PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] · D–IL
Legislative record
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Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Oct 1, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-17 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Environmental Health Restoration Act of 2026 would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restore specified pollution rules and enforcement programs to their January 19, 2025 versions within 60 days of enactment. It would restrict federal officials from weakening those rules without explicit congressional authorization, affecting power plants, oil and gas operations, vehicles, and other pollution sources. It would also prioritize oversight in communities bearing disproportionate pollution burdens and let adversely affected people sue if EPA failed to comply.
This Act may be cited as the Environmental Health Restoration Act of 2026.
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this Act as the Administrator) shall reinstate, in full force and effect, all regulations, guidance, and enforcement programs in effect on January 19, 2025, relating to—
(1) greenhouse gas emissions from electric generating units under subpart TTTT of part 60 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations; (2) methane emissions and volatile organic compounds from oil and gas sources under subparts OOOOb and OOOOc of part 60 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations;
(5) national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants under part 63 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations;
(7) vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles under parts 86, 1036, 1037, 1039, 1054, and 1065 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations.
Neither the President, the Administrator, nor any other Federal official may delay, suspend, repeal, weaken, or grant exemptions to any regulation described in subsection (a) unless the modification is explicitly authorized by an Act of Congress.
the Administrator shall prioritize monitoring, permitting oversight, and enforcement under applicable environmental laws in communities experiencing disproportionate pollution burdens.
Any person adversely affected by the failure of the Administrator to comply with this Act may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court of the United States.
Section 2 presents proposed congressional findings criticizing EPA's actions since January 2025, including deregulation, reduced enforcement, and elimination of environmental justice programs. Its statements that these actions violate legal duties and threaten health are the bill's assertions, not independently established conclusions in this source bundle.
Congress finds that—
(2) since January 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency has initiated or advanced dozens of deregulatory actions weakening or dismantling protections governing power plants, vehicles, methane pollution, hazardous air pollutants, greenhouse gas reporting, and environmental justice programs;
(5) the Environmental Protection Agency has further reduced enforcement activity, dismantled scientific advisory bodies, eliminated environmental justice programs, and ceased consideration of the social cost of carbon, undermining science-based policymaking and community protections;
(9) the actions described in this section threaten public health, accelerate climate change, expose communities to toxic pollution, and violate the statutory duties of the Environmental Protection Agency;
Within 60 days after enactment, EPA would have to reinstate the January 19, 2025 regulations, guidance, and enforcement programs for seven specified areas: power-plant greenhouse gases; oil and gas methane and volatile organic compounds; mercury and other air toxics; greenhouse gas reporting; hazardous air pollutants; fine-particle air quality, called PM2.5; and greenhouse gas standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles.
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this Act as the Administrator) shall reinstate, in full force and effect, all regulations, guidance, and enforcement programs in effect on January 19, 2025, relating to— (1) greenhouse gas emissions from electric generating units under subpart TTTT of part 60 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations; (2) methane emissions and volatile organic compounds from oil and gas sources under subparts OOOOb and OOOOc of part 60 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations; (3) the mercury and air toxics standard under subpart UUUUU of part 63 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations; (4) the greenhouse gas reporting program under part 98 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations; (5) national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants under part 63 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations; (6) national ambient air quality standards for PM2.5 under parts 50, 53, and 58 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations; and (7) vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles under parts 86, 1036, 1037, 1039, 1054, and 1065 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations.
The President, EPA Administrator, and other federal officials would be prohibited from delaying, suspending, repealing, weakening, or granting exemptions to the covered regulations unless an act of Congress explicitly authorized the change.
Neither the President, the Administrator, nor any other Federal official may delay, suspend, repeal, weaken, or grant exemptions to any regulation described in subsection (a) unless the modification is explicitly authorized by an Act of Congress.
Within 45 days after enactment, EPA would have to reconstitute and fully staff its Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee. Members could not be associated with regulated industries in a financial or advisory role.
Not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall reconstitute and fully staff the Science Advisory Board and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee to ensure that members of the Science Advisory Board and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee are not associated with regulated industries in a financial or advisory role.
The EPA Administrator would have to base regulatory decisions on peer-reviewed science—scientific work evaluated by other specialists.
In making a regulatory decision, the Administrator shall base that decision on peer-reviewed science.
EPA would have to restore use of the social cost of carbon, a monetary estimate of harm from carbon emissions, in every rulemaking affecting greenhouse gas emissions. Within 60 days after enactment, it would have to restore a value of $190 in 2020 dollars per metric ton and a 2 percent discount rate, which is used to express future costs in present-value terms.
