STATES EYE PERMIT STREAMLINING TO COPE WITH EPA'S FY07 BUDGET CUTS

Facing shrinking budgets because of proposed EPA state and local grant funding cuts, state environmental officials are looking for innovative ways to streamline their air, water and waste permits to free up resources, several state officials say. An official from Iowa, one of the states pursuing these efforts, says permit streamlining is "going to become one of the major undertakings most states will have to address in the coming years as budgets shrink and the public demands more accountability." The...