DE HB248

Applicants seeking permits for qualified projects in or within 3 miles of underserved communities must complete community outreach activities within 3 months before submitting permit applications to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Underserved communities are defined as geographic areas meeting criteria including: poverty rates above state average, racial/ethnic populations exceeding 3 times the state average, combined minority populations exceeding twice the state average, or limited English proficiency communities as identified on the Department's community mapping tool.

Applicants must identify a community liaison, mail notices to all residences, hold at least one public community meeting within or near the underserved community, and publish meeting notices in newspapers and online at least 30 days in advance, with translations in predominant non-English languages where applicable.

Community meetings must be interactive, use plain language comprehensible at a sixth-grade reading level, be recorded or transcribed and made publicly available, and applicants must provide written responses to unanswered questions before submitting permit applications.

Applicants must submit an Underserved Community Outreach Report detailing community demographics, facility liaison information, project benefits, compliance history, environmental impacts, all applicable permits, and copies of all materials and meeting documentation; all costs for translations, notices, and transcripts are the applicant's responsibility.