The SWACCA Government Affairs Committee recently established federal permitting reform as a new priority issue for SWACCA’s public policy advocacy because it is an issue critical to expediting the construction of an array of infrastructure that creates work for SWACCA members, including AI data centers and the energy and water infrastructure needed to support them. SWACCA’s initial effort on this new federal policy priority is focused on lobbying to enact the bipartisan Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776), introduced by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME). The SPEED Act would clarify federal agencies’ procedural requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), establish firm deadlines for judicial review of NEPA claims—including a 150-day limit for filing lawsuits to block permitting—and eliminate procedures that unnecessarily delay or halt projects.
The messaging for SWACCA’s lobbying campaign on this bill is reflected in the letter of support we sent on Thursday to leadership on the House Natural Resources Committee highlighting the urgent need for a more efficient and predictable NEPA review process. SWACCA explains that delays in permitting have negatively impacted SWACCA members and the thousands of skilled union tradespeople they employ. The letter portrays the SPEED Act as a responsible, urgently needed reform that will clarify which federal actions are subject to NEPA, reinforce recent statutory and judicial clarifications affirming that federal environmental reviews should focus on the specific project under consideration rather than unrelated upstream or downstream impacts, and reduce the costs and uncertainty associated with permitting litigation. SWACCA urges the Committee to advance the bill swiftly to the full House, noting that these reforms will promote new investments, reduce project cancellations, and support stable, family-sustaining employment for union construction workers nationwide. The full letter is available here. At this time, we think it is likely that the SPEED Act may become part of a larger package of permitting reforms over the coming months and SWACCA is now part of the discussion in D.C. on permitting reform.