ConDig (16-Aug-17).  US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order to streamline the federal permitting process for construction of transportation, water and other infrastructure projects.

Under the executive order, the government is to establish a “one federal decision’’ for the environmental review and permitting process of major infrastructure projects, with the aim of setting an average two-year timeframe for permitting.

US Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said that the average environmental review takes nearly five years and infrastructure projects can be subject to at least 65 different requirements and permits.

“This new executive order will slash the time it takes to get vital new infrastructure projects approved and delivered,” she said.

“We’ve identified more than two dozen policies and rules that will streamline project delivery and environmental permitting.”

The order allows the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to set goals for environmental reviews and permitting of infrastructure projects and then track their progress, with a quarterly scorecard established to monitor agency progress.

If project milestones are missed or extended, they will be elevated to senior agency officials, according to the order.

Critics of the plan have raised concerns that speeding up the environmental review process could see developers disregard potential environmental dangers.

But Trump said that projects will not be given the go-ahead if they are ruled to be a potential environmental risk.

The order also outlines plans for an interagency working group to review each agency’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations and environmental permitting policies to look for potential barriers, and calls for each agency to develop a plan for removing those obstacles.