EDITOR’S NOTE: Last week’s news report on an amendment to a bill reforming the permitting process for certain energy projects, authored by Sen. Grant Hauschild, included provisions in the amendment that had been removed prior to the amendment’s introduction. The following should correct and clarify the matter. The Timberjay regrets any confusion this may have caused.

ST. PAUL— An amendment to a permitting reform measure designed to speed up the approval process for clean energy projects in Minnesota would put a longstanding practice in project permitting into state law.
The amendment, introduced by Third District Sen. Grant Hauschild, would require state regulatory agencies to offer “coordinated project planning” for any project requiring an environmental impact statement, a process that the agencies say they already use informally. The coordinated process would help establish clearer timelines and would require the agencies to update designated legislative leaders if they’re unable to meet the established deadlines.
Sen. Hauschild said he’d been working with the Department of Natural Resources, the Pollution Control Agency, Senate leadership, and the Governor’s office to agree on wording for the change. At this point, Hauschild said state agencies are supportive of the change.
Business groups appear to also be on board, even though the measure falls short of fully implementing a proposal backed by the state’s Chamber of Commerce.
“You’re never going to get the whole loaf,” said Tony Kwilas. “Sen. Hauschild did a great job of advancing the portion that he did related to the coordinated project planning. It lays out and provides the certainty that businesses need as they go through the regulatory process,” he said.
Kwilas said the chamber will continue to look for opportunities in the remaining weeks of the session to advance other parts of their overall agenda to advance permitting reform.
A broader initiative by the chamber, that would have implemented several other changes to the state’s permitting system, was introduced last week in the House by Rep. Dave Lislegard and in the Senate by Hauschild but is likely too late to advance this year.