The Administrator shall restore the use of the social cost of carbon in all rulemakings affecting greenhouse gas emissions.
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall, with respect to the social cost of carbon, restore— (A) the 2 percent discount rate; and (B) the value for the social cost of carbon at $190 in 2020 dollars per metric ton.
Subject to available appropriations, EPA would have to maintain enough funding and personnel for consistent civil and criminal enforcement of the programs covered by section 3(a). The provision sets no numerical staffing minimum.
Subject to the availability of appropriations, funding and personnel for civil and criminal enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency shall remain at sufficient levels to ensure consistent enforcement of the programs described in section 3(a).
EPA would have to report annually to Congress on the preceding calendar year's inspections, violations, penalties, and corrective actions under all environmental laws it administers in whole or in part.
The Administrator shall annually submit to Congress a report that describes the inspections under, violations of, penalties assessed under, and corrective actions taken under all environmental laws that are carried out in whole or in part by the Administrator during the preceding calendar year.
For fiscal year 2027 and every fiscal year afterward, the bill would authorize $10,993,653,000, or other sums needed to meet the enforcement requirement, with annual inflation adjustments. This would be additional authority for Congress to provide funding for EPA's duties; the provision does not itself appropriate that money and specifies no final funding year.
In addition to any amounts authorized for programs of the Environmental Protection Agency under any other law, there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the duties of the Environmental Protection Agency $10,993,653,000 or such other sums as are needed to meet the requirement under subsection (a) for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, as adjusted annually for inflation.
Within 60 days after enactment, and subject to available appropriations, EPA would have to restore and expand environmental justice programs eliminated or defunded after January 19, 2025.
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act and subject to the availability of appropriations, the Administrator shall restore and expand environmental justice programs eliminated or defunded after January 19, 2025.
Across applicable EPA programs, the agency would have to prioritize pollution monitoring, permit oversight, and environmental enforcement in communities experiencing disproportionate pollution burdens.
In carrying out any applicable program of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Administrator shall prioritize monitoring, permitting oversight, and enforcement under applicable environmental laws in communities experiencing disproportionate pollution burdens.
For any rulemaking, regulatory action, or enforcement policy affecting air or water quality, EPA would have to conduct and publish a public health assessment. It would evaluate effects on deaths, respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, and combined exposure burdens.
In carrying out any rulemaking, regulatory action, or enforcement policy affecting air or water quality, the Administrator shall conduct and publish a public health impact assessment evaluating impacts of that rulemaking, regulatory action, or enforcement policy on mortality, respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, and cumulative exposure burdens.
EPA would have to include analysis of cumulative impacts—the combined effects of exposures—in regulatory and permitting decisions.
The Administrator shall— (1) incorporate cumulative impacts analysis into regulatory and permitting decisions;
EPA would have to publish an annual report on the preceding calendar year's pollution trends, enforcement actions, and progress in reducing health disparities.
(2) annually publish a report describing pollution trends, enforcement actions taken by the Administrator, and progress in reducing health disparities during the preceding calendar year.
Anyone adversely affected by the EPA Administrator's failure to comply with the proposed act could bring a civil lawsuit in an appropriate federal district court.
Any person adversely affected by the failure of the Administrator to comply with this Act may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court of the United States.
A federal district court could order the EPA Administrator to comply. If a lawsuit under the act resulted in a finding of noncompliance, the court could also award reasonable attorney's fees; an award would be discretionary.
A district court of the United States may compel the Administrator to comply with this Act.
If a civil action brought under subsection (a) results in a court finding that the Administrator did not comply with this Act, the court may award reasonable attorney's fees.
The bill would preserve states' authority to adopt or enforce environmental standards more protective than similar federal standards.
Nothing in this Act— (1) limits the authority of a State to adopt or enforce environmental standards that are more protective than a similar standard under Federal law;
The bill would preserve any existing rights of a person, class of people, or state to petition EPA for action required by federal law or to pursue nuisance claims under common law, the body of law developed through court decisions.
Nothing in this Act—
(2) limits or in any way affects any rights that a person, a class of persons, or a State may have— (A) to petition the Administrator to take non-discretionary action under any Federal law; or (B) to pursue nuisance claims under common law.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 1, 2026, records introduction in the House on September 17, 2026, and referral that day to Energy and Commerce and four additional committees for provisions within their respective jurisdictions. This dated snapshot does not establish subsequent passage or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-01T15:10:39Z.
2026-09-17: Introduced in House
2026-09-17: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-17. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version; it does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials, or resolve formal earmark status.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text under the stated definition. Broad program priorities and generally available remedies do not alone qualify. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 1, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI