Congress Scorecard: How Oregon voted on SPEED Act

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is being abused to delay and shut-down critical energy, mining and public works projects. One study showed that the unrealized returns on these delayed projects are between $100 to $140 billion a year.

The United States Supreme Court helped curtail NEPA abuse by requiring agencies to focus on direct impact rather than hypothetical abstract secondary impacts of a government project. The SPEED Act helps to codify the Supreme Court decision by requiring plaintiffs to show “direct harm”.   The United States cannot continue to let vital projects (nuclear energy, bridges, data centers) die a death by a thousand delays.

The SPEED Act has bipartisan sponsorship between Congressmen Bruce Westerman (R., Ark.) and Jared Golden (D., Maine).  In Oregon, only Congressman Cliff Bentz voted for it.