This afternoon, the House voted 215-209 to approve a rule for this week’s consideration of the SWACCA-supported Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776). The rule made in order only six amendments to the SPEED Act, including three amendments demanded by House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) and Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) who argued that language in the base bill makes it harder for President Trump to cancel permits for wind and solar projects. This includes an amendment to strike the “permit certainty” language adopted during the November markup to prevent any executive agency from canceling an approved permit. The House is expected to hold a final vote on the SPEED Act as early as tomorrow.
