HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Luke Bernstein today issued the following statement on the Pennsylvania Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 6, legislation to strengthen the Commonwealth’s permitting systems and improve Pennsylvania’s economic competitiveness:
“We applaud the Senate for passing Senate Bill 6, a major step toward ensuring that Pennsylvania’s permitting process supports economic growth. Employers across every industry — from manufacturing and energy to construction and logistics — have long cited permitting delays and inconsistent communication as some of the biggest barriers to investment in our state.
“This bill is a strong response to those concerns. It improves communication between agencies and applicants, creates clear timelines, increases transparency, and ensures accountability by establishing a public permit-tracking system and annual performance reporting. It also allows for third-party reviews to keep projects moving and codifies firm decision deadlines so employers can invest with confidence.
“This legislation builds on last session’s bipartisan passage of legislation to create the SPEED program, which expedites permits, and the commitment of the Shapiro administration to improve permitting and reduce DEP’s historic permit backlog. This progress demonstrates how modernization, technology, and collaboration are delivering real results. Senate Bill 6 builds on this momentum by codifying many of the steps already implemented by the administration, ensuring this critical work continues and expands in the years to come.
“When government and the business community work together to improve efficiency and predictability, everyone wins. We especially thank Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill for sponsoring S.B. 6 and her consistent leadership on this effort and urge the House to move quickly so Pennsylvania can continue building a regulatory system that drives investment and job creation.”