Interior Department to Reduce Approval Times for Energy Projects to 28 Days

The department will implement emergency permitting procedures to speed up energy and mining projects on federal land.

A pump jack operates near a crude oil reserve in the Permian Basin oil field near Midland, Texas, on Feb. 18, 2025. Eli Hartman/Reuters

The Department of the Interior will implement emergency permitting procedures to accelerate the development of energy resources and critical minerals in the United States, it said on April 23.

The new procedures will reduce approval times—which typically take months or even years—to no more than 28 days, according to the department.