During debate on HR 4776, known as the SPEED Act, the U.S. House of Representatives approved Amendment #4. This amendment was introduced by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) and cosponsored by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ). The purpose of the amendment is to maintain the Trump administration’s ongoing reviews of offshore wind projects along the Atlantic Coast due to concerns related to safety and national defense.
The drafting of this amendment followed a letter sent on December 5th to President Trump. The letter, led by Smith and signed by Harris and Van Drew, highlighted worries that the proposed legislation could limit the Trump administration’s authority to review offshore wind industrialization if enacted.
With this amendment in place, actions taken by the Trump administration before the bill’s enactment will remain valid under the provisions of the SPEED Act.
According to its supporters, “This amendment preserves vital tools for President Trump to deliver on his promise to end the ill-conceived ocean wind industrialization experiment off the New Jersey coast.”
Both the SPEED Act and this amendment passed in the House on December 18th and are now awaiting consideration in the Senate.
Chris Smith has represented New Jersey’s 4th district in Congress since 1981 after succeeding Frank Thompson. He was born in Rahway, New Jersey in 1953 and currently resides in Manchester Township. Smith graduated from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975.
