HB 5475

General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 5475
   February Session, 2026
 AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF PERMITTING PROCESSES
 OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL
 PROTECTION.
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
 Assembly convened:
1Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than January 1, 2027, the
2    Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall assess and
3    report on potential methods to facilitate the permitting process of
4    general permits, including (1) the use of artificial intelligence tools to do
5    the preliminary review of all applications, and (2) the feasibility of
6    creating an expedited review process with increased fees for the
7    expedited service for certain permits and identifying any permits
8    appropriate for such service and any statutory changes required to
9    effectuate such expedited review process.
10      (b) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Energy and
11   Environmental Protection shall assess and report on methods to
12   facilitate the permitting process of individual permits, including, but not
13   limited to, (1) permits for solid waste, thermal loop and fuel cell power
14   generation and coastal land management, whether there are increased
15   automation tools that businesses and municipalities could use to reform
16   the timeline and costs of permitting, and (2) the feasibility of creating an
17   expedited review process with increased fees for the expedited service
18   for certain permits and identifying any permits appropriate for such
 LCO  1 of 2
  Substitute Bill No. 5475
19 service and any statutory changes required to effectuate such expedited
20 review process.
21    (c) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Energy and
22 Environmental Protection shall assess and report on the feasibility of
23 automating and reducing fees for the renewal of permits where the
24 applicant does not have any changes to the information given for the
25 original permit or the factors concerning permit renewal.
26    (d) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Energy and
27 Environmental Protection shall submit a report, in accordance with the
28 provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing
29 committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
30 relating to the environment and government oversight. Such report
31 shall include the results of the commissioner's assessments pursuant to
32 subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of this section and any recommendations
33 for legislation.
  This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
  sections:
  Section 1      from passage  New section
 Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
 In Subsec. (b)(1),"permits" and "power generation" were moved for
 clarity.
 GOS  Joint Favorable Subst. C/R  ENV
 LCO  2 of 2