Unlocking a New Era for Ecological Restoration, Nature-based Solutions, and Resilience
Today’s environmental review and permitting processes play an essential role in protecting our land, water, air, and biodiversity. Built on landmark environmental laws, it strives to ensure that projects meet rigorous standards, balancing the need for growth with the health of our ecosystems. But as the pace of climate change, biodiversity loss, and infrastructure accelerates, we have an opportunity to refine and enhance this process to unlock the potential of ecological restoration and Nature-Based Solutions (NbS).
In our new memo, Scaling Ecological Restoration & Nature-Based Solutions: A Permitting Innovation Agenda for the Next Presidential Administration, EPIC outlines strategies to make the permitting process even more responsive and effective for the projects that restore our landscapes and fortify our communities. Our approach centers on collaboration, technology, and forward-thinking policies, emphasizing that we can streamline approvals for restoration projects while maintaining the strong protections that make our regulatory system one of the world’s best.
Imagine a future where agencies across federal, state, and local levels work in close coordination to deliver faster project approvals, where e-permitting and AI tools create efficiencies, and where development projects are guided by “net gain” for the environment. By making these targeted improvements, the next administration and Congress can strengthen the permitting process, helping ecological restoration and NbS thrive as central strategies in building climate resilience.
We’re excited to share this vision and hope it inspires new conversations and collaborations. Together, we can build a permitting process that’s as dynamic as the challenges we face, creating a pathway to a resilient, sustainable future for all.
In the coming weeks, EPIC will publish a full-length version of this memo, providing specific details on how the new presidential administration can advance this important work.
For more information, please contact Danielle Bissett, Restoration Permitting Policy Lead, at dbissett@policyinnovation.org.