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DEQ warns permit delays and turnover are slowing projects; seeks targeted pay increases and staff stabilization
Summary
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Director Jess Byrne told legislators high turnover and vacant technical positions have lengthened permit review times, and requested targeted pay adjustments and other measures to improve recruitment and retention while explaining ARPA and loan funding flows and the Bunker Hill basin remediation funding.
Director Jess Byrne and Department of Environmental Quality staff testified to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that staffing shortages and turnover have lengthened permit processing times and are constraining the agency’s ability to deliver permitting and oversight services that support business and infrastructure projects.
The issue is material because permit speeds affect the timeline for new facilities and infrastructure. The department told lawmakers that targeted pay adjustments, combined with a compensation equity change (CEC) that the committee has already debated, are part of an effort to stabilize hiring and reduce turnover in technical permitting programs.
Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with legislative services, prefaced the DEQ presentation with a fund and staffing overview. She said DEQ is currently allocated about 385 FTP and had roughly 37 vacancies (about a 9.7% vacancy rate at the time of the budget submission). The agency reported spending about 85% of its personnel appropriation in 2024 and described recruitment and…
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