The SPEED Act and the Pandora’s Box of Permitting Reform

President Donald Trump holds up the executive order “Unleashing American Energy,” part of a series of actions directing federal agencies to accelerate energy project approvals and dismantle the regulatory framework used to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

A sweeping rollback of U.S. environmental protections is moving through Congress with remarkably little public attention. In December 2025, the House quietly passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act...