DES seeks streamlined permit‑by‑notification and emergency adaptive permitting in HB1425

Darlene Forest, bureau administrator for the DES Wetlands Bureau, told the committee that House Bill 1425 would simplify wetlands permitting by consolidating overlapping minimum‑impact pathways into a single permit‑by‑notification (PBN) process and would give DES rulemaking authority to create adaptive permitting procedures for emergency or disaster response.

Forest said the department is redesigning its database and that consolidating permit paths reduces redundancy and technical complexity; the PBN is the department’s shortest review route and would be used as the default minimum‑impact pathway. She also said adaptive permitting authority would allow DES to triage emergency projects: an initial stabilization phase followed by a longer‑term engineering review for full repairs.

DES support is conditional on clear rulemaking that preserves environmental protections while improving timeliness and coordination with agencies such as DOT and Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The bill drew no substantial opposition during the hearing and the department provided written testimony supporting the concept.

The committee did not vote on the bill during the hearing; senators indicated they would review DES language and testimony and consider drafting clarifying amendments.