On July 31, 2026, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) convened close to 500 federal government and industry leaders for the Permitting Innovators Expo — a full-day event focused on shaping the future of environmental review and permitting through public-private collaboration.
Expo
Executive summary
Modernizing how America reviews and permits critical projects for the 21st century
Federal permitting affects every American, from the construction of roads and bridges to energy infrastructure and national security installations. Yet many technologies supporting these processes are disconnected, outdated, and highly manual.
The Permitting Innovators Expo showcased how technology can better connect data, systems, and processes — enhancing collaboration between agencies and the American public.
Following CEQ’s Call for Solutions, more than 40 solutions were selected to demonstrate how their technology could modernize and accelerate federal environmental reviews and permitting. The solutions addressed four priority areas from the Permitting Technology Action Plan: business process modernization, workflow automation, digital-first documents, and tools for timeline predictability.
The Expo gathered nearly 500 attendees from federal agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector. The day also generated sustained engagement from the permitting community — with more than 100 mentions across social media and online coverage.
“Using technology to address longstanding problems in federal permitting is a priority for the Trump Administration. Unnecessary delays in the permitting process are just that — unnecessary. Outdated or fragmented systems slow infrastructure projects that create jobs, grow our economy, unleash American energy dominance, and reinforce our national security.”
Rachael McNitt, Chief of Staff, Council on Environmental Quality
“Ensuring that agencies have the most innovative tools in the marketplace — from digitized forms to Artificial Intelligence to help automate reviews — will cut down on tedious and duplicative workflows, naturally coordinate reviews across agencies, and ultimately bring transparency for project developers to what has historically been the black box of federal permitting. I am excited to execute on the pivotal role that President Trump has given the Permitting Council in this transformative mission, and I am confident that we will make a game-changing difference in the way that critical infrastructure is permitted nationwide.”
Emily Domenech, Executive Director, Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
“When it comes to using innovation and technology to improve permitting, we have to focus on making sure we are taking advantage of the latest software, the latest hardware, and the latest data available to us. Permitting technology and innovation also applies to our own processes. That’s why we’re taking a hard look, in partnership with the Council on Environmental Quality, to totally reform the administrative parts of our permitting process to ensure that applicants receive answers that they can count on quickly.”
Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works
Highlights from the day
Bringing private-sector technology innovators and government together
With more than 20 federal agencies represented, the Expo provided a forum for permitting practitioners and subject matter experts to connect directly with innovators addressing their real-world challenges.
Keynotes: The future of federal permitting
The day opened with remarks from Rachael McNitt, CEQ’s Chief of Staff, followed by keynote remarks from Emily Domenech, Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council; John Reiten, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Executive Director of the National Energy Dominance Council; and Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Together, they underscored the critical role permitting plays in advancing major federal projects — and how modernizing these processes can help agencies deliver results faster, while not compromising rigor.
Fireside chat: From vision to implementation
The conversation then turned to what permitting modernization looks like in practice. A fireside chat, moderated by CEQ’s Michael Drummond, Director for Permitting and Innovation, featured the Environmental Protection Agency’s Carter Farmer, Chief Information Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Chad Whiteman, Vice President, Environment and Regulatory Affairs; and Maggie Ayrea, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works’ Senior Professional Staff Member.
Deep dive sessions on acquisition and implementation
Two deep dive sessions followed. In one session, CEQ’s David Yi, Acting Director for Permitting and Innovation, facilitated a conversation with the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Monica Taylor, a Senior Procurement Analyst, discussing best practices in the federal acquisition process for permitting technology. The other session was led by CEQ’s Jordan Eccles, Deputy Director for Innovation, who discussed case studies and practical methods for designing and implementing government technology with Elizabeth Ayer, Director of Delivery, Workflow, and Permitting Solutions at GSA.
Signature event: Demo floor of tech solutions
The signature Expo event was the demo floor, where over 40 innovators exhibited their solutions. Federal staff engaged directly with innovators and considered how the solutions could address their agency’s specific needs. These conversations highlighted how better technology can reduce manual work, improve coordination, and help agencies focus environmental analysis on the issues of greatest importance.
Pitch sessions of tech solutions
The day concluded with closed-door pitch sessions, kicked off by CEQ’s Charlie Pritchard, Deputy Director for Permitting and Innovation, where 10 select innovators presented their solutions to federal agency leads. The pitch session was followed by a networking period to continue conversations and explore potential partnerships.
Photo gallery
Attendees wait for opening remarks.
Rachael McNitt, Chief of Staff, CEQ, delivers opening remarks.
Emily Domenech, Executive Director, Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, delivers keynote remarks.
Attendees listen to keynote remarks from Emily Domenech, Executive Director, Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council.
John Reiten, Special Assistant to the President, and Deputy Executive Director, National Energy Dominance Council, delivers keynote remarks.
Michael Drummond, Director for Permitting and Innovation, CEQ, kicks off the fireside chat.
Maggie Ayrea, Senior Professional Staff Member, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, joins the fireside chat.
Carter Farmer, Chief Information Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Environmental Protection Agency, takes part in the fireside chat.
Chad Whiteman, Vice President, Environment and Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, responds to a question during the fireside chat.
Fireside chat speakers engage in discussion.
David Yi, Acting Director for Permitting and Innovation, CEQ, and Monica Taylor, a Senior Procurement Analyst, General Services Administration, engage in their deep dive session.
David Yi, Acting Director for Permitting and Innovation, CEQ leads a deep dive session.
Monica Taylor, Senior Procurement Analyst, General Services Administration, speaks during a deep dive session.
Attendees connect during a networking break.
Elizabeth Ayer, Director of Delivery, Workflow, and Permitting Solutions, General Services Administration, speaks during a deep dive session.
Jordan Eccles, Deputy Director for Innovation, CEQ, leads a deep dive session.
Attendees fill a breakout room for the deep dive session with Jordan Eccles, Deputy Director for Innovation, CEQ, and Elizabeth Ayer, Director of Delivery, Workflow, and Permitting Solutions, General Services Administration.
Charlie Pritchard, Deputy Director for Permitting and Innovation, CEQ, kicks off the closed-door pitch sessions.
Attendees connect with solution teams on the demo floor.
Attendees connect with solution teams on the demo floor.
An attendee participates in the Expo activation by responding to a prompt.
Image credit: Chris Ferenzi Photography LLC
What comes next: the Solutions Catalog
The Expo connected agencies with high-potential permitting technologies. Next, CEQ will publish the Permitting Innovators Solutions Catalog to make environmental review and permitting solutions easier to discover and evaluate.
The Solutions Catalog will launch later this year. The Catalog will feature solutions showcased at the Expo and other qualifying technologies from the Call for Solutions, equipping agencies with a key resource for assessing new permitting technologies.
Sign up for email reminders and updates from Permitting Innovators to find out when the Solutions Catalog is available.