Gov. Shapiro Says Fix Coming for Late Permits: Money-Back Guarantee

Permitting in Pennsylvania, especially those overseen by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), has been broken for years. A Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation permit sometimes takes two, three, even six to eight months for approval--instead of the law-mandated 14 days. It got so bad that in the fall of 2019, PA State Sen. Gene Yaw introduced a bill to allow third-party reviews of these permits (see PA Sen. Yaw Intros Bill to Allow 3rd Party Review of Erosion Permits). In June, DEP Sec. Rich Negrin told lawmakers at a Senate hearing that he’s making good progress on his 10-point plan to speed up permits and cut down on red tape (see DEP Sec. Negrin Focused on Cutting Red Tape, Speeding New Permits). Yesterday, Gov. Shapiro told the Pittsburgh Business Times that beginning this fall, all state-issued permits, including those issued by the DEP, will come with time requirements and a "money-back guarantee."

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