One of the biggest hurdles to undertaking much-needed infrastructure development is a painfully slow permitting process. It can take months or, in some cases, multiple years to get all the necessary permits for new projects.

A little under a century ago, iconic structures like the Hoover Dam and the Empire State Building were completed in a matter of a few short years. Now, it often takes at least that long just to line up the necessary permits.

There are several reasons for the increased permitting delays. Governments at the federal, state, and local level require more approvals than they did in the past. Opponents of growth are more likely to speak out against new projects and file lawsuits trying to block development completely. And government officials sometimes take longer than necessary to review permit applications.

Since many different factors can cause delays, fixing the problem will require a multifaceted solution. It is therefore very encouraging to see that the Trump administration’s recently released Presidential Memorandum on environmental permitting reform takes a multipronged approach. Among other things, it seeks to move to 100% electronic processing, eliminate duplicative data submissions, enhance interagency coordination, and simplify permit reviews and processing.

As the Trump administration........

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