A new electronic permitting program offered by the state Department of Environmental (DEP) Protection was successfully utilized for a GreenWorks-led project on Barnegat Bay. The new on-line coastal general permit program is the first of its kind for the DEP’s Land Use Regulation Program. Property owners or their contractors can apply on-line for permits and within minutes get decisions on projects to replace bulkheads with identically sized bulkheads or to replace docks in man-made lagoons.
That’s precisely what happened when GreenWorks was one of the first to use the web-based permitting system for a client in Brick. A bulkhead replacement and new dock project moved along efficiently once the required state permits were electronically acquired. The residential project would’ve taken weeks, if not months, under the previous paper-based system. The online permitting system provided by DEP is a welcome solution for projects that have minimal environmental impact but can tie up DEP resources that could be better used elsewhere, as DEP Commissioner Bob Martin stated.
