About the CITAP Portal

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office developed the web-based CITAP portal to provide a streamlined Federal environmental review and permitting processes for qualifying transmission projects. This portal should be used to share information that will inform Federal permitting agencies’ authorization decisions and the final environmental review prepared by DOE.

The guidance in the CITAP portal informs project proponents of the information and documents they need to submit before the two-year environmental review timeline is initiated. This streamlining solution ensures that DOE can coordinate with other Federal agencies to deliver a timely completion of Federal permitting reviews and the development of a single environmental impact statement.

About the CITAP Program

The Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Program begins when a project proponent submits a request to DOE to initiate an environmental review using the Integrated Interagency Pre-Application Process. If accepted as a qualifying project, the project proponent continues through the process with the support of a DOE project manager who coordinates the completion of the environmental review process and compliance with all applicable environmental laws. The program includes reviews pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and other Federal laws as applicable. The Federal Registry published the full rule on Coordination of Federal Authorizations for Electric Transmission Facilities.

Background

The Energy Policy Act enacted by Congress in 2005 added Section 216(h) of the Federal Power Act to authorize DOE to serve as the lead agency for coordinating all necessary Federal authorizations and related environmental reviews to site an electric transmission facility. In May of 2023, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by nine federal agencies to implement Section 216(h)(4) of the Federal Power Act. The 2023 MOU tasks DOE with coordinating environmental reviews and federal permits required for many electric transmission facilities by using the existing authority, Section 216(h), that was enacted in 2005, but which was never fully implemented. In accordance with the 2023 MOU, DOE published a final rule updating its implementing regulations in 10 CFR 900.