Permitting Council Announces Two New Federal-State Agreements to Streamline Permitting

WASHINGTON (July 23, 2026) – Today, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) announced the latest state-wide MOUs to better coordinate and streamline federal and state permitting. Executive Director Emily Domenech signed formal MOUs with Governor of Georgia Brian Kemp, and Governor of Louisiana Jeff Landry, with commitments by each state to opt in to the FAST-41 process and align timelines for state and federal environmental reviews. These agreements will provide an opportunity for each state to foster abundant growth by identifying priority infrastructure projects, enable transparency for state permitting actions, and ensure that state and federal review timelines are aligned to prevent unnecessarily long reviews for critical infrastructure projects. 

“I am thrilled to announce these partnerships with the States of Georgia and Louisiana, which will streamline federal and state permitting for projects in both states and support the goal of President Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” said Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech. “Efficient permitting is essential to building the energy infrastructure needed to power next generation technology, and these agreements set a new standard for speed and transparency. I look forward to working with Governors Kemp and Landry to advance key infrastructure projects that are essential to President Trump’s energy dominance and economic growth agenda.”

"As we continue to see rapid opportunity growth in Georgia, today's important step in cutting red tape and streamlining the permitting process for critical infrastructure projects will only further that success," said Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. "Thank you to President Trump, Executive Director Domenech, and their teams for being valued partners in that effort to bring greater prosperity to all communities." 

“In Louisiana, we understand that red tape is kryptonite to growth. Today’s MOU signing helps us partner with the federal government to streamline permitting requirements ensuring one thing: speed to construction," said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. “Thanks to President Trump and the team at the Federal Permitting Council, Louisiana is quickly becoming one of the top States in the Nation to do business!” 

The State of Georgia and the State of Louisiana each signed MOUs with the Permitting Council, establishing commitments to align state and federal permitting timelines and to help identify projects for FAST-41 eligibility. These agreements also require that state permitting actions are added to the Federal Permitting Dashboard alongside the federal permits, providing a first-of-its-kind level of coordination and transparency between the federal and state governments. By aligning state permitting timelines with federal timelines, these MOUs will ensure that critical infrastructure projects avoid unnecessary roadblocks after completion of the federal environmental review process.

As part of the agreement, the Permitting Council will provide federal permitting support to projects identified in each state, ensuring focused technical assistance, transparency, accountability and predictability in the permitting process. The Permitting Council will provide a wide variety of support, including: 

• Assisting each state in identifying eligible FAST-41 projects;

• Engaging with the state to identify and support gaps in federal knowledge and provide opportunities to share state expertise;

• Convening meetings with appropriate state and federal agencies to ensure streamlined and coordinated review and to avoid duplicative efforts; and

• Exploring opportunities to improve state permitting processes, to include providing funding and access to technology designed to streamline permit applications.

The Trump Administration is the first to use the Permitting Council’s statutorily defined ability to enter into federal-state agreements. These are the sixth and seventh federal-state MOUs signed by the Permitting Council. Agreements were previously signed with the states of Alaska, Idaho, Missouri, Tennessee, and Utah.