Department of the Interior Implements Emergency Permitting Procedures to Strengthen Domestic Energy Supply

(U.S. Department of the Interior) Accelerates permitting procedures to develop American Energy Dominance -- In response to President Donald J. Trump’s declaration of a National Energy Emergency, the U.S. Department of the Interior will implement emergency permitting procedures to accelerate the development of domestic energy resources and critical minerals. These measures are designed to expedite the review and approval, if appropriate, of projects related to the identification, leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, or generation of energy within the United States. The new permitting procedures will take a multi-year process down to just 28 days at most.

The procedures apply to actions relating to a wide range of energy sources, including:

“The United States cannot afford to wait,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “President Trump has made it clear that our energy security is national security, and these emergency procedures reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting both. We are cutting through unnecessary delays to fast-track the development of American energy and critical minerals—resources that are essential to our economy, our military readiness, and our global competitiveness. By reducing a multi-year permitting process down to just 28 days, the Department will lead with urgency, resolve, and a clear focus on strengthening the nation’s energy independence.”

The declaration of a National Energy Emergency recognizes that current delays in energy project approvals pose significant risks to the nation’s economic stability, national security, and foreign policy interests. In response, the Department will utilize emergency authorities under existing regulations for the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act. The procedures, outlined below, will significantly enable faster permitting timelines—reducing processes that typically take several months or years to just weeks.

Endangered Species Act: An expedited Section 7 consultation process will be implemented, which involves the appropriate bureau notifying the Fish and Wildlife Service that it is using emergency consultation procedures. Following such notification, the appropriate bureau can then proceed with deciding whether to approve the action.

National Historic Preservation Act: Bureaus will follow alternative procedures for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for proposed undertakings responding to the energy emergency, which include notifying the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization that may attach religious and cultural significance to historic properties likely to be affected by a proposed undertaking and affording them an opportunity to comment within seven days of the notification. Following that notification and comment period, the appropriate bureau will take into account any comments received and then decide whether to approve the proposed undertaking.

The National Energy Emergency declaration states: “Our Nation's current inadequate development of domestic energy resources leaves us vulnerable to hostile foreign actors and poses an imminent and growing threat to the United States' prosperity and national security.” Accordingly, the Department of the Interior is acting swiftly to reduce these vulnerabilities by facilitating the rapid permitting of energy and critical mineral projects that are vital to the nation’s economic resilience and energy independence. READ MORE