MEMO
To: Interested Parties
From: Sharon Martin, Deputy Secretary for Public Affairs
Date: August 3, 2020
Re: Secretary Michael S. Regan statement on the permitting process
“We must strengthen our state laws and regulations to be more inclusive of communities of color and tribal concerns before a location is chosen and well before a permit application is submitted. This process highlights the allegations of systemic racism that zoning and business-friendly regulations perpetuate against communities of color. An air permit should not be the first time that a community becomes aware of a proposed facility. In addition, our state and federal regulations must be nimble and account for the impacts of COVID-19 on those same communities. COVID-19 continues to highlight the racial inequities at all levels of our society and these are the very issues we need to consider as a state."
###