The Nation’s Permitting System Is Costly and Inefficient

America’s permitting system is redundant, time-consuming, and expensive.  The average permitting process takes four to five years to complete, which delays an estimated total of $1.5 trillion in investment.

Permit delays impact telecommunications, transit, and dozens of other industries.  For example, more than 3,000 homes and businesses in Bedford County, Virginia, were supposed to be connected to the internet via fiber cables by October 2025, but the project was postponed to June 2026, in part due to the problems with obtaining a railroad-crossing permit.  An August 4, 2025, Los Angeles Times article noted that third-party permitting requirements were among the reasons for the excessive costs and delays in California’s High-Speed Rail project.

Congress and the Trump administration are working to modernize the permitting process.  On July 25, 2025, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) introduced H.R. 4776, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, which would shorten permitting timelines and limit the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act.  On September 9, 2025, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced new guidance on preconstruction permitting requirements for power generation and reshoring manufacturing projects.  At the state level, the National Governors Association has urged Congress to be more proactive about permitting change, while governors are taking legislative action in their states.

The U.S. permitting system is a morass of bureaucratic red tape, creating unnecessary delays for necessary construction and infrastructure projects.  Permitting reform at all levels of government is a necessary course correction.