Sponsors (12)
Adds a presidential national-security waiver to relax Clean Air Act offset requirements for semiconductor and designated critical-mineral facilities and requires states to accept alternative offsets or fees up to 1.5× when offsets are unavailable.
The bill speeds permitting for semiconductor and critical-minerals projects by allowing alternative offsets/fees and presidential waivers—supporting economic and infrastructure goals—while raising the risk of weaker local air protections, higher pollution in impacted communities, added state administrative burdens, and potential unequal treatment of other industries.
Manufacturers (especially small semiconductor and critical-minerals firms) can move forward with new or expanded projects with fewer permitting delays because the bill allows alternative offsets or fee payments and gives the President authority to waive offset requirements for national-security reasons.
States and localities can receive and spend collected emissions fees on targeted pollution-reduction projects, enabling local air-quality or mitigation investments where fees are assessed.
Provides a practical pathway for critical industrial projects to proceed when traditional offsets are scarce by allowing alternative offset mechanisms or fee systems, reducing the risk of project stalls.
All residents (particularly in affected communities) face higher risk of weakened air protections because the President can unilaterally waive offset requirements for specified industries, which could be used frequently or broadly.
Local communities and families could experience higher pollution or poorer local air quality if alternative offsets or fee-based measures do not fully compensate for increased emissions from covered projects.
State permitting authorities and local regulators will face added legal and administrative complexity because they must evaluate claims that all offsets were pursued and design/implement alternative offset or fee programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To amend the Clean Air Act to establish authority for the President to waive the requirement for an advanced manufacturing facility or a critical mineral facility to offset increased emissions of any air pollutant, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 3, 2025 by Gary James Palmer · Last progress December 3, 2025
Creates a presidential national-security waiver that can reduce or eliminate state Clean Air Act offset requirements for new or expanded semiconductor, semiconductor-equipment, and designated critical-mineral facilities when the President determines doing so is in the national security interest and does not allow that determination to be delegated. Requires state permitting authorities to accept alternative offset approaches when traditional offsets are unavailable, including innovative measures or an emissions fee up to 1.5 times the area’s recent average control cost, with fees dedicated to maximizing local emissions reductions.