In this exclusive interview with Christine Harada, former Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council Chair and current overseer of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Harada shares her experiences and knowledge gained from managing two critical and complex federal portfolios. She delves into the intricacies of infrastructure permitting and federal procurement, highlighting her role in streamlining processes to support the Biden-Harris administration's ambitious agendas. Discussing the administration's investment in grid resilience and innovation, the impact of the CHIPS and Science Act on advancing semiconductor technologies, and the importance of modernizing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Harada reflects on the progress and emphasizes the need for creative financial solutions to support future clean energy initiatives. Her passion for public service, commitment to improving infrastructure, and enthusiasm for fostering public-private partnerships support her vision for a resilient and sustainable future.
During our last interview, you were the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council Chair. What did you learn in that position that informs your role at the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, where you oversee $700 billion in federal procurement?
Sure, and thanks again for having me. It's been an exciting time in the very niche, wonky world of infrastructure permitting as well as federal procurement. What they have in common is that they are extraordinarily large and complicated portfolios that have a tremendous impact on the nation and our everyday lives, even in ways that many of us don't always see.
Concerning the infrastructure permitting work, we've done a lot to help accelerate and improve the overall federal permitting process so that Americans across the country can benefit from the Investing in America agenda of the Biden-Harris administration. The administration has taken a three-pronged approach to that. First, we've invested a billion dollars through the Inflation Reduction Act funds to hire experts and invest in new technologies to expedite reviews. Second, we're implementing the first reforms to modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes for the first time in 50 years, helping to accelerate permitting. Lastly, we've finalized a rule called the Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule to expedite the process further.
In my current role at the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, I help provide overall direction for government-wide procurement policies, regulations, and procedures that promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in acquisition processes. As you noted, the federal government procures well over $750 billion worth of goods and services every year, covering everything from construction to sustainability. I half-joke that we buy everything from dog food to satellites. I help chair the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Council, which includes the Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and NASA. These regulations act as the "rules of the road," so to speak, for those contracts.
In light of the administration's focus on getting shovels in the ground as a result of bipartisan funding measures, could you give us a little glimpse of some of the rule changes you've made to expedite that?
Sure, absolutely. It might get a little wonky, but I think your audience is technically proficient. Some of the rule changes include enhancing or rethinking categorical exclusions for NEPA analyses. For projects we've done before, we’re looking at how we can replicate the process without duplicating analyses unnecessarily, saving time in the process.
The Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule that I mentioned earlier fully implements many of the new permitting efficiencies articulated into law in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This includes setting clear deadlines for agencies to complete environmental reviews, designating a lead agency, and setting specific expectations for lead and cooperating agencies, creating a more unified and coordinated federal review process. It also establishes new ways for federal agencies to create categorical exclusions, which are the fastest form of environmental review, helping to accelerate reviews for projects evaluated on a broad programmatic scale or that already incorporate measures to mitigate adverse environmental effects.
Let’s talk about the Biden-Harris administration’s $2.2 billion investment in Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships. What's included in that, and what’s the public going to see in the way of shovels in the ground as a result?
That’s also something interesting and exciting. The Department of Energy announced its $2.2 billion investment earlier this month for eight specific projects across 18 states. This investment also catalyzes nearly $10 billion in private investment, helping deploy new and innovative transmission infrastructure and technology upgrades. It's slated to add nearly 13 gigawatts of grid capacity, including 4,800 megawatts of offshore wind, which will allow more clean power to reach customers across the country.
The offshore wind portfolio is expanding across the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and now the Pacific Coast as well. California is moving forward on that front, and there’s some exciting news there. The projects leverage innovative transmission infrastructure, advanced technology upgrades, advanced conductors, dynamic line ratings, microgrids, advanced distribution management systems, and federal interstate and private sector collaboration to demonstrate that these innovative partnerships can work.
There's a lot to be excited about, Christine. Just for purposes of time, let me move to the CHIPS and Science Act, which was meant to boost semiconductor manufacturing and R&D. What role do you see advanced semiconductors and other technologies playing in this revolution or evolution of a smarter, more resilient grid?
Oh, my goodness, so many fronts. When I started back in the day, there were supercomputers, but that seems like every day at this point. As many of us know from the analyses by some of the national laboratories with fabulous computers—I won’t say superconducting, but supercomputers—we're seeing advanced technologies being applied in ways we couldn't have imagined before. For instance, modeling grid capacities and forecasting where infrastructure improvements are needed informs downstream elements that may not be as dependent on advanced technology.
