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EGLE details permitting timelines, enforcement activity and new MyEnviroPortal for air permits
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Summary
EGLE—s Air Quality Division briefed the House Appropriations subcommittee on its Permit to Install and Title V programs, enforcement and inspection statistics, the asbestos notification workload, and the launch of MyEnviroPortal to digitize permitting and public access.
Annette Switzer, director of EGLE's Air Quality Division, told the House Appropriations subcommittee the division has two principal permitting tracks: a Permit to Install (construction permits for stationary sources) and a Title V program for larger sources that compiles operating requirements into a single permit document.
Switzer described program workloads and timelines: the division receives roughly 300 to 400 Permit to Install applications per year, and about 15 of those typically go to public comment. Rule timelines are 180 days for permits without public comment and 240 days with comment; the division reported an FY24 average processing time of 101 days overall and 80 days when extensions are removed. She added that Michigan does not charge a fee for the Permit to Install program but that Title V is a fee-based program with renewals every five years.
On compliance and enforcement, Switzer said Michigan has about 3,000 permitted facilities, roughly 350 of which are Title V or larger sources. In the last fiscal year the division received over 2,000 complaints, issued 336 alleged violation notices and had 26 enforcement cases. She said some cases are escalated to the state Attorney General or the Department of Justice when needed.
Switzer also described the asbestos notification workload and recent statutory changes: the division received more than 11,000 asbestos notifications in the last fiscal year and performed almost 2,000 inspections; the asbestos unit currently has five staff and the division is adding three more to meet metrics set by recently passed legislation, including new fees and contractor background checks.
Finally, Switzer highlighted IT modernization: the new MyEnviroPortal, launched this year, consolidates division data and converts a paper-based permitting process into an electronic application system designed to improve public access and speed internal processing.
Why it matters: Permitting and enforcement determine how stationary sources are reviewed and monitored; staffing, processing time and funding structure affect how quickly permits are processed and how thoroughly complaints are investigated.
Details from the hearing: Switzer said permitting reviews involve multiple division specialists including modeling, toxic-contaminant review and district staff. She noted the division has 23 permit engineers and is working to train staff, many of whom have zero to five years' experience. Her presentation emphasized the complexity of air rules and the need for skilled staff.
What was not decided: The presentation was informational; no changes to permitting fees, inspection schedules, or statutory authority were adopted at the meeting. Committee members asked clarifying questions about carbon capture oversight and debris burning after storms, and agency staff described limits of their authority regarding forest management and options to reuse debris material.
