President Donald Trump has directed the Department of the Interior to cut permitting timelines for energy and mining projects on federal lands to just 28 days—a radical departure from the months- or years-long reviews typically required.
The directive will apply to fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal, as well as uranium, geothermal, critical minerals, biofuels, and kinetic hydropower. Notably absent from the list are wind and solar—technologies that dominate new electricity capacity in the US but have long been targets of Trump’s disdain. Wind, he has repeatedly criticized as “ugly and expensive.”
“The United States cannot afford to wait,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “By reducing a multi-year permitting process down to just 28 days, the department will lead with urgency, resolve, and a clear focus on strengthening the nation’s energy independence.”
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While the initiative aims to bolster fuel supply, lower prices, and enhance national security, experts question whether the policy shift will materially impact US energy output. Oil production is already near record highs, driven by high global prices following Western sanctions on Russian crude.
However, environmental groups condemned it as a deregulatory overreach. “These so-called emergency procedures are nothing but grease on the skids for corporate interests,” said Randi Spivak of the Center for Biological Diversity, warning of potential harm to public health, climate, and protected lands.
The DOI claimed it would comply with environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act through “alternative means,” though it has yet to detail how this will be achieved without undermining the statutes’ core protections.
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