The Streamlining Permits for Economic Expansion and Development (SPEED) Program was created in July 2024 to continue the DEP’s Permit Modernization effort to move further and faster in permit processing and keep Pennsylvania moving at the speed of business.

Through SPEED, permit applications for select permits will be able to use DEP-approved qualified contractors to conduct initial reviews of applications for expedited review. DEP staff will review recommendations from the qualified contractor and make the decision to approve or deny the permit or issue a technical deficiency letter to the applicant.  

Eligible permit Types

• Air Quality plan approvals (state-only) (Chp. 127)
• Earth Disturbance permits (Chp. 102)
• Individual Water Obstruction and Encroachment permits (Chp. 105)
• Dam Safety permits (Chp. 105)
  

DEP is coordinating activities across the state to meet the implementation deadline. Permit Decision Guarantee and PAyback review timeframes will still apply to SPEED permits.

Qualified Professional Requirements

The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is seeking to engage qualified professionals to review permits on an expedited basis as part of the SPEED Program. Below are the requirements to become a DEP-approved qualified contractor:

• Licensed professional who may be necessary to review applications under the eligible permitting program.
• Has five years of experience of relevant permitting experience in PA. 
• Holds all professional licenses as required by law. 
• Has not been convicted of or pled guilty to a crime
• Has not had a professional license revoked by the state license board within the previous 10 years. 
• Agrees to be responsible for the review costs if the review is deemed inadequate or untimely.
• Has not performed work for the applicant in the last 3 years. 
• No other conflicts of interest.

Please continue to check back for any additional updates on the SPEED Program. If you have questions, please reach out to Brian Franklin: bfranklin@pa.gov or calling 717-787-2471.

DEP has implemented PAyback, the Shapiro Administration’s money-back guarantee program that refunds permit application fees if an agency doesn’t act on an application in a set time frame. Since starting the PAyback program in November 2023, DEP has not had to refund a single application fee.

Numbers pulled on October 1, 2024

PAyback eligible applications are still being reviewed but are past the allotted review time for that type of application. DEP continues to review PAyback eligible applications unless the applicant withdraws the application and requests a refund.

DEP cataloged, analyzed and established review timeframes for its permits, licenses, and certifications and developed new internal tracking and reporting tools to implement EO 2023-07. These tools significantly improved DEP’s abilities to track and prioritize pending authorization reviews and manage the backlog. Since December 1, 2023, DEP was able to reduce the backlog of overdue reviews received prior to November 1, 2023 by more than 45 percent.

One of the common permit applications DEP receives is for construction related earth disturbance and post-construction stormwater management, covered by Chp. 102 of the regulatory code. In May 2024, DEP launched a pilot program in 10 counties to try and improve the quality of applications received and reduce the overall processing time for the permit.

The pilot program is expected to reduce the average processing time for these permits by 73 days – from an average of 176 days to an average of 103 days.

One key aspect of the pilot program is requiring applicants to have several pre-application meetings so that applicants and regulators understand the full scope of a project. As a result, applicants can submit permits that address possible environmental concerns without time-consuming communications back and forth about technical deficiencies.

DEP is committed to updating IT infrastructure to make the permitting process easier and more transparent for businesses and communities.

Governor Shapiro recognized this dire need and proposed a budget that will revamp DEP’s online systems. Updating the main recordkeeping tool for permitting and inspections, eFacts, remains a top priority. This budget would also support the development of tools to promote transparency in permit review and recordkeeping for anyone who wants to know what is going on in their community.

The DEP Permit Application Consulting Tool (PACT) is a tool to help potential applicants who are considering a new project in Pennsylvania, or expanding or relocating an existing operation.

It allows potential applicants to quickly and easily determine which types of environmental permits, authorizations or notifications may be required for specific projects.

The tool guides the user through a series of simple questions and provides information and links to permitting information for potential permits that may be required based on the user responses. When submitted to DEP, the tool may serve as the foundation for a Pre-Application Conference/Meeting to discuss and verify tool results and permit coordination.

DEP is improving customer service for regulated entities and Pennsylvania residents by launching training programs to equip employees with the skills and knowledge needed to improve the customer’s experience. DEP is also reviewing feedback from applicants and users to identify opportunities for improvement across our systems.

The Center of Environmental Excellence is identifying Key Performance Indicators to better track performance across DEP programs and identify bottlenecks and pressure points in the review process. These KPIs are tracked in quarterly program reviews to mark progress and explore opportunities for improvement.