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The SPEED Act is not a substantive solution
More of the same at too high a price for communities, it doesn’t meet our needs
WASHINGTON D.C. — In advance of December votes in the House on the SPEED Act (H.R. 4776), a bill on permitting and related procedures that would further alter the function of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), our nation’s basic framework for protecting the environment, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) opposes the legislative proposal.
UUSJ is concerned that the SPEED Act would prioritize the interests of fossil fuel producers, mining companies, and other likely polluters and industry actors over the interests of average Americans and their communities.
Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, stated:
“We feel no need—no need for the SPEED Act. Certainly not over, or instead of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Never at the cost of the triple bottom line. We can not agree to this sacrifice on the altar of expediency. Not if it will further marginalize community voices. Not if it will perpetuate polluter activity.
The SPEED Act is just a quick capitulation to industry rhetoric and hyperbole in favor of deregulation ideology. It fails to achieve a substantive solution to procedural and process challenges.
We therefore oppose the proposal for its lack of clarity and precision in addressing the root causes of project delays. It misdiagnoses federal reviews and permitting as the cause of most project delays or failures. It defames environmental laws as weapons used in court against new infrastructure investments. It erroneously asserts that environmental procedures and standards must be sacrificed to enable timely climate action and responsiveness to climate realities.
Getting projects to shovel-ready or to completion is about appropriate public investment, public oversight, and adequate public review capacity. It is about system design intended to enhance interagency coordination and reduce inconsistent or redundant standards. This, paired with responsible business actors who bring projects to bear that are ready to meet public scrutiny, is the standard that new permitting legislation should embody. Unfortunately, the SPEED Act gives us more of the same root harms—fossil fuel and corporate polluters being allowed to cut corners, suppress science, and sideline communities during routine review procedures.
It’s a bill that favors golden calf solutions and the idolatry of profits above creation justice, a people-centered economy, and a planet where we can all thrive, not just survive.
We are for solutions, but not false solutions. We are for abundance, just not an abundance of pollution. We are for permits. We permit Congress and the Executive to govern at each election. We are for repair. We invite federal decision-makers to step back from the breach of covenant they are perpetuating toward restoration and peace with creation. We are for forgiveness, but that is a matter between individuals; justice is a matter among people and their leaders, and that is what we expect legislation to address.
For us we are called to a sincere expression of our faith on this matter. We adhere to a higher standard than simple financial gain. We hold sacred compassion, care, and the dignity of the human family. Our most sacred, longest-held human beliefs ask us to hold in love, in balance, in righteous stewardship, this good green creation upon which we all depend. There is no separation from the interdependent web of life, nor is there a way to escape the consequences of its devastation.
We cherish this marvelous blue marble and the people upon it. The SPEED Act does little to ease Mother Earth’s woes or deliver to us real improvements in the permitting process.
We can not support the SPEED Act as proposed.”
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Established in 1999, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice is a network of Unitarian Universalist individuals and congregations that lifts up the light of reason, the warmth of community, and the flame of hope to advance equitable national policies and actions aligned with UU values through witness, education, and advocacy. We envision a just, compassionate, and sustainable world community.
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