No later than September 1, 2023, the Department of Environmental Quality shall develop a plan for submittal to USEPA that eliminates any program redundancies between the State's Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973 (Act), and its implementation of requirements for stormwater discharges from construction activities set forth under the 2022 Clean Water Act National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit for stormwater discharges from construction activities (Construction Permit), 87 Federal Register 3522, through NPDES General Permit NCG010000 (NCG01). Specifically, the plan shall include measures to streamline permitting requirements to ensure persons conducting land-disturbing activity are required to apply for one permit addressing all federal, State, and local requirements, and, if applicable, that permit may be issued by a local government with delegated authority to operate a local program in order to eliminate (i) unnecessary costs to, and duplication of efforts by, persons initiating land-disturbing activities, (ii) unnecessary delays in project development, and (iii) inefficient use of Department personnel and staff of local governments that administer delegated erosion and sedimentation control programs. The Department shall report to the Environmental Review Commission on the status of their activities pursuant to this section quarterly, beginning August 1, 2024, until such time as the General Assembly repeals this reporting requirement.
