Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce Supports PA Chamber of Business & Industry plan for Permitting Reform
On April 18 the Board Directors of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce approved local support for the PA Chamber of Business & Industry's permitting reform initiative. The initiative, which is quickly growing bi-partisan support, includes a focus on third-party review of permits, codifying the Governor's one-stop shop into statute to provide long-term durability, streamlined permit appeals, limiting awarding of legal fees only in cases of bad faith, and recommending a set timeframe for permits to be reviewed and issued. Complete details of the permitting reform can be found here. The PA Chamber of Business and Industry effort is part of a larger bi-partisan effort by the US Chamber of Commerce with their call to bring :
· Predictability – Project developers and financers must have an appropriate level of certainty regarding the scope and timeline for project reviews, including any related judicial review.
· Efficiency – Interagency coordination must be improved to optimize public and private resources while driving better environmental and community outcomes.
· Transparency – Project sponsors and the public must have visibility into the project permitting milestones and schedule through an easily accessible public means.
· Stakeholder Input – All relevant stakeholders must be adequately informed and have the opportunity to provide input within a reasonable and consistent timeframe.
A full list of nationwide support as well as the complete letter of support can be found here.
The CMCC Board of Directors' vote to support the PA Chamber's initiative was met with unanimous approval.
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Founded in 1916, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state's largest broad-based business association, with its membership comprising businesses of all sizes and across all industry sectors. The PA Chamber is The Statewide Voice of BusinessTM.