One story I wrote this week comes from the General Assembly’s joint commission on job creation. I focused on the issue of EPA permits.

After a two-year permit process, U.S. Steel Corp. finalized a $750 million project in Granite City, Ill., last October. In Alabama, a similar project’s permit only took six months to clear.

Katy Lawrence of U.S. Steel says an extended permit process can cost companies like hers a great deal of time and money. For manufacturers who have to order equipment up to 48 months in advance, waiting on a permit can mean four years before actually starting to hire workers.

“The process itself is very costly, cumbersome and takes entirely way too long,” Lawrence says.

A lengthy permit process is slowing down job growth and discouraging manufacturers from doing business in Illinois, the state’s Chamber of Commerce says.

Click here for the full story.