Bill > HR6352

This bill, known as the CLEAR Act of 2025 (Curtailing Litigation Excess and Abuse Reform Act), aims to limit legal challenges to energy project authorizations by establishing strict rules for judicial review. The bill defines an "energy project" broadly to include facilities for generating, transmitting, or storing electric energy, producing fossil fuels, and extracting critical minerals. It introduces a "single action rule" that prevents subsequent legal actions challenging any aspect of an energy project once an initial legal action has been finally adjudicated, regardless of the parties involved or the type of relief sought. The bill significantly restricts judicial review by requiring courts to defer to federal agency decisions, only allowing legal challenges if a party submitted a specific and substantive comment during the original public comment period and can demonstrate direct harm. When reviewing authorizations, courts can only remand an authorization to a federal agency with specific instructions and a maximum 180-day deadline for corrections, and the original authorization remains in effect during the correction process. The bill limits the time to file legal challenges to 150 days after the final agency action is made public and ensures that only the federal agency issuing the authorization or the project sponsor can assert the preclusive effects of the law. Exceptions are made for legal actions alleging operational violations after project completion or enforcement actions brought by the United States or a state.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6352/all-info