NAPA shares support for SPEED Act

A major permitting bill that could dramatically improve project delivery for roadway projects passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources on November 20.

Known as the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, the bill is one piece in the House’s effort to reform permitting authorities. NAPA applauds the Committee for the bipartisan passage of the SPEED Act, which could be a meaningful companion to the 2026 surface transportation reauthorization package.

For far too long, delays in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process have hindered infrastructure owners and builders from delivering critical projects for communities around the country. The SPEED Act will provide solutions to these decades-old challenges by:

• Reducing the time allotted for litigation during the project development process
• Allowing agencies to rely on previously completed environmental documents
• Requiring agencies to complete timely reviews
• Limiting the scope of review for environmental impacts that “share a reasonably close causal relationship”
• Prohibiting agencies from rescinding a completed environmental document

In short, the SPEED Act will reduce agency red tape and advance roadway projects out of the planning stage and into project delivery.

“This bill spans political ideologies, and it is clear the bill was drafted with bipartisanship in mind,” said Mitch Baldwin, NAPA Director of Government Affairs. “I was happy to see Chairman Westerman secure so much support for the SPEED Act – over 350 national organizations from all 50 states, including NAPA, shared their support for this critical bipartisan, common-sense bill.

“With the upcoming highway reauthorization, addressing the permitting challenges under NEPA has become a top priority for Congress,” Baldwin continued. “The more efficient the permitting process is, the quicker state DOTs can get projects into construction and start laying asphalt.”

NAPA supported the SPEED Act throughout the year (see recent letter of support below) and worked with the State Asphalt Pavement Associations (SAPA Inc.), highlighting their shared support for this legislation. NAPA will continue to advocate for the advancement of the SPEED Act, and other permitting reform bills, to leverage funding and policies including the upcoming highway bill.

To share examples of how permitting delays are impacting your operations, contact Mitch Baldwin or Howard Marks.