Multi-agency permitting teams: Teamwork as a critical tool to joint delivery of transportation and environmental protection needs

Abstract

Over the past several years, the State of Washington has invested substantial time and energy to streamline the environmental regulatory and permit process. The creation of the Multi-Agency Permitting Team (MAP team) pilot is one such strategic investment The concept is based on the idea that an interagency team composed of diverse disciplines, located within one office, will experience enhanced communication, coordination, and higher-quality, more timely permit decisions. Currently, the MAP team consists of staff from five government agencies: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Department of Transportation, and King County Department of Development and Environmental Services. Fifty-two transportation projects are assigned to the team. After initially defining how to work together, the team began communications with their customer base in an attempt to make permitting processes more consistent and predictable. The team has been using this feedback to initiate streamlining opportunities to define complete applications, to create early project coordination and MAP team permit processes, to identify improvement opportunities within each agency, and to create model business practices that will use existing project experiences to deliver future projects. These investments in early project coordination are being tracked through eight performance measures. The MAP team pilot sunsets on June 30, 2005, and, if successful, Washington State may institute the MAP team concept as a permanent business practice with the potential for growth in other transportation, intergovernmental, and private venture applications.