It also helps with things like dynamic line ratings, which enable us to take advantage of existing infrastructure and improve it without building additional lines, especially in environmentally sensitive areas. This allows us to maximize current capacities, and I continue to be struck in awe of the entrepreneurial spirit that finds new, innovative ways to apply these technologies. With this said, I'm certain that there are tons of opportunities out there that I haven’t come across just yet.
Could you share a little bit about those advanced technologies that you’re seeing and how your funding is helping deploy them?
Absolutely. Since we live in California and I have an EV, I’m particularly excited about the number of publicly available EV chargers. Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the number of publicly available EV chargers has doubled. We’ve been working closely with our Made in America office colleagues to ensure those chargers are developed and manufactured here in the United States, as well as being deployed here at home. We have over 192,000 publicly available charging ports, and we’re adding approximately 1,000 new public chargers every week, which is crazy in a great way.
It’s a testament to legislations like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, which have spurred private investments in infrastructure. We’ve also invested heavily in charging infrastructure in rural and suburban areas as well as tribal communities, filling critical gaps and aligning with the National Zero Emission Freight Corridor Strategy that invests in EV charging for trucks along one of the nation's largest freight corridors.
What do you make of the Biden-Harris administration’s investment in hydrogen hubs, including one in California? If possible, could you expand on your role in that specific endeavor?
In my current capacity, I unfortunately don’t have a direct role in that, but I do continue to watch from afar. When I was involved in permitting, it was an exciting development because it allowed us to problem-solve the permitting challenges associated with hydrogen hubs. What was particularly exciting was the willingness and enthusiasm of the partners to problem-solve actively, which is often a big roadblock in infrastructure development.
Effective community engagement and addressing bureaucracy at various levels—federal, state, and local—are crucial. Working with partners like the National Governors Association, we coordinated and streamlined processes, combining resources and aligning efforts to overcome challenges.
As we continue getting folks together to roll up their sleeves and actively think through these things, we ask: How can we combine parts of our processes? How can we double up our resources and address the issues altogether?
Christine, how do you explain to your family what it is that you do?
My younger son once said, “Mom’s always on Zoom.” It didn’t come to life for them until they visited me at the White House late last year and realized, “Oh, Mom works at the White House.” They hear a lot of numbers from me—maybe not surprising since I’m an engineer—but I hope they understand that I’m working in service to our nation, trying to improve infrastructure and the federal government’s overall impact on our missions and citizens through procurement.
There are so many great things we can do with procurement, including supporting local communities, driving economic development, and fostering equity and small business development. We aim to diversify our federal supply chain, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it enhances our operational resilience, especially when disasters or weather events disrupt supply chains.
Over the last 17 years of VerdeXchange conferences, and especially recently, there's been a notion that we are now in the age of implementation. Even the Chair of the California Energy Commission has made this statement, and implementation seems to be the heart of your role. What can you say to our readers about where we currently are in the curve of implementation?
I would say we’re very much in the middle of it. I agree with the Chair of the California Energy Commission, who is extraordinarily wise. What I find encouraging is that at all levels of government, people are enthusiastic and are tackling the problems constructively. We’re thinking about overlapping NEPA and CEQA requirements in California, for example, and ensuring that these processes support both federal and state analyses.
Local governments are also engaged. They’re working on investments in tradecraft, and workforce development to ensure that these benefits are shared by the local community. There are more pragmatic and actionable discussions happening, and you can see that when driving around LA or flying in and out of LAX—you see construction projects. We may be annoyed by the orange cones, but it’s a good thing because this work will power our economy for the next 50 to 100 years.
I’ll close with a broad question: What are the most critical steps the U.S. must take to ensure the grid is not only resilient but also capable of supporting a clean energy future?
Oh, absolutely. We're doing as much as we can at the moment, but obviously, there's more that can be done to ensure that second part. It's really frightening that climate change is 100% here, right?
The first half of 2024 has broken all sorts of records for the hottest days in history, and we've got all sorts of extreme weather events that continue to hit every part of the country. We need to continue to act with that urgency to strengthen our aging grid and expand on the existing infrastructure and technologies that we're able to deploy.
We would very much like to encourage our friends in the financing sector to help us think through creative solutions to provide capital for these projects. It's been exciting because, since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, we've seen over $680 billion in matching private sector funds in investing in these infrastructure projects to include everything from chip manufacturing facilities to bridges, roads, and EV charging infrastructure. There will be a lot more opportunity for those things going forward, and so to the extent that we can partner with our financial service friends, good things are to come in the days ahead.