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The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced April 29 the launch of “Operation FAST.” The move on permitting coincides with the 100th day of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration.

The Facilitated Approvals for Sustainable Transformation initiative intends to streamline permitting processes, reduce delays and improve responsiveness for residents and businesses.

It also aligns with the administration’s “Saving You Time & Money” agenda, as well as Executive Orders 2 and 5. Those EOs address energy costs, project timelines and regulatory transparency.

“Throughout the first 100 days of my Administration, I’ve been laser-focused on saving New Jerseyans time and money by making government accountable to our residents and businesses,” said Sherrill. “DEP’s Operation FAST delivers by removing unnecessary hurdles that hurt our businesses, our environment, our economy and our wallets.”

Operation FAST includes a series of operational changes, such as:

• Reorganizes permitting programs to improve coordination
• Hiring and training of additional staff
• Expanding the Office of Permitting & Project Navigation
• Streamlining review procedures to reduce backlogs

The targeted staffing increases call for nearly 50 additional positions, supported by $4.3 million in Sherrill’s proposed Fiscal Year 27 budget. Operation FAST also indicates upgrades to NJDEP technology systems. The moves aim to support electronic submissions, modernize internal platforms, and improve tracking and transparency.

Additional components and efforts to reduce permitting bottlenecks include enhanced coordination for energy and infrastructure projects. The plan also calls for promoting permitting platforms and grant management tools to better handle volume and ameliorate processing times.

Mission ready

The administration says the plan will modernize permitting operations, improve coordination across programs and provide more efficient service to residents and businesses.

Along with the updates, acting NJDEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak said the initiative will maintain the agency’s core mission.

“Protecting our air, water, land and natural resources remains firmly at the core of everything the DEP does,” said Potosnak. “Operation FAST provides a solid framework that will make agency reviews quicker and more transparent without compromising the environmental standards we expect.”