On March 22, 2012 President Obama issued Executive Order 13604  calling for improvements to federal permitting and review processes for infrastructure projects.  The memorandum recognizes the U.S. must have “fast, reliable, resilient, and environmentally sound means of moving people, goods, energy, and information” to maintain the Nation’s competitive edge.  The Order creates a framework for improving the speed and efficiency of federal permit review for infrastructure projects and encourages collaboration among Federal agencies involved in a range of industry sectors, including surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource projects, renewable energy generation, electricity transmission, broadband, pipelines.

The Order establishes a federal Steering Committee comprised of agency representatives to facilitate improvements to the permitting review processes for infrastructure, and to maintain an online “Dashboard” where permitting for projects of national or regional significance can be tracked by the public.

The Steering Committee’s must create a plan to improve federal permitting efficiencies for infrastructure projects by May 31, 2012.  Individual agency plans will follow in the Summer of 2012.