Which energy permitting reform bills are moving in Congress, and who sponsors them? Map the sponsors, the bills, and the provisions - NEPA streamlining, Clean Water Act scope, and permit litigation limits - cited to the official record.

Energy Permitting Reform Bills in Motion

Energy permitting reform is advancing across three distinct legislative tracks in the 119th Congress, each targeting a different bottleneck. Here is the map of sponsors, bills, and provisions:

NEPA Streamlining

H.R. 4776 - SPEED Act (Passed House)

  • Sponsor: Rep. Bruce Westerman [R-AR-4]
  • Cosponsors: 14 members (bipartisan: Golden [D-ME], Cuellar [D-TX], Gonzalez [D-TX], Perez [D-WA], Davis [D-NC], Costa [D-CA], Gray [D-CA]; Republicans: Stauber [R-MN], Hageman [R-WY], Baumgartner [R-WA], Evans [R-CO], Miller-Meeks [R-IA], Kiggans [R-VA], Begich [R-AK])
  • Key Provisions: Redefines "major federal actions" to exclude actions based solely on federal funding; limits NEPA scope to effects "proximately caused by the immediate project"; excludes actions already reviewed under equivalent state/tribal environmental statutes; limits judicial review of NEPA cases. H.R. 4776, 119th Cong. § 106-107 (2025)

S. 3224 - SPEED Act (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Sen. John Kennedy [R-LA]
  • Cosponsors: None yet
  • Status: Senate companion to H.R. 4776

Clean Water Act Scope Narrowing

H.R. 3898 - PERMIT Act (Passed House)

  • Sponsor: Rep. Mike Collins [R-GA-10]
  • Cosponsors: 8 members (all Republican: Graves [R-MO], Rouzer [R-NC], LaMalfa [R-CA], Stauber [R-MN], Owens [R-UT], Crawford [R-AR], Hurd [R-CO], Taylor [R-OH])
  • Key Provisions: Redefines "navigable waters" under Clean Water Act § 502(7) to exclude: (1) waste treatment systems, (2) ephemeral features flowing only in direct response to precipitation, (3) prior converted cropland, (4) groundwater, (5) any features determined excluded by Army Corps of Engineers. Requires EPA to review federalism implications within 180 days. H.R. 3898, 119th Cong. § 18 (2025)

S. 4475 - Unlock American Energy and Jobs Act of 2026 (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Sen. David McCormick [R-PA]
  • Cosponsors: None yet
  • Key Provisions: Amends Clean Water Act § 404(e) general permits for energy infrastructure; ratifies current general permit categories; modifies water quality certification requirements.

S. 4944 - American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act of 2026 (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Sen. Alan Armstrong [R-OK]
  • Cosponsors: 19 Republicans (Scott [R-FL], Britt [R-AL], Lummis [R-WY], Lankford [R-OK], McCormick [R-PA], Cotton [R-AR], Murkowski [R-AK], Cornyn [R-TX], Moreno [R-OH], Sheehy [R-MT], Blackburn [R-TN], Daines [R-MT], Kennedy [R-LA], Marshall [R-KS], Husted [R-OH], Budd [R-NC], Wicker [R-MS], Hagerty [R-TN], Tillis [R-NC])
  • Key Provisions: Streamlines Natural Gas Act and Clean Water Act permitting; improves water quality general permits; coordinates state conditions on energy infrastructure authorizations. S. 4944, 119th Cong. § 3 (2026)

Pipeline-Specific NEPA Coordination

H.R. 3668 - Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act (Passed House)

  • Sponsor: Rep. Richard Hudson [R-NC-9]
  • Cosponsors: 3 members (Balderson [R-OH], Dunn [R-FL], Lawler [R-NY])
  • Key Provisions: Makes FERC the sole lead agency for NEPA review of natural gas pipelines and LNG terminals under Natural Gas Act §§ 3 and 7; requires FERC to set authorization deadlines no later than 90 days after NEPA completion; exempts applicants from Clean Water Act § 401 state water quality certification; requires concurrent federal-state reviews. H.R. 3668, 119th Cong. § 1-2 (2025)

Permit Litigation Limits

H.R. 3592 - Protect LNG Act of 2025 (Reported)

  • Sponsor: Rep. Wesley Hunt [R-TX-38]
  • Key Provisions: Permits remain valid during litigation challenging environmental reviews; 90-day statute of limitations for judicial review claims; bars claims filed after deadline unless shorter timeframe specified in law. H.R. 3592, 119th Cong. § 3-4 (2025)

S. 1901 - Protect LNG Act of 2025 (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Sen. Ted Cruz [R-TX]
  • Senate companion to H.R. 3592

H.R. 6352 - CLEAR Act of 2025 (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Rep. Troy Balderson [R-OH-12]
  • Key Provisions: Bars legal actions on energy projects once a claim has been finally adjudicated; prevents relitigation of the same issues. H.R. 6352, 119th Cong. § 1 (2025)

S. 3305 - CLEAR Act of 2025 (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Sen. Tom Cotton [R-AR]
  • Senate companion to H.R. 6352

Legislative Status Summary

  • Passed House: H.R. 4776 (SPEED), H.R. 3898 (PERMIT), H.R. 3668 (Pipeline Coordination)
  • Reported: H.R. 3592 (Protect LNG)
  • Referred (Senate): S. 3224, S. 4475, S. 4944, S. 1901, S. 3305
  • Referred (House): H.R. 6352

The House-passed bills are now in Senate committees (Environment and Public Works, Commerce, Judiciary). The Senate has introduced companion measures with broader cosponsorship, particularly S. 4944 with 19 Republican cosponsors, signaling potential for bipartisan negotiation on the narrower provisions.

Sources:

Sources

  1. S. 3305 (A) - (iii) - CLEAR Act of 2025 (Congress.gov)
  2. H.R. 6352 (A) - (iii) - CLEAR Act of 2025 (Congress.gov)
  3. H.R. 7977 (A) - Energy Bills Relief Act (Congress.gov)
  4. H.R. 3592 (a) - Protect LNG Act of 2025 (Congress.gov)
  5. S. 1901 (a) - Protect LNG Act of 2025 (Congress.gov)
  6. S. 4795 § 1 - FREEDOM Act (Congress.gov)
  7. S. 4772 § 2 - Renewable Energy Choice Act (Congress.gov)
  8. H.R. 6981 (b) - (A) - SHINE Act of 2026 (Congress.gov)
  9. H.R. 4776 (g) - SPEED Act (Congress.gov)
  10. S. 3224 § 1 - SPEED Act (Congress.gov)
  11. S. 3278 § 1 - SMART Infrastructure Act of 2025 (Congress.gov)
  12. S. 456 § 1 - STEAM Act (Congress.gov)
  13. H.R. 3927 (b) - Nationwide Permitting Improvement Act (Congress.gov)
  14. S. 4475 § 5 - Unlock American Energy and Jobs Act of 2026 (Congress.gov)
  15. H.R. 1077 § 1 - STEAM Act (Congress.gov)
  16. H.R. 3838 (b) - Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (Congress.gov)
  17. H.R. 3898 (b) - PERMIT Act (Congress.gov)
  18. S. 4944 § 5 - American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act of 2026 (Congress.gov)
  19. S. 4300 § 3 - JOAN Act (Congress.gov)
  20. H.R. 8249 § 3 - Making Reviews Certain Act (Congress.gov)

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