Congress Expands Power of Agency That Reformed Infrastructure Permitting
Contact Information
Permitting Council Press Office (media@permittting.gov)
WASHINGTON - November 8, 2021 - Congress approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on November 5, a historic $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill in American infrastructure and global competitiveness. Among other things, the IIJA makes important Federal infrastructure review and permitting process reforms permanent by re-authorizing the Federal agency responsible for implementing them, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council).
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to facilitate building out our nation’s infrastructure, and the trust placed in us by Congress to make it so,” said Executive Director Christine Harada.
The legislation also makes the Permitting Council the newest permanent addition to the more than 400 departments, agencies, and sub-agencies in the Federal government. This reaffirms ongoing Congressional commitment to a transparent, predictable, and inclusive Federal environmental review and authorization process for critical infrastructure projects that maximize investment in infrastructure and promotes positive economic, social, and community outcomes.
“I’m pleased the bipartisan infrastructure bill has passed Congress and is heading to the President’s desk for signature since it contains key Federal permitting reforms including expanding and making permanent my bipartisan FAST-41 law that created the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council,” said Senator Rob Portman. “I am proud of the Permitting Council’s good work to date to improve the Federal permitting process without reducing environmental or safety protections and look forward to seeing it continue.”
Additionally, the IIJA improves access to the benefits of Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41) for Tribal-sponsored projects on Tribal-managed lands and gives the Permitting Council Executive Director authority to transfer funds directly to state and Tribal governments involved with significant infrastructure projects.
About the Permitting Council and FAST-41
Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41) and made permanent in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 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 White House 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, 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. The Permitting Council also serves as a federal center for permitting excellence, supporting federal efforts to improve infrastructure permitting including and beyond FAST-41 covered projects to the extent authorized by law, including activities that promote or provide for the efficient, timely, and predictable completion of environmental reviews and authorizations for federally-authorized infrastructure projects.
###
Last Updated: Monday, November 8, 2021