YourVoice.Now Summary
Transparency & AccountabilityEnvironmentCorporate BenefitsCivil LibertiesMoves federal permit reviews onto one public website by December 2027, with local notices and AI-sorted comments.
Transparency & Accountability
The shared portal would put non-sensitive permit data online for anyone to see. That includes where a project sits, how long the review is taking, and steps promised to reduce harm.
Agencies would have to send notices to nearby communities when a review begins. Notices would cover public meetings and comment periods for that project.
Agencies would have to publish the standards and computer models they use to screen projects. People could see why a project was waved through or sent for a longer study.
Members of Congress could pull performance data straight from the portal. They could also see the prompts and training set-up behind the AI tools agencies use.
Environment
A savings clause says tools built under this act cannot be limited by project type. A gas pipeline would get the same faster handling as a solar farm.
Software would help staff check if a project fits an exclusion from detailed study. Staff would still make the call, but the tool speeds that step up.
Corporate Benefits
Project sponsors now file separate paperwork with each agency involved. One secure portal would take all of it, with real-time editing and status tracking.
The Council on Environmental Quality could sign contracts with private firms for analysis, services, and products. The bill names no funding amount and sets no cap on those payments.
Civil Liberties
Agencies could use AI to group public comments and help draft responses. The bill does not say a person must read each comment.
More about this bill
You could look up federal permit reviews for projects near you on one public website. It would show timelines, project locations, and plans to limit harm. People in nearby communities would get notices when a review starts or a meeting is set. Public comments would still be taken. But agencies could use AI tools to sort them and help write replies. Agencies that issue permits would move to shared data standards and shared software. Companies and other project sponsors would file once through a single portal. Today they file with each agency on its own. Software would also screen new projects and flag which ones may skip a full review. Agencies would have to post those screening rules and the models behind them. A White House office, the Council on Environmental Quality, would set the data standards within 60 days. Agencies would start using them within 180 days. A test run of the shared tools is due within one year. The full system is due by December 1, 2027, as far as is practical. Congress would get direct access to the data, including the prompts used in the AI tools. The council could also hire private firms to build the systems, with no dollar limit set in the bill.
Congressional Summary
This bill establishes requirements related to digitizing environmental reviews conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) must develop, publish, and iteratively update data standards for the collection and curation of certain data related to environmental reviews. CEQ must also design, test, and build prototype tools for environmental reviews.Additionally, CEQ must publish guidance to assist relevant agencies in implementing such standards as well as certain minimum functional requirements, such as data sharing that enables automated transfer of relevant data among federal agencies. Federal agencies responsible for environmental reviews or authorizations must implement the data standards and such minimum functional requirements.To the maximum extent practicable, CEQ and such agencies must iteratively develop and maintain a unified interagency data system consisting of interconnected federal agency systems and shared services for environmental reviews and authorizations, including a common interactive, digital, cloud-based authorization portal.Within a year, CEQ must oversee a pilot of shared services for environmental reviews and authorizations, including the portal. To the maximum extent practicable, CEQ must develop and implement the unified interagency data system by December 1, 2027.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-02-05
- Date Added
- 2026-04-09
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.