Representative Jeff Crank (CO-05) supported two bills passed by the House Natural Resources Committee: the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act and the Pet and Livestock Protection Act.
The SPEED Act aims to simplify federal permitting processes for infrastructure and energy projects. The legislation seeks to reduce delays in environmental reviews, set clear deadlines, and limit legal challenges to those directly affected. It also establishes predictable timelines for project approval. According to supporters, these changes are intended to make it easier for critical projects to proceed while maintaining existing environmental standards.
“Permitting delays hold America back,” said Rep. Crank. “Our nation cannot be burdened with never-ending reviews. We must be able to build the projects needed to power our homes and businesses. Until now, we have let onerous permitting regulations handcuff America, allowing other countries to take the lead—offshoring jobs, supply chains, and more. Instead, we let other countries build offshoring jobs, supply chains, and more. The SPEED Act fixes that by streamlining our permitting system and allowing us to deliver on our goal to unleash American energy.”
The Pet and Livestock Protection Act would require the Secretary of Interior to reissue a 2020 rule removing gray wolves from protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), except for Mexican wolves. This move would return management authority over gray wolves in most states back to state governments.
“The Endangered Species Act was created as a tool to recover species, not as a weapon to block project development or advance ideological agendas,” said Rep. Crank. “Federal species management should be temporary. Instead, radical environmentalists have hijacked the ESA to ignore the scientific fact that the wolf has met recovery goals. Instead, they would keep the wolf listed forever. That is not the purpose of the Endangered Species Act, and it is why Congress is having to legislate species delisting.”
Crank added that ongoing litigation over wolf protections impacts rural communities: “The continued litigation against the wolf delisting harms our ranches, farmers, and rural communities who have to contend with these predators unchecked in their own backyards. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act affirms U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s conclusion that the Gray Wolf is no longer endangered, and management should be returned to the State.”
Rep. Crank is a cosponsor of this bill.
The Trump administration finalized a rule in 2020 that removed most gray wolves from federal protection across much of the country but left protections in place for Mexican wolves.
