ACC Action Policy Series: 2025 in Review

Reflections on Real Progress This Year

By Sarah Rosa

As the year comes to a close, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on what got done. Despite the ups and downs of reconciliation, government shutdowns, and the usual chaos on Capitol Hill, there was real progress on energy and conservation in 2025. In our final blog of the year, we’re highlighting a few of the bright spots from the past year—and the work that will be waiting for us when Congress returns.

Below is a list of several bills that ACC Action has been advocating for to protect America’s natural heritage and unleash American energy dominance, along with where they stand right now:

Fix Our Forests Act

Originally introduced in the House during the 118th Congress, the Fix Our Forests Act moved rapidly at the start of the 119th, passing out of the lower chamber with significant bipartisan support following the Los Angeles wildfires in January. The bill speeds up critical forest management projects, improves coordination across levels of government, and ensures communities have the resources they need to stay resilient in the face of wildfire. After robust negotiations in the Senate, the Fix Our Forests Act advanced out of committee with a bipartisan vote of 18 to 5. All that remains is for the bill to reach the Senate floor, after which Congress can send it to the President’s desk and deliver solutions for Americans.

SPEED Act

A bipartisan bill introduced by Representative Bruce Westerman and Jared Golden that is at the center of broader permitting reform discussions. The bill advanced out of committee with bipartisan support and is expected to pass the House before the end of the year. The SPEED Act addresses two core components of permitting reform: modernizing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and limiting judicial review. While the progress made on this bill is welcome, there is much to be done in the new year to reach a deal in the Senate that can garner the bipartisan support needed to survive the upper chamber. 

ePERMIT Act

The federal permitting process has yet to enter the 21st century, with many steps still relying on paper forms. Much of the unnecessary delay could be eliminated by embracing modern technology and digitizing the process. This would not only expedite outdated procedures but also provide greater transparency and coordination between agencies. Representatives Dusty Johnson and Scott Peters’ ePermit Act would establish a digital permitting system and a unified portal. The bill recently passed the House unanimously — it’s now time for the Senate to act on this no-brainer legislation.

Mining Regulatory Clarity Act

A version of this bill was included in the Manchin-Barraso Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 to address a court ruling that restricted ancillary mining activities to land with valuable mineral deposits. Prior to this ruling, decades of precedent allowed mining operations to include ancillary activities without separate permits for surrounding lands. The bipartisan bill, led by Representatives Mike Amodei and Steven Horsford, reaffirms that public land use under a mining claim inherently includes mining-support activities. The bill passed the House last year and, during this Congress, has advanced out of committee and onto the Union Calendar. It is critical that this bill be included in any permitting reform deal reached this Congress.

PATRIOT Parks Act 

In an effort to codify President Trump’s executive order directing the Department of the Interior to implement a surcharge for international visitors at our national parks, Representatives Riley Moore and Senator Jim Banks worked with the ACC Action team to draft the PATRIOT Parks Act. The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to implement an international visitor fee, with implementation led by the superintendents of each park. In November, the Department of the Interior enacted a $100 surcharge per international visitor at 11 of the most visited national parks and increased the annual pass for non-residents from $80 to $250. This international visitor fee is critical for generating needed revenue to maintain and protect our national parks. The Senate recently held a hearing on the bill, and Congress should continue pursuing codifying this authority to ensure parks have the resources they need for years to come.

America the Beautiful Act

During President Trump’s first term, he signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, creating the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF). The LRF invested $1.9 billion annually over five years to address maintenance backlogs on our public lands. Its authorization expired in September and must be renewed to ensure our public lands continue to have the resources they need to accommodate visitors. Senators Steve Daines and Angus King are leading the America the Beautiful Act, which would reauthorize this critical program and bolster funding to address maintenance backlogs at our national parks and public lands. Negotiations are ongoing to identify a pay-for, and one option under consideration is using revenue from the international visitor fee.

Farm Bill Conservation Dollars

The Inflation Reduction Act allocated nearly $20 billion to the Farm Bill’s Conservation Title. This title includes popular, long-over-subscribed voluntary conservation programs that provide financial and technical assistance to farmers implementing conservation practices on their land. Through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Chairman GT Thompson and Senator John Boozman moved these funds into the conservation baseline, bolstering these programs in perpetuity. This was a years-long win for those of us who recognize farmers as some of our best and oldest conservationists. As these dollars find their new home, it is critical that we maximize them to support practices that deliver real conservation outcomes.