Voluntary Expedited Endangered Resources Reviews

What is a Voluntary Expedited Endangered Resources (VEER) Review?
How is it different from a regular Endangered Resources (ER) Review?

A VEER Review is essentially a regular ER Review completed in a guaranteed, short timeframe for a higher cost. The guaranteed turnaround time for VEER Reviews is 7 working days. Customers still have the option to use the regular ER Review service for a lower cost. The turnaround time for regular ER Reviews varies depending on workload and staffing.

As with a regular ER Review, a VEER Review will provide the requester with information from Wisconsin's Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI) database and other sources on rare plants and animals, high quality natural communities, and other endangered resources that may be impacted by the proposed project. The ER Review will also include specific recommendations to help projects comply with Wisconsin's Endangered Species Law (s. 29.604, Wis. Stats.) and other laws and regulations protecting endangered resources.

How to request a VEER Review

A landowner (or other party acting on behalf of the landowner, such as an engineer or consultant) can request a VEER Review of a proposed project at any time to find out if the proposed project is likely to impact endangered resources.

To request a VEER Review, please submit a Voluntary Expedited Endangered Resources Review Request Form, all required attachments, and the $360 minimum payment.

When to request a VEER Review

We suggest that you request review of the proposed project well in advance of when the project is scheduled to begin (e.g., one year) so that you can identify and plan for any seasonal limitations that may be imposed on the project and allow time for any field surveys that may need to be conducted during a specific time of year (e.g., during the breeding or growing season). Inclusion of a VEER Review with application materials for other Department permits may help quicken and facilitate the permit review process.

Eligible Projects

Standard commercial, residential and industrial development projects, and many other types of land management and planning projects are eligible for VEER Review service. The following types of projects are not eligible for VEER Review service; review of these projects should be requested through the regular ER Review process:

• Projects normally reviewed through the Office of Energy (i.e., power plants, electric transmission and distribution lines, natural gas and petroleum pipelines, telecommunication lines, wind power projects, and watermain projects regulated by the Public Service Commission),
• Public transportation projects, and
• Other projects whose nature, scope, and complexity are such that expedited review is not feasible.

Fees

There is a minimum $360 fee for VEER Reviews, due upon application, which covers up to 3 hours of work to complete the VEER Review. Checks should be made payable to the ER Review Program. The fee for each additional hour, or any portion thereof, of time required to complete the VEER Review is $100. Upon completion of the VEER Review, the requester will be invoiced for any additional time (in excess of the initial three hours) required to complete the VEER Review. Payment is due within 30 days of receipt of the invoice.

Please note that the fee for this service is related to the current fee structure for ER Review Program services outlined in NR 29, Wisconsin Administrative Code. The Department is considering changes to NR 29. As a result, the fee for this and other services offered by the ER Review Program may change in the future. Public input would be sought during this process, and notice would be provided on this website prior to implementing any new fees. If you have questions, please contact Sarah Carter.

Important information about service availability and processing

VEER Reviews are completed in a 2-step process, utilizing qualified contractors to conduct proposed VEER Reviews followed by formal Department of Natural Resources (DNR) review, concurrence and sign-off on the proposed VEER Review. The resulting product (the VEER Review) is equivalent in all respects to a regular ER Review, with the exception that it is completed in the guaranteed timeframe of 7 working days.

Please note that state and federal legal holidays and not considered working days. These days are: New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve Day. In addition, mandatory State of Wisconsin and DNR furlough days for 2009 and 2010 are not considered working days. These are: the day after Thanksgiving, the Monday after Christmas, and the Friday before Memorial Day.

Projects received after noon will not be processed until the following day.

Because of the very short timeframe of VEER Reviews and the involvement of contractors in completing the VEER Review, the ER Review Program can commit to providing this VEER Review service only after project scope and contractor and DNR staff availability have been confirmed. Upon receipt of all materials indicated on Page 1, the ER Review Program will notify the applicant within 2 working days regarding whether a VEER Review can be completed for the project. If not, the ER Review Program will return your check to you. Please notify the ER Review Program at 608-264-6057 if you would like the request to be completed via the regular ER Review process.

In the unlikely event that the assigned contractor is not able to complete the proposed VEER Review in the required timeframe once the ER Review Program has confirmed that the VEER Review service is available to you, the ER Review Program will try to complete the VEER Review in the specified timeframe. If this is not possible, the ER Review Program will return your check to you and work with you to complete the project review through the regular ER Review process in the most timely manner possible.

Please contact Sarah Carter if you have questions about Voluntary Expedited Endangered Resources Reviews.