The House Committee on Natural Resources has advanced eight bipartisan bills, including three focused on permitting reform and five addressing federal and tribal land management. The committee’s actions include the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, which aims to improve the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) by streamlining the permitting process for major federal projects.
Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) commented on the committee’s work: “Today, the Committee took an important bipartisan step toward lowering energy prices for hardworking Americans and building critical projects. The increasing demand for electricity and critical minerals is fueling new investments, and federal permitting laws must keep up. The SPEED Act eliminates bureaucratic delays that hinder projects and restores NEPA to its original purpose. The Committee’s bipartisan support for NEPA reform is a victory for government efficiency, economic growth, national security, transportation infrastructure and lower energy bills for Americans. I thank my colleagues for their hard work on the bills we advanced, and I look forward to advancing them through the legislative process.”
The SPEED Act was introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) with provisions to shorten permitting timelines, reduce litigation related to NEPA reviews, set limits on judicial review periods, and clarify when NEPA requirements apply.
Other legislation includes H.R. 573 by Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-Ind.), which would require annual reports from the Council on Environmental Quality about NEPA project outcomes; H.R. 4503 by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), providing guidance for electronic permitting systems; H.R. 4386 by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), allowing America the Beautiful pass holders access to national parks with two motorcycles; H.R. 5131 by Rep. Nick Begich (R-Alaska), withdrawing public land for military use; H.R. 3903 also by Rep. Begich enabling a land exchange in Chugach, Alaska; H.R. 681 by Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.), authorizing long-term leases of trust land for Massachusetts tribes; and H.R. 4467 by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), conveying land at Vicksburg National Military Park to Mississippi for a new visitor center.
These measures address various aspects of energy development, military readiness, conservation efforts, tribal interests in Massachusetts, tourism access policies ahead of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebrations next year, as well as improvements to historic sites such as Vicksburg National Military Park.
