Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
House hearing exposes sharp split over Speed Act NEPA reforms
Summary
Supporters told a House hearing the Speed Act would cut permitting delays and restore predictability; opponents said the bill would gut NEPA's protections for communities and the environment and limit judicial review.
House members and expert witnesses traded sharply opposed accounts of proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act during a lengthy hearing on three permitting bills, focusing especially on H.R. 4776, the Standardizing Permitting, Expediting, and Economic Development Act, known as the Speed Act. Chairman Bruce Westerman opened the hearing by pressing for faster permitting, saying the committee has an opportunity to create a system “that’s fair, a system that allows access for all projects,” while Ranking Member Jared Huffman countered that the Speed Act “takes a sledgehammer to NEPA’s core functions” and “treats public input like it is an annoyance.” Supporters, including industry witnesses and bill sponsors, described the legislation as a means to reduce litigation-driven delays, narrow NEPA to effects proximately caused by a federal action and create clearer timelines…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
