Natural Resources Democrats Slam GOP Attempts to Gut Environmental Protections and Silence Communities Under Guise of Permitting Reform

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member Huffman pushed back against Republicans’ so-called SPEED Act, a sweeping bill that would gut core provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and rig the rules to fast-track polluter projects and silence community voices.

Excerpts and Highlights from Ranking Member Huffman’s Opening Remarks:
“Today, we have three bills on the agenda relating to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. Two of them, H.R. 573 and H.R. 4503, aim to enhance data collection and use, and I especially want to thank Reps. Johnson and Peters for their work on the e-Permitting bill. There’s a lot of bipartisan work we can do to leverage modern tools and data to improve the permitting process, and their bill is a great example of that.
But then we get to the third bill on the agenda today, Chair Westerman’s so-called SPEED Act. And here’s where the conversation takes a hard turn. In the name of “speed”, this legislation takes a sledgehammer to NEPA’s core functions—the very things that help keep communities safe, projects accountable, and our environment protected.“

“Now, let me say that speed can be great when you’re headed to the right destination. But say you’re recklessly speeding down the road without working brakes, steering, or headlights—obviously, that’s a wreck waiting to happen. That’s exactly what the SPEED Act would invite.”

“The SPEED Act treats public input like a hurdle rather than a resource that can guide better decisions. It restricts what major environmental impacts can even be considered for review, eliminating the spotlight that NEPA provides the public. And by shrinking analysis and compressing timelines—without investing in greater agency permitting capacity—it invites shoddy analysis and ultimately more litigation, not less.”

“The good news on the permitting front is that we can maintain NEPA’s core protections and speed up the permitting process. For one, the most effective, proven way to speed permitting is to ensure we have properly staffed and trained federal permitting offices to process applications. That’s why Democrats funded $1 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act to do exactly that. And it was working. The Biden administration cut the time it takes to complete an EIS by eight months, 23 percent faster than the first Trump administration. And in 2024, the median time to complete an EIS was just over 2 years.

But Republicans just rescinded most of those unspent funds. The administration’s DOGE efforts and indiscriminate firings at key permitting agencies have made things even worse. “

“Who is this legislation actually for? Because it’s not tribes whose sacred land is at risk of being desecrated. It’s not impacted communities worried about toxic projects that could irreversibly pollute where they live. It’s certainly not hardworking, everyday folks being pummeled by the insane cost of living, who are desperate for more affordable energy. It’s crystal clear that this legislation is for corporate polluters and Big Oil donors so they can keep padding their pockets at the expense of every other person in America. The American people deserve better.”

What the So-Called SPEED Act Would Do

• The SPEED Act would dramatically limit what federal agencies are allowed to consider when evaluating the environmental and public health consequences of major proposed projects, including climate and environmental justice impacts.
• Bans the use of new scientific research or updated data that becomes available after a project is proposed—forcing agencies to ignore improved wildfire maps, updated climate models, or newly available health risk assessments.
• Limits what can be considered a “major federal action.”
• Limits public input and legal recourse, imposing narrow procedural requirements that make it much harder for communities to raise concerns or challenge flawed environmental reviews in court.
• Tilts the standard for legal challenges even further away from impacted communities towards polluters while limiting the ability of courts to take corrective action.

Press Contact

Mary Hurrell
(202) 225-5187

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