Nil sine numine
Nothing without the Deity
Snow Water Supply Forecasting Reauthorization Act of 2025
The bill improves water-supply forecasting for states, utilities, and rural communities by funding advanced measurements and modeling, but does so with modest, time-limited federal dollars that are smaller than prior authorizations and increase Secretary discretion, raising scale and transparency concerns.
Crystal Reservoir Conveyance Act
The bill transfers local ownership and preserves recreation and wetlands at Crystal Reservoir, but does so by shifting substantial financial, regulatory, and legal responsibilities and constraints onto the City of Ouray and the local community.
Geothermal Energy Advancement Act
The bill accelerates and clarifies geothermal development—reducing permitting time and encouraging deployment and jobs—but does so by narrowing environmental review and public oversight and by shifting legal, fiscal, and administrative risks onto taxpayers, smaller developers, and local communities.
Made in America Jobs Act of 2026
The bill channels federal grants to encourage reshoring and expand manufacturing capacity and training — potentially creating local jobs and skills — but increases federal spending and risks favoring certain firms or producing low-quality jobs if strong conditions are not attached.
ASCEND Act
The bill makes NASA a larger buyer and distributor of commercial Earth imagery—improving agency operations, research access, and U.S. vendor demand—while creating tradeoffs around privacy, ongoing taxpayer costs, vendor-imposed access limits, and potential constraints on foreign data sources.
Wetlands Conservation and Access Improvement Act of 2025
The bill improves timeliness and predictability of conservation funding by clarifying DOI authority to distribute interest, but that benefit comes with the trade-off of potential earlier federal outlays and the risk of funding shortfalls if apportionments are delayed past FY2033.
Quantum-Enhanced Critical Minerals Mapping Act of 2026
SPIRIT Act
The bill provides targeted excise-tax relief that helps small, U.S.-sourcing distillers and encourages domestic agricultural purchases, but it reduces federal revenue and creates compliance and repayment risks and potential added costs for some producers.
Recreation Permitting Improvement Act
The amendment could speed and clarify permitting for developers and state/local officials but does so at the risk of greater environmental harm, added agency workload, and potential taxpayer costs.
Tribal Regulatory Reform Implementation Act of 2026
The bill centralizes authority under the Interior Department to provide clearer, quicker oversight for tribal programs, at the cost of adding administrative burdens to Interior and risking short-term transition problems.
