The Environmental Review and Permitting Office
What We Do
The primary driver of the Environmental Review and Permitting Office’s (ERPO) work is outlined in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). Title 41 of this Act (42 U.S.C. § 4370m et seq.), referred to as “FAST-41,” was signed into law in 2015. FAST-41 established the Permitting Council, a unique Federal agency charged with improving the transparency, predictability, and outcomes of the Federal environmental review and authorization process for certain large-scale critical infrastructure projects.
ERPO’s work is centered on supporting USDA’s Permitting Council Member and the Senior Agency Official for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in leading ongoing government-wide efforts to modernize the Federal permitting and environmental review processes for major infrastructure projects and work with Federal agency partners to implement and oversee adherence to the statutory requirements set forth in the FAST-41 Act.
Leadership
Scott Vandegrift, Chief Environmental Review and Permitting Officer
Scott Vandegrift serves as the Chief Environmental Review and Permitting Officer for the USDA. In this role, Mr. Vandegrift supports USDA’s Council Member on the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council). He leads implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, the streamlining of permitting processes, and the movement of major infrastructure projects through the regulatory process, ensuring rigorous and meaningful cross-governmental collaboration to navigate environmental statutes and regulations and find practical solutions to ensure efficient project delivery.
Mr. Vandegrift brings extensive experience in civil engineering, infrastructure, and policy to this role. He began his career as a civil engineer, working on designing, permitting, and constructing infrastructure projects for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Park Service, and the Forest Service. His fieldwork across Montana, Alaska, Idaho, and Virginia, and the expertise gained from working as a legislative affairs specialist with Forest Service, and the White House Council of Environmental Quality, provided him with both valuable hands-on experience and a deep understanding of policy and infrastructure development complexities.
Mr. Vandegrift’s journey from field expert to this critical role highlights his versatility, resilience, and commitment to advancing the nation's infrastructure agenda. His technical proficiency and strategic vision contribute significantly to the USDA's mission, ensuring that infrastructure projects are executed efficiently, with integrity and environmental stewardship, and deliver significant environmental and community outcomes.
Shamina Dillard, Deputy Chief Environmental Review and Permitting Officer
Shamina Dillard is a licensed professional engineer with a passion for innovation, stewardship, and employee development. Mrs. Dillard's journey with the USDA began with her selection as a National 1890's Scholar, where she first demonstrated her commitment to service and innovation. Graduating from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with a degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and later earning a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi State University, Mrs. Dillard has continually leveraged her education and skills to benefit the agency, its employees, and its customers.
Throughout her career, Mrs. Dillard has held impactful roles within the USDA, including Forest Engineer, IT Project Manager, Supervisory Workforce Management Lead, and Branch Chief for IT Asset Management. In each capacity, she has demonstrated results in innovative policy, process improvement, and strong leadership of dynamic teams that support and achieve organizational goals.
In her current role as Deputy Chief Environmental Review and Permitting Officer, Mrs. Dillard continues to utilize her skills and expertise to serve USDA employees, customers, and communities. With a deep-rooted commitment to excellence and innovation, she leads a team to streamline the delivery of infrastructure projects, improve efficiency and engineer more effective and timely environmental review and permitting processes across the agency.
