The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said it launched the US's first online air quality permitting and payment process. It hopes to use the fully automated internet site, developed with Virginia-based American Management Systems Inc., to help large and small companies apply for permits, from large petrochemical manufacturers down to gas stations.
New Jersey said it hopes the ease of use of the website and the short approval time (about 6 minutes, it estimates) will encourage environmental compliance. The new process requires no paperwork or manual intervention by NJDEP staff.
The NJDEP is already planning to expand its internet-accessible processes to include online renewal of air permits, electronic reporting of excess air emissions reports, submittal of additional types of general air permits, submittal of annual Right-to-Know surveys, and registration of underground storage tanks.
"This innovative partnering of technology and environmental permitting advances Governor Christine Todd Whitman's goal of making New Jersey the 'online' state," NJDEP Commissioner Bob Shinn said. "With this project, we are able to reduce paperwork, shorten approval times, encourage environmental compliance, and refocus our staff on issues that have a greater environmental benefit."
"With the creation of this air general permits application, we now have a way to get timely approvals for small pieces of equipment at our facilities," said J. Russell Cerchiaro, Manager, Environmental Regulatory Affairs and Program Development for the Schering-Plough Corp. "And through an online process, with digital signature capabilities, our permits can be transmitted with the required authentication simply with the click of a mouse."
