As part of Governor Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Governor David M. Apatang’s priorities to make government processes more efficient, the administration today announced that the permitting process that involves minor land clearing has been enhanced to reduce turnaround time for applicants.
The enhancement of the permitting process included cooperation by the Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW), Division of Coastal Resources Management (DCRM), Historic Preservation Office (HPO), and the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), who recently renewed their One-Start Memorandum of Agreement.
One-Start is a streamlined permitting process aimed at ensuring efficiency and timely review and approval of land-clearing permits. It allows applicants to submit the application at DEQ with all the necessary requirements, such as the site map and land title, and route those copies of the application packet to other regulatory agencies for review. Once completed, DEQ then issues the permit with agency conditions that permittees must adhere to.
Through the One-Start permit, permittees are assured that all regulatory requirements from CRM, HPO, DFW, DEQ, and their respective federal counterparts have been met, and land clearing may commence. The prerequisite of the One-Start permit is the Zoning permit.
The One-Start process started during the Fitial Administration and was further strengthened during the Inos Administration when the DCRM and DEQ were merged under BECQ.
Also included in the Agreement are the Governor’s Cabinet-level department heads including the Secretary of Lands and Natural Resources Sylvian O. Igisomar, Secretary of Community and Cultural Affairs Mary S. Sablan, and the Administrator of the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ) Eli C. Cabrera.
Millions of federal dollars on infrastructure projects are often stalled, pending regulatory review. The Palacios-Apatang administration is fully committed to ensuring that environmental reviews are thorough without unnecessary delays. The next step will include a review of the Major Siting permitting process.
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The information above is from a news release from the Office of the Governor of the CNMI.
1 Comments
Mabel Doge Luhan
04/29/2023 at 3:58 AM
What really needs to be simplified is the starting-a-business process! Just last month I was trying to start a MILLINER’S in KAGMAN 5, planning to corner the market on FRILLY AND/OR FRIVOLOUS HATS in KAGMAN 2 through 6.
I figured Tax & Rev would like an advance deposit for the taxes on my substantial anticipated profits, so I brought them my checkbook, and they wouldn’t take my money! They said I need a business license if I want to give them money! And I had to get a LOCAL as my “local agent,” which they said means somebody who is BROWN BUT NOT FILIPINO, SUCH AS MY HUSBAND TONY, but they said Tony does not qualify, as he is DECEASED. Anyway the lady at the desk introduced me to her cousin who would be my local agent for a reasonable fee.
Then I had to go to the ZONING OFFICE (formerly the telephony/telegraphy office, on Pale Arnold), where the nice man at the window asked me, “Mamasan, you can borrow me twenty dollars?” I have a policy of NEVER BORROWING MONEY, so I turned down his generous offer!
But then I had to go to the Workers’ Compensation Office, where they were even more generous, and asked if I can borrow them fifty dollars! I am an heiress with no need for their magnanimity!
Then I galavanted over to the DPW office for my OCCUPANCY PERMIT, which cost $50, but they didn’t have change for my five Andrew Jacksons that they requested!
Well, by the time they told me I also need to get a FIRE PERMIT, I had gotten over my idea of selling HATS. I will just live off of my Carlyle Group dividends and on the weekends will deal molly from Winchell’s!
Even my scullery maid was unable to pay taxes! She showed up at Tax & Rev wanting to pay income taxes for the very generous pay I bestow upon her, but they said she needs to get a BUSINESS LICENSE if she wants to pay taxes, and then they made a big fuss because like all my scullery maids (including the ones who died in the line of duty), she is not a United States citizen!
This was quite a relief to all of us, because back in New Mexico, if you want to pay taxes, you just to to the tax office and pay taxes. They gladly take your money and don’t make you run around with business licenses, zoning, occupancy permits, and all the like. Of course the New Mexicans are also not so generous, and never ask me to borrow them twenty dollars!
But anyhoo, we just won’t pay any taxes here, just like all the people who run their businesses untaxed on Facebook. The business license requirements are primarily designed to create CNMI government jobs and bribe collection opportunities, and they do a bang-up job of that!
It all reminds me of a dream I had where Gavin Newsom was in a sauna with Ralph Torres.
Gavin said, “Give me the CNMI for five years, and I’ll make it rich.”
Ralph cracked his usual coprophagous grin and answered, “Give me California for five minutes, and I’ll make it poor.”
Relax, Vince! It was a dream!