Virginia’s New Permitting Portal Is A Model For Other States

Our nation’s system of environmental permitting is broken, putting both economic growth and the clean energy transition at risk. So it’s a relief that permitting reform has received attention in recent weeks, following updates to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in the debt ceiling deal between President Biden and congressional Republicans.

While those changes probably won’t radically speed up energy and infrastructure projects in America, they are meaningful because NEPA has historically been an untouchable “third rail” in environmental debates. Thus, the debt limit deal may only represent the beginning of federal permitting reform.

However, it is also notable that states are taking steps to reform their permitting procedures too. One example comes from Virginia, a state that has established a new permitting portal where applicants, as well as government employees and members of the public, can track a permit application as it makes its way through the process.

That may sound like no big deal, but websites offering real-time permit tracking are relatively rare in government. One state official told me it’s like a FedEx
FDX
or Papa Johns tracker for state permits.

The website—called the Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform, or PEEP—is just in pilot phase for now, and it is focused on one state agency to start, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). On the webpage, a person can view information about the various projects awaiting DEQ approval, as well as where they are in the process, what’s been completed, and what remains to be done as well.

The portal is visually pleasing and easy to use. It documents the key steps, the time each step should take, how long steps have actually taken, and who is in charge of each task (the applicant or DEQ). The dashboard creates transparency and accountability, ensuring all parties know who is responsible for the next action.

The portal functions as both a management tool—allowing government to better track permits it is working on approving—as well as a customer service device, enabling applicants going through the permitting process to better track what stage their application is at. The portal even includes a notification system for government employees when they miss a deadline.

States looking to enhance transparency in their own permitting procedures should look to the new portal in Virginia as a model. Another potential model is a national dashboard from the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, a committee created in 2015 to speed up and improve the environmental review and authorization process for major infrastructure projects.

From my discussions with officials in Virginia, the plan is to eventually have as many state permitting processes tracked in the PEEP system as possible. This will be a huge win for Virginians currently suffering under the heavy burden of red tape, and it comes on the heels of other notable regulatory modernization efforts the state is taking under the leadership of Governor Glenn Youngkin.

For example, Virginia is noteworthy for setting up one of the nation’s first regulatory budgets, and the state has even set an ambitious 25 % reduction goal based on new agency inventories of regulatory requirements. Virginia established an Office of Regulatory Management to require and review economic analysis from state agencies, so that rules are based on evidence and not just good intentions.

Governor Youngkin and DEQ Director Mike Rolband both deserve credit for setting up the state’s innovative portal. Given permitting reform is a hot topic right now, other states should pay attention. While most of the focus remains at the federal level, states are doing what they can. Leading the way is Virginia.