Freeholders Urge D.E.P. Permitting Changes

CREST HAVEN — The Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders on Tuesday, Jan. 13 passed a resolution requesting Gov. Jon Corzine direct the state Department of Environmental Protection to implement changes to its permitting process.
The changes referred to by freeholders were included in the NJDEP Permit Efficiency Review Task Force’s final report released by former Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson on Aug. 7, 2008.
The county feels the task force identified specific changes that can be implemented now to get projects moving faster. The report identifies key weaknesses with current permitting and offers 39 comprehensive and pragmatic recommendations to effectively improve the process.
Citing the harsh effects of the current economic crisis, Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel stated in a release, “County and local governments can have a significant impact in helping rejuvenate the economy by advancing public work projects. However, to accomplish this NJDEP needs to change their current permitting process.”
The recommendations that Cape May County feels are readily able to be executed include standardizing and streamlining permit programs, staff restructuring, and a greater reliance on academia and outside professionals for both training and permit processing.
The freeholders acknowledge that the NJDEP plays a vital role in evaluating proposed projects to ensure they are not harmful to our state’s precious biodiversity and natural resources but local and county government’s face frequent frustrations with the delays and additional costs navigating the often redundant permitting process as well as the extended delays awaiting a determination.
“The freeholders believe that implementing the immediate fixes contained within the Task Force report, especially the recommendation establishing “Priority Permitting”, is the best approach to give governments the opportunity to preserve and rehabilitate its infrastructure, develop clean energy initiatives, construct public amenities and help jump start our dismal economy,” Beyel concluded.