HR 3909119th CongressIntroduced

FUELS Act

Introduced: Jun 11, 2025

Agriculture & FoodEnvironment & Climate

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The FUELS Act (H.R. 3909) would amend the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 to change how the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule applies to farms. The core changes shift the capacity thresholds used to determine SPCC applicability for facilities with aboveground oil storage, creating new capacity bands and increasing certain small-farm storage thresholds. The bill also eliminates a previous subsection of the relevant statute, and adjusts other numerical thresholds related to farm storage. Overall, the measure is designed to reduce regulatory burden on many farms by raising thresholds and reorganizing how storage capacity is categorized, while maintaining SPCC considerations for spill prevention and environmental stewardship.

Key Points

1Raises a major threshold for SPCC applicability from 20,000 gallons to 42,000 gallons in the relevant subsection, altering which facilities are covered.
2Establishes capacity bands for aboveground storage: (i) up to 10,000 gallons, (ii) greater than 10,000 but less than 42,000 gallons, with a removal of the former higher-band provision (and related subsection) from the rule.
3Increases farm-storage thresholds referenced in SPCC-related provisions from 1,000 gallons to 1,320 gallons, and from 2,500 gallons to 3,000 gallons.
4Repeals (strikes) subsection (d) of Section 1049, removing that portion of the existing law from the SPCC applicability framework.
5Title labels the measure as the Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act (FUELS Act), signaling a focus on easing regulatory requirements for farmers while preserving spill-prevention aims.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Farm operators and agricultural facilities with aboveground storage of oil within the newly defined capacity bands (particularly those around the 10,000–42,000 gallon range). The higher threshold and banding may reduce the number of farms subject to SPCC requirements.Secondary group/area affected: SPCC compliance professionals, agricultural lenders, insurers, and state environmental agencies that interact with SPCC plans and inspections; potential reduction in compliance costs and administrative burden for mid-sized to small farms.Additional impacts: Potential shifts in environmental oversight workload and regulatory clarity for farmers; changes may influence how spill-prevention resources are allocated and how quickly farms must update or prepare SPCC plans if they fall within or outside the new thresholds. The exact practical effect will depend on how the new bands are interpreted in implementing regulations and any transitional provisions not included in the bill text.

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