# 119-hr-8247: Commonsense Review Act

119-hr-8247, Commonsense Review Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ); status introduced (as of 2026-04-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8247
- As of: 2026-04-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8247
- Congress: 119
- Title: Commonsense Review Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-25

## Summary

**Aligns and expands NEPA categorical exclusions for electric transmission and battery energy storage.** It creates a short-lived interagency group led by the Secretary of Energy to harmonize how major energy agencies treat certain actions under the National Environmental Policy Act and to jointly establish exclusions where appropriate. - Federal agencies named — the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — must adopt each other's NEPA categorical exclusions and, working together, establish new exclusions for interstate electric transmission and battery energy storage within 360 days. - Energy project developers may see faster, more consistent administrative reviews because the bill aims to accelerate and consolidate when categorical exclusions apply to transmission and battery projects. - Congress and the public get a required report within 360 days showing which exclusions were adopted, why any were not, and recommendations for future collaboration. The interagency group dissolves after that report. - The text creates no new funding, enforcement, or penalty mechanisms for these changes.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster NEPA rules for energy projects: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create an interagency group chaired by the Energy Secretary and including the Interior Secretary, each FERC member, and the Agriculture Secretary. Within 360 days, each member would have to adopt any NEPA categorical exclusion listed in another member's procedures, after…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8247 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8247)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3077)
- [119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3633)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8247 (as of 2026-04-25).