Trump Exempts Air Force Training in Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon From Water Pollution Regulations

The exemption would valid through April 20, 2027, according to the White House memorandum.

Three B-2 Spirit stealth bombers prepare for departure during Exercise Bamboo Eagle at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, on Feb. 10, 2025. Bamboo Eagle incorporates multiple mission scenarios, preparing aircrews for complex operational challenges. Senior Airman Bryson Sherard/U.S. Air Force

President Donald Trump has signed a memorandum exempting U.S. Air Force jet fighter training operations in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada from most water pollution regulations for one year.

According to the April 20 memo, Air Force jet fighter training operations in the three states would be exempt from “Federal, State, interstate, and local requirements, administrative authority, and process and sanctions respecting the control and abatement of water pollution.”

The exemption, effective on April 20 and valid through April 20, 2027, does not apply to provisions under 33 U.S.C. 1316 and 1317 that regulate pollutant discharges, according to the memo.

The White House said the memo was intended to remove regulatory barriers that “hinder critical military training” for maintaining the nation’s combat readiness and global deterrence.

“Jet fighter training operations in the region are vital for preparing pilots and ensuring the U.S. Air Force remains the most capable and lethal fighting force in the world,” it stated in a fact sheet. “Excessive regulation threatens operational effectiveness.”

The White House said Trump has taken steps to bolster the U.S. military’s combat readiness and capabilities, including issuing an executive order to modernize defense acquisitions, spur innovation in the industrial base, and ease regulatory hurdles to accelerate defense acquisitions.

In February, Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to approve “long-term Power Purchase Agreements” with coal-fired energy production facilities serving “mission-critical facilities.”

Priority will be given to projects that seek to enhance “grid reliability and blackout prevention; on-site fuel security; and mission assurance for defense and intelligence capabilities,” according to the order.

“Coal generation ensures that military installations, command centers, and defense-industrial bases remain fully powered under all conditions — including natural disasters, or wartime contingencies. Maintaining this capability is a matter of national security, strategic deterrence, and American energy dominance,” the order reads.

Meanwhile, Hegseth signed a memorandum earlier this month allowing Department of War personnel—specifically uniformed service members—to carry privately owned firearms while off duty on military installations, subject to approval.

Hegseth mentioned several shootings on military installations, including a 2025 incident at Fort Stewart in Georgia where a soldier shot and wounded five others, a March 2026 shooting at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico that left one person dead, and the 2019 attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida that killed three U.S. service members.

“The War Department’s uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards,” Hegseth said in a social media video. “These warfighters—entrusted with the safety of our nation—are no less entitled to exercise their God-given right to keep and bear arms than any other American.”

Tom Gantert contributed to this report.