The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee has advanced legislation aimed at speeding up energy infrastructure development, including offshore wind and onshore projects on federal land, the panel said.
The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act would implement key changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which governs much of the federal permitting process for infrastructure projects. The bill now moves to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
The American Council for Renewable Energy welcomed the committee’s action. CEO Ray Long said in a statement: “Durable, bipartisan permitting reforms that provide project certainty and speed up energy infrastructure build-out will help to keep the lights on and reduce electricity costs.”
Long added: “As a compromise is worked through, project-neutral permitting, removing roadblocks to fully permitted projects, and fully funding and staffing permitting agencies will go a long way to addressing our affordability and reliability challenges and improving America’s competitiveness.”
The bill has garnered support from renewable energy and oil and gas stakeholders but faces opposition from environmental groups, who argue that changes to NEPA could undermine environmental protections.
