Coastal Use Permit Program

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Coastal Use Permit Program Streamlining Effort
David Fruge, Administrator Louisiana Department
of Natural Resources Coastal Management
Division January 2004

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The Louisiana Coastal Zone
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Mission of the Louisiana Coastal Resources Program

• Protect, develop, restore and enhance coastal
  area
• Support and encourage multiple use of coastal
  resources consistent with maintenance and
  enhancement of renewable resources
• Employ procedures and practices that resolve
  conflicts among competing uses
• Enhance opportunities for use and enjoyment of
  Coastal Zones recreational values

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Coastal Conservation Imperatives

• Avoid and minimize impacts where possible (R.S.
  49214.41.B)
• Complete mitigation for all unavoidable impacts
  to wetlands (R.S. 49214.41.C)
• No net-loss of wetlands due to developmental
  activities (La. Coastal Wetlands Conservation
  Plan)
• Legislatively mandated performance indicators
  require full compensation for unavoidable impacts

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Coastal Use Permit Program
Exemptions No Direct and Signif. Impacts (No
Permit Required) General Permits Coastal Use
Permits

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(No Transcript)
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Acres of Wetland Impacts Permitted
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Impacts to Vegetated Wetlands by Type of Activity
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Permit Streamlining Initiative

• Stakeholder frustration with Coastal Use Permit
  process reached high level in 2001
• Interest by Governors Office in reducing
  delays
• DNR desire to better assist and educate
  applicants on how to submit complete applications
  
• DNR desire to use technology to achieve better,
  faster and more consistent permit reviews

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Professional Facilitator and Business Consultant
Services

• Business Diagnostic Goal Provide
  Recommendations to
• Improve entire Coastal Use Permit process
• Ensure the quality of the outcome
• Reduce time for application to become a permit
• Keep applicants current on status of their
  application
• Define role of DNR other entities, so
  applicants understand that permit delays are
  often outside DNR control

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Professional Facilitator and Business Consultant
Services

• Search for Solutions
• Sought Voice of the Stakeholder through
  interviews and group forums to understand
  concerns and solicit solutions
• Involved oil gas entities, landowners,
  developers, permit agents, levee districts,
  ports, environmental community, and state and
  federal agencies
• Analyzed permit process to identify major
  points of delay

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Professional Facilitator and Business Consultant
Services

• Stakeholders said to concentrate on 9 key areas
• Skills Development (employee training)
• Escalation Procedures
• Field Investigation Standards
• Process Improvement
• Outreach
• Technology/Automation
• Document Engineering
• Mitigation
• Interagency Agreements

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Actions Taken To Date
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Revised Joint Permit Application Form
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Employee Skills Development

• Contract professionals trained analysts in
  time management, task prioritization, conflict
  resolution, communication and meeting
  facilitation
• Established application review teams and
  subject matter experts
• Trained selected analysts to reduce permit
  backlog and improve work habits
• Developed a survival guide for new employees

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Permit Escalation Procedures

• Increased involvement by senior management to
  expedite permit decisions
• Established Senior Management Review Team to
  review backlogged applications, make decisions,
  or intervene with applicant/agent and other
  agencies
• Identified preliminary criteria for bringing
  potentially sensitive applications to DNR senior
  management

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New Outreach Efforts

• Implemented Coastitnotes (list server) to
  provide interactive forum for discussion of
  CMD-related issues
• Posted Compensatory Mitigation in the La.
  Coastal Zone on Internet and included in
  application packet
• Increased participation in industry meetings
  (e.g., pipeline seminars) and hosted permitting
  seminar
• Scheduled public meetings across coast to
  explain new application and solicit additional
  process improvement

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Mitigation Improvement Efforts

• Encouraging additional mitigation banks (esp.
  marsh)
• Established contracts to purchase mitigation
  credits at commercial banks (forested wetlands)
• Adding these options will expedite permitting
  and minimize mitigation assessment discrepancies
  between CMD and Corps
• Reviewing mitigation rules to identify needed
  changes
• Monitoring evaluating mitigation projects to
  determine their effectiveness

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Other Actions Taken

• Added paraprofessional staff to Permit Section
  and contracted Joint Public Notice Coordinator
  duties to free technical staff for processing
  applications
• Field Investigators and Permit Analysts jointly
  developed streamlined information request and
  submittal procedure

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Preliminary Streamlining Results

• Processing Time for General Permits (GP) and
  Coastal Use Permits (CUP) Reduced by 51 Days
  (61) between 2001 and 2003 (OG)
• Processing Time for Exempt, NDSI, GP, and CUP
  Reduced by 34 Days (54) between 2001 and 2003
  (OG)

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Key Next Steps

• Short Term
• Conduct outreach to introduce new Joint Permit
  Application Form, identify process improvements,
  and solicit further changes
• Expand stakeholder outreach feedback
  opportunities
• Host seminar on field investigation standards
  to allow submittal by applicants and their agents
• Coordinate with other agencies to develop
  streamlining mechanisms (e.g., MOAs, other
  agreements)

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Key Next Steps

• Longer Term
• Automate permit application and review
  processes
• Monitor workflow metrics to ensure
• continuing process efficiency
• Continued evaluation of implemented
  improvements to verify effectiveness further
  streamline the process
• Review legislation and regulations for
  streamlining opportunities

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Streamlining Summary

• Extensive Streamlining Efforts Over Last 3
  Years Much Stakeholder Involvement
• More Use of OG Gen. Permits, Area-Wide Pipeline
  Permits, and Other Measures
• Improved DNR Staff Capabilities
• Improved Application Form More Automation
  Planned
• Major Reduction in Permit Processing Time
• Continuing to Meet Our Coastal Conservation
  Imperatives

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Questions
1-800-267-4019
1-225-342-7591
HTTP//WWW.DNR.STATE.LA.US