MADISON – More than 90 percent of minor air emission sources will be eligible for expedited permits from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, according to a report the agency released today describing steps it has taken to streamline the air quality permit process.
The “Air Permit Streamlining: A Redesign for Success” report provides results of those efforts and highlights additional initiatives the department will implement to further simplify the process of obtaining air permits for businesses. The report is available on the DNR Web site at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/permits.html under “Permit Streamlining Report.”
“Without compromising regulatory standards, the DNR’s Air Management program has undergone significant streamlining, and as a result, Wisconsin citizens have clean air to breathe and Wisconsin businesses can more easily expand and create jobs,” DNR Secretary Scott Hassett said.
Since 2003, when the DNR launched the initiative to streamline the state’s air pollution permit process, the backlog of 307 federally required Air Operating Permits has been eliminated substantial progress made developing new rules to streamline the air management program in Wisconsin.
As a result of these changes, 95 percent of minor air emission sources and 91 percent of all facilities needing a federally enforceable operation permit will be eligible for a streamlined permit tool: a permit exemption, a registration or a general permit. These 1500 plus businesses will be able to construct and operate either immediately or within 15 days of submitting their permit application, pay substantially lower fees and have tremendous flexibility to manage their operations and respond to changing market conditions, without triggering the need for new or revised permits. Prior to the DNR’s streamlining efforts, 85 percent of these facilities needed to get traditional operation and construction permits. In addition, businesses applying for traditional permits are getting them, on average, in 71 days – far sooner than the 180-240 days specified in statute.
Also detailed in the report were changes designed to make the air permitting process more convenient for businesses. Applications for registration permits are now available online, with plans underway to enable all air permit applicants to file online. In addition, a web-based tracking system now provides detailed information on the status of air permits in real time and sends automatic e-mails to inform the applicant about the status of a permit application. The DNR is also emphasizing public education to help applicants better understand the permitting process, saving them both time and money.
Additional changes to DNR’s air permitting process include:
- Consolidating air permit and compliance guidance into a single, searchable system to help staff and the public find policy, procedural and technical guidance online;
- A dispute resolution process to avoid having to involve legal counsel or elected officials in permitting disagreements; and
- Evaluating permit compliance demonstration requirements to check for potential inconsistencies, and addressing any inconsistencies that are found.
“This report shows that here, at the DNR, we’ve implemented real and meaningful regulatory reform without threatening our natural resources or relaxing our standards on public health,” Secretary Hassett said. “As an agency, we are pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish. These are accomplishments that we can – and will – build on.”
Valuable feedback, collaboration and innovative ideas from stakeholders fueled the improvement initiative and will stimulate further regulatory improvement. The report contains numerous recommendations for regulatory improvement and regulatory relief and the DNR intends to work closely with stakeholders and other interested parties to continuously improve air quality permitting and the Air Management program.
