department of environmental protection …enforcing clean water standards dep regulates nearly 9,000...
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DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
The mission of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is to protect Pennsylvania'sair, land, and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens througha cleaner environment. The department will work as partners with individuals. organizations,governments, and businesses to prevent pollution and restore our natural resources.
Programs and Goals
Environmental Support Services: to provide administrative and technical support for thecommonwealth's environmental protection programs.
Environmental Protection and Management: to protect Pennsylvania's air, land, and waterfrom pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleanerenvironment. We meet this responsibility for administering Pennsylvania's environmental laws toprotect our air, land, and water by enforcing clean air and water standards, managing landprotection activities and ensuring waste is handled properly, ensuring safe and healthycommunities, and promoting sustainable energy.
Program: EnvironmentalSupport Services
Goal: to provide administrative and technical support for the commonwealth's environmentalprotection programs.
This program provides for the administrative and technical systems that direct and support theDEP programs. It includes the executive and administrative offices, the Office of Chief Counsel.information and data processing systems, the Citizens Advisory Council, and the EnvironmentalQuality Board.
DEP continues to marshal every available resource to maximize its use of cutting-edgeelectronic solutions and promote a culture of continuous process improvement. DEP'sInformation Technology Delivery Center is working on a core set of initiatives that continue tofocus on reducing and ending paper-driven processes by developing program-specific, customapplications for permitting and inspections. DEP is also harnessing the power of off-the-shelfsolutions to centralize data and make it accessible to both internal and external stakeholders.
DEP continues our partnership with other commonwealth agencies in the adoption of reusabletechnologies, including partnerships with the Pennsylvania Department of Community andEconomic Development on digitizing our grants systems, and with the Pennsylvania Departmentof Transportation on developing e-inspections applications.
The Environmental Hearing Board's purpose is to safeguard the environmental rights ofPennsylvania's citizens through appeals of actions taken or instituted by DEP and/or the privatesector. It is included here for presentation purposes.
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Program: Environmental Protection and Management
Goal: to protect Pennsylvania's air, land, and water from pollution and to provide for the healthand safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment. We meet this responsibility foradministering Pennsylvania's environmental laws to protect our air, land, and water by enforcingclean air and water standards, managing land protection activities and ensuring waste ishandled properly, ensuring safe and healthy communities, and promoting sustainable energy.
This program focuses on achieving DEPs mission to protect Pennsylvania's air, land, andwater from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens. These activitiesencompass major program elements including clean water, clean air, land protection, healthycommunities, and sustainable energy.
Permitting and inspection functions are fundamental to most of DEP's programs andregulatory oversight. The permit approval process occurs prior to an industrial activity (or duringmodification), and inspections occur as specified in regulations throughout the life of thepermitted activity. Both permits and inspections cover almost every industry and are often arequirement to maintain primacy of certain federal programs, such as Safe Drinking Water, AirQuality, and Mining. Building upon an efficiency initiative begun in 2017, and amplified this year,DEP staff continue to find ways to make the permitting process simpler, more effective, andmore efficient.
Enforcing Clean Water Standards
DEP regulates nearly 9,000 public water systems serving l0.7 million Pennsylvanians. DEPalso provides consultative services for the 700,000 private residential water supplies inPennsylvania. DEP carries out its duties and responsibilities through various programs andactivities related to permitting, monitoring. compliance, enforcement, and technical assistance.DEP implements all aspects of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. including drinking waterstandards, source water protection, operator training and certification, and capabilityenhancement programs for public water systems to address technical, managerial, and financialissues
DEP is responsible for monitoring and assessing Pennsylvania's 86,000 miles of streams andrivers as well as more than 109,000 acres of publicly owned lakes. DEP protects natural aquaticsystems for public use by monitoring and assessing surface water quality. developing waterquality standards, managing non-point sources of pollution, protecting coastal zone resources,and regulating mining and oil and gas development. Protection of these waters is carried outthrough permitting, inspection, and enforcement activities. Most inspection activities are relatedto permitted facilities that discharge or have the potential to discharge wastewater to waters ofthe commonwealth. DEP also inspects non-permitted entities and responds to spills andcomplaints where waters may be affected.
