HR-4218-119
Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 27 - 23.
Sponsored by Earl Carter (R-GA)
What it does
The CLEAR Act (HR 4218-119) is an environmental bill that was ordered to be reported by the House committee by a vote of 27-23 in 2025. The full legislative text was not provided beyond the bill's title and short title, so a complete mechanical description of its specific provisions cannot be determined from the available information.
Who benefits
Cannot be determined with specificity from the available bill text. Beneficiaries would depend on the bill's actual provisions, which were not included in the text provided.
Who is hurt
Cannot be determined with specificity from the available bill text. Negatively affected groups would depend on the bill's actual provisions, which were not included in the text provided.
Supporters argue
Supporters of environmental legislation categorized under the CLEAR Act framework generally argue that clear statutory language is necessary to provide regulatory certainty for agencies like the EPA, particularly following the Supreme Court's decisions in West Virginia v. EPA (2022) and Loper Bright v. Raimondo (2024), which require explicit congressional authorization for significant environmental rules. They contend that congressional action in this space protects both the environment and the legal durability of federal regulations.
Opponents argue
Opponents of environmental legislation in this category generally argue that new statutory mandates impose compliance costs on industry, landowners, and consumers without sufficient evidence that the regulatory benefits justify those burdens. They contend that the narrow 27-23 committee vote signals significant disagreement over the bill's scope and approach, and that post-Loper Bright judicial scrutiny may expose any ambiguous provisions to successful legal challenge regardless of congressional intent.
Constitutional context
Environmental legislation typically rests on the Commerce Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 3). Post-Loper Bright (2024), courts independently review agency interpretations of any statutory authority granted, and under West Virginia v. EPA (2022), agencies must show clear congressional authorization for rules of major economic or political significance.
Checks and balances
The legislative branch would define the scope of any new environmental authority; the executive branch (likely EPA) would implement and enforce it; courts would independently review agency action under the post-Loper Bright standard, without deference to agency interpretations.