The following is a statement by Dennis D. Truax, president, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE):
“ASCE applauds the Biden Administration for the development of their new Permitting Action Plan aimed at accelerating the federal permitting and environmental review process for major infrastructure projects across the country.
“The plan leverages permitting provisions that were included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and aims to ensure that the federal environmental review and permitting processes will be efficient, transparent, guided by science, and shaped by meaningful input from the public and government agencies.
“One of the key recommendations in the 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure was to streamline the project permitting process across infrastructure sectors, while ensuring appropriate safeguards and protections are in place. Therefore, ASCE believes that the most recent plan is a step in the right direction to ensure that projects can be delivered on-time, and on-budget, while maintaining the rigorous environmental review process.
“ASCE appreciates the Administration’s recognition that increased investment in infrastructure must also be coupled with strategic permitting reform that cuts down on red tape but still continues to provide environmental protections.”