🦅 Executive Branch |
White House |
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On July 3, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order creating the President’s Make America Beautiful Again Commission, a new group led by the Secretary of the Interior and including top officials from several federal agencies. The order says the Commission will help the President figure out how to better take care of national parks, forests, and public lands, which the order claims have billions of dollars in needed repairs and face problems like limited access for hunters and fishers. The Commission is supposed to suggest ways to improve conservation, increase outdoor recreation, and support wildlife recovery mostly through cooperation instead of new rules. This action affects federal land management agencies and aims to influence how public lands are managed and used, but the order also says it does not change existing legal powers or create new legal rights. The order depends on available funding and focuses on balancing conservation with economic growth and outdoor activities. Read full document →
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On July 3, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order directing the Secretary of the Interior to raise entrance fees and recreation pass prices for visitors from other countries at U.S. national parks, while making visits more affordable for U.S. residents. The order also tells the Secretary to use the extra money from these fees to fix and improve park facilities and to encourage more international tourists to visit less crowded parks. It requires reviewing and possibly removing park rules made during the previous administration that limit public access, especially to give U.S. residents priority for permits or lotteries. This action affects foreign tourists, U.S. park visitors, and the agencies managing national parks. The order aims to increase park funding and visitor capacity but depends on available funding and existing laws. It also cancels a 2017 policy that promoted diversity and inclusion in public lands. Read full document →
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Federal Register |
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has changed its rules about how it follows a law called NEPA, which helps protect the environment when the Army builds or changes things like dams or waterways. Starting July 3, 2025, the Corps will stop using its old detailed rules and instead follow new, simpler rules made by the Department of Defense. This change affects the Army’s Civil Works projects but not its permit programs. The goal is to make the process faster and clearer, so projects that don’t harm the environment much can get approved more quickly. This matters because it can help important projects move ahead without long delays, while still protecting the environment. People can send their thoughts about this change until August 4, 2025. Read full document →
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The U.S. Army has officially removed its old rules for how it checks the environment before starting projects, called 32 CFR part 651, starting July 3, 2025. This change affects all parts of the Army that work on projects needing environmental review, like the Active Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard when federal money is involved. The old rules were tied to a bigger set of government environmental rules that were canceled earlier in 2025, so the Army is now using new Department of Defense-wide procedures instead. This matters because it will make the Army’s environmental reviews faster and simpler, helping projects get approved more quickly and saving money—each detailed review used to cost about $500,000 and take up to a year. People who care about how the Army affects the environment can still send their thoughts about this change until August 4, 2025. Read full document →
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The Department of the Navy has officially removed its special rules for following the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which is a law that helps protect the environment when the government plans projects. This change took effect on July 3, 2025, and it applies to all parts of the Navy and Marine Corps. The reason for this change is that the main government rules that these Navy rules supported were canceled earlier in 2025, and the Department of Defense is now making new, updated rules that all military branches will use instead. This matters because it will help the Navy and other military parts make decisions about projects faster and clearer, which can save money and reduce delays in building things like bases or roads, while still following environmental review steps. People who care about how the military affects the environment should know that the Navy is updating how it checks for environmental impacts to match new laws and court decisions. Read full document →
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has changed the rules about how it checks the environmental effects of projects that need their permission, like building docks or filling wetlands. Starting July 3, 2025, anyone applying for these permits must follow new steps that make the review process faster and clearer, with limits on how long reports can be and deadlines to finish them—usually one year for simpler reviews and two years for bigger ones. These changes happen because the government updated the main environmental law in 2023 and a recent Supreme Court decision said the process should be simpler and less of a delay. This matters to everyday people because it helps projects like roads, bridges, and buildings get approved more quickly while still making sure the environment is considered. Read full document →
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The Department of the Interior changed its rules about how it checks the environment before starting big projects, like building or land use. These new rules took effect on July 3, 2025, and apply to all parts of the Interior Department that work on these projects. The change means the Department will no longer keep most of its old detailed rules in the official government book but will use a handbook instead, making it easier and faster to update how they follow the law. Some important parts, like how to handle emergencies, quick approvals for routine actions, and rules about letting outside groups help prepare environmental reports, are kept and updated. This matters because it aims to speed up government decisions on projects while still protecting the environment, helping projects get done faster without skipping important environmental checks. People who live near these projects may see faster decisions but can still expect the government to consider environmental effects carefully. Comments on these changes were accepted until August 4, 2025. Read full document →
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