IDEM Update Indiana Industrial Operators Association April 14, 2009 Thomas W. Easterly, P.E., BCEE, QEP Commissioner IN Department of Environmental Management.
Download ReportTranscript IDEM Update Indiana Industrial Operators Association April 14, 2009 Thomas W. Easterly, P.E., BCEE, QEP Commissioner IN Department of Environmental Management.
IDEM Update Indiana Industrial Operators Association April 14, 2009 Thomas W. Easterly, P.E., BCEE, QEP Commissioner IN Department of Environmental Management 1 IDEM’s Mission and Environmental Goal IDEM is responsible for protecting human health and the environment while providing for safe industrial, agricultural, commercial and governmental operation vital to a prosperous economy. Our goal is to increase the personal income of all Hoosiers to the national average while maintaining and improving Indiana’s Environmental Quality. 2 Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy Yale University Center For International Earth Science Information Network (CFIESIN) Columbia University http://www.yale.edu/epi/ 3 4 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment How Does IDEM Protect the Environment? • Develop regulations and issue permits to restrict discharges to the environment to safe levels. • Inspect and monitor permitted facilities to ensure compliance with the permits. • Enforce against people who exceed their permit levels or violate regulations. • Educate people on their environmental responsibilities. 5 State Budget Balances 6 Response to Reduced State Income • Eliminated 2009 raises. • Strategic Hiring Review—Using attrition to reduce spending. • Reduce/eliminate grants, contracts, etc. • Restrictions on travel and purchasing. • Will maintain essential State services. 7 IDEM Staffing Levels Fiscal Year Budgeted Filled 2004 1,054 2005 1,054 2006 1,063 *2007 1,063 *2008 1,031 *2009 1,031 *2010 983 *2011 983 895 918 915 927 954 950 983 983 1,100 N U M B E R 900 700 500 300 100 * The increases in staff reflect the following: (4) new LUST Inspectors to meet Federal Energy Policy Act (7) OLQ staff to replace the outsource contract for UST technical reviews, saving $1.6M (11) OAQ staff to replace the outsource of permitting contracts, saving $5M (15) SFR and Brownfield staff at IFA (5) OWQ staff from ISDA to meet Rule 5 requirements (2) OPPTA staff from Lt Gov Office 8 Agency Accomplishments • All 1,269 tons of VX Agent stored at the Newport Chemical Agent Facility since 1969 has been safely destroyed. VX destruction started in May of 2005 and was completed in August 2008. • Digital Inspector Tool is in use for solid waste inspections including CAFOs, Auto Salvage Yards and Landfills. 9 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Agency Accomplishments • Entire State met the 0.08 ppm Ozone air quality standard for the period 2006-2008, and we are working with USEPA to have Lake and Porter Counties designated attainment. • Entire State also met the 0.075 Ozone air quality standard for the year 2008. • All but Clark County met the PM2.5 Air Quality Standards for the period 2006-2008. 10 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Performance Metrics Mar 2009 Quality of Hoosiers' Environment Result Target Comments % of Hoosiers in counties meeting air quality standards 98% 100% 80% 1 county & 106,673 of 6,376,792 above standard % of CSO Communities with approved programs to prevent the release of untreated sewage 93% 100% 20% 90+9 (99) out of 98+9 (107) Permitting Efficiency Total calendar days accumulated in issuing environmental permits, as determined by state statute Land 27,110 66,565 86,864 174 permits Air 82,806 207,000 385,000 365 permits Water 34,500 48,000 200,000 109 permits * Places emphasis on back logged permits Compliance Total percentage of compliance observations from regulated customers within acceptable compliance standards Inspections 97.14% 97% 75% Self reporting 92.90% 99% 95% Continuous monitoring (COM) 99.66% 99.90% 98.95% * Tracks observations and not just inspections Organizational Transformation Budgetary agency dollars spent on key outside contracts for core agency functions. Dollars spent on outside services per year $1,400,000 $0 $3,447,017 $1.4 OLQ 11 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Performance Metrics June 2005 Quality of Hoosiers' Environment Result Target Comments % of Hoosiers in counties meeting air quality standards 61% 100% 80% 12 counties & 2,408,571 of 6,195,643 above standard % of CSO Communities with approved programs to prevent the release of untreated sewage 4% 100% 20% 75% by 2007 is goal Permitting Efficiency Total calendar days accumulated in issuing environmental permits, as determined by state statute Land 100,013 66,565 86,864 Air 511,000 207,000 385,000 Water 301,000 48,000 200,000 * Places emphasis on back logged permits Compliance Total percentage of compliance observations from regulated customers within acceptable compliance standards Inspections 95.46% 97% 75% Self reporting 97.11% 99% 95% Continuous monitoring (COM) 99.19% 99.90% 98.95% * Tracks observations and not just inspections Organizational Transformation Budgetary agency dollars spent on key outside contracts for core agency functions. Dollars spent on outside services per year $6,179,367 $0 $3,447,017 12 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment New Drinking Water Metric • Percent of Hoosiers Drinking Safe Water: – Percentage of Indiana population that receives drinking water from facilities that are in full compliance with safe drinking water regulations. – Federal (EPA) Goal is 95%. – Indiana Goal is 99%. – Indiana Current Actual is 98.2%. 