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Presidential order will cut infrastructure approval time

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump signed an executive order to "slash the time it takes to get infrastructure projects approved", announced Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

The order, "Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure Projects", is expected to streamline environmental reviews and speed up the permit process specifically for large infrastructure projects.

"The average environmental review takes nearly five years, and infrastructure projects can be subject to at least 65 different requirements and permits," Mrs Chao said.

The order allows the White House Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with Federal Permitting Improvement Screening Council (FPISC) agencies, to establish a Cross Agency Priority (CAP) goal for environmental reviews and permitting of infrastructure projects.

The OMB will develop a quarterly "scorecard" of agency progress in meeting these goals, and that progress will be tracked on performance.gov.

In addition, the White House will require large infrastructure projects to be processed as "One Federal Decision" with a "comprehensive schedule and automatic elevation to senior agency officials upon missing or extending a milestone" and "will make the federal government speak with one voice regarding the environmental review and permitting of a major infrastructure project," the Transportation Department said.

Mrs Chao said DOT has already identified more than two dozen policies and rules that will improve environmental permitting and project delivery.

Earlier this summer, DOT introduced the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant programme, which will make about US$1.5 billion available to infrastructure projects.

In addition to providing direct federal funding, the INFRA programme is expected to increase the total investment by state, local, and private partners in infrastructure projects.