As part of Governor Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Governor David M. Apatang’s priorities to make government processes more efficient, the administration today announced that the permitting process that involves minor land clearing has been enhanced to reduce turnaround time for applicants.
The enhancement of the permitting process included cooperation by the Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW), Division of Coastal Resources Management (DCRM), Historic Preservation Office (HPO), and the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), who recently renewed their One-Start Memorandum of Agreement.
One-Start is a streamlined permitting process aimed at ensuring efficiency and timely review and approval of land-clearing permits. It allows applicants to submit the application at DEQ with all the necessary requirements, such as the site map and land title, and route those copies of the application packet to other regulatory agencies for review. Once completed, DEQ then issues the permit with agency conditions that permittees must adhere to.
Through the One-Start permit, permittees are assured that all regulatory requirements from CRM, HPO, DFW, DEQ, and their respective federal counterparts have been met, and land clearing may commence. The prerequisite of the One-Start permit is the Zoning permit.
The One-Start process started during the Fitial Administration and was further strengthened during the Inos Administration when the DCRM and DEQ were merged under BECQ.
Also included in the Agreement are the Governor’s Cabinet-level department heads including the Secretary of Lands and Natural Resources Sylvian O. Igisomar, Secretary of Community and Cultural Affairs Mary S. Sablan, and the Administrator of the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ) Eli C. Cabrera.
Millions of federal dollars on infrastructure projects are often stalled, pending regulatory review. The Palacios-Apatang administration is fully committed to ensuring that environmental reviews are thorough without unnecessary delays. The next step will include a review of the Major Siting permitting process.
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