Permitting Office to Process Projects During Government Shutdown

A federal office tasked with speeding up environmental permitting will stay open during the government shutdown, the agency’s leader said Thursday.

The decision signals how important the Trump administration views timely permitting for a wide range of projects, including mines, data centers, transportation infrastructure, energy production, pipelines, and semiconductor factories.

“Federal permitting has never been a higher priority, or more effective, than it is today under this administration,” Emily Domenech, executive director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, said in a statement.

The steering council’s role is to shepherd large projects through the permitting process by coordinating agencies’ work, ...