permit

The state has estimated the total cost at $20.1 billion, and Newsom has said he hopes to have the project fully permitted to move forward by the time he leaves office in early 2027.

It prompted criticism from a House of Lords committee, which said the change was being introduced "at a pace that does not permit appropriate scrutiny".

But the issuance of new visas and work permits slowed to a crawl during his first term: Average wait times increased by almost half from 2016 to 2019, according to one legal industry group.

Although Trump is widely expected to do away with the program, immigrant labor advocates said they don’t expect officials in the new administration will rescind work permits that have already been granted.

But the council has refused to allow this, previously saying the excavation was "not possible" under its licencing permit and "excavation itself would have a huge environmental impact on the surrounding area".