By: Jacqueline Rabe

It's an unexpected conclusion to what had been expected to be a showdown: Environmentalists and the business community both are endorsing a bill intended to streamline issuance of state permits and licenses.

That bill arose out of years of complaints by the state's largest business lobby, Connecticut Business and Industry Association, and other groups that it can take years for businesses to get their needed licenses and permits.

The DEP doesn't dispute that more needs to be done to speed up the process, DEP spokesman Dennis Schain said, but the agency has shed 150 workers and seen its budget cut by 15 percent in the past two years. With 950 employees, its staffing is at a 12-year low.

"That would have been unacceptable. It would have been unrealistic for [DEP] to meet every deadline," said Eric Annes, a fellow with Connecticut Fund for the Environment.

The compromise bill creates a new state office whose sole responsibility is to expedite the permitting and licensing process for projects that will create at least 50 jobs, develop a green technology business, be transit-oriented or located in an area in need of environmental rejuvenation. It also creates time frames within which applications should be approved or denied, but does not penalize DEP for failing to meet the guidelines. Rather, it requires the agency to publicly report why it was unable to do so. It also requires a complete review of every permit.

All sides say they are satisfied with the compromise.

"We did push that there needs to be a consequence if they don't meet those deadlines. What's the point in having a deadline with no consequence?" CBIA's Brown said. "But at least now they have deadlines and we will know why they aren't meeting them."

Roger Reynolds, a lawyer for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, said the original legislation was punitive and wouldn't work. "If you underfund them, yell at them to do more and punish them when they don't, nothing is going to get better," he said.

Rell, who said she was rooting for the Senate to pass the bill in the final seconds of the legislative session last week, is expected to sign the measure. Environmentalists and the business community will applaud her for it.