There’s precedent for the expedited permitting fee tucked into the tax and spending law President Donald Trump signed last week—but also uncertainty about whether it will actually work as intended, former federal officials say.

The law establishes rules that let developers pay a fee to the Council on Environmental Quality to get an environmental assessment within 180 days or an environmental impact statement within one year. The fee is equivalent to 125% of the EA or EIS expected costs.

The new rules could hand a major win to well-heeled developers who see a benefit in paying a few extra million …