Environmental Policy Innovation Center 3/27/25 Environmental Policy Innovation Center 3/27/25

Comments Regarding the Council on Environmental Quality’s Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations

EPIC submitted public comments opposing the wholesale removal of NEPA regulations by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), arguing it would create confusion and increase litigation risk. Instead, we proposed modernizing the NEPA process through our Smart Permitting Agenda, which includes implementing clear timelines, developing programmatic reviews, creating user-friendly e-permitting systems, and establishing expedited pathways for ecological restoration. We believe an updated regulatory framework can maintain NEPA's original intent while delivering faster results and ensuring meaningful community input.

Danielle Bissett 3/20/25 Danielle Bissett 3/20/25

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

Danielle Bissett 3/13/25 Danielle Bissett 3/13/25

Streamlining Habitat Restoration in Washington: A Look at the Habitat Recovery Pilot Program

Danielle Bissett 2/25/25 Danielle Bissett 2/25/25

Smart Permitting Agenda

Environmental Policy Innovation Center 1/24/25 Environmental Policy Innovation Center 1/24/25

Funding Nature Not Paperwork 2.0: A Synthesis of Permitting Issues, Reforms, and a Strategy for Moving Forward

Danielle Bissett 1/13/25 Danielle Bissett 1/13/25

10 Fundamentals for Smart Permitting

The Trump-Vance Administration is excited about permitting reform, so are we! And, to get there, we want to see smart permitting. Efficient and effective permitting should be about getting to “yes” or “no” on projects faster—and we know there are hundreds of ways to do that without minimizing scientific rigor, transparency, and public participation. We’ve researched dozens of federal and state policies and technologies that have sped up permitting. Here we synthesize our 10 fundamental recommendations for improving the environmental review and permitting process.

Becca Madsen 12/6/24 Becca Madsen 12/6/24

VA’s PEEP is a Gold Star Example of Permit Efficiency

Environmental Policy Innovation Center 12/4/24 Environmental Policy Innovation Center 12/4/24

Reimagining Permitting Processes: A Case Study of Virginia’s Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform

At the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), our goal is to advance ecological restoration at scale, yet permitting costs consume up to ⅓ of project budgets. We need money to go to nature, not paperwork. Over the past two years, EPIC has quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed policies and processes related to restoration project permitting. Here we provide a case study of adoption of e-permitting technology that ameliorated many permitting bottlenecks.

Jessie Mahr 11/22/24 Jessie Mahr 11/22/24

Joint Public Comment: The National Environmental Policy Act: Relevance to Open Government and Public Participation

Jessie Mahr 11/20/24 Jessie Mahr 11/20/24

5 Key Areas Technology Should and Should Not Be Used in Permitting

Technology has the potential to speed up environmental permitting by enhancing transparency, data management, and public engagement. To truly streamline the permitting process, it’s essential to combine digital solutions with policy and process improvements.