Secretary of Administration Sharon Minnich Thursday announced two state technology initiatives have been selected as finalists by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) for its 2018 recognition awards.

This first is the electronic permitting system developed as part of an effort to reduce permit backlogs and processing times in the Department of Environmental Protection.

The new system for DEP was unveiled in early 2017 for surface coal mining permits, followed by permits for air quality, storage tank renewals, asbestos notification and radiation protection renewal.

Applicants can now submit and track their permits through a paperless process. The system has allowed DEP to cut review times by 30 percent and gain nearly $700,000 per year in productivity, while continuing its mission of protecting the environment.

DEP continues to add new permits to the system.

The second project is a centralized electronic grants application portal in the Department of Community and Economic Development being used to support over 120 programs administered by 7 agencies, including DEP.

Applications that were previously submitted and reviewed on paper are being processed 50 percent faster in the electronic system, resulting in increased productivity of $18 million since 2017.

These projects were among 31 finalists selected from over 125 nominations. Winners in 10 categories will be announced at NASCIO’s annual conference this fall.

[Posted: Sept. 6, 2018]

9/10/2018