AN ACT CONCERNING STREAMLINING CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PERMITTING PROCESSES.

Plain English Breakdown

The official status indicates the bill passed both chambers, but no effective date is listed in the provided metadata.

SB00418: Streamlining Energy and Environmental Protection Permitting

This law requires the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection to create a plan for using outside experts to review permits and check all current permits.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the commissioner to build a system that lets qualified third-party professionals review permit applications.
• Allows these outside experts to give recommendations on whether to approve or deny permits.
• Sets rules for who can be an expert, including how they get certified and how their work is watched.
• Orders a full check of all permits the commissioner controls to see which ones could use this new system.
• Mandates that the commissioner send a report on these plans to state lawmakers by December 31, 2027.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection
• Qualified third-party professionals who may review permits in the future
• State legislative committees that oversee commerce and environmental matters

Terms To Know

Third-party qualified professionals

Outside experts or companies not working for the government who meet specific standards to review permits.

Permit decision recommendations

Suggestions made by reviewers about whether a permit should be approved or denied, which are sent to the department for final action.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not list specific types of permits that will use this new system until the review is finished.
• It does not say exactly how much money will be used to create or run this framework.
• The final rules for certifying outside experts are not included in this text and must be developed later.

Official Summary Text

To require the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection to (1) develop a framework for allowing third-party qualified professionals to conduct permit review and make permit decision recommendations to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and (2) conduct a review of all permits that are within the commissioner's jurisdiction.

Current Bill Text

LCO No. 2736 1 of 2

General Assembly Raised Bill No. 418
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 2736

Referred to Committee on COMMERCE

Introduced by:
(CE)

AN ACT CONCERNING STREAMLINING CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PERMITTING
PROCESSES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage ) The Commissioner of Energy and 1
Environmental Protection shall (1) develop a framework for allowing 2
third-party qualified professionals to conduct permit review and make 3
permit decision recommendation s to the Department of Energy and 4
Environmental Protection, including, but not limited to, eligibility 5
criteria, certification standards and oversight mechanisms, and (2) 6
conduct a review o f all permits that are within the commissioner's 7
jurisdiction for the purpose of determining which permits may be 8
lawfully delegated to third-party qualified professionals for purposes of 9
permit review and to make permit decision recommendations to the 10
department. The commissioner shall, not later than December 31, 2027, 11
report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general 12
statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly 13
having cognizance of matters relating to commerce and the 14
environment regarding such framework and review. 15

Raised Bill No. 418

LCO No. 2736 2 of 2

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage New section

Statement of Purpose:
To require the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection
to (1) develop a framework for allowing third -party qualified
professionals to conduct permit review and make permit decision
recommendations to the Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection, and (2) conduct a review of all permits that are within the
commissioner's jurisdiction.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]