A Framework for Building Efficient Environmental Permitting Processes

Nicola Ulibarri, Bruce E. Cain and Newsha K. Ajami
Additional contact information
Nicola Ulibarri: Department of Planning, Policy and Design, University of California, Irvine, 206B Social Ecology I, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Bruce E. Cain: Bill Lane Center for the American West, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega Room 173, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Newsha K. Ajami: Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA 94305, USA

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Despite its importance as a tool for protecting air and water quality, and for mitigating impacts to protected species and ecosystems, the environmental permitting process is widely recognized to be inefficient and marked by delays. This article draws on a literature review and interviews with permitting practitioners to identify factors that contribute to delayed permit decisions. The sociopolitical context, projects that are complex or use novel technology, a fragmented and bureaucratic regulatory regime, serial permit applications and reviews, and applicant and permitting agency knowledge and resources each contribute to permitting inefficiency when they foster uncertainty, increase transaction costs, and allow divergent interests to multiply, yet remain unresolved. We then use the interviews to consider the potential of a collaborative dialogue between permitting agencies and applicants to mitigate these challenges, and argue that collaboration is well positioned to lessen permitting inefficiency.

Keywords: environmental regulation; environmental permitting; water management; efficiency; collaborative governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/2/180/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/2/180/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:2:p:180-:d:88810

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().