H.R. 4776 Passed the House Environmental Protection

SPEED Act

To amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to clarify ambiguous provisions and facilitate a more efficient, effective, and timely environmental review process.

  1. Introduced
  2. Committee
  3. Passed House
  4. Passed Senate
  5. To President
  6. Became law
Sponsor Rep. Westerman, Bruce [R-AR-4] Introduced July 25, 2025 Cosponsors 14 (7 D, 7 R) Latest action December 18, 2025

Summary

Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act or the SPEED Act
This bill limits the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and modifies the environmental review of major federal actions under NEPA to generally limit the number of federal actions that trigger NEPA review and to expedite the review process.
For example, the bill redefines major federal actions, including to specify that an agency may not determine that an action is a major federal action based solely on the provision of federal funds.
It also excludes from the requirement for NEPA review certain proposed agency actions that have already been reviewed under another federal, state, or tribal environmental review statute that meets the requirements of NEPA.
The bill directs an agency, when preparing an environmental document for a proposed agency action, to consider only those effects proximately caused by the immediate project or action under consideration. Agencies may not consider effects that are speculative, attenuated from the project or action, separate in time or place from the project or action, or in relation to separate projects or actions.
The bill modifies the requirement for agencies to prepare an environmental assessment to apply to agency actions that are not likely to have a reasonably foreseeable significant effect on the quality of the human environment. (Currently, the requirement only applies to actions that do not have such an effect.)
The bill makes a variety of other modifications to NEPA, including by limiting judicial review of NEPA cases.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Congress.gov

Roll-call votes

Actions

  1. Dec 18, 2025 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  2. Dec 18, 2025 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  3. Dec 18, 2025 On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 221 - 196 (Roll no. 356). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H6037-6040)
  4. Dec 18, 2025 Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 221 - 196 (Roll no. 356).
  5. Dec 18, 2025 On motion to recommit Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 206 - 211 (Roll no. 355).
  6. Dec 18, 2025 The previous question on the motion to recommit was ordered pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX.
  7. Dec 18, 2025 Ms. Lee (NV) moved to recommit to the Committee on Natural Resources. (text: CR H6068)
  8. Dec 18, 2025 The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  9. Dec 18, 2025 The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 4776.
  10. Dec 18, 2025 The House resolved into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for further consideration.
  11. Dec 18, 2025 Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H6065-6069)
  12. Dec 18, 2025 Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union rises leaving H.R. 4776 as unfinished business.

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