WASHINGTON (December 19, 2025) – Yesterday, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, modernizing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), passed the House. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) originally sponsored this bill to speed up NEPA permitting processes. The Public Lands Council (PLC) have consistently pushed to modernize NEPA to allow livestock producers to be able to quickly carry out critical conservation work.
“Many livestock producers rely on federal permitting under NEPA to make range improvements and carry out other voluntary conservation work to maintain working lands and prevent degradation. Unfortunately, outdated NEPA processes have made permitting for livestock grazing much more difficult and costly, which limits the amount of conservation work that can be done and leaves working lands in much worse condition,” said PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover. “This legislation speeds up federal permitting by reducing bureaucratic red tape and not letting NEPA be weaponized by frivolous litigation. PLC thanks Chairman Westerman and Rep. Golden for their work on this important legislation.”
Posted: December 19, 2025