Infrastructure projects in the United States can take as long as 10 years to obtain all necessary permits after all issues, including environmental impacts, are addressed.
To speed up permitting, President Donald Trump's infrastructure task force has suggested using the bankruptcy court arbitration process as a model for a revamped approach. Developer Richard LeFrak, who serves on the task force, said under this model one person would be the final word on all project issues, like an arbitrator in bankruptcy cases.
LeFrak toldĀ ReutersĀ that the advisory council is proposing a pilot program that would reduce red tape and halt litigation on infrastructure projects. The process would not allow developers to avoid environmental compliance, but would allow differences and objections to be addressed and resolved faster.
Australia, Canada, and Germany typically take two years to approve infrastructure projects compared with 10 years in the United States, LeFrak said.
Related Stories
| Jul 5, 2013
USGBC adds several new LEED pilot credits
The U.S. Green Building Council has added several new LEED pilot credits to the LEED Pilot Credit Libraryin the past few months.
| Jul 5, 2013
Spray Foam Coalition supports new professional certification program for applicators
The Spray Foam Coalition (SFC) of the American Chemistry Council announced its support of the Spray Polyurethane Foam Allianceās (SPFA) new Professional Certification Program for spray foam applicators.
| Jul 5, 2013
Some industry insiders see design-build as easier path to LEED certification
The design-build construction delivery method may have advantages during a LEED certification process.Ā Ā
| Jun 27, 2013
Lease-accounting legislation could hurt construction industry
Regulatory bodies have proposed changes in how leased equipment is treated on a corporate balance sheet.
| Jun 27, 2013
AGC urges Congress, Obama to reject caps on construction workers in immigration legislation
The unemployment rate in the construction sector in May was the lowest it has been in five years, which could signal a coming worker shortage, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
| Jun 27, 2013
California legislators make push for prevailing wage law
California lawmakers introduced new legislation that would cut off state construction funds from charter cities that donāt mandate the equivalent of union-scale wages on public-works projects. Of the 482 cities in California, 121 are charter cities.
| Jun 27, 2013
Thermal, solar control designs can impact cooling loads by 200%, heating loads by 30%
Underestimating thermal bridging can greatly undermine a buildingās performance contributing to heating load variances of up to 30% and cooling load variances of up to 200%, says the MMM Group.
| Jun 27, 2013
U.S. Conference of Mayors passes new sustainability resolutions
The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) passed a slate of sustainability resolutions that renew its commitment to local green building and clean energy efforts.
| Jun 19, 2013
NSF Sustainability begins verifying EPDs that can be used for LEED V4
NSF Sustainability has verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for nylon carpet styles and colors manufactured by Mannington Commercial and for J+J Flooring Groupās KinetexĀ® flooring product and Invision brand modular styles that use eKoĀ® backing.Ā Ā
| Jun 19, 2013
Florida is latest battleground over LEED standards centered on certified wood
A nationwide battle over forest certification standards continues to be played out nationally and in Florida with legislation passed this month.Ā
