Bill to Hasten Project Permitting Heads to Senate
A bill designed to expedite the United States’ complex permitting process passed the House of Representatives on Dec. 18, 2025, and is now being considered by the Senate.
The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776) focuses on reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Primarily, the bill makes changes to the process agencies must undertake to comply with NEPA and alters how courts review NEPA decisions to align with the unanimous Supreme Court decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County. In that opinion, the justices stated that courts should generally defer to agency decisions on the level of detail and scope of impact for a NEPA review, and that NEPA reviews should be limited to the effects of the project being evaluated without considering upstream and downstream consequences.
The existing NEPA process is frequently criticized because it allows federal agencies to revisit and amend environmental reviews, ultimately delaying projects and driving up costs. The SPEED Act addresses this issue by prohibiting agencies from rescinding, withdrawing, altering, and amending a completed environmental document. Additionally, agencies may not revoke, rescind, or alter federal authorizations (such as permits, leases, licenses, or rights-of-way authorizations) unless there is a court order, law violation, fraud, or a determination that action is needed to prevent a specific and immediate harm. These changes also are intended to prevent the re-review of NEPA-covered projects when there is a change in presidential administrations, which have historically led to some previously approved projects being delayed or canceled.
Streamlining the approval process is expected to help the United States develop more energy projects to meet the rising energy demands of artificial intelligence, manufacturing industries, and the modern economy. “With permitting reform, manufacturers will be able to build and expand operations all across the country, creating more well-paying jobs that strengthen communities and help families thrive,” Jay Timmons, CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, said in a statement. “It’s about lifting people up, expanding opportunity and making the American Dream a reality.”
“The passage of the SPEED Act marks a significant step toward strengthening America’s ability to build, invest, and compete,” added Marty Durbin, president of the U.S. Chamber’s Global Energy Institute. “We commend the House of Representatives for prioritizing policies that enable growth and thank Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) for their leadership. As the focus now shifts to the Senate, we encourage lawmakers to carry this momentum forward and deliver a comprehensive bipartisan solution. The faster Congress delivers meaningful permitting reform, the sooner we can unlock American investment and economic growth.”
Having passed the House on a 221-196 vote, the bill was introduced in the Senate on Dec. 18 and has been referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.