The U.S. ‘Fast-Tracked’ a Power Project. After 17 Years, It Just Got Approved.

Some in Washington say the project shows why permitting process should be overhauled

By Jennifer Hiller and Andrew Restuccia of The Wall Street Journal. Excerpts:

"plans for the SunZia project—a massive power line and wind farm in the Western U.S.—were first laid in 2006"

"The project finally received a crucial permit this week.

That 17-year process underscores why some in Washington say there is a pressing need for an overhaul of the country’s rules for approving infrastructure projects."

"Developers first applied for federal approval in 2008; environmental reviews started in 2009. In 2011, the project was “fast-tracked” by the Obama administration."

"The labyrinthine state, local and federal permitting processes are often drawn out for years, require duplicative paperwork and generate thousands of pages of government analysis. The average federal environmental review, for example, takes 4½ years"

"John Podesta, a top Biden climate adviser who has worked in several Democratic administrations, said he was surprised to discover when he returned to the White House last year that a transmission project that came across his desk during the Obama administration still hadn’t been approved."

"Some White House officials worry that red tape could delay projects funded by the infrastructure and climate legislation that Biden recently signed into law, potentially undermining two signature accomplishments heading into an election.

“The White House doesn’t have a prayer of implementing the infrastructure bill or the [Inflation Reduction Act] without permitting reform,” said Rep. Garret Graves (R., La.), a lead Republican negotiator in the debt-ceiling talks. “And anyone who’s actually out there trying to build things will tell you that.”"