Ranking Member Huffman Blasts “SPEED Act” as Polluter Giveaway that Guts Environmental Protections, Climate Accountability and Silences Communities

Washington, D.C. – Today, Natural Resources Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) denounced Chairman Bruce Westerman’s so-called SPEED Act as a sweeping effort to let fossil fuel and corporate polluters cut corners, suppress science, and silence communities during the environmental review process.

“The National Environmental Policy Act is the foundation of America’s environmental successes and a critical tool for government transparency. Chairman Westerman has taken the most tired lie in Washington — that NEPA is to blame for America’s permitting problems — and spun it into an assault on our environmental protections and public input,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “This is not a NEPA “tune up” focused on building “things we need,” as their press release euphemistically spins. This bill is a deliberate effort to shield polluters from scrutiny and bury the climate risks of massive fossil fuel projects – while the Trump administration continues to kneecap permitting of the clean energy projects we actually do need.”

“Americans don’t ‘need’ a rubber-stamp express lane for pipelines and strip mines. We need smart, coordinated planning, real community engagement, and investment in the people and agencies that move good projects forward, and we need to end Trump’s absurd war on clean energy. Enacting this polluter wishlist takes us in exactly the wrong direction.”

What the Bill 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.

Background

Framed euphemistically as permitting reform and “fine tuning,” the reality of the so-called “SPEED Act” is it would dismantle key provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a landmark law that has helped protect public health, environmental quality, and the right of Americans to be heard before decisions are made that could alter their air, water, and way of life.

Despite claims that NEPA is the cause of major project delays, only about 0.22% of NEPA decisions — roughly one in 450 — are challenged in court. The vast majority of projects move forward without litigation. When delays occur, they are far more often the result of underfunded permitting agencies, incomplete applications from project sponsors, or poor project design, not the statute itself.

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