Industry News / Infrastructure
May 21, 2019
EPA Targets Making All Environmental Permit Decisions Within Six Months
Andrew Wheeler, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said last week the agency’s “ultimate goal is to make all permit decisions, up or down, in six months.”
Speaking at the P3 Policy and Delivery Summit in Washington, D.C., Wheeler said the EPA is focused on eliminating delays in the permitting process.
“Permitting reform is an issue that should transcend party or ideology,” he said. “By permitting reform, I don’t mean permitting approval. I mean timely, efficient and consistent decisions.”
Wheeler pointed out, however, that the EPA issues less than 5 percent of permits nationwide.
“In order to make a real impact, it’s important that we also look at permits issued by delegated states,” he said. “States implement the vast majority of environmental permitting programs.”
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