WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 17, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, announced strong support for H.R. 4776, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. NFIB sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the legislation and urges swift passage to help reduce red tape, permitting burdens, and energy costs for small businesses.

“The current permitting process delays and cancels potential projects and development in every industry, resulting in long-term negative impacts on U.S. economic growth,” said Louis Bertolotti, NFIB Principal of Federal Government Relations. “Small businesses understand this bureaucratic process is not sustainable. Thankfully, there is bipartisan interest in addressing these delays and challenges. The SPEED Act would expedite lengthy National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) reviews and limit frivolous lawsuits that can delay or cancel critical projects. NFIB urges Congress to move swiftly to enact the SPEED Act, and thanks Chairman Westerman and Rep. Golden for their leadership on this important issue.”

NFIB members consistently rank the cost of energy as a top operating concern for their small businesses. In NFIB’s most recent Problems & Priorities survey, small businesses ranked the cost of natural gas, propane, gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil as their 6^th most pressing issue, with electricity costs following at 10^th overall.

View NFIB’s letter of support to the U.S. House of Representatives here.

###

For over 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.