Federal Permit Office Outlines Big Plans for Climate Law Funding

A small federal office with a mandate to improve environmental permitting is already working on big plans for the $350 million in new funding it’s set to receive in the climate bill, the head of the agency said Tuesday.

Some of the money may be used to sign blanket order agreements with contractors, consultants, and academics, Christine Harada, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s executive director, told Bloomberg Law. That would mean if an agency has a sudden need for specialized expertise to assess a permit and can’t find anyone to do the job, the council can quickly deploy someone ...