Last month, NAIOP Detroit President-elect Maria D’Agostini Lukosavich, Head of Commercial Construction, D’Agostini Companies, and NAIOP Detroit Government Affairs Co-chair Art Ekert, Vice President of Business Development Client Solutions, Sachse Construction, along with NAIOP Associate Vice President for State and Local Affairs Toby Burke, traveled to Lansing to build relationships with lawmakers and serve as a resource on proposed legislation impacting construction and wetland permit reform. 

During a meeting with Representative Bill Schuette and his staff, the discussion included the chapter’s feedback on proposed legislation, the House Bill 6038 substitute, to reform and strengthen the wetland permitting process within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). 

Our feedback was taken into consideration and accepted into the House Bill. 

If passed, the legislation will amend 1994 PA 451, entitled "Natural resources and environmental protection act, by amending Section 30306 (MCL 324.30306), as amended by 2018 PA 631. 

HB 6038 substitute now includes a provision that, “If the department does not perform a site visit before the time period in which an application is determined to be administratively complete under section 1305 expires, the department shall not require changes to the permit application following any subsequent site visit.  If the department performs a site visit after an application has been determined to be administratively complete under section 1305, the department shall not require changes to the application following that site visit.” 

These reforms will bring more consistency and transparency to the EGLE permitting process.