DEP also develops, implements, and evaluates statewide policy and program activities topromote interagency and interstate cooperation on a wide range of shared water resourceissues
A re-focus of the commonwealth's plan for the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay wasannounced in early January 2016, and developed in concert with the Pennsylvania departmentsof Agriculture, and Conservation and Natural Resources. The departments are in the process ofdeveloping Pennsylvania's Chesapeake Bay Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan (Phase 3WIP) using a collaborative, strong local engagement approach to ensure the plan is
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implementable and results in local water quality improvement while restoring the ChesapeakeBay. The main focus of the Phase 3 WIP will be the development and implementation ofCountywide Action Plans to address local planning goals for nutrient reduction, while achievingother local priority initiatives for environmental improvement. DEP also has the lead in workingwith the other state and federal partners that comprise the Chesapeake Bay ProgramPartnership. This partnership is focused on the implementation of the 2014 Chesapeake BayWatershed Agreement, which defined 10 goals and 31 outcomes for the improvement andenhancement of water quality, habitat, environmental literacy, diversity, and stewardshipinitiatives.
DEP provides support to County Conservation Districts, which support the conservation andrestoration of the commonwealth's water resources. DEP also focuses efforts on technicalassistance and compliance efforts to ensure that municipal sewage and storm water systemsand agricultural operations are reducing nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment discharges intolocal waterways.
Enforcing Clean Air Standards
DEP protects the environment and the health of Pennsylvanians from air pollution byachieving the goals of the federal Clean Air Act and the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act.DEP develops air quality regulations and the Commonwealth's State Implementation Plan toprimarily address ground-level ozone, particulate matter, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, volatileorganic compounds, lead, and hazardous air pollutants. These air pollutants can aggravate orcause respiratory ailments, cause cancer, and produce other adverse health and environmentaleffects. DEP designs and maintains networks to monitor ambient air quality in Pennsylvania,performs meteorological tracking, and conducts air quality modeling studies to scientificallydetermine whether air quality goals are achieved. Due to the location of Pennsylvania in thepopulated northeast corridor, DEP implements regional haze and interstate ozone transportp roqrams.
DEP administers a permitting system, including federal Title V permitting of air pollutionsources, develops transportation control measures and other mobile source programs, andinspects and enforces other air pollution control requirements.
The Governor's methane reduction strategy was announced in January 201 6 to addressmethane and volatile organic compound emissions from the oiland gas sector. DEP hasimplemented new source permitting requirements and is working on rules for existing sources ofemissions.
Managing Land Protection Activities
DEP encourages waste reduction, promotes recycling and reuse of waste products, andprotects the public by providing for safe transportation, processing and disposal of municipalwaste, residual waste, and hazardous waste. DEP also protects land resources by regulatingabove-ground and underground tanks that store petroleum and other hazardous substances.
DEP oversees the Land Recycling Program to encourage cleanup of contaminated, vacant, orotherwise underutilized properties and return them to productive use and administers theHazardous Sites Cleanup Program to clean up threats to human health and the environmentfrom toxic chemicals from abandoned sites or where there is no viable responsible person. DEPis participating in the Governor's PFAS Action Team to address releases of Per- andPolyfluoroalkyl Substances to drinking water systems and to land.
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Restoring and enhancing the quality of watersheds aligns several programs and agencyobjectives. DEP continues to work in partnerships to restore land impacted by legacyenvironmental issues and improve local water quality through the Land Recycling Program, theHazardous Sites Cleanup Program. and the Abandoned Mine Land Program.
Ensuring Safe and Healthy CommunitiesDEP's Office of Environmental Justice works to ensure that all Pennsylvanians, especially
those communities that have historically been disenfranchised, are fully involved in thedecisions that affect their environment and that all communities are not unjustly and/ordisproportionally burdened with environmental hazards. The Environmental Justice office iscommitted to minimizing adverse environmental impacts, empowering communities, andfostering economic opportunities.
