Government Affairs REPORT

Public hearing on Feb. 27
Legislation would cap excessive DEP permit fee increases

(Feb. 24, 2006) In response to recent proposals by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to significantly raise the fees businesses must pay for general permits, the legislature’s Environment Committee is holding a public hearing on Monday, Feb. 27 to receive comments on a bill that would cap those increases.

General permits were created to give the DEP a way to regulate broad categories of activities rather than having to issue resource-intensive individual permits to individual facilities. They are an efficient and effective way to regulate emission sources.

Once the DEP issues a general permit, facilities either are automatically covered by the provisions of the general permit or may just need to send in a registration form to the department to be covered by the permit.

However, the fee associated with the issuance of new or reissued general permits is climbing dramatically. For example, the DEP recently issued a proposal that would hike the permit fee for a five-year general permit by 20-fold (1900%) when the general permit was issued five years ago.

Many businesses hold multiple general permits. One company that registered for all 18 of its general permits just five years ago for $4,500 is now facing a $90,000 price tag. CBIA requested and was granted a public hearing on this proposed fee increase. Unfortunately, on Feb. 17, the DEP hearing officer released a Proposed Final Decision concluding that the proposed increase was “appropriate.”

SB-292 proposes to limit the allowable increase in general permit fees to no more than 100%.

E-mail the committee:

CBIA urges member companies who are concerned about this issue to e-mail the Environment Committee (click on link to get the committee) as soon as possible to express support for the bill. You can also e-mail them at cbia.com/gov.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Eric Brown at 860-244-1900 or browne@cbia.com.