EPIC's Smart Permitting Recommendations to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Co-written by Danielle Bissett, Becca Madsen, and Jessie Mahr

America's current environmental permitting system is a bureaucratic labyrinth that's blocking critical infrastructure and ecological restoration projects exactly when we need them most. We gave recommendations to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, here are highlights from our recommendations:

• Reduce complex restoration project reviews from years to less than 12 months

• Leverage technology like e-permitting and AI to streamline processes

• Create solution-oriented regulatory cultures that prioritize efficiency

• Differentiate ecological restoration from development permitting

State-level success stories are already proving that these approaches work:

• Virginia cut regulatory processing times by 70%

• Florida improved permit transparency and review speeds

• Louisiana invested $21.4B in flood protection and habitat projects

This isn't about reducing environmental protections—it's about making them smarter, faster, and more effective.