The "Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act," or "SPEED Act," significantly amends the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to clarify its purpose as a purely procedural statute, not intended to mandate specific environmental outcomes or confer substantive rights. This legislation aims to streamline environmental reviews and accelerate federal permitting processes by introducing several key reforms.

The bill narrows the scope of environmental review, requiring agencies to consider only effects with a reasonably close causal relationship to the immediate project, excluding speculative or attenuated impacts. It also limits the need for new scientific research and prevents agencies from delaying decisions based on new information becoming available after initial application or notice. Additionally, it expands conditions under which an environmental document may not be required, such as when a project has undergone a comparable State or Tribal review, and extends the validity of programmatic environmental documents to ten years.

A major focus of the SPEED Act is to reform judicial review of NEPA compliance, establishing a higher standard for courts to overturn agency actions by requiring a finding of abused discretion that would have led to a different outcome, while prohibiting courts from substituting their judgment. If an action is remanded, it remains in effect, and the agency is given a strict 180-day deadline to correct errors. The bill also imposes stringent limitations on claims, requiring challenges within 150 days by parties who submitted specific comments demonstrating direct harm, and mandates courts to issue final judgments within 180 days, aiming to reduce litigation delays and provide greater certainty for federal projects.