2024 Infrastructure Developers Summit
By: Eric Beightel, Permitting Council Executive Director
Last month we hosted our inaugural Infrastructure Developers Summit. Clearly, I am a bit biased, but I am extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish together. Over 200 people gathered from across the permitting universe, from Biden-Harris administration senior leaders to hands-on subject matter experts, project sponsors and front-line staff doing the work of environmental reviews and permitting, all ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work on improving permitting as we know it. Together we did something special, bringing every corner of the permitting process together to brainstorm, share best practices, and strategize how to deliver critical infrastructure quickly without sacrificing environmental protections. The day was engaging, invigorating and impactful—but what I enjoyed most was hearing directly from project developers and federal colleagues about the value FAST-41 and the Permitting Council has brought to their work. Here is a sampling:
We are a Resource: Project developers described FAST-41 and the work of the Permitting Council as a resource, and we couldn’t agree more. While the Permitting Council does not have the ability to issue permits or change processes, what we can do is ensure that when a project runs into a roadblock or hurdle, we are the resource that brings all involved stakeholders to the table to address the issue and develop a plan of action to move the process forward. Outside of FAST-41 this level of coordination is not common, with federal agencies too often working in silos, lacking the communication and facilitation that is essential to an efficient process.
We are an Advocate: The Permitting Council was described as an advocate for project sponsors, ensuring that permitting issues are raised, discussed and followed through, bringing much needed coordination and collaboration into the federal permitting process. This is a descriptor that is near and dear to our hearts at the Council, as we work as a permitting sherpa of sorts, guiding projects through the system with transparency, predictability and accountability, a level of customer service that isn’t typical in the traditional process.
FAST-41 is FAST (just not the way you may think): Project sponsors said that while FAST-41 doesn’t necessarily make the permitting process faster, it does encourage stakeholders to come to solutions faster, which improves the overall efficiency of the process. Our acronym often confuses people about the purpose of our program, but this description captures it perfectly. By bringing coordination and collaboration to the process FAST-41 can make decision making in federal permitting more timely.
I’ll end with something that one of our federal colleagues said at the Summit, talking about our focus on permitting efficiency: “There’s a reason that we do it, there is a reason we invest so much time in it,” said USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “And the big reason is that permitting is for the public good. It is worth investing in.”
I couldn’t agree more. It can be easy to get caught up in the weeds of our daily work, losing track of why we are doing this at all. But in the end our quest to transform permitting is for the good of the American public and the future we leave to the next generation. With that in mind, we must continue to push for greater transparency, predictability and accountability in our processes, enabling us to deliver much needed infrastructure more efficiently so that we can realize economic, social and environmental benefits sooner.
Click here to view more photos from the inaugural Infrastructure Developers Summit.
Last Updated: Monday, December 16, 2024