On January 21, the Department of Environmental Protection announced it is finalizing development and testing of an ePermitting system for Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation permit applications for stormwater discharges associated with construction activities.

The initial release of the Chapter 102 ePermit system will occur on January 25. The system is accessed through DEP GreenPort.

“Increasing the availability of online permitting is another way DEP is improving efficiency and providing certainty for applicants,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “This new option for applications will reduce workload for staff, allowing improved permit reviews.”

The Chapter 102 ePermit system will save time for applicants, County Conservation District (CCD) staff, and DEP reviewers.

One of the overall goals of DEP’s ePermitting effort is to improve the efficiency of submission and reviews of permit applications and Notices of Intent (NOIs) and allow faster responses to applicants regarding permit submission, review, and issuance. 

The system will also include online payment of certain fees for applications, will reduce the expense of printing design drawings, and make information available in real-time to the public (which will increase transparency).

DEP and county conservation districts are still accepting paper applications; however, DEP expects to eventually completely replace paper applications with electronic submission.

DEP’s Bureau of Clean Water administers the statewide Erosion and Sediment Control (E&S) program under Pennsylvania Code Title 25 (Environmental Protection) Chapter 102.

Chapter 102 requires a permit from DEP for construction activities involving one or more acres of earth disturbance, timber harvesting and road maintenance activities involving 25 or more acres of earth disturbance, and oil and gas and other activities involving five or more acres of earth disturbance.

The Chapter 102 permits are one of the basic permits required from DEP for most types of permits.  The agency receives between 2,000 to 2,300 Chapter 102 permit applications a year.

The initial release of the Chapter 102 ePermit system will include new NOIs for coverage under the PAG-02 General NPDES Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Construction Activities and NOIs for PAG-02 amendments of coverage for applications that were originally processed in the ePermit system.

Click Here for a draft Chapter 102 ePermit User Guide.

Development of the Chapter 102 ePermitting effort was built on other DEP ePermitting efforts, including the Oil and Gas Management and Chapter 105 ePermitting efforts. The Chapter 102 effort engaged CCDs, PennDOT, and engineering consultants.

ePermitting is just one of several major initiatives DEP is undertaking to speed permit processing and increase transparency of the permit process to address significant, nearly 30 percent reduction in its staff as a result of budget cuts by the General Assembly and various Governors over the last 15 years.  Read more here.

Visit DEP’s Chapter 102 ePermit webpage for information on trainings and other resources.  Questions should be directed to: RA-EPChapter102@pa.gov

Related Articles:

-- DEP Works Thru Pandemic: 674 More Permits, 1,597 More Inspections Since Last Week

-- DEP Posts 48 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Jan. 23 PA Bulletin

[Posted: January 21, 2021]

1/25/2021