The mission of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is to protect our state’s air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment. In carrying out DEP’s mission, the department must work with individuals, organizations, and businesses to ensure that they are environmental partners by following regulations and preserving our Commonwealth’s most precious natural resources.
 
One of the many administrative functions of DEP is to issue permits, licenses, certifications and approvals. In a 2024 DEP budget hearing, the Secretary was asked to provide the committee with an updated list of permits issued by DEP and their statutory authority. The response dated March 15, 2024, stated that the department issues 800 permits.
 
The issuance of 800 permits is an astonishing number. I intend to introduce a resolution that will direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) to conduct a comprehensive study and review of the permits issued and authorized by the DEP.
 
The report will require the following:
 

1. A total list of all permits issued by DEP and the statutory reference, including initial date of permit issuance, and
2. A review of all permits issued by DEP and identify any overlapping, inconsistent, or antiquated permits, or anything that deviates from federal law or regulation, and
3. A review of permit utilization and implementation of DEP permits over a full calendar year review shall include:
   1. total of the number of each permit applied for by permit type identifying which permits are electronic versus paper filing, and
   2. the maximum and minimum wait time for approval of each permit; and
   3. the number of permits necessary per applicant.
4. An analysis and comparison of other state Environmental Protection permits to identify best practices or provide suggestions for improving on program performance while preserving and maintaining DEP’s mission, and
5. An analysis and comparison of total and individual resources and workloads for the permitting programs and all offices charged with administration of the programs.

 
This review is well overdue. Any effort to seriously look at governmental process improvements is one more step closer to getting government out of the way, growing our economy and attracting more business and opportunity to Pennsylvania.