Smart Permitting Agenda

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

Our current approach to environmental review and permitting is slow, costly, and misaligned with the urgency of our climate and infrastructure goals. The U.S. needs a regulatory process that can adapt to our social and environmental needs, improve efficiency, and facilitate timely action.

At the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), we work to advance ecological restoration at scale by leveraging collaboration, technology, and pragmatic solutions. Our priorities include streamlining approvals for ecological restoration, expediting minor projects under NEPA, and eliminating procedural steps that add cost without improving outcomes. Yet, environmental laws enacted over 50 years ago—designed to prevent harm—now often delay efforts to restore degraded habitats and deploy nature-based solutions that strengthen communities against extreme weather. Permitting and environmental reviews can take years and consume up to one-third of a project’s budget. We need to fund nature, not paperwork!

With large-scale restoration, clean energy, and climate resilience projects at the forefront of national and state priorities, EPIC’s Smart Permitting Agenda provides solutions to modernize the regulatory process. By changing the process—not weakening the laws—EPIC aims to improve efficiency and transparency while maintaining strong environmental safeguards.