Delaware lawmakers meet with businesses during end of session luncheon, highlighting environmental frame work, accelerating permitting
DOVER, Del. – Delaware Lawmakers spoke with business leaders and members of the Delaware Chamber of Commerce during the annual end-of-session luncheon.
The meeting highlighted legislation makings its way through the assembly’s final days, including an environmental accountability framework, aimed at giving Delaware businesses a roadmap to help slash their emissions and reach carbon neutrality.
“This covers how to prepare their businesses for those enforcement actions, how to kind of future proof their businesses so they’re not caught off guard, and what’s great about this framework is it gives a lot of notice to companies that these changes are coming,” said Attorney for Richards Layton & Finger Tyler Cragg, who attended the meeting.
He tells us his firm helps businesses navigate challenges like these and is glad the legislation is giving companies forwarning, a more comprehensive outline and timeline expected to be released by DNREC within the next year.
But not all lawmakers share that enthusiasm.
“I actually voted no against it because I felt like the only focus was reducing carbon emissions. And I think for green energy, we need to do a lot more positive things. We do and do incentivize businesses in order to get over to green energy. There are a lot of interesting things, a lot of positive things that we can do to move into green energy,” said Delaware Representative Bryan Shupe.
Shupe tells 47ABC that the bill moved forward to the Senate despite his opposition, but he wants to see more laws create incentives for climate-responsible companies, in addition to penalties for non-compliance.
Also on the agenda, is a packet of 4 bills aimed at slashing commercial permitting in the first state down to 6 months from an average of 24.
“It’s life-changing because there are so many missed opportunities, some projects right now that we had thought we were that we’re going to start in six months from now, but 24 months you can’t plan cost or the economy any of it,” said Lorri Grayson of GGA construction.
She tells us her firm specializes in commercial real estate, and the zoning changes could see more mixed-use, student housing and commercial projects come to the first state, with shorter lead times and greater investment.
“It was determined that the state of Delaware absolutely is losing out on opportunities to our neighbors, such as Pennsylvania and Maryland, because they can get a permit in six months, so we are excited it seems passable to me,” she said.
Currently only 2 bills as part of that permitting package have passed both houses and senate, while the remaining two are still in committee in the house.
The session is set to end on June 30th.
