rhode island department of environmental management office of technical & customer assistance

Rhode IslandDepartment of Environmental

Management

Office of Technical &Office of Technical &

Customer AssistanceCustomer Assistance

DEPARTM ENT OF ENVIRONM ENTAL M ANAGEM ENT

Legal ServicesAdm inistrative Adjudication

Crim inal Investigation

Recreational ServicesConservation Enforcem entNatural Resource Services

Bureau ofNatural Resources

Hum an ResourcesM anagem ent ServicesProgram Developm ent

Bureau of Policy & Administration

Technical & Custom er AssistanceAir ResourcesW aste M anagem entW ater ResourcesCom pliance & Inspection

Bureau ofEnvironmental Protection

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTORANDREW M cLEOD, D IRECTOR

Information CenterPre-application AssistanceFile Review Coordination

Regulatory Coordination& Public Inform ation

Pollution PreventionCom pliance AssistanceCAA Sm all BusinessAssistance

TechnicalAssistance

OFFICE OFTECHNICAL & CUSTOMER

ASSISTANCE

Pre-application assistance

Why have a pre-application meeting?

How do I schedule a meeting? Who should attend? What should I bring? What to expect? What not to expect?

Permit Streamlining

KPMG Peat Marwick Final Report “Permit Application Process Streamlining Study, July 30, 1997”

Approximately 130 recommendations Policy changes, regulatory changes,

changes to statutes Some will require additional funds

and additional staff

Permit Streamlining

The Department has established an Advisory Committee to review and prioritize recommendations.

Freshwater wetland recommendations will be reviewed and prioritized first.

Separate stakeholder groups for air and waste will prioritize their respective recommendations.

OTCA serves as the primary point of contact for DEM on federal actions and federally funded projects, in accordance with DEM’s Coordination Policy.

OTCA coordinates DEM review of, and response to, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) disclosure documents and similar materials related to major projects; e.g.,– major transportation, energy, water projects– restoration projects– Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) applications for

hydropower development, transmission lines and pipelines– Quonset/Davisville redevelopment projects– multimedia projects in the planning stage

OTCA does a preliminary review of major subdivisions when requested by the municipality, per Subdivision Enabling Act.

Major Project Review

How do we help consultants with major projects?

OTCA serves both the project proponent and DEM by facilitating good communication and promoting environmentally sound development projects.

OTCA assures that input from relevant DEM programs is solicited, and that we speak with a single voice- no conflicting requests or requirements.

Environmental concerns are identified at an early planning stage- no surprises down the line.

Multiple copies of materials for review are submitted to OTCA- we distribute them and keep track of deadlines.

Need a meeting? We schedule it, and make sure the right people are invited.

General Customer Assistance

OTCA staffs the telephone console at 235 Promenade Street, and answers the general information phone number listed in the phone book

All staff are available to deal with general questions, even if the subject is outside the purview of the Department

OTCA can provide, or coordinate, DEM speakers on a variety of topics

OTCA serves as file review coordinator for the regulatory Offices consultants may still make appointments directly with some

Offices– Waste Management (CERCLA, LUST, UST)– Water Resources (Wetlands, ISDS)– Air Resources

schedules multi-media file reviews associated with a single site schedules single program reviews for some Offices

– Compliance & Inspection– Water Resources (RIPDES)

answers questions regarding file review procedure maintains Oil Spill Logs, and Groundwater Classification and

Wellhead Protection Area maps

File Review Coordination

Regulation & Publication Clearinghouse

OTCA has begun to collect and index copies of all regulations, policies, and outreach materials for single-point distribution

Material will be available over the Internet, and will be searchable

Department Web Page

OTCA is the lead Office for construction and maintenance of a DEM web page

Content to include-– regulations and policies (downloadable files)– calendar of events– public notices– press releases– directory, phone book– FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

http://www.state.ri.us/dem

The Future? (in order of decreasing probability)

Internet access to permit tracking software systems

Internet access to application forms Electronic submittal of applications Internet access to DEM files

Technical Assistance- What Services Are Provided? Pollution Prevention Technical

Assistance Regulatory Compliance Assistance On-site Non-regulatory Confidential

Textile Dept.Food ScienceCivil & Env. Eng.

URICenter for P2

(ChemE Dept.)

