Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
06/23/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/23/2026 13:59
ICYMI: Governor Shapiro on CNBC’s The Exchange Highlights Pennsylvania’s National Leadership on Economic Development, Permitting Reform
"If you put more money in people's pockets, if you've got good schools, if you've got safe communities - good things are going to happen. We're proving that here in Pennsylvania."
"The number one thing I heard over and over and over again was speed. We were just too slow. We completely reformed our permitting process, and now we're a national model for speed."
"I made clear to our 80,000 strong workforce, we got to move quickly, we got to generate jobs and economic growth, and we've got to give certainty."
Harrisburg, PA - Yesterday in the Bellwether District, Governor Josh Shapiro joined CNBC's The Exchange with Scott Cohen and Kelly Evans to speak about his Administration's work to spur economic growth and significantly reform the Commonwealth's permitting process.
Under the Governor's leadership, Pennsylvania has cut red tape and worked to speed up government. Since 2023, the Shapiro Administration has secured $500 million for site development, reduced permit processing times at the Department of Environmental Protection by roughly 30 percent, and implemented the Fast Track and PAyback Programs to streamline permitting and promote accountability for delayed permits.
Since taking office, the Shapiro Administration has competed for and won over $41 billion in private sector investments that are creating over 24,000 new jobs and driving economic growth across Pennsylvania.
See below for key excerpts from Governor Shapiro's CNBC interview - and read more.
On Moving at the Speed of Business:
"I called CEOs right after I got elected governor who hadn't chosen Pennsylvania to set up their new warehouse or their new headquarters, and said, what are we doing wrong? And you know, they gave me a whole litany of things that hadn't been going right."
"The number one thing I heard over and over and over again was speed. We were just too slow. We completely reformed our permitting process, and now we're a national model for speed. Our Fast Track Program, which is what we have here, gives the CEO, not just speed, but absolute certainty in the process."
"And I want to be clear, you still need to adhere to strict environmental standards, public health, and public safety standards, but it doesn't mean it needs to take forever. We're a government that now works to get to yes and works quickly."
On Permitting Reform:
(Video Mark 2:10)
"Just because something took a long time to go through the bureaucracy didn't mean that the bureaucracy was working effectively. You can move quickly and still protect the environment and public health and public safety. It's a matter of mentality."
"I made clear to our 80,000 strong workforce, we got to move quickly, we got to generate jobs and economic growth, and we've got to give certainty. It doesn't mean we give a pass to CEOs who want to build a building and haven't earned that permit, but it doesn't mean that we have to create artificial slowdowns."
"I think we're a model of effective government - by the way, a bipartisan government. We've made historic investments in our schools, because every kid deserves a foundation for success and opportunity. By the way, we've doubled the amount of funding for vo-tech and apprenticeship programs and noncollege pathways to success."
"We've invested in hiring 2,000 more police officers, a billion dollars in violence prevention initiatives. Violent crime is down 15 percent And then we make sure that in the community where you love to live, you can afford to live there."
"We've cut taxes seven times on my watch, and you can find a job in your communities. I want you to think about this for a second, Kelly - we have done more economic development in the last three years than the prior 15 years combined. Moody's just said we've got the only growing economy."
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Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development published this content on June 23, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 23, 2026 at 19:59 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]