Missouri, Trump administration partner to streamline infrastructure permitting

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KBSI) — Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and the Trump administration have signed an agreement aimed at speeding up permitting for major infrastructure projects across the state.

The memorandum of understanding, signed Wednesday with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, is intended to better coordinate state and federal environmental reviews for critical infrastructure projects, including energy development.

The agreement was signed at Ameren Missouri’s Callaway Energy Center.

State officials said Missouri will participate in the council’s FAST-41 permitting process, which is designed to improve transparency, align permitting timelines and reduce delays for qualifying projects.

Under the agreement, Missouri and the federal government will identify priority infrastructure projects, coordinate permitting reviews and provide technical assistance to help move projects through the approval process more efficiently.

The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council was established under the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, known as FAST-41, to improve the federal permitting process for large infrastructure projects. Missouri is the fifth state to enter into this type of agreement with the council, joining Alaska, Idaho, Tennessee and Utah.