In Washington, it’s rare to see a bill that has the potential to jumpstart our economy, strengthen energy independence, and restore faith in government all at once. The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act is one such opportunity — and it deserves bipartisan support.
For decades, America’s permitting process for infrastructure, energy, and manufacturing projects has been trapped in a web of bureaucratic red tape. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), once intended to safeguard our environment, has too often become a tool for delay and obstruction. Instead of encouraging innovation and responsible development, it has stalled projects for years — sometimes decades — costing our nation jobs, competitiveness, and energy security.
The SPEED Act, led by Congressman Bruce Westerman and the House Committee on Natural Resources, is a common-sense solution to this broken system. It modernizes NEPA by placing clear timelines on environmental reviews, streamlining approvals, and holding agencies accountable. It empowers local leaders, investors, and project sponsors while limiting the ability of federal bureaucracy and special interest groups to drag progress into endless litigation. This is what good governance should look like: smart reform that clears obstacles without undermining legitimate safeguards.
Energy is a central battlefield in America’s economic future. Right now, too many of our energy projects — pipelines, refineries, transmission lines, renewable facilities, and more — are delayed or abandoned because of red tape. That leaves us vulnerable to foreign competitors and global supply shocks. By fast-tracking domestic production and infrastructure, the SPEED Act helps ensure reliable, affordable, and secure energy for American families and businesses. Energy independence isn’t just a slogan; it’s a national security imperative.
Beyond energy, this legislation unleashes new investment across industries. When companies can rely on a predictable and efficient permitting process, they invest in new factories, data centers, and infrastructure. That means good-paying jobs, stronger local tax bases, revitalized communities, and a renewed sense of opportunity across the country. Towns that have been hollowed out by globalization or decades of stagnation can benefit from new industries and new hope.
Infrastructure projects also determine the quality of life for millions of Americans. Roads, bridges, rail, ports, hospitals, schools, and broadband expansion are all affected by permitting delays. The SPEED Act doesn’t just clear the way for energy pipelines — it clears the way for the very arteries of our economy and daily life. Faster approvals mean stronger supply chains, more efficient transportation, modernized healthcare facilities, and expanded digital access to rural America.
Most importantly, the SPEED Act reaffirms a principle conservatives have long championed: that government should be efficient, limited, and accountable. This bill doesn’t weaken environmental protections; it restores balance and clarity to a process that has been hijacked by special interests. NEPA will return to its original purpose — evaluating projects responsibly without serving as a permanent roadblock.
Americans are tired of waiting. Tired of endless delays. Tired of being told that we can’t build, can’t grow, can’t move forward. Americans want permitting reform now. The SPEED Act is a chance to prove that Washington can work for the people again by cutting through gridlock and delivering results.
This is more than policy; it’s a return to common sense. It’s time to end government by delay and obstruction. It’s time to pass the SPEED Act — for our workers, for our economy, and for the future of American competitiveness.
Let’s get America moving again.