The White House Council on Environmental Quality, or CEQ, has launched the Permitting Innovators program aimed at accelerating federal environmental reviews and permitting processes by engaging private sector technology providers.
The White House’s push to modernize permitting through initiatives like Permitting Innovators reflects a broader governmentwide focus on digital modernization and public-private collaboration. These themes will take center stage at the 2026 Digital Transformation Summit on April 22, where leaders will discuss mission engineering, the use of AI in federal environments and other emerging capabilities and trends. Register now!
The White House said Wednesday CEQ’s Permitting Innovation Center worked with NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation to introduce the program as part of efforts to modernize permitting processes under President Donald Trump's memorandum, “Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century.”
What Is the Permitting Innovators Program?
The Permitting Innovators program is designed to connect federal agencies with private sector partners to accelerate and modernize environmental review and permitting processes.
The initiative builds on the Permitting Technology Action Plan, or PTAP, which identified gaps in current systems and outlined goals for improving federal permitting through technology. CEQ said the program will help advance technologies designed to integrate data, systems and processes to improve coordination across agencies and engagement with the public.
CEQ Chairman Katherine Scarlett said modern technology capabilities already exist but require broader collaboration between government and industry to be fully deployed.
“We need solutions adapted from fields beyond environmental review. Thanks to President Trump, Permitting Innovators brings those external stakeholders and federal agencies together to accelerate permitting while maintaining practical environmental standards,” added Scarlett.
When Will the Permitting Innovators Call for Solutions Open?
In the coming weeks, CEQ's Permitting Innovation Center will invite industry participants to submit technology platforms designed to modernize federal environmental review and permitting.
CEQ will review eligible submissions and select participants to join the inaugural Permitting Innovators Expo, where companies will demonstrate their offerings to federal agency personnel and stakeholders in the permitting community.
The agency said it will release submission requirements and evaluation criteria through the Permitting Innovators newsletter.
The Permitting Innovators Expo is scheduled for summer 2026 and will highlight platforms aligned with PTAP. Selected participants will present technologies to federal agencies and partners involved in permitting efforts.
CEQ said it will compile showcased technologies into a Permitting Innovators Solutions Catalog, which it plans to distribute to agencies and the broader environmental permitting community later this year.
