DHEC Announces Plan for New Group of Staff to Assist in Permitting Process

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control intends to dedicate a new group of five staff members to help guide businesses through the permitting process. DHEC Director Catherine Templeton announced the plan recently at a meeting of the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association. Noting that many businesses planning to open or expand facilities require multiple permits, Ms. Templeton explained the new staff will allow permittees to go through one staff person at the agency instead of needing to reach out to numerous staffers in multiple DHEC divisions.  The new staff will be akin to a “personal banker,” Ms. Templeton suggested, walking business owners through the sometimes complex process of obtaining environmental permits.