Funding will allow the agency to reach full staffing capacity to advance vital permitting improvement work 

Contact Information
Permitting Council Press Office (media@permitting.gov) 

WASHINGTON (March 18, 2024) – The Permitting Council recently released its fiscal year 2025 budget, requesting $9 million in appropriated funds for the continued operation of the agency. These funds would enable the growing agency to build out to full staffing capacity, in order to fulfill its goal of bringing efficiency and accountability to the federal permitting review process. 

“Permitting is an essential step in the delivery of critical infrastructure projects,” says Eric Beightel, Permitting Council Executive Director. “In order for us to make the transition to a clean energy economy we must permit projects in a timely and efficient manner. The President’s budget request doubles down on our investments to accelerate and strengthen permitting and includes over $1 billion across the federal agencies to support environmental review and permitting processes that are effective, efficient, and transparent, guided by the best available science and shaped by early and meaningful public engagement and input. The proposed budget will allow the Permitting Council to build staff capacity to drive our efforts as a forward-thinking, service-oriented resource within the permitting community. Our goal is to continue improving transparency and predictability of the Federal environmental review and authorization process for critical infrastructure projects.”  

The work of the Permitting Council is part of the Administration’s broader commitment to increase investment in U.S. infrastructure, spur economic growth, unlock the full potential of the American workforce, and right historical wrongs in disadvantaged communities. The requested $9 million in funding is directly in support of the operations of the agency, including salaries and expenses for 40 employees in order to reach full staffing capacity levels. This funding is key to effectively carrying out the Permitting Council’s work to transform the federal permitting process, providing funds to enable targeted outreach to bring greater awareness of the benefits of FAST-41 and to increase project participation in the program. 

Without receiving these appropriated funds, the Permitting Council will be forced to use Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding that would otherwise go to improving the permitting review process for critically-needed projects across the nation. The Permitting Council was provided funding through the IRA to specifically target inefficiencies within the Federal permitting process and support best practices to enable more timely and efficient environmental reviews and authorizations. Funding provided by the IRA allows the Permitting Council Office of the Executive Director to advance permitting reviews and authorizations for FAST-41 projects, as well as provide services that promote permitting excellence. Such efforts include enhanced interagency coordination, early engagement with stakeholders, including Tribes, and efforts to increase the adoption of vital systems and tools that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure permitting review and authorizations.  To date, approximately $160 million has already been approved to aid federal agencies to implement permitting activities and efficiencies, plus an initial $5 million set aside to aid Tribal governments participation in FAST-41. Further, an additional $25 million has been announced to specifically invest in IT tools and innovations that deliver efficiencies in federal infrastructure permitting and environmental reviews. If Congress elects not to provide the requested FY 2025 appropriation, the Executive Director will need to redirect a portion of the IRA funding for internal operations, and less funding will be available to support other Federal and non-Federal agencies in facilitating timely and efficient environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects.

Less than 10 years since its creation, the Permitting Council continues to make significant strides in improving the efficiency of federal permitting review. From projects like South Fork Wind, the first commercial-scale wind farm in the U.S., to Mid Barataria, a sediment diversion project that is working to restore coastal Louisiana, projects that gain FAST-41 coverage are receiving the collaboration, coordination and transparency that is key to transforming permitting review for the next generation of projects. You can view the Permitting Council Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request at Permitting.gov. 

About the Permitting Council and FAST-41 

Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Permitting Council is a 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 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, energy storage, 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.