The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee on a 25-to-18 vote Thursday, following intense negotiations between the bill’s sponsor, Representative Bruce Westerman, and House Democrats.
The bill would significantly weaken implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, imposing strict timelines on federal permitting for energy infrastructure while limiting the ability to challenge NEPA decisions in court. In response to demands from Democrats, Westerman added language to the bill that prevents a future president from cancelling federal permits, prompted by Trump’s attacks on wind projects.
Many of the reforms included in the SPEED Act are efforts to codify the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, which allows federal agencies to ignore foreseeable environmental harms when analyzing projects on national public lands.
“The SPEED Act in this Congress is certain to virtually eliminate public participation and crucial environmental and health protections, opening the door to unchecked public lands exploitation without consideration of impacts to ecosystems and the communities that depend on them,” said Kyle Tisdel, Climate and Energy Program director at the Western Environmental Law Center.
Meanwhile, Representative Russ Fulcher of Idaho just introduced a bill to exempt any “broadband project” on federal land from both NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act entirely.
Bonding rollback could cost billions
In the latest episode of The Landscape, Aaron and Kate discuss the Trump administration’s plan to roll back oil and gas bonding rates designed to protect American taxpayers from the cleanup costs of abandoned wells. The episode features insights from David Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, which recently released a report finding the Trump’s roll back could saddle taxpayers with over $750 billion in potential financial liabilities. Listen now or watch the full episode on YouTube.
Quick hits
Major water right approval could protect ample Colorado River flows
Montana could pay $70 million in fire suppression costs this season
New Powder River Basin coal is one step closer to opening, but market demand is unclear
Column: New broadband bill is a wolf in sheep’s clothing
They retired from the government. Now they’re back, protecting forests Trump abandoned
Trump plans to open over a billion acres of U.S. waters to drilling, including California coastline
New York Times | Los Angeles Times | Washington Post
Ramaco’s rare earth claims draw fierce scrutiny from geologists, short-sellers
Congress axes Biden-era protections that shielded Alaskan wetlands from drilling
Quote of the day
We’ll do all these logging operations, we’ll call it thinning and fuel reduction, with a wink and a nod, and it will tell communities it’ll stop the fire from reaching the towns… And that is a dangerous lie, because that’s not what’s happening. The fires are blowing right through those thin areas.”
—Chad Hanson, research ecologist and co-founder of the John Muir project
Picture This
Incredible aurora borealis last week, as seen from Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Idaho!
USFWS photo: Raven Patrick
Feature image: A pumpjack located in the Carlsbad Field Office; Source: BLM New Mexico