U.S. House of Representatives passes SPEED Act and other permitting reform bills

Key Takeaways

On December 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776). The SPEED Act would strengthen county involvement in decision-making and make needed commonsense reforms to the federal environmental review process. 

The SPEED Act would place limits on the scope and scale of NEPA reviews, codify the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colo. decision and prevent the federal government from rescinding permits to already approved projects. NACo secured provisions in the SPEED Act that would guarantee counties a seat at the table during National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; P.L. 91-190) reviews as cooperating agencies. 

NACO SPEED ACT ANALYSIS

The reforms proposed in the SPEED Act would both expand county involvement in the environmental review process and ensure that counties face fewer costly delays during infrastructure, land management planning, housing and broadband projects. The SPEED Act is led by U.S. House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and passed by a bipartisan vote of 221 to 196.

Other Permitting Reforms

The U.S. House also passed several smaller permitting reform bills in recent weeks that make targeted changes to federal environmental review laws:

• ePermit Act (H.R. 4503): Requires the federal government to establish an electronic permitting portal and digitize the NEPA review process.
• Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act (H.R. 573): Directs the White House to publish an annual report on the frequency, scope, duration and impact of NEPA reviews.
• PERMIT Act (H.R. 3898): Eases Clean Water Act permitting requirements and restricts states’ ability to reject permits.
• Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act (H.R. 3668): Designates the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the sole lead agency for NEPA reviews of pipeline projects or natural gas terminals.

Next Steps

The SPEED Act and other permitting reform legislation now await consideration in the U.S. Senate. NACo will continue to advocate for county involvement in decision-making procedures in any changes to federal permitting processes.