Report is the first after comprehensive revisions to the FAST-41 Data Management Guide became effective

Contact Information
Permitting Council Press Office (Media@fpisc.gov) 

WASHINGTON (December 16, 2022) - Today the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) Executive Director released the agency’s fourth fiscal quarter Agency Performance Report for 2022. This report assesses agency compliance with provisions of Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41) and highlights implementation of revisions made to the FAST-41 Data Management Guide as required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

“This is an exciting time for the Permitting Council, as we get our first look at how member agencies have implemented the updated FAST-41 requirements meant to improve accountability in the environmental permitting review process,” says Christine Harada, Permitting Council Executive Director. “With this quarterly report we will start to see a significant transition in the transparency, collaboration, and coordination of the permitting process, leading the way for the realization of the Biden-Harris administration’s once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure."

This year was one of evolution for the Permitting Council, after passage of the BIL led to substantial updates to the operating procedures for FAST-41 covered projects. This quarterly report is the first since agencies have had a full reporting period under the updated Data Management Guide that went into effect in July and showcases a system in transition as Federal agencies work to meet the new requirements. This report highlights:

• The current FAST-41 project portfolio;
• Agency compliance with:
  • The FAST-41 initiation process, including the requirements for Coordinated Project Plans (CPPs);
  • The required CPP quarterly updates;
  • Permitting timetable modifications;
• An assessment of how agency compliance will evolve in future Quarterly Agency Performance Reports.
   

Highlights of this report include the submission of three infrastructure projects to FAST-41 coverage and upcoming changes to simplify the submission process for the CPP certification process to support agency FAST-41 implementation and streamline permitting dashboard operation.

During the fourth fiscal quarter of 2022 there were 26 active FAST-41 covered projects on the Permitting Dashboard, with the majority in the offshore wind, solar, and other renewable energy sectors. This represents nearly $90B in infrastructure investments in the United States. View the fourth fiscal quarter Agency Performance Report here.
 

About the Permitting Council

Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Permitting Council is a unique Federal agency charged with improving the transparency and predictability of the Federal environmental review and authorization process for certain critical infrastructure projects. The Permitting Council is comprised of the Permitting Council Executive Director, who serves as the Council Chair; 13 Federal agency Council members (including deputy secretary-level designees of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Army, Commerce, Interior, Energy, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security, and Housing and Urban Development, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chairs of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation); and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

The Permitting Council coordinates Federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage. FAST-41 covered projects are entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the Federal Permitting Dashboard. FAST-41 covered projects may be in the renewable or conventional energy production, electricity transmission, surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource, broadband, pipelines, manufacturing, mining, carbon capture, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, high-performance computing and advanced computer hardware and software, quantum information science and technology, data storage and data management, and cybersecurity sectors. 

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