Chamber Foundation: Minnesota issues many routine permits quickly but industrial tier‑2 reviews are frequently delayed

Chamber Foundation researchers told the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee that Minnesota issues routine environmental permits quickly but that industrial, individualized (tier 2) air and water permits often take far longer than the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's 150‑day goal.

The report, delivered by Sean O'Neil, director of economic development and research for the Minnesota Chamber Foundation, says most tier 1 air permits issue in about 29 days, while median times for tier 2 air permits used for construction ranged into the hundreds of days (the report gives a median of roughly 351 days for priority tier 2 air permits and an average near 586 days across 2018–2023). For non‑priority tier 2 air permits the researchers reported a median of about 887 days and an average approaching 1,300 days.

Those differences matter because delays can…