Braun signs order, requiring departments to publicly report permitting data

INDIANAPOLIS — The office of Indiana Gov. Mike Braun recently announced that Braun signed an order requiring several state departments to publicly report permitting data.

According to a news release from Braun’s office, the order directs the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Transportation to publicly report this data to make the permitting process “more transparent, efficient and to support growth.”

Since January, Braun signed a series of executive orders including ones surrounding environmental policy, unemployment fraud, gender ideology and Medicaid. Earlier this week, Braun signed his first bill into law, establishing an online portal through the Indiana Department of Agriculture to help Hoosier farmers.

Under Braun’s most recent order, the release said that IDEM, IDNR and IDOT will be required to post monthly permitting data to their official websites, including:

• Number of permit applications received
• Average processing times
• Percentage of permits issued within statutory timelines
• Updates on pending applications

The release said that the order requires agency leadership to “regularly review” permitting processes to “ensure compliance with timelines, identify opportunities for improvement and maintain high-quality standards for issued permits.”

“My administration is committed to transparency and accountability, and we’re taking action to make Indiana the best place in America to start and grow a business,” Braun said in the release. “Permitting is an important part of growing our economy, and publicly reporting permitting data holds agencies accountable and makes them more efficient.”