NJDEP expands faster permitting for environmental restoration projects, cuts application backlogs
NEW JERSEY — The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is expanding efforts to speed up permits for environmental restoration projects while reducing application backlogs for contaminated site cleanup, state officials announced Friday.
DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak said the department is incorporating environmental restoration projects into its Operation FAST initiative, which aims to reduce permitting delays, improve government efficiency and accelerate projects while maintaining environmental and public health protections.
The announcement follows Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s progress report earlier this week on efforts to improve efficiency across state government.
“Through Operation FAST, DEP is advancing economic growth through better government while maintaining our nation-leading standards for protection of our natural resources and public health,” Commissioner Potosnak said. “These efforts will help projects that improve our quality of life move forward more quickly so they can provide real benefits to our state.”
The department also announced that it has reduced its backlog of Remedial Action Permits by 25%, while the backlog of Freshwater Wetlands Letters of Interpretation has declined by 74% since January.
Environmental restoration projects to receive faster reviews
Under the expanded initiative, the DEP will prioritize permitting for projects that restore wildlife habitats, improve water quality, remove outdated dams to restore fish passage, preserve natural lands and address flooding and climate impacts through nature-based solutions.
The department said incorporating these projects into Operation FAST will help shorten permitting timelines, provide greater predictability for project sponsors and reduce planning and permitting costs.
Environmental restoration projects can include restoring damaged ecosystems, creating natural areas, improving shoreline protection, enhancing flood storage and strengthening habitats for fish and wildlife.
“The DEP’s goal by integrating permitting for these projects under Operation FAST is to return disturbed ecosystems to productive ecological conditions more quickly,” said DEP Deputy Commissioner Joseph Seebode. “Through these efficiencies, we will realize quicker restoration of habitat needed by wildlife, greater biodiversity, improved water quality, enhanced flood storage through protection of natural lands, and more resilient communities through natural shoreline protection.”
Operation FAST, which stands for Facilitated Approvals for Sustainable Transformation, is a department-wide effort designed to streamline permitting through additional staffing, procedural changes and digital tools, including a shared permitting dashboard.
The initiative is intended to reduce delays for clean energy, infrastructure and environmental projects while supporting the governor’s government efficiency and affordability initiatives.
DEP reports major reductions in permit backlogs
As part of Operation FAST, the DEP launched an accelerated application review effort to address a backlog of Freshwater Wetlands Letters of Interpretation.
These documents determine whether freshwater wetlands or associated buffer areas are present on a property before development begins. The department said timely reviews help developers understand environmental restrictions earlier in the planning process, reducing uncertainty and potentially avoiding unnecessary costs.
Since January, the DEP has reduced the backlog of these applications by 74%.
The department also reported a 25% reduction in its backlog of Remedial Action Permits, which are required for certain contaminated properties where soil, groundwater or indoor air contamination remains above applicable standards following remediation.
These permits establish long-term environmental safeguards, including deed notices that restrict certain uses of contaminated soil and engineering controls such as protective caps.
To accelerate reviews, the DEP introduced a Rapid Inspection Program to examine submitted documents more quickly, granted extensions to certain remediation deadlines and strengthened its peer review process.
The department also revised its technical consultation procedures to help applicants resolve site-specific questions before they delay permit approvals.
DEP officials said efforts to reduce the remaining backlog are continuing and encouraged parties involved in contaminated site remediation to request technical consultations when needed.
Environmental organizations welcome changes
Environmental organizations and remediation professionals expressed support for the permitting changes, saying lengthy approval processes can delay projects intended to improve water quality, restore habitats and protect communities.
“We applaud Governor Sherrill and NJDEP for recognizing that protecting our environment requires not only strong regulations, but also an efficient permitting process that allows important restoration work to move forward,” said Eileen Murphy, Executive Director of the Musconetcong Watershed Association. “We have experienced firsthand the consequences of lengthy permitting delays. In some cases, projects designed to improve water quality and restore natural resources were held up for so long that grant funding expired and the projects had to be abandoned. Operation FAST represents an important step toward removing these barriers. By improving coordination, increasing transparency, and reducing unnecessary delays, NJDEP can help ensure that public and private investments in environmental restoration translate into actual improvements on the ground.”
The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey also welcomed the initiative, citing the potential benefits for wildlife habitats, water quality and flood protection.
“The Nature Conservancy applauds NJDEP’s leadership in advancing a more efficient permitting pathway for ecological restoration projects,” said Barbara Brummer, State Director for The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey. “By recognizing the significant public benefits these projects provide, from improving water quality and wildlife habitat to reducing flood risks and strengthening community resilience, the Department is helping ensure that critical restoration efforts can move from planning to implementation more quickly and effectively.”
Rebecca Hollender, president of the Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association, said reducing the backlog of remediation permits could help advance environmental cleanup and redevelopment projects across New Jersey.
“The reduction in RAPs means one thing for New Jersey: cleaning up contamination – which protects public health and enables responsible redevelopment across the state,” said Rebecca Hollender, LSRP, President of Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association. “The LSRPA is encouraged by this momentum and applauds the DEP’s ongoing work to reduce the permit backlog.”
The DEP said it will continue implementing Operation FAST to improve permit processing and accelerate projects intended to restore natural resources, address contamination and strengthen communities across New Jersey.