To protect residents from exposure to potentially dangerous levels of radiation, DEP performsa range of licensing and inspection activities, such as registering radiation-producing equipmentlicensing users of radioactive materials and inspecting facilities to ensure compliance. DEP alsoinspects mammography X-ray facilities under a contract with the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration to enhance the quality of mammograms and increase the likelihood of earlydetection of breast cancer. DEP certifies all radon testers, mitigators, and laboratories operatingin the commonwealth and closely monitors test results and mitigation actions where there arethreats posed by radon to the public.
To reduce the threat of West Nile Virus, DEP, in cooperation with state and county agencies,monitors mosquito populations, enacts control measures for the mosquitoes that may carry thevirus, and examines unknown vectors and reservoirs involved in the transmission of the virus.
DEP's emergency response personnel are available whenever there is an immediate threat topublic health, safety, or the environment. Each year, DEP staff respond to thousands ofenvironmental incidents. DEP staff are also trained to respond to any incident or accident atPennsylvania's nine operating nuclear power plants. While DEP's major focus is the response tospills to land and water, it also has significant involvement with air pollution incidents (fires, orindustrial or transportation-related releases) and leaking underground storage tanks.
DEP's flood protection and stream improvement programs protect lives and property throughthe construction of physical structures such as dams, levees, flood walls, channels, culverts,and bank stabilization works. Large-scale flood protection projects are generally designed toprotect communities from damages from a I percent annual chance flood event, also known asthe 100-yearflood event.
DEP regulates the proper planning. design, construction, maintenance, monitoring, andsupervision of dams and reservoirs, including preventive measures necessary to provide anadequate margin of safety in order to protect the health, safety. welfare, and property of thepeople
DEP regulates mining with a goal to minimize impacts to the environment while providing aclimate that encourages economic growth, as well as a safe and healthy work environment forminers
DEP oversees the permitting. inspection, and compliance of conventional and unconventionaloil and gas wells and the construction of pipelines in Pennsylvania. It also responds tocomplaints from the public regarding water supplies that might be aHected by oll and gasoperations. In addition, DEP oversees the plugging of wells that no longer serve their intendedpurpose.
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DEP helps to improve the economic climate for firms to locate and expand in Pennsylvaniathrough programs such as the Small Business Assistance Program.
Promoting Sustainable Energy
Because the most serious environmental threat facing Pennsylvania is climate change, DEP'senergy office undertakes activities to plan, track, implement, and promote energy efficiency,such as advocating for the use of energy-efficient building codes and energy managementsystems, renewable energy and alternative fuels. The office is also involved with energyassurance and security, fuel resource and energy financial market issues. The office hasseveral programs to aid consumers and promote clean, renewable energy, which is vital toPennsylvania's economic growth, environmental protection, and electrical grid resiliency.
Energy office staff assist, educate, and encourage Pennsylvanians to advance conservationand efficient use of diverse energy resources to provide a healthier environment and greaterenergy security for our future generations. DEP also collects and provides useful energy data tointerested parties. In 2019, DEP will distribute a Comprehensive Energy Assessment, includingenergy production, consumption, and resource potential to coincide with DEP's Climate ActionPlan Update. The goal of the assessment is to assist DEP and stakeholders in understandingthe current, future, and potential energy landscapes in Pennsylvania and to identify andprioritize forward-looking opportunities for greenhouse gas reductions associated with cleanenergy policy implementation and changing energy trends.
DEPFUNDING SOURCES
The attached chart shows the Department of Environmental Protection's overall funding . The informationused in this chart is for the current 2018-1 9 fiscal year's enacted budget.
© General Fund -- 21 % of Overall DEP Fundingo General revenues of the State, appropriated by the Legislature to pay for general
expenses of the Department- Examples of DEP General Funds:
General Government OperationsEnvironmental Program ManagementEnvironmental Protection OperationsBlack Fly ControlWest Nile / Zika VirusChesapeake Bay Agricultural Source AbatementCommissions Dues -- Susquehanna River Basin CommissionDelaware River Basin Commission, etc.
