Last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an Executive Order last week creating the PA Permit Fast Track Program, which aims to streamline the Commonwealth’s permitting process for key economic development and infrastructure projects, increase transparency, and accelerate timelines to ensure state government delivers results quickly and efficiently. It would achieve this mainly through a public-facing online dashboard that tracks permit progress, timelines, and feedback from project sponsors. This helps develop transparency in permitting, along with accountability for all parties.
The program will run under the Office of Transformation and Opportunity, which will be charged with overseeing the dashboard and developing, managing, and coordinating permitting across government agencies and private partners to get project sponsors the answers they seek in a timely manner.
Calling the development of the program a “game-changer,” Gov. Shapiro said the PA Permit Fast Track program is “proving that government can move at the speed of business and we’re building a stronger, more competitive Commonwealth where folks want to live, work, and build their future.”
OTO Chief Information Officer Ben Kirshner added, “The PA Permit Fast Track program is in line with the Governor’s vision and gives us a new tool to deliver coordination, accountability, and transparency for permitting big, complex projects here in the Commonwealth, increasing Pennsylvania’s competitiveness.”
PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein responded to the Executive Order with optimism about what the Executive Order could mean for future permitting reform, while expressing appreciation for the progress that has been made this year through the SPEED act: “We are encouraged by the Governor’s continued efforts to advance permitting reform, as this announcement builds upon the work that Senate Republicans and he spearheaded this summer by enacting the SPEED program to fast-track the permit approval process,” Bernstein said. “As we approach 2025, we encourage the Department of Environmental Protection to continue its work to fully implement the SPEED program. We also urge lawmakers and the Governor to maintain their focus on permitting reform – offering greater efficiency, accountability, and certainty for Pennsylvania employers and those looking to invest in our great Commonwealth.”
This article is from The Sentinel, a publication of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.