Gov. Cox and White House Permitting Council sign agreement to streamline permitting in Utah

PARK CITY, Utah (May 22, 2026) - Gov. Cox and White House Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the State of Utah and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council to better coordinate state and federal permitting efforts and advance critical infrastructure and energy projects in Utah.

The agreement was signed at the Governor's Operation Gigawatt Summit in Park City, a national convening of policymakers, energy leaders, investors, innovators and builders focused on strengthening America's energy capacity, accelerating permitting reform and advancing long-term energy affordability and abundance.

The summit featured a broad showing of support for Utah from the Trump administration, including participation from U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Ho K. Nieh.

The MOU commits Utah to aligning state permitting timelines with federal environmental review timelines for eligible FAST-41 projects, improving transparency and coordination while helping avoid unnecessary delays for critical infrastructure projects.

"I am thrilled to announce our partnership with Governor Cox and the State of Utah," said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director. "By aligning state and federal permitting timelines, Utah is establishing a more efficient and transparent permitting process that will drive investment to the state, speed energy and natural resources development, and advance President Trump's infrastructure and energy dominance agenda."

"Utah has built a reputation for efficient government and responsible development," said Governor Cox. "This agreement will help create a more transparent, accountable and predictable permitting process that supports energy production, strengthens domestic supply chains and helps ensure Utah remains a leader in building the infrastructure and resources America needs."

The agreement establishes a framework for Utah and the Permitting Council to work together to identify priority projects, coordinate permitting reviews across agencies and improve transparency through the FAST-41 process.

Under the agreement, the Permitting Council will support Utah by helping identify eligible FAST-41 projects, coordinating federal agencies, supporting streamlined reviews and exploring opportunities to improve state permitting systems and technologies.

The MOU notes that Utah contains 50 of the 60 federally listed critical minerals and highlights the importance of efficient permitting processes to support reliable domestic supply chains and responsible resource development.

The agreement is the fourth federal-state permitting MOU signed by the Permitting Council under the Trump administration.

A copy of the MOU can be found here and additional information about the Permitting Council and FAST-41 is available at Permitting.gov.