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e
0 These funds pay for Department operational costs - administrative, executivelegal, policy, and "boots on the ground" - inspection and enforcement
o Any unused funds in a fiscal year are lapsed back into the Commonwealth'sGeneral Fund and not to the Department
. Augmentations 5% of Overall DEP Funding
0
0
Monies received and credited to a specific State appropriation, usually received asa result ofa billing ora feeExamples of augmentations within DEP:
Bureau of Laboratories and IT chargebacks -- for services provided to areasin the DepartmentBlack Fly / West Nile/Zika Virus - reimbursement from counties for sprayingservices provided by the DepartmentSpecial Fund support to general fund for administrative and program costs
Programs charged for share of the total cost of program staffoccupying each of DEP's six leased regional office buildings
. Programs charged to provide financial support to the General Fundfor indirect cost charges including the Department's executiveoffices, the Office of Administration and Management, the ChiefCounsel's Office and the regional directors' offices.
. Other General Funds/Restricted Revenues 12% of Overall DEP Funding
o Revenues that are designated by law or administrative decision for a specificpurpose
- They fund a regular operation of the Department
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In simplest of terms, continue from one year to the next - like a checkingaccount
Revenues are generated by fees (permit, registration, etc.), fines, penaltiesInterest is credited to the Commonwealth's General Fund: not to DEPExamples of DEP Restricted Revenue Funds:
Clean WaterSafe Drinking WaterWell Plugging (Oil & Gas)
000
. Special Funds 31% of Overall DEP Funding
0 Revenues raised from special sources named by law -- earmarked revenueRevenues can be spent only for purposes prescribed by the law and forwhich the revenues were collected
. Any unused funds in a fiscal year are lapsed back into thefund/returned to the fund
Revenues are generated by fees (permit, registration, etc.), fines, penalties
0 Funding requests by the Department that are authorized in the name of theGovernor - previously were appropriated through blanket action of the GeneralAssembly
. Examples of DEP Special Funds:o Clean Airo Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fundo Recycling Fund
. FederaIFunds 31% of Overall DEP Funding
o Monies appropriated to the Department for a specific periodRepresents the spending authority estimated to be needed by theDepartment for the estimated active federalgrants for that fiscalyear andgrants that may become available during that fiscal year
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
FY2018-19 ENACTED BUDGET$716,663,710
as ofJuly 1,2018
OTHER GENERAL FUNDS
RESTRICTED REVENUES
$82,498,000 11.51%
AUGMENTATIONS
$36,746,710 5.13%
GENERALFUND
S153,284,000 21.39%
SPECIAL
$224,510,000 31.33%
FEDERALFUNDS
$219,625,000 30.65%
GENERALFUND
GeneraIGovernment Operations
EnvironmentalProgram Management
Chesapeake Bay Agric Source Abate
EnvironmentalProtection Operations
Black Fly Control
West Nile Virus / Zika Virus Control
Delaware River Master
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Interstate Comm. on the Potomac River
Delaware River Basin Commission
Ohio River Valley Water San Comm
Chesapeake Bay Commission
Transfer to Conservation District Fund
Interstate Mining Commission
TOTAL:
$153,284,000 OTHER GENERAL FUNDS/ RESTRICTED REVENUES
Safe Drinking Water Account
Radiation Protection Fund
Clean Water Fund
Solid Waste Abatement Fund
Well Plugging Account
Abandoned Well Plugging Fund
Orphan Well Plugging FundAlternative Fuels Incentive Grant Fund
IndustriaILand Recycling Fund
Waste Transportation Safety Account
Electronics MateriaIRecycling Account
$ 82,498,00014
30
2
93.
3
5
378
932
670
190
357
378
38
237
23.
217.
68.
