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Environmental permitting in Utah would gain a new "expedited review" option for certain permits issued by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining. Under this bill, an applicant could pay to have a state-certified qualified reviewer — such as a licensed engineer, geologist, land surveyor, or landscape architect — conduct an initial review of their permit application within a time limit the state sets by rule, and that reviewer would submit a recommendation to approve, deny, or send back the application for corrections. The state agency would still be required to conduct its own final technical review and issue the official decision, which the applicant could appeal through existing processes. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality and the Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining to write rules determining which permits qualify for this expedited process, how reviewers are certified and screened for conflicts of interest, and how many days each step of the review may take.