Report: New York’s need for straightforward environmental permitting reform

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A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report evaluates how the state of New York is handling its system of environmental permitting, the regulatory process that serves as the gateway - or barrier - for all commercial and residential projects that have the potential to impact the environment. The report suggests reforms that would make New York's permitting system more efficient and effective and less needlessly burdensome.

"New York State's environmental permitting procedures are a mixed bag," said report author and CEI Senior Fellow James Broughel. "On the one hand, the Uniform Procedures Act (UPA), signed into law in 1977, has provided a stable framework for the state's Department of Environmental Conservation processes, standardizing procedures across a wide range of programs."

On the negative end, New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) is a sweeping regulatory law that requires intrusive environmental reviews for projects, leading to "protracted, open-ended permit reviews that create significant uncertainty for applicants," Broughel says.

Reforming the environmental permitting process in New York would cut through unnecessary red tape and help people get regulatory approval and transparency. New York's business community and economy would also benefit significantly from newly approved projects through job creation and an enhanced competitive marketplace.

The report's recommended reforms include:

• Simplify or even repeal the SEQR to prevent open-ended permit reviews and uncertainty among applicants and project sponsors.
• Reduce redundancies between laws like the SEQR and other established environmental regulations.
• Limit outside engagement to prevent roadblocks for potential projects.
• Expand the UPA to encompass all types of permitting projects.

Read the full report here:Empire State of Mind: Curing New York State's environmental permitting hangover

Read past reports in the environmental permitting series:

• Colorado permitting reform:Distilling Efficiency: Colorado's quest to refine its permitting process
• Virginia permitting reform:Transparency on Tap: Virginia's online permit revolution