Indian trust management and reform activity with committee notice. It authorizes redistribution of Tribal Priority Allocation funds to address unmet needs, dual enrollment, overlapping service areas, or inaccurate distribution methods, with a 10 percent fiscal year 2026 reduction cap except in specified circumstances. It sets fiscal year 2026 offshore facility, drilling-rig, and non-rig inspection fees for the Offshore Safety and Environmental Enforcement account, with amounts ranging from $4,470 to $31,500 depending on facility or inspection type. It also authorizes multiyear cooperative agreements and contracts for long-term care and maintenance of excess wild free-roaming horses and burros.
Who Benefits and How
Interior bureaus benefit from emergency transfer flexibility for disasters, wildland-fire operations, oil spills, hazardous-substance releases, insect outbreaks, and reclamation emergencies. Tribal governments with unmet needs benefit from Tribal Priority Allocation redistribution authority and a cap on most reductions. BIA, BIE, and Bureau of Trust Funds Administration staff benefit from authority to use current and unobligated balances for trust management and reform. Offshore-safety regulators benefit from inspection fees deposited into the Offshore Safety and Environmental Enforcement account. Wild horse care contractors and nonprofit partners benefit from multiyear contracting authority for excess horse and burro care. Communities near federal lands benefit when emergency fire, spill, and rehabilitation funding can move quickly.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Interior budget staff must track emergency transfers, replenishment requests, congressional notices, and account reimbursements. Offshore oil and gas operators must pay fiscal year 2026 inspection fees for platforms, drilling rigs, and non-rig well operations. Tribal program administrators must manage redistribution rules and reduction limits. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement staff may have to transfer funds if a primacy state fails to administer mining regulations. Public-lands livestock operators and wild-horse management stakeholders face policy consequences from multiyear care arrangements for excess horses and burros. EPA and other environmental-agency offices funded by the bill must operate within the appropriated account limits and riders.
Key Provisions
- Provides Interior emergency transfer authority for facility repair after disasters or unavoidable causes.
- Authorizes no-year funds for wildland-fire suppression, rehabilitation, oil-spill response, insect outbreaks, and reclamation emergencies.
- Provides BIA, BIE, and Bureau of Trust Funds Administration authority for Indian trust management and reform.
- Authorizes Tribal Priority Allocation redistribution while generally limiting fiscal year 2026 tribal reductions to 10 percent.
- Establishes offshore facility, drilling-rig, and non-rig inspection fees for the Offshore Safety and Environmental Enforcement account.
- Authorizes multiyear agreements and contracts for long-term care of excess wild horses and burros.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Provides fiscal year 2026 appropriations and policy conditions for the Department of the Interior, EPA, Forest Service, Indian Affairs, wildland-fire operations, offshore-energy inspection fees, tribal trust and education accounts, public-land management, environmental programs, and related cultural agencies.
Key Policy Areas
Appropriations, Public Lands, Tribal Programs, Energy, Environment, Wildfire
Primary Purpose
Provides fiscal year 2026 appropriations and policy conditions for the Department of the Interior, EPA, Forest Service, Indian Affairs, wildland-fire operations, offshore-energy inspection fees, tribal trust and education accounts, public-land management, environmental programs, and related cultural agencies.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Interior bureaus
- Tribal governments with unmet needs
- BIA trust management staff
- BIE program staff
- Offshore-safety regulators
- Wild horse care contractors
- Nonprofit wild horse partners
- Communities near federal lands
Identified Costs
- Interior budget staff
- Offshore oil operators
- Offshore gas operators
- Tribal program administrators
- Office of Surface Mining Reclamation staff
- Public-lands livestock operators
- EPA program offices
Legislative Progress
ReportedMr. Simpson, from the Committee on Appropriations, reported the following …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 175.
