Solar & Wind Attacks Continue With SPEED ACT

Solar and wind power have been supported by Republican and Democratic voters for many years. Even government support of solar and wind have been endorsed by the large majority of voters. Nonetheless, the Republican Party has decided to not only cut support for solar and wind power, but it has gone fully aggressive against wind and solar power under the Trump administration. Unfortunately, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act passed by the US House of Representatives continues that trend.

The Act allows the Trump administration to cancel projects that were already approved — solar and wind power projects, of course. It also allows the administration to streamline approval of fossil fuel projects. Furthermore, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews are severely limited by the Act.

“The SPEED Act would encourage agencies to first exclude projects from environmental review, cutting out public input before it can even start. If a mining or fossil fuel project does get reviewed, the bill limits agencies’ ability to consider climate, environmental justice, and other cumulative impacts. It would discourage consideration of new scientific information provided after a project is proposed—meaning agencies could exclude independent scientific or cultural data offered during public comment periods,” Earthworks writes.

“It also makes it much harder for communities to question or challenge inaccurate environmental reviews in court. It is already alarmingly easy for corporate polluters to exploit public lands. Further limiting Tribal and public participation will make the problem even worse.”

“Even before the move to strip protections for renewables from the bill, some critics—like Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.)—said that the legislation didn’t go far enough to curtail the president’s ‘all-out assault’ against clean power, arguing that the bill does nothing to restore approvals that have already been canceled by the administration, and doesn’t address other roadblocks that have been put in place,” Inside Climate News adds.

Basically, like he’s been wanting, this legislation would go further in giving Donald Trump king-like powers, and specifically to block solar and wind power projects, cancel previously approved projects, and force fossil fuel projects through.

It’s crazy, considering we had George W. Bush as president, but there’s never been such an anti-cleantech president, and Republicans on Congress are now paving the way for this anti-American, anti-clean energy agenda.

“The SPEED Act falls short of ensuring a fair and predictable permitting process that enables developers to invest, build, and compete. For months, SEIA and our member companies have worked relentlessly to advance permitting reform in Congress to help lower energy costs and build the infrastructure needed to win the AI race and beat China. But without action to address this unequal treatment of solar, energy projects across the country will continue to stall,” Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), states.

“The solar industry values the bipartisan engagement on permitting reform and will continue to advocate for a deal in the U.S. Senate that addresses the slowdown of permitting solar projects. Permitting reform that prioritizes certainty and fairness will help deliver affordable energy to the American people.”

Indeed. Good luck, Abigail. The agenda is clear — Donald Trump and his gang want to block clean, renewable energy. They want to force fossil fuels onto the American people, and the pollution that comes with them. They keep getting away with anti-American behavior and a harmful agenda, because they have a vast propaganda network that ignores such topics, pushes misinformation, and scaremongers on topics that distract the people from things that do actually affect them and their pocketbooks.

“Earlier this month, nearly 150 solar companies penned a letter urging Congress to work with the Interior Department to address the slowdown of permitting of solar projects and to keep fairness and certainty at the center of permitting negotiations. Last month, SEIA released an analysis of EIA data showing that more than 500 projects in the pipeline across the country are in danger of delays or cancellation as a result of political attacks,” SEIA adds. This is the idiotic era we live in. Good luck, America.

Renewable energy accounted for 91% of new power capacity additions globally in 2024. Renewables will continue to lead around the world, because they are cheaper, add resilience, and provide energy security. The US can be left behind if it chooses to be the global dunce and technology laggard of the century. This is only going to hurt Americans. But how many of the people who voted for Donald Trump will ever realize that his backwards, vindictive, corrupt agenda is what costs them more, hurts them, and leads to various cancers, diseases, and premature death?