A state plan to reduce paperwork for thousands of businesses also would cut public input about air-pollution concerns, advocates warn.

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency leaders say their proposal is a necessary overhaul that could help attract businesses to Ohio.

"We think it will significantly cut down on the work we have to do for the same level of environmental protections," said Michael Hopkins, the EPA's assistant chief of permitting.

The plan, for small businesses, calls for issuing one permit that lasts as long as 10 years. Under the current system, new businesses must apply for a one-year permit and then reapply for permits every five years. The proposal also would change a requirement that businesses report pollution every three months to once a year.

Hopkins said the demand for new and renewal permits has created a big backlog at the agency.

Many companies wait months to have their five-year permits renewed. Many operate for years under temporary one-year permits while they wait.

However, environmental advocates say the plan would eliminate public hearings and records that show if companies are putting something harmful in the air.

"It's an important protection that we are losing," said Jack Shaner, a lobbyist with the Ohio Environmental Council.

The proposed changes would affect permits issued to about 10,800 small businesses that typically release less than 100 tons of smog- and soot-causing chemicals each year. They include auto-body shops, printers, dry cleaners and industrial painting operations.

The permits spell out how much pollution the businesses can legally release.

Business groups complain that the permit process takes too long and that the delays discourage new businesses.

The Ohio EPA first proposed these changes in 2004, but they were put on hold until the agency developed a computer system to track them.

Teresa Mills, leader of the Buckeye Environmental Network, said Ohio residents are able to request public hearings before each permit is issued. The change would reduce opportunities for hearings, and the proposed reporting process will keep pollution information from the people, she said.

Hopkins said the less time the EPA spends issuing permits, the more time it will have to inspect for problems. He added that the agency would continue to investigate neighbors' pollution complaints. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce said filing reports every three months is a drain on small companies.

"It takes time and money to do that," said Jennifer Klein, director of energy and environmental policy for the chamber. "If there is no harmful impact, there is no reason those time frames can't be extended."

One business group is critical of the plan. The National Federation of Independent Business of Ohio is worried that companies might have to do just as much work to get one permit as they did to get two.

A panel of state lawmakers must approve most of the changes. The plan to issue 10-year permits is in the state's two-year budget bill.

Hopkins said the EPA hopes to start issuing permits under the proposed system in February.

shunt@dispatch.com