Speedier Permit Approval
from: Forest County Online

Gov. Doyle announced Tuesday, [September 23, 2003] that as part of his "Grow Wisconsin" plan, he wants a strict time limit placed on agencies that deal with permit applications, and penalties on those agencies if the time limits are not met. He suggested that if the Legislature did not work in a cooperative manner he will direct the agencies to implement the necessary reforms through executive action.

Doyle said that speedup in the approval process would not conflict with his environmental goals. His proposal sets specific timelines and deadlines for the permit applications. If an agency misses a deadline, the application fee would be refunded to the applicant and that agency would be fined. The fine levied would come from the offending agency's operating budget and would be transferred to a separate environmental support fund.

Specific initiatives already announced are:
- Expediting air operating permits. The DNR has been ordered to eliminate the current backlog of applications and establish a decision deadline on new applications within 180 days of filing
- Streamlining the review of new source air permits
- Continue fast track issuance of waste water permits
- Consolidation of permits for grading land located adjacent to waterways, and
- The creation of an online permit tracking system.

The Senate, in the first day of the fall legislative session, moved rapidly to implement a speedier permit approval process. However, some of the proposed legislation is certain to be unacceptable to Gov. Doyle. Senate action included:

- Sending to the governor, a bill allowing businesses to self report prior environmental violations to the DNR and having 90 days to correct those violations without being fined.

If the 90 day deadline is not met, the company would received a reduced fine compared with the forfeiture required if regulators had found the violations.

- Sending to the Assembly, a bill decreasing the regulatory burden on small businesses by requiring agencies to justify their rules or repeal them, waiving civil fines if the businesses report compliance violations on their own, and giving businesses more time to comply with new regulations. Agencies are also required to appoint small business regulatory coordinators.

- Sending to the Assembly, a bill requiring state agencies to set and meet specific deadlines for acting on various permit applications. Some of the applications would be presumed to be approved if the permit deadline was not met. (Doyle has said that he would veto this presumed approval provision)

The one thing that the governor and legislature agree on is that slow permitting is detrimental to the state's economy and they intend to see that it will be changed.