Major Permitting Bill Has Been Tied Up In Senate For Months. What’s The Holdup?

August 18, 2026 3:12 PM ET A major permitting bill that passed the House in December 2025 still hasn’t been passed by the Senate, with environmental and clean energy groups putting pressure on lawmakers to oppose the measure.The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, which passed the House in December 2025, aims to fast-track energy and infrastructure permitting by reforming the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It has not advanced beyond referral to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) with clean energy groups and environmental justice organizations objecting to the legislation, arguing it would cause major setbacks for the climate by adding more fossil fuel projects and lifting environmental protections. “The American peopl