Davies Career& Tech. HSBrown UniversityRIC/PC Internships

RI EDC& Other

Institutions

State Agency &Academic Partners

CommunityCollege of RI

Pollution PreventionProgram

NarragansettBay Commission

IPT Program

W oonsocketRegional W WCommission

MunicipalPartners

RI DEM - O TCAP2 Program

Rhode Island Pollution Prevention Team

U.S. EPA-HQ HWRP: 2 yr, $150,000 (88) U.S. EPA-HQ SRRTA: 5 yr, $600,000 (89) U.S. EPA-HQ Min. Casting Co.: 1 yr, $24,000 (92) U.S. EPA-HQ IPT/P2 NBC: 5 yr, $600,00 (92) U.S. EPA-HQ Textile Industry: 5 yr, $432,237 (92) U.S. EPA-NE Auto Refinishing: 3 yr, $150,169 (94) U.S. NOAA Seafood Process.: 3 yr, $603,101 (95) U.S. EPA-NE Reg. Integration: 2 yr, $110,000 (96) U.S. EPA-NE Auto Shops Mentoring: 18 mth, $66,797 (97) U.S. EPA-NE Metal Fin. Evaporators: 2 yr, $142,367 (97) U.S. EPA-NE ISO 14000: 3 yr $34,000 (97)

Federal Pollution Prevention Grant Projects

Multidisciplinary team approach Laboratory and research facilities– analytical/pilot

testing equipment

Incubator for new ideas and tech’s

“Safe haven” for industry

URI-Center for Pollution Prevention Technical Support (‘88)

National & Regional Initiatives: Project XL, ELP, CEIT, CLEAN, NEEATeam, 3PC, CSI, P4, NEPPS, PPG, IAQ “Tools for Schools”, UEI, STEP-Up, RRW, +++

Common Sense Initiative (CSI) Environmental Leadership Project (ELP)

EPA-HQ/EPA-NE Initiatives

EPA-NE, NBC, RIDEM, URI, Industry & Save the Bay OBJ: explore cost efficient and flexible approaches

for achieving enhanced environmental performance Participation Criteria: compliance record;

commitment to P2 and employee environmental education

Participation Incentives: e.g., regulatory flexibility, production modifications, regulatory relief

Economic Incentives: e.g., reduction in monthly effluent monitoring

Rhode Island CSIMetal Finishing 2000 Project

“Integration of P2 into an ISO 14000 Management System”

3yr./$37,000 EPA-DEM-Industry Project; start date Oct ‘97

Key Project Components: pollution prevention & measurement

US EPA Grant Project

Signed by Gov. Almond July 10, 1997 To encourage “voluntary self-

evaluations of compliance programs and management systems”

Examples- audits or standard management practices to monitor compliance status

RI Environmental ComplianceIncentive Act (Effective July ‘97)

Small Business Assistance Program is a requirement of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and includes:

1. State Small Business Ombudsman

2. State Compliance Advisory Panel (CAP)

3. Small Business Assistance Program (SBAP)

Clean Air Act (CAA)- Small Business Assistance (SBAP)

Components of SBAP

1. State Ombudsman: acts as the small business community’s representative for Clean Air Act matters:

Reviews regulation development and implementation to provide recommendations and comments to EPA and DEM

Helps disseminate information about upcoming regulations and requirements

Refers small businesses to appropriate specialists Roger Greene 401-277-2771 ext. 2402

or in RI 800-932-1000, FAX 401-277-6802

Components of SBAP

2. Small Business Assistance Program (SBAP): provides technical and administrative support w/in state government to help small business comply with the Act

Informs small businesses of Clean Air Act requirements Helps small businesses deal with technical, administrative and

compliance problems Creates and disseminates easy to understand information Refers small businesses to environmental auditors &

specialists Pam Annarummo 401-277-6822 ext. 7204 Joe Antonio ext. 4410 FAX 401 277-3810

Components of SBAP

3. Compliance Advisory Panel: a seven member panel to guide and determine the overall effectiveness of the SBAP:

4 small business owners or representatives selected by the state legislature, 2 public representatives selected by the governor, and 1 representative from DEM Air Resources

Reviews SBAP and advises on its effectiveness Makes progress reports to the EPA Small Business

Ombudsman Ensures written information is easy to understand

Information Dissemination

Pollution Prevention Progress newsletter

Fact Sheets - “Plain English” and industry-specific information

Interdepartmental Projects coordination

EPA/DEM coordination

On-site Compliance Assistance

Help small businesses understand the regulations and permitting processes – New facility assistance– Existing facility assistance– Facility expansion assistance– Other small business assistance

Office of Technical & Customer Assistance

222-6822

Have questions? Need help?