Trump, Burgum Move To Slash Energy Project Permitting Time

The Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Doug Burgum, published plans Wednesday to implement emergency permitting procedures that would cut permitting timelines for energy-related projects on federal lands to no more than 28 days.

[Note: This piece is also published at Forbes]

In a post on X, Secretary Burgum said, “By reducing a multi-year permitting process down to just 28 days, Interior is cutting through unnecessary red tape to fast-track the development of American energy & critical minerals essential to our economy, military readiness, & global competitiveness!”

DOI Lays Out Alternative Permitting Procedures

In its published statement, DOI specified the permitting speedup would apply to what it called “a wide range of energy sources,” including:

• Crude oil

• Natural gas

• Lease condensates

• Natural gas liquids

• Refined petroleum products

• Uranium

• Coal

• Biofuels

• Geothermal energy

• Kinetic hydropower

• Critical minerals

Notably absent from that list are projects for the installation of new wind and solar industrial sites. It was not clear as of this writing whether these omissions constitute an oversight or an intentional policy decision. If the latter, it would be a departure from the advocacy for an “all of the above” energy expansion philosophy promoted by Trump, Burgum, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to this point.