Wittman spreads SPEED Act disinformation

Speculative gains based on greater pollution is A-OK with Wittman

Wittman's end-of-week brag emails never disappoint, and this week's is no exception: short, sugary, and packed with spin, speculation, and half-truths.

First up: Wittman claims that he supports H.R. 4776, the SPEED Act, as it "clears up ambiguities in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to make environmental reviews more efficient…which translates to lower energy and infrastructure costs for working families."

The SPEED Act does make procedural changes to NEPA reviews, which may speed up the permitting process, but stating there is a direct link between streamlined permitting and lower energy costs for families is not backed by evidence and is pure speculation.

And he leaves out the part that agencies will be restricted from considering basic common sense questions during the process. For example, they will not be able to consider cumulative and long-term impacts of the projects on communities; no one will be able to ask "Will this new facility add too much pollution to a neighborhood if present pollution is also considered?" and "Will this project be a threat to the community in five years given how the climate is changing…?"

While the Republican marketeers can reduce a 30-page piece of legislation to a one sentence marketing spin, we look behind the curtain. More on his braggadocious email later today.

To read the bill directly, go here.