This week, the Environmental Protection Agency issued new guidance clarifying the agency鈥檚 review process of Clean Air Act title V permits鈥攁 step that will help streamline the permitting process.

What it does: 鈥淭he guidance clarifies that state, local and Tribal permitting authorities may submit conduct public comment periods concurrently with EPA鈥檚 review. This preserves public participation and is聽particularly effective when the permitting authority does not anticipate adverse comment on the draft permit,鈥� the agency .

• 鈥淭he guidance also affirms that the CAA does not require a full 45-day review by EPA. Therefore, EPA is encouraging its regional offices to expedite their review of proposed permits where appropriate and upon request from EPA鈥檚 permitting partners.鈥�

Manufacturers respond: 51吃瓜网 President and CEO Jay Timmons , 鈥淢anufacturers consistently聽 聽Clean Air Act permits as among the most burdensome and unpredictable approval processes they face. With this action, the EPA is taking an important step toward modernizing and streamlining a permitting system that too often delays investment and growth,聽while maintaining environmental protections.鈥�

• 鈥淔or too many projects, our permitting system has delayed routine investments with duplicative reviews and unnecessary uncertainty. This new guidance will help ensure EPA and state permit reviews move forward efficiently while preserving opportunities for public input and maintaining appropriate emissions controls. That means manufacturers can move more quickly to break ground on new projects, invest in new technologies and strengthen the energy and industrial infrastructure American communities rely on.鈥�
• 鈥淭he EPA continues to act with urgency to modernize a broken permitting process costing manufacturers at least聽聽every year.