On April 15, 2025, the White House issued a presidential memorandum directing federal agencies to digitize their permitting and environmental review processes.
The goals are straightforward: streamline workflows, reduce project delays and make infrastructure delivery faster, more transparent and more accountable.
But the timeline is tight. Agencies have just 45 days to submit implementation strategies and 90 days to begin testing and reporting progress. For organizations historically slowed by legacy systems, this directive isn’t just a challenge but an opportunity to lead.
Here’s what agencies should be doing now, what comes next and how peer institutions and state leaders are already setting the pace.
What the April 15 Memorandum Requires
The memorandum outlines a clear set of expectations for all federal agencies involved in environmental reviews and infrastructure permitting.
Specifically, it requires agencies to:
- Submit a digitization implementation strategy within 45 days.
- Begin testing and reporting digital permitting workflows within 90 days.
- Eliminate paper-based permitting processes “to the greatest extent practicable.”
- Adopt shared permitting data standards and ensure interoperability across systems.
- Improve transparency and public engagement.
This is the strongest federal directive to date aimed at modernizing permitting, and it builds on earlier initiatives like the Permitting Action Plan issued in 2022.
What Agencies Should Do Now
Assemble a Cross-Functional Team: To move quickly, agencies will need teams that include representatives from permitting, IT, legal, procurement and leadership. Cross-agency collaboration will be crucial for both strategy development and implementation.
Audit Existing Workflows: Where do current permitting processes rely on PDFs, physical signatures or email chains? Identifying bottlenecks is essential for prioritizing improvements and establishing a performance baseline.
Evaluate Proven Solutions: Agencies don’t have to start from scratch. Several federal departments have already deployed digital permitting tools that can serve as reference points:
- The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed INPCT, a platform that allows for real-time collaboration among agencies during National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews.
- The Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Portal, which streamlines federal approvals for high-voltage electric transmission projects.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires electronic filing of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) via its e-NEPA system, improving access, tracking and compliance.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) offers IPaC, a planning tool that helps applicants determine potential environmental impacts and request species consultations online.
Identify a Focused Pilot Project: Launching a well-scoped pilot—such as a specific permit type, geographic area or project category—can help test tools, gather feedback and demonstrate early momentum. Agencies can look to state-level initiatives for inspiration.
In Arizona, the Department of Environmental Quality’s myDEQ platform has modernized numerous permitting and compliance services, leading to notable reductions in processing times for various permits.
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Where Bluebeam Fits In
Federal agencies don’t have to start from scratch.
Bluebeam is already trusted by government teams across the U.S. to streamline permitting, plan reviews and project collaboration. Our secure, scalable platform helps agencies transition from paper-based workflows to digital processes without overhauling their entire IT stack.
Here’s how we support permitting modernization:
- Digital plan reviews and markups that eliminate printing, mailing and scanning delays.
- Collaborative document management that enables real-time communication between teams, agencies and stakeholders
- Version control and audit trails to support compliance and transparency.
- Flexible deployment options to meet varying security and procurement requirements.
Whether you’re piloting a new process or scaling an agency-wide initiative, Bluebeam helps you build faster, with better coordination and fewer bottlenecks.
Let’s move permitting forward—together.
Talk to our public sector team →
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Similarly, Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality introduced the PEEP platform, which allows users to track permitting status online. The state reports that processing times have improved dramatically since implementation, helping agencies monitor performance and reduce delays.
Submit an Implementation Strategy:
Your plan should include:
- A baseline assessment of current processes.
- A prioritized list of workflows for digitization.
- Timelines, performance metrics and governance.
- A plan for stakeholder and public engagement.
The deadline for submission is firm: 45 days from April 15, 2025.
What to Do During the 90-Day Testing Phase
Once the plan is submitted, agencies are expected to begin testing and reporting progress. That means deploying tools, collecting data and iterating in real time.
Define the Test Clearly: Is your agency piloting a new intake system? Testing online commenting? Tracking interagency collaboration via a dashboard? Whatever the use case, define it clearly and measure what matters.
Track Progress—and Communicate It: Agencies that can show early wins will be well-positioned to shape future interagency standards. Publishing dashboards or briefing key stakeholders may also help secure future funding or interagency partnerships.
Leverage Broader Federal Support: This modernization effort doesn’t stand alone. It aligns with several ongoing federal digital initiatives:
- The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) offers funding for high-impact IT upgrades across federal agencies.
- The OMB’s M-23-22 guidance encourages agencies to improve digital services and prioritize paperless, user-friendly design.
- The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) continues to promote data interoperability and performance tracking for environmental reviews.
- The Federal CIO and CDO Councils are working to support shared services and cross-agency data standards.
Collaborate Across Agencies: Permits often require multiple reviews from EPA, DOI, DOT, DOE and others. Coordination is essential. States like Florida offer successful models. Its Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) process integrates environmental screening early in planning, saving time and reducing conflicts.
What Success Looks Like—and Why It Matters
Agencies that embrace this transition now will unlock several benefits:
- Faster and more predictable permitting timelines.
- Better coordination among agencies and stakeholders.
- Increased transparency and public trust.
- More efficient use of staff resources and taxpayer dollars.
The risks of inaction, meanwhile, are growing. Agencies that lag may miss out on funding, fall behind in shaping emerging standards or face scrutiny for delaying critical infrastructure.
A Moment to Lead
This isn’t just a technical upgrade. It’s a policy reset. Federal permitting modernization is no longer a long-term aspiration—it’s a live initiative with a deadline, budget and national audience.
Agencies that act now won’t just meet a mandate. They’ll help redefine what efficient, transparent infrastructure delivery looks like in the 21st century.
If your agency is ready to modernize permitting workflows, now is the time to move.
