House Passes the SPEED Act

The Fertilizer Institute applauded the recent passage of the Standard Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, or SPEED Act in the House of Representatives.  The bipartisan legislation is focused on taking steps to modernize the federal permitting process while maintaining strong environmental protection.

“Fertilizer production is highly capital-intensive and requires long-term investment in mines, manufacturing plants, and processing facilities,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Even with additional projects in development, after extensive environmental analysis, these projects too often face years of uncertainty due to duplicative reviews, poor coordination, and permitting-related litigation.”

The bill modernizes and reforms the National Environmental Policy Act review process, codifying a recent Supreme Court decision clarifying that environmental reviews should focus on impacts with a reasonably close causal relationship to the project under review.  That, supporters say, will help return NEPA to its intended role as a procedural statute rather than a tool for indefinite delay.

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