Study finds long delays for Minnesota air and water permits; recommends process changes

St. Paul — A new study presented Dec. 3 to the Subcommittee on Minnesota Water Policy found Minnesota often takes far longer than peer states to issue complex air and individual industrial water permits, slowing some capital investments and expansions.

The Minnesota Chamber Foundation and Barr Engineering told the subcommittee that priority tier 2 air permits and individual industrial MPDES water permits frequently exceed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) issuance goals and peer-state averages, and recommended increased prioritization of timeliness, more general (tier 1) permits where appropriate, clearer anti-degradation guidance, and an online tracking dashboard.

The study’s authors said the analysis looked at permit-level administrative records and state-by-state comparisons to estimate how permitting timelines affect economic output. “We were not looking at anything that would reduce the overall environmental standards of our permitting regulations,” Sean O’Neil of the Minnesota Chamber Foundation said. “We’re simply looking at how we can streamline them to have them be more efficient so companies can get through a process faster and with more certainty.”

Key findings presented…