Dayton signs executive order expediting permitting process

Gov. Mark Dayton signed an executive order on Monday that would speed up the environmental permitting process of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The order is similar to a bill proposed by Republicans and was one of their top “job creation” priorities.

“I am pleased that Legislative Leaders and I agree on the need to streamline permitting processes and shorten review timelines in order to support businesses expanding and creating new jobs,” Dayton said in a statement announcing the executive order. “MPCA Commissioner Aasen and DNR Commissioner Landwehr deserve great credit for swiftly mobilizing their agencies to respond more quickly to business needs, while at the same time protecting our citizens and our environment.”

The order would direct state agencies to make a decision on applications within 150 days and to make a decision on environmental impact studies in 30 days. It directs agencies to accept applications and environmental impact studies electronically.

The order also says that when state environmental law is more stringent than federal law or the law of surrounding states, the permitting agency must provide a justification for why the bar would be set higher for that specific permit.

The contents of the order are very similar to a bill introduced by Republican Rep. Dan Fabian of Roseau and was a capstone bill in the job creation plan introduced by Republicans in the first week of the legislative session.

One key provision that seems to have been left out is one that would allow developers to write their own environmental impact studies instead of the permitting agency.

Here’s a copy of Dayton’s order:

EO 11-04 Signed