New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill recently announced the continued progress within her Administration to cut permitting delays, deliver faster reviews and decrease costs for NJ families and businesses. Gov. Sherrill also unveiled the public view of the New Jersey Permitting Dashboard Pilot, providing residents with a real-time look at projects moving through state review at permits.nj.gov.
Since January, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has reduced its Freshwater Wetlands Letter of Interpretation backlog by 74 percent. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has cut its Minor Access Permit backlog by 83 percent, which includes resolving 523 stalled permits.
In the past few months, the DEP has also reduced its Remedial Action Permit Backlog by 25 percent and the DOT cut its Major Access Permit backlog by 19 percent. This progress works to keep key infrastructure projects in the Garden State moving forward.
“When I took office, I promised to save New Jerseyans time and money,” said Governor Sherrill. “Slow permits mean higher costs for everyone, from families waiting on new homes to businesses ready to hire. In less than a year, we’ve cleared backlogs, changed how agencies work, and moved critical projects forward. And because accountability matters, we’re opening the books so every resident can see the progress for themselves via the New Jersey Permitting Dashboard Pilot. Faster reviews help build a more affordable New Jersey, and we’re just getting started.”
The 74 percent reduction in the DEP Freshwater Wetlands Letter of Interpretation backlog saw applications pending for 6+ months falling from 927 to 240. These letters confirm whether wetlands are present on a property and where their boundaries fall. For the DOT Minor Access Permit backlog reduction, the total number of pending applications went from 653 to 108. These permits allow small- to medium-sized housing projects and businesses to build or modify driveways and entrances onto state highways.
The DEP Remedial Action Permit backlog reduction saw total pending applications fall from 656 to 493. This permit is vital for redeveloping previously contaminated “Brownfield” sites into safe and productive commercial, industrial or retail properties. The DOT Major Access Permit backlog reduction led to total pending applications falling from 262 to 211. These permits allow large housing projects to build or modify driveways and entrances onto state highways.
New Jersey State agencies have reorganized their permitting offices and created new strike teams to increase collaboration and efficiency in their permit processes. DEP created Operation FAST as a way to streamline permitting for solar energy projects. DOT underwent a reorganization to put all permitting functions under the Division of Transportation Permitting, looking to decrease the amount of delays.
The Garden State has also worked to create more transparency with the Permitting Dashboard Pilot, which launched in June. The public view allows anyone to follow the 10 pilot projects as they move through review at DEP, DOT and the Department of Community Affairs. The dashboard shows every permit that each project has applied for, the responsible agency and the progress through each stage of its review. DEP and the New Jersey Innovation Authority are now automating the dashboard to allow more projects to be added in the coming months.
“The Permitting Dashboard brings transparency and coordination to a complex process: developers and the public can see what’s done and what’s left to keep critical projects on track,” said New Jersey State Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole. “Under Governor Sherrill’s leadership, we’ll keep improving the permitting process while helping New Jerseyans know how investments in their communities are moving forward.”
While the changes have already made significant strides, the Administration continues to work on making progress towards cutting these delays. This decision will help allow infrastructure projects in the Garden State to progress smoother.