understanding permitting

Here are some of the approvals needed for many industrial facilities. The specific workings of the facility and the rules of the local municipality and the state dictate the specific stamps of approval needed.
Local municipality:
- Decides how land can be used and where different kinds of development can be located.
- Decision-Makers: Design Review Committee; Board of Zoning Appeals & Planning Commission, City Council
County:
- Creates county plan; sometimes approve some stream crossing, roads, and waste.
- Decision-Makers: Board of County Commissioners (if there is zoning) & Development Districts
State
- Implements federal expectations for the issue and oversees day-to-day monitoring.
- Power over many environmental permits.
- Decision-Makers: State Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Natural Resources, Public Utilities Commission, State Economic Development Department, or State Department of Health
Federal
- Creates the big-picture vision for the issue.
- Creates the expectation and baseline standards for different issues.
- Give $ to states to implement the vision.
- Permitting over cross-state impacts or especially big environmental emissions.
- Decision-Makers: US Environmental Protection Agency, US Dept. of Transportation, US Dept. of Energy
- NEPA Overview
Learn the general process for state environmental permits.
- Proposed Aliquippa Steel Manufacturing Plant - What You Need To Know (July, 2023)
- Pleasants Power Station - Potential Permits and Approvals Need for Pyrolysis Plans (August, 2023)
Citizen's Guide to the Permitting and Approval Process for Land Development in Pennsylvania: https://www.delcocd.org/DevGuide.pdf
A Citizen’s Guide to Fracking Permits in West Virginia: https://wvrivers.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/WV-Rivers-Citizens-Guide-to-Fracking.pdf

All small and large industrial facilities need to get a number of different stamps of approval before they can move forward.

Knowing the approval process can help communities know what to pay attention to and where to look to be ready for public commenting.

Navigating Permitting and Bureaucracy Workshop - Coming Soon!

NEPA Workshop - Coming Soon!

requesting public meetings and/or

a longer commenting periods

**HOW DO I REQUEST A**
**PUBLIC MEETING OR**
**LONGER COMMENT PERIOD?**

Tips and Resources

A public meeting can bring community together to express their opinions, hear a speaker or plan, learn together about a topic, or work together to develop a solution.

Sometimes public meetings are required for different approvals, but sometimes they may not be.

Requesting a meeting and/or longer commenting periods can make sure that everyone in community understands the project and has the chance to voice their concerns.

Request a Public Meeting - letter template

request an extended comment period - letter template

Attending a Public meeting and

making or submitting comments

Public comments are a comment to an agency to provide feedback to a proposed rule, regulation, or permit application under consideration.

Commenting can help provide your facts and perspectives to decision-makers before they make a decision.

Commenting may stop a project or provide changes to the permit. By submitting a comment, you can:

Provide additional information;
Give the chance to make your voice heard; and
Ensure that the approving agency is aware of all pertinent concerns.

In many situations, the agency may be required to respond to all comments.

Comments are the strongest when people make strong, personal, unique, or technical comments. Form letters, postcards, and petitions do not always have the strongest impact.