The House passed a bipartisan deregulation bill on Thursday, with nearly a dozen Democrats supporting the measure amid rising American energy demand.
Eleven House Democrats voted in favor of the resolution Speed lawany Pass Chamber by 221 votes to 196 votes. If the legislation passes the Senate, it will be reformed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a major environmental law that some energy policy experts say He argues The sector is burdened by the threat of litigation.
The legislation was introduced by Arkansas Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman and Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden.
“The NEPA permit process is broken and holding back America’s progress,” Eli Mansour, spokesman for the House Natural Resources Committee, previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The SPEED Act is the answer to building America back, lowering costs, providing affordable energy to American families and supporting our national security. Chairman Westerman has been engaged with House members on the SPEED Act to ensure we have a strong product that reflects the will of the Congress.” (Related: Congress is close to allowing bipartisan reform. Hardline Republicans say it threatens Trump’s agenda.)
House votes on HR 4776 – SPEED Act (sponsored by @RepWesterman / Natural Resources Committee).
– HouseDailyPress Gallery December 18, 2025
US energy demand climbing After years of remaining relatively flat. The Department of Energy warned in a July report that the continued elimination of reliable energy sources, without adequate replacement, could lead to a 100-fold increase in power outages across the United States by 2030.
Nepa It became law in 1970 and requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of things such as permit applications and infrastructure projects. Former President Jimmy Carter later Boost NEPA’s 1977 executive order authorized the Council on Environmental Quality to formulate regulations governing implementation of the law.
Critics of NEPA development They argue that although drafted with good intentions, the law has been used as a weapon by environmental groups to challenge energy projects through litigation, even when those groups are not directly affected.
The law of speed would codify 8-0 decision Seven County Infrastructure Coalition over Eagle County Superior Court rulings on NEPA review, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. If signed into law, SPEED would help protect energy projects from litigation, as the legislation “establishes a high standard of judicial deference to agency decisions made under NEPA,” the bipartisan Republican Policy Center wrote.
Many energy companies and trade associations Strong support SPEED Act, arguing that NEPA reform would give them clarity to build critical energy infrastructure as American demand soars.
“It shouldn’t take a decade to drill an oil or natural gas well — or defend one in court,” Melissa Simpson, president of the Western Energy Alliance, said in a statement Thursday. “But for energy projects on federal lands, it has become all too common.” “Endless lawsuits under NEPA have turned what the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously affirmed in the recent Seven County decision as procedural law into a weapon of perpetual delay.”
It is worth noting that the law of speed Included that amendment to acquiesce to hardliners like Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris, who has argued that the legislation is needed to block protections for offshore wind projects to align them with President Donald Trump’s energy agenda.
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