Streamlining permitting for economic growth

By Doug Loon
President and CEO
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce

We at the Chamber are keeping a close eye on the legislative session currently underway. This week, the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony from the Minnesota Chamber and the Minnesota Chamber Foundation.
 

First, they heard from Sean O'Neal, the Chamber's Director of Economic Development and Research, and Jennifer Byers, the Executive Director of the Chamber Foundation. They were instrumental in authoring the Foundation's permitting report, which was released last year. This data-driven report—something we've discussed in the past on our podcast—provides the foundation for fundamental reform.

The report reveals that Minnesota's permitting system puts our state at a competitive disadvantage. In some cases, permits take up to six times longer to be approved compared to our peer states. This has resulted in lost investment opportunities for Minnesota.

Andrew Morley, the Chamber's lead lobbyist on regulatory affairs and permitting reform, provided testimony on behalf of pending bipartisan legislation at the Capitol. We're asking for prompt and bipartisan action to streamline Minnesota's permitting process.

The proposals in this bill are designed to enhance efficiency, reduce the number of permit extensions, allow for expedited permitting, and provide oversight for permits that linger past the agency's 150-day review goal. While we are asking for a more efficient and predictable system to ensure timely reviews, we are not asking for standards to be lowered. Protecting Minnesota’s air and water remains a top priority.

Our goal is to maintain these high standards while creating a more efficient, predictable system that allows good projects to move forward. This is a goal we believe everyone can agree on.

The Minnesota Chamber is taking the lead on this issue by spearheading the Minnesota Environmental Permitting Coalition. This coalition includes more than 70 organizations—spanning labor, business, local communities, the construction trades, and groups like the AFL-CIO—who are united in improving Minnesota’s competitiveness.

When we hosted Governor Walz and Senate and House leaders at last week's Session Priorities program, each expressed support for reforming the permitting process. While the steps taken last year were positive, they were just a start. Much more needs to be done to ensure businesses, industries, and their employees can move forward with projects that meet our state’s high standards in a timely manner.

If you’re a businessperson whose operations are directly impacted by Minnesota's permitting process, we encourage you to get involved. Visit us at mnchamber.com. Even if your business isn’t directly affected, improving this process will strengthen our state’s economy, make Minnesota more competitive, and support private-sector growth.

This is about making our state government more efficient and responsive to good projects that need to get done. Thank you for your support of this important topic. We look forward to catching up with you on next week's episode of the Minnesota Business Podcast!