FAST-41 Program

Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Permitting Council was created to coordinate and improve the transparency and predictability of federal environmental reviews and authorizations for certain infrastructure projects.

Through FAST-41, the Permitting Council provides focused, hands-on permitting support to infrastructure projects, and improves efficiency through clear timelines and better coordination across federal agencies. This process removes “unknown unknowns” and provides certainty to project developers.

There are two ways a project can receive support from the Permitting Council: 

1. By qualifying as a FAST-41 Covered Project

2. By being identified as a FAST-41 Transparency Project

FAST-41 Covered Projects

Participation in the FAST-41 program is voluntary. To become a Covered Project, sponsors of critical infrastructure projects that meet FAST-41 eligibility criteria must submit a request by way of FAST-41 Initiation Notice (FIN). Our team encourages sponsors to reach out to discuss potential projects, submit a Draft FIN, or both, before submitting an official request.

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FAST-41 Transparency Projects

While receiving FAST-41 coverage is the traditional project route, the Executive Director has statutory authority* to post projects to the Dashboard in the interest of transparency. This allows the Permitting Council to provide support to projects that might otherwise not be a fit for FAST-41 coverage, but align with Executive Orders from the President and administration priorities. 

Transparency status gives projects access to many of the unique benefits of FAST-41, including a dedicated Permitting Council project advisor, the development of a comprehensive permitting timetable, and active engagement and coordination across permitting agencies. 

_{* This authority comes from Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), 42 U.S.C. § 4370m-2(b)(2)(A)(iii), and was used for the first time in Permitting Council history under the Trump administration, upon receiving specific direction in the March 2025 Executive Order: Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production.}

Covered Project vs. Transparency Project FAST-41 Benefits

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View or download the full fact sheet on FAST-41 benefits.

Project Sponsors

FAST-41 project sponsors may be public or private entities, Tribes, or public-private partnerships that develop critical infrastructure projects across eligible infrastructure sectors. 

FAST-41 does not change any statutory or regulatory requirement, environmental law, regulation, review process, or public involvement procedure, and does not predetermine the outcome of any federal decision-making process.