Executive Summary

Problem

Permitting can be slow, confusing, and frustrating. Very often, project sponsors cannot see where an application sits, agencies cannot spot bottlenecks, and governors cannot defend decisions. A core missing ingredient is shared, real-time data on every permit’s status. Most states hold that data in dozens of legacy databases and spreadsheets that are not visible to outsiders.

One Solution

States can implement a single, public-facing, “permit transparency” platform.

Virginia’s Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform (PEEP) proved that a light-weight dashboard can help cut processing times by two-thirds while improving accountability and rebuilding trust. Its expansion, the Virginia Permit Transparency Program (VPT), proved the model scaled beyond environmental permitting. This proposal adapts these successes into a plug-and-play model that other states can adopt, grounded in four design principles.

Why Now?

Upcoming federal permitting reform could create a substantial window of opportunity

Federal reform is on the horizon, with changes to environmental, energy, and infrastructure permitting possible. Reductions in federal requirements would provide an enormous opportunity for investment in states. However, because projects may not proceed without all the required permits, speed—and thus investment—is determined by the slowest permit. Historically, these slowest permits have been federally issued. States that do not prepare for permitting reform will soon find themselves becoming the new bottlenecks—and driving investment to the states that do.