Indiana Gov. Kernan recently announced that a new electronic service is available to help Hoosier businesses access the forms necessary to apply for environmental permits.

"Our permitting process should not be a hurdle for businesses and residents new to the state or for entrepreneurs just starting up," Kernan said. "This service takes the mystery out of it, and lets them quickly get information on what forms they need to apply for the necessary permits to start or grow their business.

The new online service provides all the forms needed to apply for Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) permits. It also currently links to water permits provided through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Additional DNR permit applications will be added next year and, eventually, all the state's permit forms will be online.

"Even experienced Indiana business leaders sometimes have difficulty understanding exactly what types of permits they need to locate or expand facilities in Indiana," said Lori F. Kaplan, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. "With this new system, by answering a few questions, users will receive a list of all the forms they need to file their applications."

The permit wizard acts much like the Turbo-Tax software that millions use each year to file their taxes. Users will answer a series of questions at www.myPermit.IN.gov, and at the end of the electronic interview, the online tool will provide a list of the necessary forms and, if appropriate, prompts them to visit the DNR permit Web site.

The permit wizard also provides contact information for the staff member who will handle the permit applications and more information on the permitting process.

"This wizard creates the front door for IDEM permits," said John Goss, director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. "When we fully connect the DNR's water permit applications in December, applicants will know whether or not they need a DNR permit just by answering a few questions online."

IDEM staff has been working for the past few months with the accessIndiana Web team to build the permit wizard. In building the wizard, the design team had to link several different databases and programs that previously could not "speak" to each other. They also had to deal with the different permit needs of IDEM's three program offices, said accessIndiana General Manager Candy Irven.

"This was a great project for us because it helps us showcase the efficiency and benefits of electronic transactions," Irven said. "There's a reason Indiana is one of only a handful of states in the country to provide a service like this -- it's very complicated and takes a dedicated team to work through the elements."

Hoosier businesses whose operations affect Indiana's environment often must obtain environmental permits before they can properly get to work or expand. The number of permits needed depends on the type of business. Some need multiple permits and the permits range from simple to highly complex.

In addition to announcing the electronic permitting goals in June, Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis also announced that as part of Peak Performance, IDEM would reduce "real time processing periods" for economic development-related permits. While IDEM has met all statutory deadlines for air quality, water quality, solid/hazardous waste and agriculture permits for the past six years, the agency is on target to improve the process time more than 10 percent by October 2004, and by at least 33 percent by December 2005, according to Davis.

The DNR permit application database also is available online so people can track applications through the environmental and technical review processes.