FY 2019 Q2 SCORECARD FOR MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

Overview

The Accountability Scorecard evaluates agency performance and overall progress in processing environmental reviews and authorization decisions for major infrastructure projects (as defined in Section 3(e) of Executive Order 13807) and achieving the objectives of the Modernize Infrastructure Permitting Cross-Agency Priority Goal. The performance accountability system requires agencies to report data on different performance indicators including whether they are jointly and cooperatively processing environmental reviews and making authorization decisions using the One Federal Decision framework, whether major infrastructure projects have complete permitting timetables, whether they are meeting major milestone target dates, whether agencies establish and use a process to elevate schedule delay issues to senior agency officials, and the time and cost to complete reviews and make decisions. OMB will review agencies’ performance at least once each quarter and will publish on the Permitting Dashboard, a quarterly scorecard of agency performance on meeting these indicators.

FY 2019, Quarter 2 Highlights

FY 2019, Quarter 2 marks the first quarter that the Accountability Scorecard has been published.  It combines data from both Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 of FY 2019.  The initial scorecard includes data on three performance indicators: Permitting Timetables, One Federal Decision Implementation, and Elevation Procedures. Evaluations of the Meeting Milestones, Time to Complete, and Cost to Complete metrics will be published in future scorecards after more milestone data has been collected and as major infrastructure projects have completed the environmental review process.

Permitting Timetables 

There are currently 15 major infrastructure projects that have been identified by Federal agencies. All 15 projects have a complete permitting timetable, which includes all relevant project actions and milestone target dates, published on the Permitting Dashboard. The accountability system requires the lead Federal agency to publish the permitting timetable no later than 30 days after the publication of the Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the major infrastructure project. Of the 15 major infrastructure projects, 6 were published on time while 9 were submitted late. 

One Federal Decision Implementation

Under One Federal Decision, agencies are required to jointly and cooperatively process environmental reviews and make authorization decisions for major infrastructure projects, develop a single Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), sign a single Record of Decision (ROD) and issue all necessary authorizations within 90 days thereafter, subject to limited exceptions. Currently, lead agencies have reported that all 15 major infrastructure projects are being processed using the One Federal Decision framework. A lead agency has granted two projects an exception to the requirement to issue a single ROD, but has reported it is planning to implement all other aspects of the One Federal Decision framework. 

Elevation Procedures

Federal agencies are required to have a procedure to elevate schedule delay issues to the attention of senior agency officials. This process should be implemented whenever milestones will be missed or need to be extended, causing an action’s target completion date to be delayed by 30 or more days. As of this quarter, all Federal agencies have established an elevation procedure that has been approved by OMB. In future quarters, OMB will track if the elevation process was used when appropriate.