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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 1995
95-183
CONTACT:
Kari Rokstad (360) 407-7451 Permit Assistance Center
Ron Langley (360) 407-6162 Ecology Public Information
NEW ASSISTANCE CENTER MAKES PERMIT SEARCH EASIER
OLYMPIA -- Doing the right thing environmentally is easier now that the state Department of Ecology has people ready to help identify the permits you need.
"If you’re sorting your way through environmental requirements, we’re here to do some of the legwork for you,” said Permit Assistance Center staff member Kari Rokstad. She said the permit center staff handles anything from projects that need a single permit to coordination of multiple permits on a bigger job.
The Permit Assistance Center staff has served more than 350 clients since the center opened in May, fielding questions over the phone or in person at Ecology’s headquarters in Lacey. Rokstad said they have answered a broad range of permit questions, many of them focused on construction work near water or wetlands.
She noted that they also are collecting examples of laws or regulations that are ineffective, confusing, or in conflict with other requirements. They’ll issue a report to the Legislature next year.
Ecology began development of the center about a year ago with the encouragement of agency director Mary Riveland. Recent legislation helped to fund the center and expand it into a multi-agency project with Ecology as the lead.
Rokstad said the Permit Assistance Center’s services are available to assist businesses, local government permit staff, or interest groups. Help is also offered to business associations and economic development groups looking for a general overview of permit programs for their members.
"We want to reduce the number of false starts by getting good information to the right people early in the permit process,” said Rokstad. "We figure there will be less re-work if we help permit seekers get on the right track.”
For example, center staff streamlined permit coordination for a consultant working for the City of Centralia on plans to relicense a city utility site. In another case, the center brought key state regulators together to help a company from Washougal determine what permits it needs to expand a biocide manufacturing facility in that town.
When a person brings a project to the permit center, the staff can:
Rokstad said the permit center focuses on getting people started in the permit process, not on actually issuing permits -- that’s the job of each permit-issuing agency. She said the permit center staff can help business owners estimate how much time and effort they’ll spend to obtain needed permits, and how to avoid potential time and money traps.
"We can’t make your permit go through the process faster, but we can keep you from wasting time finding what permits you need, where to get them, and who to talk to,” Rokstad said.
She pointed out that current permit holders will continue to work with their usual government contacts, not with the Permit Assistance Center.
Additional services will be added to the center during the next two years. Regulations are now being developed for a "coordinated permit process” that will allow a business to enter into a formal agreement with permitting agencies on a particular project. Such agreements would include timelines that must be met by all participants, and will be a service provided by the state in exchange for a fee from the applicant. An advisory team of representatives from business and government is helping Ecology draft these regulations, which are slated for adoption in January 1996.
The Permit Assistance Center can be reached in several ways:
Permit Assistance Center hours are as follows:
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
