Key Points
- The House is advancing the SPEED Act to expedite permitting for AI infrastructure projects.
- Big Tech companies like OpenAI and Microsoft strongly support the bill, citing competition with China.
- The legislation would weaken the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by shortening review times and limiting lawsuits.
- The bill faces opposition from both the conservative Freedom Caucus and environmentalist Democrats.
The U.S. House of Representatives is moving forward with a controversial bill to expedite the construction of artificial intelligence infrastructure, such as data centers. The legislation, known as the SPEED Act, is strongly supported by Big Tech companies such as OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft, who argue it is essential for the U.S. to win the AI race against China.
The bill directly targets the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a 1969 environmental law that requires federal review of projects that could harm the environment.
The SPEED Act would tighten timelines for these reviews and make it much harder for opponents to challenge a project in court, reducing the window for lawsuits from six years to 150 days.
“We’ve made it entirely too difficult to build big things in this country, and if we do not reform that, that will be a powerful gift that we are giving to China,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, a supporter of the bill.
While the push to streamline the permitting process has bipartisan support, the bill faces a political minefield. The ultra-conservative House Republican Freedom Caucus is threatening to kill the bill over an amendment that would limit a president’s power to revoke energy permits.
At the same time, many Democrats argue the bill is a “fossil fuel industry wish list” that goes too far in gutting environmental protections.
The legislation cleared a key procedural hurdle this week, but its future remains uncertain. With a razor-thin Republican majority in the House and even bigger challenges waiting in the Senate, the fight over how to balance AI’s future with environmental safeguards is far from over.
