Overview

The Accountability Scorecard evaluates agency performance and overall progress in processing environmental reviews and authorization decisions for major infrastructure projects (as defined in Section 3(e) of Executive Order 13807) and achieving the objectives of the Modernize Infrastructure Permitting Cross-Agency Priority Goal. The performance accountability system requires agencies to report data on different performance indicators including whether they are jointly and cooperatively processing environmental reviews and making authorization decisions using the One Federal Decision framework, whether major infrastructure projects have complete permitting timetables, whether they are meeting major milestone target dates, whether agencies establish and use a process to elevate schedule delay issues to senior agency officials, and the time and cost to complete environmental reviews and make decisions. OMB will review agencies’ performance at least once each quarter and will publish on the Permitting Dashboard, a quarterly scorecard of agency performance on meeting these performance indicators.

FY 2020, Quarter 4 Highlights

The scorecard for FY 2020, Quarter 4 evaluates data agencies submitted to the Permitting Dashboard from July – October 2020.  

New Major Infrastructure Projects:

Federal agencies initiated the environmental review process for four additional major infrastructure projects (MIP) since the last update. There are now 52 MIPs being tracked on the Permitting Dashboard, including two projects that have completed the environmental review and permitting process. The projects represent sectors such as surface transportation (highways), aviation, renewable energy (wind and solar), conventional energy (oil and gas), water resources, ports and waterways, and pipelines.

Completed Environmental Impact Statements:

There are now nine MIPs with completed Environmental Impact Statements (EIS). The average time to complete the EIS for 9 MIPs was 21.46 months, measured from the issuance of the Notice of Intent to the issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD). 

Permitting Timetable Completeness:

38 of the 50 active MIPs have complete permitting timetables (i.e., all relevant project actions and milestone target dates are listed and updated) published on the Permitting Dashboard. 2 projects had incomplete timetables, 1 project timetable was not updated this quarter, and 1 project failed to publish a timetable. 8 projects are currently paused and will have timetables updated once the projects are back in progress. 

One Federal Decision Implementation:

Lead agencies reported that 49 of the 50 active MIPs are using the One Federal Decision framework to jointly and cooperatively process the environmental reviews and make authorization decisions.  Of those projects, lead agencies have granted 9 projects an exception to the requirement to issue a single Record of Decision, but has reported it is planning to implement all other relevant aspects of One Federal Decision.