Although the recently released VT State Auditor's report concerning the Department of Environmental Conservation is not worth the 3/8" wad of paper require for printing, one recommendation has particular merit. It is the creation of an internet portal for one-stop permit application, review, payment and management. Conspicuous by its absence in the report is the need for a bottoms-up review of the permit process itself!! The report states there are 56 different types of permits issued by the DEC, excluding permits that may be required by other State agencies.
However, reengineering the permit sytem must go far deeper that 'portalizing' the present burdensome process and procedures. The candidates for governor all call for 'permit reform,' but only Hogan calls for a total review of the permit process, particularly the process associated with Act 250. Vermont cannot afford the costly burden to business and its citizens of an unpredictable, paper-based permit system. Overhauling it, then creating a user-friendly portal for all permit activity, not just DEC's is more sensible.
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