Shapiro Launches PA Permit Fast Track to Speed Fracking, Infrastructure

Philadelphia, PA — Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2024-04 on an unspecified recent date, establishing the Pennsylvania Permit Fast Track Program to accelerate permitting for complex economic development and infrastructure projects, including those in the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry.[1][2] The order tasks the Office of Transformation & Opportunity (OTO), led by Chief Information Officer Ben Kirshner, with coordinating across state agencies and private partners to deliver timely answers to project sponsors.[1][2] A new public dashboard will track progress, timelines and feedback, boosting accountability in counties like Washington and Greene, where fracking drives thousands of jobs.[1][2] Pennsylvania, the nation's second-largest energy producer, has seen Shapiro's administration cut permitting backlogs by over 2,400 applications since 2023, reducing wait times from weeks to days.[5] The fast track builds on a January 2023 executive order mandating 'date-certain' responses for environmental permits from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), directly impacting fracking approvals in the Appalachian Basin.[3] Shapiro hailed the program as proof that 'government can move at the speed of business,' aiming to make PA more competitive for investments in natural gas infrastructure.[2] Shapiro co-chaired a bipartisan governors' push with Oklahoma's Gov. Kevin Stitt for federal permitting reforms, emphasizing state leadership after reducing PA's permit delays.[4][5] While the order streamlines reviews without specified fracking exemptions, it aligns with industry calls from groups like the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association for faster DEP processes in high-impact areas like Butler and Armstrong counties.[8] Environmental advocates have yet to issue formal responses, but the initiative promises economic growth in PA's $70 billion natural gas sector.