Michigan executive directive to expedite state permitting process

[Eric]

As reported in the Detroit Free Press, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive today requiring that state agencies waive or refund application fees where the state's application process exceeds permit processing times determined by the governor's office. I saw and responded to this on Twitter (or "X"). As I noted there, one problem is that the start of the "clock" for required processing times (i.e., the "application completeness" determination) is often controlled by the permitting agencies. An agency's determination of this "start" time can be highly discretionary on the part of the agency and, as a result, agencies often exercise a large degree of control over whether they "started" and "finished" the permit process within the required timeframes. As I noted on Twitter/X, if the governor's office is serious then I think they'll need to address this source of agency flexibility and control over the perceived efficiency of the process.