President Trump issued a memo calling for significant updates to the environmental permitting process. Emphasizing the use of technology in the permitting process, the memo calls for executive departments and agencies to “make maximum use of technology in environmental review and permitting processes for infrastructure projects of all kinds.”
This comes as states and project owners are concerned that cuts to the federal workforce will cause delays in the NEPA and permitting process. According to the memo, the President will leverage technology to “streamline the overall environmental review and permitting process at the Federal level, with the goal of speeding data gathering and decision-making that can improve timeliness for State, local and tribal decision-making as well.”
AGC has consistently advocated for environmental review and permitting reform, most recently by testifying in front of the Senate’s Committee on the Environment and Public Works. AGC’s white paper from 2017 on permitting reform specifically recommends technological improvements to the permitting process.
Of interest, the memo calls for the chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to issue a Permitting Technology Action Plan, which will include a roadmap for modernizing the permitting process. That plan is due May 30, 2025.
For more information, please contact Spencer Phillips.