The White House Council on Environmental Quality Establishes Permitting Innovation Center
Today, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a memorandum to heads of Federal agencies establishing an interagency Permitting Innovation Center. The creation of the Permitting Innovation Center delivers on President Trump’s Memorandum, Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century, which directs the Federal government to leverage modern technology to effectively and efficiently conduct environmental reviews and evaluate permits for infrastructure projects of all kinds.
Under President Trump’s leadership, the CEQ-led Permitting Innovation Center will consult with the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) and relevant permitting agencies to issue a Permitting Technology Action Plan that will provide technology guidance to agencies, while developing an initial National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) data and technology standard.
In addition, the Permitting Innovation Center will collaborate with the General Services Administration (GSA) to design and test prototype software systems for potential implementation by agencies pursuant to the Permitting Technology Action Plan.
“The Trump Administration is making unprecedented progress toward modernizing permitting,” said Katherine Scarlett, Chief of Staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “The establishment of the Permitting Innovation Center is a major milestone on the road to permitting reform and demonstrates this Administration’s commitment to expediting the environmental review and permitting process through emerging technologies, providing much needed efficiency and transparency for project sponsors.”
“GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) is committed to advancing the President’s agenda by supporting the accelerated development and building of the Permitting Innovation Center,” said Thomas Shedd, Technology Transformation Services Director at General Services Administration. “We look forward to working across the agencies involved in this process, and leveraging our Presidential Innovation Fellowship program to ensure that each agency’s technology requirements are understood and met. TTS remains a preferred shared service provider of software and services to advance critical White House initiatives such as this one.”
To read the Memorandum for Heads of Federal Departments and Agencies, “Establishment of Permitting Innovation Center,” click here.
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