Posted: | January 17, 2017 11:05 AM |
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From: | Senator Elder A. Vogel, Jr. |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | DEP Permitting Transparency |
In the near future I intend to introduce legislation requiring the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create and maintain a secure online permit tracking system available to applicants for tracking the status of permit applications. Here, applicants could follow along with the status of their approvals so that they may be better able to plan the different phases of their projects. Moreover, as many permits can extend over several years, my legislation would also require DEP to provide electronic notifications to permit holders 60 days before the permit’s expiration date as well as notifications regarding changes in statues, regulations, and fees that may affect a permit. Finally, the bill clarifies that when a permit as part of a project issued prior to the effective date of any legislation or regulation altering the requirements for that permit, the provisions under which the permit was granted shall remain valid until the project is completed. Improving our permitting process in this manner provides transparency and will help to make Pennsylvania a more attractive place to conduct business. Please join me by cosponsoring this legislation and contact Matt Parido in my office if you have any questions or concerns. |
Introduced as SB487