The House Committee on Appropriations reported an original measure, H. …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Bureau of Land Management
Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency face effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Department of the Interior bureaus, Department of the Interior emergency response programs, Department of the Interior operations, Federal Highway Administration, Federal agency DEI programs, Federal wildfire personnel, Federal, state, and local government agencies, Forest Service, Forest Service ecosystem health programs, Interior Department appraisers
Negative-direction: Bureau of Land Management, Environmental regulators, Federal agencies IT departments, Federal agencies covered by the Act, Federal agency IT departments, Federal agency training programs, Federal fish hatcheries, Federal land acquisition programs, Forest Service Alaska Region, Land acquisition programs at Interior and USDA, National Endowment for the Arts, National Park Service operations, Wildlife management agencies
Air quality in vehicle-emission areas, Air quality in western Michigan, Alaska wildlife and conservation
Positive-direction: Conservation interests in National Monuments, Conservation land acquisition projects
Negative-direction: Air quality in vehicle-emission areas, Air quality in western Michigan, Alaska wildlife and conservation, Bison conservation programs, Climate and public health, Climate mitigation efforts, Climate monitoring efforts, Climate policy advocates, Conservation and restoration interests, Conservation interests, Conservation organizations, Downstream water quality, Environmental litigation organizations, Grand Canyon ecosystem, Greater sage-grouse, North American wolverine, Northern long-eared bat, Texas freshwater mussels, Wildlife and water quality, Wildlife refuge conservation
Ammunition and fishing tackle manufacturers, Chemical manufacturers, Chinese-owned technology companies
Positive-direction: Ammunition and fishing tackle manufacturers, Chemical manufacturers, Diesel engine manufacturers, Domestic iron and steel manufacturers, Ethylene oxide sterilization facilities, Fire retardant manufacturers, Gas-powered lawn equipment manufacturers, Heavy industry emitters, Heavy-duty truck manufacturers, Industrial facilities and power plants, Industrial facilities in non-attainment areas, Industrial facilities in specified Michigan counties, Industries facing toxic substance assessments, Internal combustion engine suppliers, Medical device manufacturers, Pesticide manufacturers, US and allied computer equipment manufacturers
Negative-direction: Chinese-owned technology companies, Electric lawn equipment manufacturers, Electric truck manufacturers, Electric vehicle manufacturers, Foreign iron and steel manufacturers
Fossil fuel companies, Natural gas pipeline operators, Natural gas processors
Positive-direction: Fossil fuel companies, Natural gas pipeline operators, Natural gas processors, Oil and gas companies, Oil and gas companies in prairie-chicken habitat, Oil and gas companies in sagebrush habitat regions, Oil and gas companies on BLM lands, Oil and gas companies on federal lands, Oil and gas companies operating in Alaska, Oil and gas interests in Big Cypress, Oil and gas operators in Allegheny National Forest, Oil and gas producers, Owners of reserved mineral rights, Regulated industries (oil/gas, mining)
Negative-direction: Offshore oil and gas facility operators, Oil and gas companies seeking leases in National Monuments
Agricultural operations in prairie-chicken habitat, Agricultural operations using biosolids, Agricultural operations using pesticides
Public-lands livestock operators, Ranchers and farmers with federal grazing permits, Ranchers in Bitterroot Ecosystem
Coal-fired power plants, Coal-fired power plants with ash ponds, Electric utilities with legacy CCR sites
Positive-direction: Coal-fired power plants, Coal-fired power plants with ash ponds, Electric utilities with legacy CCR sites, Forest biomass energy producers, Power plants, Wastewater treatment facilities
Negative-direction: San Francisco water supply management, Water infrastructure project managers
Communities near biosolid application sites, Communities near coal ash sites, Communities near sterilization facilities
Positive-direction: Underserved populations
Negative-direction: Communities near biosolid application sites, Communities near coal ash sites, Communities near sterilization facilities, Downwind states and residents, Public health in high-PM areas, Public health protection
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "bia"
- → Bureau of Indian Affairs
- "bie"
- → Bureau of Indian Education
- "epa"
- → Environmental Protection Agency
- "bsee"
- → Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
- "interior"
- → Department of the Interior
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology