States Brace for Flood of Environmental Permits as Funding Flows

A growing number of states are trying to take the pain out of environmental permitting, steeling themselves for the billions of dollars of new construction made possible by the infrastructure and climate bills.

The new efforts don’t get as much attention as Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) unsuccessful bid last year to change the federal rules. But builders say permitting bottlenecks at the state level are just as vexing as federal rules, and just as capable of delaying infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, and renewable energy facilities.

State agencies issue far more environmental permits than their federal counterparts, and their workload ...