The temporary suspension of the permitting process for emergency construction in the wake the storm damage is welcomed news for hard-hit communities, Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Darrel Aubertine told Fred Dicker this morning.

Aubertine, who was tapped to co-chair the governor’s cabinet-level response task force, said the move would speed up the cleanup effort, especially for debris removal.

“The fact that the governor worked to relax those regs is certainly welcomed news for a lot of those communities,” Aubertine said in the Talk 1300-AM radio interview.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, appearing in Keene, Essex County, yesterday to survey damage to the North Country, announced he would suspend the permitting prcoess required by the Adirondack Park Agency and Department of Environmental Conservation so that rural areas could make emergency repairs to bridges, roads and other infrastructure damaged by Irene.

Cuomo is in Greene County today to view the storm damage with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

Aubertine said he would travel to Greene County as well. The damage he’s seen so far is disturbing, Aubertine said.

“It really was something unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” he said. “I know that farms for example in ther southern part of the state have suffered a lot of catastrophic loss to livestock. I mean the damage I think at this point would be a little early to put a dollar amount to it, but it is a large number.”

As for coordinating storm response, Aubertine said the Cuomo administration is trying to sort out which agency covers specific Irene-related problems.

“Internally we’re working to make sure each individual agnecy is being able to get out there and deal witjh issues that crop up,” he said. “For example, Fred, the road and bridge issue is DOT and Ag issues are issues that fall under my domain.”

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