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Legislators approve DEQ budget increase amid criticism over permit timeliness
Summary
The Natural Resources Subcommittee reported the Department of Environmental Quality budget out after a lengthy exchange in which members criticized permit timeliness and sharply increased fees and staff levels.
The Natural Resources Subcommittee recommended Senate Bill 5,520 — the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) budget — be amended by dash-1 and reported out due pass. The subcommittee recommended a total-funds budget of approximately $966 million, an increase of roughly 24% over the 2023 approved budget and driven in part by federal climate grant funding.
Several members voiced strong concerns about DEQ performance on core permitting functions, particularly air and…
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