by Iris Samuels
Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday formalized a partnership between Alaska and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council that he called a "pilot project" meant to expedite permitting of resource development in the state.
Dunleavy signed a memorandum of understanding with Emily Domenech, executive director of the Permitting Council. Under the agreement — the first of its kind in the country — the Alaska Department of Natural Resources will coordinate directly with the Permitting Council to identify projects eligible for fast-tracked permitting.
"This is the beginning of what we think is going to be something that the whole country could use," Dunleavy said.
The goal of the pilot project, Dunleavy said, was to allow the Permitting Council to work directly with state officials on advancing resource projects. Domenech said the focus would be on mining projects.
The Permitting Council was created through federal legislation in 2015 that also established a streamlined reviewing process known as FAST-41. Currently, five projects in Alaska have been identified for FAST-41 status, including broadcast projects, the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas project, and mining project Graphite One.
The Alaska LNG project, which has been identified as a priority by the Trump administration, was designated as a FAST-41 project in 2017. Its permitting process, which has been underway since 2014, is nearing completion.
The Graphite One mining project was designated as a FAST-41 project earlier this year, becoming the first mining project in Alaska to receive the designation.
Domenech said the council's goal was to triple the number of projects in Alaska that are tracked by the permitting council through the FAST-41 process, "by working with the folks at the permitting offices here in Alaska to identify projects early and often that can benefit from the kind of help the Permitting Council can give them."
"We hope that this will be the first of many agreements with states across the country," Domenech said.
Dunleavy said the idea for the agreement emerged when Domenech came to Alaska for an energy conference organized by the governor's office in May.
"I said, ‘Emily, why don't we get together and put our heads together and come up with a process that is as seamless as possible between your agency and our state government,' " Dunleavy said. "It was sort of a challenge to Emily, but it was one that she was eager to take up."
When asked, Dunleavy did not name any specific resource projects in Alaska that could have benefitted from the new agreement had it been in place earlier. He said he hoped the agreement would give investors confidence that the federal government is committed to backing mining in Alaska.
"I think we could have had a lot more investment in the state of Alaska, a lot more mining activity if we had a streamlined, quick, understandable permitting process with certainty on timelines and results," Dunleavy said.
"We're going to start something new. And the press should — and they're probably thinking — is this going to really go anywhere?" Dunleavy said. "Ask us in a few months where it's at."
The agreement was signed in the presence of Alaska's U.S. Rep. Nick Begich and nine other members of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, who were in the state to learn more about Alaska resource development efforts.
Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, said that "when you have the opportunity for the state and the federal agencies to work together so that they can be working on things simultaneously, it can shorten the procedure pretty dramatically."
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