Federal Permitting Council Introduces Faster Data Center Permitting Process
In alignment with President Trump’s goals, the council is working on new data center projects through a streamlined process.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2026 – Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech said the federal agency is set to work with a California geothermal energy data center project through a new streamlined strategy.
Domenech said she’s been working on permitting efficiency through a new system that lists projects as one, instead of three discrete projects. That ensures that it doesn’t have to go through multiple reviews. Traditionally, she said, projects were permitted separately, with a power plant, transmission line and data center.
The Permitting Council’s new strategy works on a Gantt chart and timetable working in parallel. Domenech said this saved 25 percent of the time per project.
