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The House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would make it easier to get federal permits to build infrastructure for AI projects. Big Tech companies like OpenAI, Micron, and Microsoft support the bill, which is called the SPEED Act.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 221 to 196, despite a conservative revolt that almost killed it in a procedural vote, CNBC noted. The Senate will now look at the bill, and it will probably be part of a bigger discussion about changing the rules for permits.
Supporters of the SPEED Act say that it is important to help the U.S. get ahead of China and other global competitors in the race to become the leader in AI.
“The electricity we will need to power AI computing for civilian and military use is a national imperative,” said Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., the bill’s sponsor and chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The 1969 National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal reviews for projects that would affect the environment, would be reformed by the SPEED Act.
It would shorten the statute of limitations for NEPA litigation from the current six years to 150 days and tighten the deadlines for NEPA reviews.
Recent permitting delays for Democratic-backed clean energy projects have garnered bipartisan support for permitting reform.
As AI has become a major industry and power-hungry data centers have put more strain on the electric grid, pressure has grown on Congress to take action.
The SPEED Act would enable the United States to be “nimble enough to build what we need, when we need it,” according to Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, the bill’s Democratic cosponsor.
However, the majority of Democrats opposed the SPEED Act and insisted that any permitting bill reverse President Donald Trump’s efforts to stifle offshore wind and other renewable energy sources.
The GOP leadership’s insertion of language to exempt Trump’s attempts to block renewables from provisions in the SPEED Act that would limit the White House’s ability to arbitrarily yank permits it does not like only served to intensify Democratic resistance.
Following a standoff on the House floor during a procedural vote in which conservatives opposed to renewable energy demanded concessions in exchange for their votes, the amendment was added.
“That provision codifies a broken permitting status quo. I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle in the Senate to craft a bipartisan product that can become law,” Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., who supports permitting reform but opposed the SPEED Act.
The “U.S. Tech Force,” a new initiative announced by the Trump administration this month, will employ roughly 1,000 engineers and other experts to work on artificial intelligence infrastructure and other technology projects across the federal government.
According to an official government website, participants will commit to a two-year employment program where they will work with teams that directly report to agency leaders in “collaboration with leading technology companies.”
According to the website, these “private sector partners” include Amazon Web Services, Apple, Google, Dell Technologies, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, Oracle, Palantir, Salesforce, and many more.
As it vies with China for supremacy in the quickly expanding field, the Trump administration is putting more effort into building America’s AI infrastructure, according to the Tech Force.
Four days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a national AI policy framework, which industry leaders opposed, states creating their own regulations, the initiative was unveiled.
After completing their two terms, Tech Force members are eligible to apply for full-time positions with companies that have agreed to hire program alumni. Employees of the private partners may also be nominated to serve periods in the government.
“We’re trying to reshape the workforce to make sure we have the right talent on the right problems,” U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor recently told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
