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Witnesses tell House subcommittee federal permitting blocks tribal energy projects; witnesses urge SPEED Act and other fixes
Summary
Tribal leaders and energy developers told the House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs that overlapping federal reviews, interconnection delays and agency policies are slowing tribal energy projects — costing jobs and undermining sovereignty — and urged Congress to pass reforms including provisions in the SPEED Act.
The House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs heard testimony on April 21, 2026, about federal permitting and regulatory barriers that tribal leaders and developers say delay energy and natural resource projects on tribal trust lands.
Chaired remarks opened the hearing with a comparison: developing an energy project on tribal trust land can require nearly 50 federal approvals across multiple agencies versus fewer than five on private land, a discrepancy panelists said drives delays that can kill projects and strip tribes of revenue and jobs. “When Washington decides that tribal resource development is too difficult to permit, it is the Crow children who go without,” said Chairman Frank White Clay of the Crow Nation.
Why it matters: Witnesses said slow approvals reduce financing certainty and can endanger long‑term investments in energy, infrastructure and community services. Andrew Gallegos, a Southern Ute Tribal Council member, described…
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