Governor's Office
PHILIPSBURG, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana will partner with the Trump administration to streamline federal and state permitting on critical infrastructure projects.
Gov. Gianforte joined Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) Executive Director Emily Domenech today in Philipsburg to make the announcement and sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to opt Montana in to the FAST-41 process, allowing the state to identify priority projects while making the permitting processes more transparent to prevent unnecessarily long review times.
“Since taking office, we’ve made it a priority to remove the bureaucratic red tape that ties up innovation and opportunity,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Working with the Trump administration, Montana is proud to be the eleventh state to opt into the FAST-41 process to ensure efficient permitting for the infrastructure needed to power our future.”
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After touring a tungsten mine in Philipsburg, the governor joined Executive Director Domenech for a press conference to underscore Montana’s role in mining for critical minerals and the importance of ensuring infrastructure is established to support national needs.
“By tracking state permitting timelines alongside federal requirements, this MOU will ensure that critical infrastructure projects avoid unnecessary roadblocks after completion of federal and state environmental review processes. This is especially important for energy infrastructure,” the governor said.
He continued, “The ability to mine and mill in the Treasure State strengthens the global supply chain and creates good, high-paying jobs right here in Montana.”
Through the FAST-41 program, Montana and the Permitting Council will bring efficiency, predictability, and accountability to state and federal environmental reviews and authorizations, ensuring qualifying infrastructure projects move forward in a timely and collaborative process.
“Montana’s natural resources make it a leader in producing the critical minerals and energy our country needs for economic growth and national security,” said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director. “This agreement aligns state and federal permitting so critical projects move forward efficiently and transparently, ensuring we can work together to responsibly develop these resources. I’m grateful for the opportunity to partner with Governor Gianforte to strengthen Montana’s economy, create good-paying jobs for Montanans, and power the nation.”
As part of the agreement, the Permitting Council will provide federal permitting support to projects identified in each state, ensuring focused technical assistance, transparency, accountability, and predictability in the permitting process. The Permitting Council will provide a wide variety of support, including:
- Assisting each state in identifying eligible FAST-41 projects;
- Engaging with the state to identify and support gaps in federal knowledge and provide opportunities to share state expertise;
- Convening meetings with appropriate state and federal agencies to ensure streamlined and coordinated review and to avoid duplicative efforts; and
- Exploring opportunities to improve state permitting processes, to include providing funding and access to technology designed to streamline permit applications.
The Trump administration is the first to use the Permitting Council’s statutorily defined ability to enter into federal-state agreements since it was established in 2015. During the press conference, Domenech added that the Permitting Council has helped the Trump administration reduce the average time it took the federal permitting review process from 1,500 days to 400 days.
Montana is the eleventh state to sign a federal-state MOU with the Permitting Council. Agreements were previously signed with the states of Alaska, Idaho, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, Louisiana, Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, and Wyoming.
