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The House rejected a proposed amendment to the SPEED Act, a bill designed to streamline environmental reviews for infrastructure projects. The vote failed 208-214, falling largely along party lines.
This vote concerned a proposed amendment to H.R. 4776, the SPEED Act. The underlying bill seeks to shorten the time it takes to approve major infrastructure and energy projects by narrowing the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a law that requires federal agencies to study the environmental impacts of their actions. In the House of Representatives, an amendment is a formal proposal to change the text of a bill. Members vote on these individual changes before deciding whether to pass the final version of the entire bill. Because this amendment failed, the specific changes it proposed were not included in the version of the SPEED Act that moved forward. The outcome reflects a sharp partisan divide over environmental regulations. Republicans generally supported the amendment as part of their effort to reduce regulatory burdens, while Democrats almost entirely opposed it. Following this vote, the House continued its work on the bill, which eventually passed the chamber later that day.
The House proceeded to consider other amendments and eventually held a final vote on the passage of the SPEED Act, which was sent to the Senate.
OPEN BILL →Why it matters. This vote highlights the ongoing debate over environmental review processes. While this specific amendment failed, it represents the majority party's attempt to further shape the SPEED Act to prioritize industrial and infrastructure efficiency.
Who’s affected. Project Developers: Would have potentially benefited from additional streamlining or certainty in the permit process had the amendment passed. · Environmental Organizations: Opposed the measure, viewing such changes as a weakening of essential environmental safeguards. · Federal Agencies: The failure of this amendment means agencies did not receive the specific procedural changes it would have mandated.
Democrats. The Democratic caucus was nearly unanimous in its opposition, with 209 members voting 'no'.
Republicans. The Republican caucus was nearly unanimous in its support, with 206 members voting 'yes'.
The House rejected a proposed amendment to the SPEED Act, a bill designed to streamline environmental reviews for infrastructure projects.
The vote failed 208-214, falling largely along party lines.
This was a vote on an amendment, which is a suggested edit to a piece of legislation. If the House votes 'yes,' the bill's text is changed; if 'no,' the bill remains as it was before the amendment was proposed.
The House proceeded to consider other amendments and eventually held a final vote on the passage of the SPEED Act, which was sent to the Senate.
This vote highlights the ongoing debate over environmental review processes. While this specific amendment failed, it represents the majority party's attempt to further shape the SPEED Act to prioritize industrial and infrastructure efficiency.
The vote followed strict party lines, with Republicans supporting the amendment and Democrats opposing it.
The Democratic caucus was nearly unanimous in its opposition, with 209 members voting 'no'.
The Republican caucus was nearly unanimous in its support, with 206 members voting 'yes'.
One independent member voted in favor of the amendment.