President Donald Trump directed federal agencies Tuesday to streamline environmental reviews and the permitting process for energy and infrastructure projects through the “maximum use of technology.”
In a presidential memorandum, Trump said agencies should move away from a paper-based system for reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act — a plan that could affect transmission, road, factory and power plant projects.
“The Government does not properly leverage technology to effectively and efficiently evaluate environmental permits, causing significant delay to important infrastructure projects that impact our economic well-being,” Trump said in the directive.
The president called for the Council on Environmental Quality to develop a “Permitting Technology Action Plan” outlining how agencies would use software and other technology to streamline project approvals. The plan is due within 45 days, and agencies are directed to implement the action plan 90 days after its release.
