Proposed one-stop permitting office opposed

The Coastal Resources Management Office has opposed a plan to establish a One-Stop Building Permit Center because it will not be feasible for a broad-based multi-jurisdictional regulatory authority setup currently existing in the CNMI.

A proposed measure introduced by Rep. William S. Torres has sought the creation of a One-Stop Center to reduce the bureaucracy and cause unnecessary delays in acquiring building permits in various government agencies.

Several efforts have been made which even led to the creation of task forces to look into the possibility of changing the current permitting system which has been widely criticized for being too bureaucratic.

In all these instances, the task force always comes to a consensus that a one-stop permitting arrangement will not work due to the fact that federal agencies have to give approval to certain types of projects.

CRMO acting Director Peter Barlas noted that certain development projects which affects critical environmental resources, needs federal approval at certain times. For example, any development in wetland areas would require a federal permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer.

While the bill has its merits, Mr. Barlas said the proposed bill will not solve the problem since development is not a simple.

“I understand the concerns of Rep. Torres that in getting a permit you have to get multiple types of approvals and it can be frustrating at times,” he said. Unfortunately, development cannot be simplified since it involves a complex process, he added.

At the same time, Mr. Barlas said it may be difficult to assign personnel from every agency to sit in the center and decide on the permit application since there might be a need for a field investigation.

Sometimes, a public hearing must be conducted before a certain project would be given a permit. Under the CRMO Rules and Regulations, a public hearing must be held if one member agency sees it fit to do so or five people will sign a petition.

CRMO, the agency tasked to monitor and manage the developments on the island, runs a federally-approved Coastal Zone Management Program. Another agency, the Division of Environmental Quality is the local counter part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.