How Would Changes to Infrastructure Permitting Affect the US Economy?

Event Summary

On January 21, AEI’s Michael R. Strain and James W. Coleman welcomed two panels of experts to discuss the policies and regulations for building physical infrastructure in the US. The first panel analyzed the trajectory for when new infrastructure building projects and permitting requirements such as environmental impact surveys will interact in terms of legislative and legal aspects.

Brian Potter from the Institute for Progress provided a detailed history of environmental permitting, tracing its roots to the conservation efforts of the 1960s. Alec Stapp of the Institute for Progress and Thomas Hochman of the Foundation for American Innovation commented on how permitting reform could take shape in 2025 in the wake of President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on the National Environmental Policy Act and the Council on Environmental Quality.

In the second panel, Heidi L. Williams of Dartmouth College led a conversation on the methods that the government and economists use to determine the costs and benefits of permitting regulations. Joseph Kile of the Congressional Budget Office discussed the need for more empirical studies into environmental permitting to better clarify this understudied subject. Eric Lewis of Texas A&M University and Yale Law School’s Zachary Liscow offered insight into some historical examples of how infrastructure permitting requirements have affected the economy.

Both panels ended with a Q&A.

—Thomas Gilmore

Event Description

Critics contend that the current policies and regulations for building physical infrastructure in the US are too time-consuming, limiting both public and private investment and hindering projects aiming to produce and deliver energy in particular. While Congressional interest in potential permitting reforms frequently focuses on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), NEPA is just one of many federal, state, local, and tribal permitting requirements. Understanding whether and how changes to parts of the permitting process would affect infrastructure investment is critical to supporting informed debates over the trade-offs inherent in any proposed changes.

Join experts at AEI for two panels that will discuss permitting-related policy options and their potential impact on investment, productivity, and economic growth.