DEM hosting grand opening of new permit application center

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee will be part of a government contingent to officially open the R.I. Department of Environmental Management's new Permit Application Center Thursday. It is being designed to be a one-stop resource for all permit applications to the DEM. / PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS
Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee will be part of a government contingent to officially open the R.I. Department of Environmental Management's new Permit Application Center Thursday. It is being designed to be a one-stop resource for all permit applications to the DEM. / PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Environmental Management will host a grand opening event for its new permit application center at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.
The project was partially funded with a $47,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation through its Make It Happen RI economic development initiative.
The PAC was designed based on feedback from department-wide efforts to improve customer service and efficiency in permitting programs.
The center will serve as a single point of entry into DEM for all permit applications, whether they arrive by mail or are hand-delivered. Immediately after an application is submitted, the goal is for DEM’s Office of Customer and Technical Assistance staff to perform an administrative review to determine the completeness of the application and follow up with applicants within one business day. File review requests, as well as pre-application assistance for businesses and individuals seeking environmental permits, are also to be coordinated by PAC staff.

The PAC will be open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee and DEM Director Janet Coit, speakers at the event will include Neil D. Steinberg, president and CEO, Rhode Island Foundation; J.R. Pagliarini, chief of staff, Commerce RI; state legislative and business leaders; Leslie Taito, senior vice president of new business development, Hope Global; and Robert Baldwin, past president of the R.I. Builders Association.

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