Americans say they value hard work — and this week Congress has a chance to prove it.

Lawmakers in the House are now debating the SPEED Act, a bipartisan permitting-reform bill that could help reignite the American Dream for millions of working families.

By setting firm timelines on federal permitting for energy, mining, logging and infrastructure projects, the measure could determine whether responsible projects get built — or remain buried in paperwork for decades.

That question isn’t abstract to me: I grew up in Libby, Mont., a timber town where work meant not just a paycheck, but identity.

Our high school mascot was the Logger. When the football team scored, the sound of chainsaws roared from the bleachers.

It wasn’t noise. It meant respect.

That was how the valley saluted the millwrights, welders and loggers who built the American West with sweat and skill.

For generations, a kid in Libby could graduate high school on Friday, lace up his boots on Monday and start earning a living that would support a home, a truck and a family.

No resumé or pedigree needed — just a work ethic, a pair of gloves and an older tradesman willing........

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