This bill:
1. Establishes the State Regulatory Ombudsman Program within the Department of Economic and Community Development to facilitate permitting for developers working on projects of critical impact;
2. Provides that the department must approve, disapprove or schedule a hearing on an application to construct or operate a development within 90 days of receipt of the application;
3. Establishes a task force related to regulatory processes to make recommendations to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to make regulatory processes faster, more transparent and more accessible; and
4. Requires the Department of Environmental Protection to develop and implement an online permitting system that enables tracking of permit applications handled by the department.
Statutes affected: Bill Text LD 1997, SP 822: 5.13055, 38.485