MI SB0653

Establishes an Environmental Permit Review Commission consisting of 15 members appointed by the governor, with qualifications requiring 6 years of relevant experience as an engineer, geologist, hydrologist, or hydrogeologist, or a master's degree plus 8 years of relevant experience.

Creates a permit appeal process allowing applicants to petition for review by a 3-member panel before a permit is approved or denied, with the panel making recommendations within 45 days and the director issuing a final decision within 60 days.

Requires the Department of Environmental Quality to approve or deny permit applications by specified processing deadlines, ranging from 20 to 150 days depending on permit type, or pay applicants 15% of the application fee if deadlines are missed.

Mandates annual reporting to the legislature on permit processing statistics including number of applications received, approval/denial rates, average processing times, and any instances where 10% or more of applications missed processing deadlines.

Allows contested permit cases to be reviewed by an administrative law judge, with either party able to request panel review of the final decision within 21 days, and panel decisions becoming final agency action subject to judicial review.