A House Republican warned Congress is “running out of time” to approve a vital U.S. energy project as Senate negotiators consider delaying until after November’s elections.
Arkansas Rep. Bruce Westerman said lawmakers must act soon to speed federal approvals for energy, mining and infrastructure projects including the Keystone XL pipeline, which was begun during President Trump’s first term but immediately canceled by President Joe Biden on his first day in office.
His warning came as Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island indicated a Senate vote would likely wait until the lame-duck session.
Westerman chairs the House Natural Resources Committee and helped lead a permitting bill through the House last December.
“We’re running out of time,” he said on the Republican Study Committee’s “Right to the Point” podcast.
The House passed his Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, known as the SPEED Act, by 221-196.
Westerman introduced the measure with Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, giving the proposal bipartisan sponsorship.
Seven Republicans and seven Democrats are listed as cosponsors, according to the legislation’s congressional record.
🚨 America's broken permitting process delays critical infrastructure, costs businesses and consumer BILLIONS, and makes us dependent on foreign nations for critical materials. @NatResources Chairman @RepWesterman explains why Congress MUST get the SPEED Act to President… pic.twitter.com/0dVYJbwKRM
— Republican Study Committee (@RepublicanStudy) September 25, 2026
The bill has remained with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee since the House approved it December 18.
A Senate version is being negotiated by Republican committee chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Whitehouse.
Westerman praised Capito’s work and said lawmakers across multiple committees were seeking bipartisan solutions.
He urged negotiators to assemble those proposals into a permitting package before the legislative calendar narrows further.
Whitehouse told reporters the talks had moved beyond the issues that might have broken the deal.
He said legislative text could be completed within days or even hours, according to Roll Call.
Despite that progress, Whitehouse said a vote would probably come after the midterm elections.
Capito offered a sharper assessment, saying negotiators had a bill but Democrats wanted to wait until the lame-duck session.
She warned that the period between an election and a new Congress can produce unpredictable results.
Neither senator’s comments amounted to an announcement of a scheduled vote or a final Senate agreement.
Any bill would also face the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for overcoming a filibuster.
The House measure would establish deadlines for reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act.
That law requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of major projects before approving them.
Westerman’s proposal would also limit how long opponents can challenge approved projects in court.
The measure seeks shorter review and litigation timelines without eliminating environmental assessments required for major construction projects across the country.
“We want to go through the process, but we want to make the process happen more quickly,” he said.
He argued activists can use lengthy litigation to halt construction even after a project clears federal review.
Westerman said opponents currently have six years to file suit and seek an injunction against a project.
He pointed to Keystone XL as an example of money spent before a project was stopped.
Westerman said its backers spent billions without pumping oil through the proposed line.
Minnesota Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican cosponsor who hosted the podcast, called Keystone’s cancellation politically motivated.
Westerman said environmental reviews take between four and four and a half years on average, but several had already been completed on the pipeline, which is why Trump gave the green light during term number one.
Stauber claimed opening a new American mine takes 29 years on average.
Those estimates were arguments the lawmakers made while pressing their case for faster project approvals.
Westerman tied the issue to American dependence on China for processed critical minerals used in batteries and defense equipment.
He said China now produces far more copper than the United States and operates many more smelters.
The congressman argued domestic production could reduce America’s exposure to decisions made by foreign suppliers.
He also said higher costs can reach households when essential materials must be bought from abroad.
Westerman said the SPEED Act would apply the same permitting rules to renewable energy and fossil fuel projects, The Daily Caller reported.
He called changing approval standards between administrations “permitting ping pong” and argued for more predictable rules.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
