Eric Beightel, Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council

The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council), established by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41) in 2015, is charged with bringing together federal agencies and project sponsors to accelerate and create a more transparent, efficient, predictable, and accountable environmental review and authorization process. During this presentation you’ll hear from Eric Beightel, the Executive Director of the Permitting Council, a nationally recognized expert in the environmental and infrastructure fields. During this presentation, Executive Director Beightel will provide information to potential project sponsors and permitting industry representatives about FAST-41 and the benefits of project coverage, including the access it provides to the Permitting Council’s processes, tools, and resources for an improved project permitting experience. The presentation will draw on the experiences of completed and in-progress FAST-41 covered projects from a variety of sectors including renewable energy, energy transmission, water resources, mining, broadband and more. The Permitting Council is also the Permitting Center of Excellence for the federal government and Executive Director Beightel will share key insights and best practices and lessons learned to advance federal permitting review without sacrificing environmental quality and community well being.