Media Contact:
Camila Ruiz Gallardo, camilarg@earthworksaction.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON — Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources is holding a hearing for the proposed Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. The bill prioritizes the interests of the fossil fuel and mining industries at the expense of essential protections for clean air, water, public health, and access to justice.
In response, community leaders living on the frontlines of fossil fuels and mining issued the following statements:
Anna Darian, Executive Director, Patagonia Area Resource Alliance, said:
“As a frontline community in Patagonia, AZ, downhill from an industrial mine, and encircled by mountains with mining claims on nearly every square inch, we are calling on all representatives to stand firm on environmental protections and vote NO on the SPEED Act. It is imperative that our agencies consider the cumulative impacts of projects in a desert community already suffering under decades of mega-drought conditions.”
Roishetta Sibley Ozane, Founder and Executive Director, The Vessel Project of Louisiana, said:
“The proposed SPEED Act represents a significant step backward for environmental protections and public participation in our democratic processes. By undermining the National Environmental Policy Act, this legislation not only silences communities but also prioritizes corporate interests over the health of our planet and the voices of those most affected. We must stand firm against this bill to ensure that our environmental standards remain robust and that all stakeholders, especially our communities, have a say in decisions that impact our lives and environment.”
James Hiatt, Founder and Executive Director, For a Better Bayou, said:
“NEPA isn’t red tape, it’s our seat at the table and our right to protect our homes. The SPEED Act would strip that away, handing corporations a blank check to move faster while leaving the rest of us to pay the price. When public review is cut off, when independent science is ignored, and when courts are closed to communities, corporations get to externalize every cost (polluted air, poisoned water, destroyed lives and livelihoods) onto families who had no say in the first place. I’ve watched industry make billions while my community shoulders the sickness, the flooding, and the loss of our way of life. This bill isn’t about efficiency; it’s about shielding corporate profits from accountability. Communities like mine have already paid too high a price. Please reject this bill.”
Manning Rollerson, Founder and Executive Director, Freeport Haven Project, said:
“As a resident of Freeport, Texas and a veteran who took an oath to serve my country, I disagree with the SPEED Act because it loosens protections for communities and costs me my future, my children’s future, and now my grandchildren’s future. America does not protect the health and safety of its citizens. Human beings are being sacrificed for the global industry by its own United States government. When I say enough is enough, that’s because people are fed up with loved ones dying early because of somebody else’s reckless and dangerous ways that they process chemicals in our communities and no one is held accountable. Enough is enough.”
Fermina Stevens, Executive Director, Western Shoshone Defense Project, said:
“The United States is a government of immigrants without cultural or spiritual ties to the land that makes laws destroying biodiversity for their own benefit. This is not new though. For hundreds of years the United States government has been breaking their laws at the expense of others. The Western Shoshone Nation is very aware of the broken rules and processes that lead to the violation of our human rights, land rights, and treaty rights. The SPEED Act is just another way to line the pockets of a few because following NEPA takes too long for insatiable greed. Their lack of consideration for the environment, people, and communities shows us their priorities and their lack of morality concerning the well-being of our earth mother. Speeding up mineral extraction without strong safeguards may lead to decades or even centuries of environmental degradation, diminished biodiversity, compromised water security, and lasting harm to Indigenous and rural communities. If our country is going to see real change, it begins with the protection of our most precious life sources. Land, Air, Water, Sun/Spirit (LAWS) is where lawmaking priorities should be, which is beneficial for all.”
Faron Owl, Tribal Council Member of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe said:
“The Quechan Tribe has successfully defended our sacred sites from destruction by mining companies for decades. We rely on NEPA to be informed of mining project impacts and consult with federal agencies on protecting our tribal cultural resources. I am opposed to the SPEED Act because it would limit tribal participation in the permitting process, and leave our ancestral lands open to exploitation by mining companies.”
Kathy Bancroft, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Lone Pine Paiute and Shoshone Tribe, said:
“My peoples’ ancestral homeland of Payahuunadü, the land of flowing water, is constantly under threat from mining companies. These companies hope to build open-pit gold mines that would damage important Joshua Tree habitat, drain our scarce water resources, and irreversibly harm our tribal culture. Federal agencies are already skimping on the NEPA process. They don’t need any excuses to skimp further. I oppose the SPEED Act because we need tribal participation in the permitting process to protect our sacred lands from being destroyed by mining companies.”
For more information: “SPEED Act” is Racing in the Wrong Direction – Earthworks
