Interior secretary’s new order aims to speed Alaska’s oil and gas permit process.

But the permitting process is disjointed, he said. In many cases, employees attack the process “sequentially,” doing one section after another. “Well, you can do it simultaneously, without jeopardizing the process itself to make sure the outcome is in the best interest of the public and meets the NEPA requirements,” he said, offering one example of potential efficiency that could be added to the process.