HB 5332 Summary

• Establishes a 15-member permit appeal panel in the department of environmental quality, appointed by the governor with staggered 4-year terms, requiring members to have professional engineering, geology, hydrology, or hydrogeology credentials with at least 6 years of relevant experience.

• Creates an appeal process allowing permit applicants denied or aggrieved by the department's permit decision to petition the director for review by a 5-member appeal board selected from the panel based on relevant expertise.

• Requires appeal board decisions to be made within 45 days of hearing the appeal and provided in writing with specific scientific or technical rationale, with the appeal board able to adopt, modify, or reverse the department's original decision.

• Establishes processing deadlines for various permit types ranging from 20 to 150 days after the application period closes, with some permits allowing extended timelines if public hearings or site inspections are required.

• Takes effect 90 days after enactment and is contingent upon passage of HB 5331 and HB 5333 in the 99th Legislature.