# 119-s-2226: Necessary Environmental Exemptions for Defense Act

119-s-2226, Necessary Environmental Exemptions for Defense Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR); status introduced (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2226
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2226
- Congress: 119
- Title: Necessary Environmental Exemptions for Defense Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-09
- Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Creates a broad environmental exemption for the Department of Defense.** This bill would let the Department, its components, contractors, or designees skip NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act for activities certified as directly related to countering the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. - Department of Defense and contractors: Would authorize exemptions for activities in four specified categories, including readiness and training, facility construction or repair, and development or testing of defense or commercial technologies tied to Department agreements. - State and local officials: Federal, State, or local environmental reviews or evaluations may not be required as substitutes for compliance with the exempted laws for certified projects, limiting local permitting or review roles. - Environment and species: The statutory protections in the listed laws would not apply to certified activities, though the Secretary can still require environmental mitigations and must review best practices and update Department policy every five years. - Courts and legal challenges: The bill bars judicial review or injunction of certifications and applies retroactively to ongoing activities, nullifying pending legal or administrative actions related to those laws.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Defense Department exempt from environmental laws: mixed, high. This bill would let the Department of Defense, its components, contractors, or designees skip NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act when the President or the Secretary of Defense certifies an activity is directly related to c…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2342: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-4615: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-s-2142: GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-2010: TERMS Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-2226 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2226)

## Related
- [119-s-2342: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2342)
- [119-s-4615: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4615)
- [119-s-2142: GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2142)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-2010: TERMS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2010)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2226 (as of 2026-09-10).