Permitting Council Announces Latest Funding to Transform Federal Permitting Technology

WASHINGTON (August 18, 2026) – Today, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) announces its latest investment in the transformation of federal permitting technology. The Permitting Council is providing $5.85 million in funding to the Department of the Interior (DOI) in the Trump Administration’s latest effort to streamline permitting.

DOI maintains a digital project planning and decision-support tool called Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC), which allows project sponsors and environmental reviewers to quickly and easily identify areas managed for Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed species and design projects to properly account for them. Currently this tool only includes information and resources managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). This funding will enable the integration of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) ESA listed species data, creating one centralized tool (IPaC) to improve coordination and species management, reduce overall consultation timeframes, and streamline permitting across Federal agencies, while maintaining all legal protections for species. 

“For too long, the federal permitting process has been burdened by outdated systems and unnecessary bureaucracy,” said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director. “This investment brings critical data and resources together in one centralized tool, using technology to streamline the permitting process while maintaining our best in the world environmental standards. I look forward to working with the Department of the Interior and NOAA to advance this pioneering effort.”

"Among the many reforms needed across these two agencies, this merger to a centralized platform is one step to make IPaC a more powerful tool for project planners who dread working across different platforms simply to understand their Endangered Species Act obligations," said Deputy Secretary of the Interior Kate MacGregor. "This administration is committed to this and other common-sense reforms that eliminate archaic processes, improve the federal permitting timeframes and make these ESA obligations more approachable."

"Balancing the needs of sustainable fisheries with innovative economic development requires a data-driven approach," said Dr. Tim Petty, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. "Consolidating duplicate data across multiple agencies into one common database is common sense, enabling a streamlined permitting process that balances the management of our world-class fisheries with new opportunities for development which are vital to economic prosperity."

This is the second permitting technology funding announcement for the Permitting Council during the Trump Administration. Earlier this year the Permitting Council announced over $14 million to advance technology solutions at federal agencies to improve efficiency in the permitting process and accelerate review timelines.