13 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Total Permit Calendar Days 600000 500000 400000 Air 300000 200000 Water Land 100000 0 14 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Air Permits Branch Rapid Improvement Activities • Lean/Kaizen Methodology to improve efficiency: – Significant Source Modifications (Construction Approvals) 9/07 Event. • Process time reduced from 220 days to 121 days avg. –Permit Renewals 12/07 Event. • Process time reduced from 678 day avg. to all those issued in ’08 within 270 days allowed (calendar days). • Eliminate backlog of administratively extended permits: – 1/1/08 - 156 permits. – Currently no backlogged air permits. 15 Permit Backlog Reduction • In 2005, there were 263 administratively extended NPDES permits. • Six of those 263 remain to be issued: – US Steel Gary Works. – US Steel Midwest Division. – Arcelor Mittal Indiana Harbor East. – Arcelor Mittal Indiana Harbor West. – Arcelor Mittal Burns Harbor. – Hoosier Energy Merom Plant. 16 Impact of NPDES Extensions • These companies are not required to meet the Great Lakes Initiative discharge limits—e.g. mercury. • These companies are not required to meet other more stringent discharge limitations, testing and reporting requirements. 17 Impact of NPDES Extensions • Many of the objections to the USX permit related to the time allowed by the permit for the Company to meet the new standards. • Without a renewed permit, USX has no deadline for meeting the new standards. • The other four steel plants with extended permits also have no deadline for meeting the new standards. 18 Antidegradation Rule Status • Stakeholder kickoff Meeting on March 7, 2008. • Discussed concepts and schedule at two large stakeholder meetings on 4/29 and 6/25. • Working group of twelve members from the environmental, business and municipal segments formed to come up with draft rule language and/or identify areas for IDEM to resolve. 19 Antidegradation Status • Working group has met on 7/15, 8/12, 9/16 , 10/30, 12/11/08, 1/6/09, and 1/26/09. • Working group agenda items: – Applicability (7/15) & (10/30). – Exemptions (8/12) & (10/30). – DeMinimis (9/16) & (10/30). – Water Quality Improvement Projects (1/26/09). – Antidegradation Demonstrations (12/11/08). – Public Notice/Public Comment (1/6/09). 20 Antidegradation Status • IDEM has prepared a draft reflecting both areas of agreement during the workgroup process and IDEM decisions on issues where no consensus was reached. • That draft will be reviewed for errors by the small group and presented to the larger workgroup before the end of May, 2009. • This draft will also be Second Noticed in the formal rulemaking process. 21 Office of Enforcement 2003 Referrals 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 607 467 547 591 606 437 5,222 4,980 4,268 4,024 3,958 4,092 Notices of Violation 457 318 202 427 420 321 Agreed Orders 349 314 258 417 372 364 15 6 41 38 39 32 Dismissals 121 44 48 46 57 40 Complies/Closed 308 312 317 577 568 386 13 17 4 33 52 22 Violation Letters Commissioner’s Orders AG Referrals 22 Criminal Convictions • Wabash Environmental Technologies and Derrik Hagerman—Clean Water Act felonies. Sixty months of imprisonment and $237,000 in restitution (Terre Haute). • Miller Environmental and Anthony MuCullough—Clean Water Act felonies. Four months imprisonment and $510,000 in penalties (Shelbyville and Rushville). 23 Criminal Convictions • Richard Reece—RCRA felonies. Six months in half way house, six months home detention and $60,000 restitution (Muncie). • Hassan Barrel and Alan Hersh—RCRA felonies. Fifteen months of imprisonment plus $2.7 million in restitution (Fort Wayne). 24 Criminal Convictions • Erler Industries—Clean Air Act Criminal Pleas for false reporting (North Vernon). – $1,000,000 Criminal Fine. – $100,000 to IDEM for Hybrid Vehicles. – $25,000 to the Midwest Environmental. Enforcement Association for training. • Individual Operators and Laboratories—False reporting cases. 25 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Agency Initiatives • Virtual File Cabinet—electronic filing system with over 42,500,000 pages now online. • TEMPO—Enterprise wide electronic integration of all IDEM information—part of the infrastructure to receive and process electronic permit applications and reports: – Two programs accepting electronic submittals, 401 Certifications and Community Right to Know. 26 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Agency Initiatives • EDMR—Electronic reporting of waste water discharge monitoring reports. – Currently being piloted by about 100 facilities. – Expect to be available for all facilities in June of 2009. • Active assistance to facilities that announce layoffs and closing to prevent environmental Incidents. 