SPEED Act

The "Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act," or SPEED Act, significantly amends the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to clarify its intent and streamline the environmental review process. It explicitly states that NEPA is a procedural statute , not mandating specific environmental outcomes or conferring substantive rights beyond procedural requirements. The bill narrows the scope of environmental review , allowing agencies to consider only effects with a reasonably close causal relationship to the immediate project, while excluding speculative or attenuated impacts. It expands conditions for not requiring an environmental document, such as prior review under State or Tribal law, and limits agencies' obligation to undertake new scientific research or consider information becoming public after an application or notice of intent. To expedite reviews, the Act extends the validity of programmatic environmental documents from 5 to 10 years and clarifies that federal funding alone does not classify an action as a "major Federal action." It also introduces substantial changes to judicial review of NEPA claims, requiring courts to find an abuse of substantial discretion and a different outcome to overturn an agency decision. If a court remands an action, it must provide specific instructions and a strict 180-day deadline for correction, during which the original agency action remains in effect. The SPEED Act imposes strict limitations on claims , requiring them to be filed within 150 days and only by parties who submitted substantive comments, and clarifies that environmental assessments or categorical exclusion determinations are not final agency actions subject to judicial review.