50 States of Permitting

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Written By Brent Efron

Co-Written By Brent Efron, Joshua Nanyaro, and Thomas Hobbs

At EPIC, we’ve spent years working with Congress and a number of administrations to make federal permitting better, and we’ll keep at it. But, here’s what we kept noticing while Congress failed to pass a permitting reform package: the states weren’t waiting.

Over the past few years, blue, red, and purple states have made hundreds of changes to how permits get reviewed and issued. Everything from new offices that coordinate the permitting of major economic development projects, to permits automatically approved when an agency misses its deadline, to payments for communities that host clean energy projects, to multifamily housing allowed by right, and so so much more.

EPIC and Lawyers For Good Government are launching 50 States of Permitting: the most comprehensive database of state permitting reform.

Read the full announcement
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Brent Efron

Brent, based in Washington, D.C., is a project management and policy professional with nearly 8 years of experience across local, state, and federal government, political campaigns, and the private sector. Most recently at EPA, Brent served in the Office of the Administrator as a Special Advisor for Implementation, supporting the deployment of $100 Billion in IRA/BIL funding. In that capacity, Brent regularly coordinated with staff from over 30 climate and infrastructure financial assistance programs, managed numerous projects related to program implementation and grant compliance, and served as EPA staff lead on multiple White House interagency policy initiatives. Prior to EPA, Brent conducted policy research for the Massachusetts Climate Chief and contributed to drafting a whole-of-government strategy for increasing Massachusetts’ climate ambition. Brent holds an M.P.A. from Princeton University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

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