PHILADELPHIA — In what he called “one of the most exciting economic development projects in the entire country,” Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an agreement Tuesday executive order creation of a fast-track permitting program in Pennsylvania.
“With Fast Track, we will expedite permitting for large, complex and important economic development and infrastructure projects throughout Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said Tuesday in South Philadelphia.
Shapiro said that under the executive order, the Office of Transformation and Opportunity (OTO), headed by Ben Kirshner, will lead a program that identifies major projects requiring permits from multiple agencies, such as the Bellwether District, where Tuesday’s news conference was held.
The Fast Track program “is designed to help project sponsors better understand and meet permitting requirements, reducing costly delays by coordinating meetings among state agencies and efficiently obtaining responses from sponsors to their questions. Each permit submitted through Fast Track continues to be subject to the same rigorous review as every other application across the commonwealth,” according to a statement from Shapiro’s office.
“We believe that ultimately Fast Track will provide a better permitting experience, with much greater certainty, greater transparency and better outcomes for everyone,” Shapiro said during a news conference. “We are so confident that… as part of the Fast Track program, we are launching a campaign aimed at the public panel where the public will be able to review each project’s timeline and the permits required for its implementation.”
“You can follow the progress we’re making in Pennsylvania from home,” Shapiro added. “I think this is unprecedented transparency and accountability in our permitting process. We know of no other state that has an initiative similar to the one we are launching today here in Pennsylvania.”
This year, OTO piloted three economic development projects.
The Bellwether district, which was the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, will include, among others: 1,300 acre commercial and industrial convoluted. Press spokesman HRP GroupThe Chicago-based real estate investment firm that is developing the site told the Capital-Star that the project plans to create 19,000 lasting jobs over the next 10 to 15 years, as well as 28,000 jobs in the construction industry, all work in the same period.
Roberto Perez, CEO of HRP Group, said Tuesday that the company had purchased the Philadelphia Energy Solutions facility, the largest refinery on the East Coast, along with the purpose of its reconstruction.
He estimated that the company removed nearly 18 million gallons of hydrocarbons, 1,500 miles of pipelines, 2,200 tons of asbestos and more than 2 million cubic yards of soil.
Two other projects are underway as part of this pilot program. The Hazelnut project in Luzerne County is a 1,300-acre technology campus, and the Martinsburg community digester in Blair County located at Metzler Farm will convert manure from more than 10 local dairy farms into biogas for the UGI pipeline, according to the governor’s office.
Shapiro said Kirshner has identified three projects in the pilot program.
“We hope that as this initiative progresses, it will be a two-way street where we see an influx of projects, often through DCED, and say, You know what? You’re supposed to be part of the Fast Track system, but we’ve made it clear that we’re open to collaboration,” Shapiro said.
Kirshner said he believes the tool will give Pennsylvania a “competitive advantage over other states.”
“We talk to companies all the time and they give us three reasons why they decide to move to the state. One is money, two is people, and three is permits,” Kirshner said.
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) said in a press release Tuesday that the Senate Republican Caucus “has long recognized the need to implement significant permitting reforms to expand job opportunities and grow our economy. “Executive orders come and go, which is why we insisted that our reform efforts be enshrined in law, as they were in July.”
“While it is unclear how Governor Shapiro’s latest executive order differs from previous legislation initiated by Senate Republicans, we welcome the governor and his Democratic colleagues to the table to work together on further initiatives, Pittman added.
The conservative Commonwealth Foundation said what Shapiro signed Tuesday was a “step in the right direction,” but added that executive orders “are no substitute for real regulatory reform.”