27 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Agency Initiatives • Returned enforcement function to the air, water and land programs and eliminated the separate office of enforcement. • Provide consistent Statewide air quality permitting, monitoring and enforcement services by directly managing the air program functions previously contracted to: Anderson, Evansville, Gary, Hammond, Indianapolis, and Vigo County. 28 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Percent of Activities Meeting Regulations 102.00% 100.00% 98.00% 96.00% Inspections Self Reporting Emission Monitoring 94.00% 92.00% 90.00% 88.00% 6/1/2005 12/1/2005 6/1/2006 12/1/2006 6/1/2007 12/1/2007 6/1/2008 12/1/2008 29 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Reasons for Enforcement Change • No improvement in compliance rates in 4 years. • EPA HQ told me both enforcement models (separate office or in program) are used effectively. • Enforcement was regularly “waiting on program staff” under the control of other managers. • Unpublished enforcement policies resulted in unexpected actions—too timid and too aggressive. 30 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Compliance and Enforcement Response Policy (CERP) • CERP was last revised in 2003 and was an internal IDEM document. • In order to meet our goal of transparency we decided to update the CERP and publish it as a Non Rule Policy Document under IC 13-14-111.5. Draft signed for 45 day public comment period on 10/31/08. 31 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Compliance and Enforcement Response Policy (CERP) • The 45 day comment period ended in Mid December; but because of the changes to the enforcement structure, the CERP has been revised and was posted for another 45 day comment period on March 2, 2009. • After the end of the comment period, the CERP will be presented to the Air, Water and Solid Waste Boards. 32 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Local Agency Contracts • Continuation of IDEM’s goal to use efficiency gains to reduce contracting out of core environmental protection functions. – $3.5 Million/year in Air Permit Contracts with $1.1 Million in IDEM Resources while improving service. – $1.5 Million/year in Leaking Underground Storage Tank Clean ups with $0.7 Million in IDEM resources while improving service. 33 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Local Agency Contracts • IDEM spends just over $2 Million per year on Local Agency Contracts: – Anderson – Evansville – Gary – Hammond – Indianapolis – Vigo County $66,642 $177,498 $24,000 $375,100 $1,124,139 $266,662 34 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Local Agency Contracts • IDEM believes that it can provide the same or better level of environmental protection for about $0.5 Million/year freeing up resources to address remaining air quality issues in Indiana. • Local Agency Air Quality Services include: – Permitting – Inspections – Complaint Response – Air Quality Monitoring 35 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Grant and Loan Suspension • All Grants and Loans from the following nonreverting funds to entities that had not returned award paperwork by December 19 have been suspended: – 2580 Recycling Promotion Assistance Fund – 2530 Solid Waste Recycling Fund – 2640 Waste Tire Fund 36 New 2008 Laws • HEA 1001 Property Tax Reform was the Major Issue in the 2008 Legislative Session. • SEA 45—The Great Lakes Water Compact with implementing legislation. • HEA 1120—Ban phosphates in residential dishwasher detergent sold after July 1, 2010. 37 New 2008 Laws • SEA 43 addresses many environmental issues: – Clarifies mercury switch removal program requirements to: • Allow payment for removal of mercury containing anti-lock braking switches and other mercury containing devices. • Exempt wrecked vehicles where the mercury switch is not easily accessible. – Allows IDEM to accept electronic signatures. – Clarifies Requirements for Local Land Use Approvals for Solid Waste Landfills that have not yet accepted Waste. 38 SEA-43 Continued – Removes the requirement that IDEM have a laboratory division. – Removes the requirement to display operator certificates at a treatment plant. – Allows a single vehicle ID and land application permit approval for a septage hauler. – Eliminates the requirement that IDEM obtain social security numbers as part of good character approval process. – Allows IDEM to use ELTF for tank inspections. 39 New 2008 Laws SEA 43 Continued: – Requires public notice of rules that are proposed to sunset. – Protects a community from being required to pay storm water fees to two entities. – Clarifies Environmental Criminal Language. • SEA 46 modified the marketable record title for real property to eliminate the need to renew a environmental restrictive covenant every 50 years. 40 We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment Questions? Tom Easterly Commissioner Indiana Department of Environmental Management 317-232-8611 [email protected] 41