Governor Mike Kehoe, federal administration announce MOU to advance critical infrastructure projects
Missouri is the fifth state to sign infrastructure agreement with federal government
With the Callaway Energy Center in the background, Gov. Mike Kehoe joined Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) Executive Director Emily Domenech on July 1, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance the state and federal permitting of critical infrastructure across Missouri. The agreement is intended to bring permitting transparency to infrastructure projects in the Show-Me State. As a part of the MOU, Missouri commits to opting in to the Permitting Council's FAST-41 process and to align timelines for state and federal environmental reviews.
Governor Mike Kehoe (Center) joins Emily Domenech, executive director of the Permitting Council (Right), and Kurt Schaefer, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (Left), in signing the MOU between Missouri and the federal government. Photo courtesy of the Governor's Office.
“The State of Missouri is proud to work with the Trump administration to cut red tape and speed up the permitting process for critical infrastructure development projects,” said Gov. Mike Kehoe. “This partnership unlocks a more transparent and efficient permitting process, which will support energy production and help drive investment, innovation and economic opportunity in Missouri.”
Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Permitting Council was created to coordinate and improve the transparency and predictability of federal environmental reviews and authorizations for certain infrastructure projects. Through FAST-41, the Permitting Council provides focused, hands-on permitting support to infrastructure projects, and improves efficiency through clear timelines and better coordination across federal agencies.
As part of the agreement, Missouri will work with the Permitting Council to identify priority infrastructure projects, enable transparency for state permitting actions and ensure that state and federal review timelines are aligned to prevent unnecessary delays. By aligning state and federal permitting timelines, the MOU will ensure critical infrastructure projects avoid unnecessary roadblocks after completion of the federal environmental review process, providing a transformative level of coordination and transparency between the federal government and Missouri.
“I am thrilled to partner with Gov. Kehoe to streamline state and federal permitting,” said Emily Domenech, executive director of the Permitting Council. “As the State of Missouri looks to lead in nuclear innovation and manufacturing, this partnership will support the critical infrastructure development necessary to achieve these goals while providing affordable electricity to Americans in the region. I look forward to working with the governor’s team to identify priority projects within the state and ensure they are permitted transparently and efficiently.”
Through the MOU, the Permitting Council will provide support to projects identified in Missouri, ensuring focused technical assistance, transparency, accountability and predictability in the permitting process. Missouri is the fifth state to sign an MOU with the Permitting Council, joining Alaska, Idaho, Tennessee and Utah. For more information on the group, please visit permitting.gov.