The U.S. House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation aimed at speeding up federal permitting for large infrastructure projects, a move supporters say is critical as the country races to expand artificial intelligence capacity and meet surging energy demand.
Lawmakers approved the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development, or SPEED, Act in a 221-196 vote on Thursday, according to a press release from Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), one of the bill’s co-sponsors. The legislation seeks to modernize the National Environmental Policy Act by limiting the number of federal actions that can trigger lengthy environmental reviews, thereby accelerating approvals for major infrastructure developments.
“The SPEED Act will help launch America into a future where we can effectively innovate and implement to revitalize our infrastructure, meet skyrocketing energy demands, lead the world in the AI race and work in harmony with our natural environment,” Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said in a press release introducing the bill in July.
The bill’s passage comes amid an aggressive push by the Trump administration and major technology companies to expand U.S. AI capabilities, a strategy that depends heavily on rapid deployment of data centers, energy infrastructure and high-performance computing facilities. In November, President Donald Trump launched the Genesis Mission, a national initiative aimed at building an integrated AI platform known as the American Science and Security Platform.
As part of that effort, the U.S. Department of Energy announced collaboration agreements with 24 technology companies, including Google, AWS, Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia. The Genesis Mission is designed to converge artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, enabling advanced technologies such as AI agents to evaluate experimental outcomes and automate complex workflows.
“What we’re building provides exactly these capabilities to meet the mission’s aggressive 270-day timeline and demonstrates current operating capability,” David Appel, AWS vice president of global government, national security and defense, wrote in a blog post.
Private-sector investment is already accelerating alongside federal initiatives. AWS said in November that it plans to invest up to $50 billion in AI infrastructure for government agencies. Microsoft reported spending $11.1 billion on long-term assets, including data center expansion, in the quarter ending Sept. 30, though the company also acknowledged capacity shortages amid rising AI demand. OpenAI last month entered into a $38 billion partnership with AWS to expand its cloud infrastructure access for AI workloads.
Industry analysts say permitting reform could play a decisive role in whether the U.S. can keep pace with global competitors. Management consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimates that data centers will require $6.7 trillion in investment by 2030 to meet rising demand for compute power, with AI-ready facilities accounting for $5.2 trillion of that total.
Still, uncertainty remains. McKinsey noted that hyperscalers face challenges in forecasting long-term AI demand, particularly as enterprises struggle to demonstrate returns on their AI investments.
“If companies fail to create meaningful value from AI, demand for compute power could fall short of expectations,” the McKinsey report said. “Conversely, transformative AI applications could fuel even greater demand than current projections suggest.”
With AI infrastructure investment accelerating and energy needs continuing to climb, supporters of the SPEED Act argue the legislation’s momentum is timely as it moves to the Senate for consideration.
Originally reported by Makenzie Holland, Senior News Writer in Construction Dive.
