Protecting public health means enforcing environmental regulations while helping businesses thrive | Opinion

Penn-Live/Patriot News. Jessica Shirley (Acting Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection)

Business moves fast in the 21st century. As Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), I know that our permits can make or break a project or a business seeking to operate in Pennsylvania. Likewise, the people of Pennsylvania rely on DEP to protect public health and safety by enforcing our environmental laws and regulations.

Balancing these important roles of protecting the public while enabling businesses to expand and thrive is our constant mission, and while DEP has faced challenges at times - often due to a lack of resources and staff - I'm proud to report that the Shapiro Administration is making real progress at improving our permitting processes. DEP, alongside the Governor's Office of Transformation and Opportunity, is making enormous strides in reviewing more than 45,000 permits every single year, all while maintaining the levels of environmental and public health protection that Pennsylvanians expect and deserve.

Under the leadership of Gov. Josh Shapiro, we are looking at ways to improve our processes. We've heard from applicants who want to know more about the review of their application, and what to expect. And we've also heard from residents who want to know more about proposed development located near where they live, work, and go to school.

On the business side, we have successfully implemented the PAyback program, Gov. Shapiro's online money-back guarantee system. Through PAyback, application fees are returned to applicants upon request if agencies don't process applications within set review timeframes. I'm proud to report that to date, DEP has met its timing obligations for every permit it has issued.

DEP is also working to reduce the permit application backlog and modernize our permitting processes. Since hiring additional staff members and cataloging and reviewing DEP's nearly 800 available types of permits, DEP has reduced the backlog by nearly 1,750 permits - that's a 73 percent reduction - as of November 15, 2024.

These changes don't happen overnight. For our agency to meet the needs of residents and businesses in a 21st century world, we need 21st century tools.

One of those tools is the new Streamlining Permits for Economic Expansion and Development (SPEED) Program, part of the 2024-25 budget signed into law by Gov. Shapiro in July. SPEED continues the permit process modernization by opening up new options for permit applicants and providing flexibility for DEP staff by allowing outside qualified professionals to conduct initial reviews of applications. Applicants can opt for a SPEED review by DEP-approved professionals to expedite a decision on a permit application, while DEP retains final decision-making authority to ensure that permits meet environmental standards.

We're also working more collaboratively with the regulated industries in order to help them understand these regulations and prepare successful applications. For example, we have convened quarterly meetings with agriculture stakeholders to get their feedback on permitting processes and are conducting User Experience research with key stakeholders to better improve the applicant's experience and reduce bottlenecks in review.

We are not just hearing from the business and industries that need the permits though; we are also listening to the people of Pennsylvania so that they know their voices are heard. We understand that far too often, DEP has only reached out to communities when they were facing an environmental crisis or dealing with a newly permitted facility. Under the leadership of the Shapiro Administration, we are working to reach out proactively, meeting with communities and providing them with the necessary tools to advocate for themselves more effectively, and benefit from available resources. Every Pennsylvania resident deserves, and has a constitutional right to, a clean, healthy environment.

Under the Shapiro Administration, DEP has stepped up enforcement to ensure that polluters aren't just cutting checks as a cost of doing business when they foul our water or pollute our air. This Administration is making sure that communities aren't just made whole, but that they're made better than they were before.

DEP will continue to get stuff done for Pennsylvanians. That means getting permits done for businesses while ensuring that development meets or exceeds environmental safeguards. It also means keeping residents and communities engaged, ensuring that regulatory red tape isn't getting in the way of economic development. We are committed to going further, faster, so Pennsylvanians can expect permits and protection, and receive both promptly.

For the department's 2,800 environmental professionals, DEP will Deliver on Every Promise when it comes to permits and protection.

Jessica Shirley is Acting Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

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