Better, Faster, and Fairer: State Strategies for Permitting Innovation

By: Brent Efron and Boon Sheridan

Permitting processes are too often too slow. As a result, it is hard, and sometimes impossible, to deploy the infrastructure and nature-based solutions Americans need to bring down costs, connect communities, restore the environment, and tackle the climate crisis.While much ink has been spilled on a range of proposed reforms to federal environmental laws, the reality is many of the significant bottlenecks to deploying infrastructure and restoring nature occur at the state and local levels. In this report we provide an overview of permitting reform efforts underway in State government.  We also provide specific examples where Governors, legislatures, or agency political leaders and career staff have achieved remarkable improvements in making permitting better, faster, and fairer.