275
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
4,731,000
14,647,000
23,748,000
4,359,000
23,016,000
213,000
6,645,000
300,000
2,785,000
365,000
2,506,000
15,000
153,284,000
Sewage Fac Prgm Admin (EAI
Used Tire Pile Remediation (EA)
TOTAL:
686,000
1,003,000
$ 82,498,000$
AUGMENTATIONS
Reimb for EDP Services - GGO
Reimb for Dept Services - GGO
Puts for Services - EPM
Sale of Vehicles - EPM
PA DOT ISTEA - EPM
WPC Revolving Fund - EPM
Clean Water fund - EPM
Clean Air Fund - EPO
Sale of Vehicles - EPO
WPC Revolving Fund - EPO
Safe Drinking Water Account - EPO
Solid Waste Abatement Fund - EPO
$ 36,746,71010
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50
176
5.
25.
200.
300.
860.
100.
ISO.
180.
500.
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
DEP SPECIAL FUNDS
Acid Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Fund
Clean Air Fund/Major Emission Facilities
Clean Air Fund/Mobile & Area Facilities
Coal & Clay Mine Subsidence Fund/Gen Operations
Coal & Clay Mine Subsidence Fund/Pyt of ClaimsCoal Lands Restoration
Conservation District Grants
Energy Development - Administration (EA)
Energy Development Loans/Grants(EA)
Environment Education Fund/GeneralOperations
Watershed Protection and Restoration (EAI
$224,510,000
18,191,000
17,878,000
9,369,000
3,866,000
2,040,000
175,000
4,514,000
172,000
3
753,000
24,554,000
Paget ofZ Attachment #l
AUGMENTATIONS fcontlnuedU
Reimb for Services - EPO
PennDOT ISTEA Program - EPO
SDW Revolving Fund - EPO
Reimb for Labs - EPO
Lab Accreditation - EPO
Reimb from Counties - Black Fly
TOTAL:
DEP SPECIAL FUNDS fcontfnuedJ
HSCF/General Operations
HSCF/Hazardous Sites Clea nup
HSCF/Host Municipality Grants
HSCF/rrfr Industrial Sites Cleanup Fund
HSCF/SmalIBusiness Pollution Prevention
HSCF/rrfr - Industrial Sites Environmental Assessment
HSCF/Trfr - Household Hazardous Waste Account
Mine Safety Fund
Non-CoalSMCRF/GeneralOperations
Nutrient Mgmt Fund/Educ, Research & Tech Aust.
Recycling Fund/Recycling Coordinator Reimbursement
Recycling Fund/Reimb of Municipal Inspectors
Recycling Fund/Reimb of Host Munic Permit App Review
Recycling Fund/Administration of Recycling Program
Recycling Fund/County Planning Grants
Recycling Fund/Municipal Recycling Grants
Recycling Fund/Municipal Recycling Performance Frog
Recycling Fund/Public Education &/technical Assistance
Remining FinanciaIAssurance Fund
Storage Tank Fund - GeneralOperations
Storage Tank Fund - Investigation & Closure Reimb (A)
Storage Tank Fund - federal Grant/UST
Storage Tank Fund - Federal Grant/LUST
Surface Mining Conserv & Reclam Fund - Gen Operations
Unconventional Gas Well Fund/rrfr to Well Plugging Acct
Undgrnd Storage Tank Indem Fund/Environ Cleanup
Undgrnd Storage Tank Indem Fund/Pollution Prev
TOTAL:
5,297,000
I,ooo,ooo
450,000
9,918,710
2,605,000
875,000
36,746,710
22,078,000
24,000,000
25,000
2,000,000
I,ooo,ooo
2,000,000
$ I,ooo,ooo
I,ooo
3,885,000
2,073,000
1,600,000
400,000
50,000
1,264,000
2,000,000
23,000,000
19,500,000
4,800,000
200,000
4,156,000
5,000,000
1,7S0,000
2,990,000
6,830,000
6,000,000
5,296,000
100,000
$224,510,000
FEDERAL FUNDS
Coastal Zone Management
CMAG - Administration
Stormwater Permitting Initiative
Safe Drinking Water - Mgmt
Water Pollution Control - Mgmt
Air Pollution Control - Mgmt
Surface Mine Conservation
Wetland Protection Fund
DiagnosticX-Ray EquipTesting
Water Quality Outreach Training
Water Quality Mgt Ping Grant
Small Operators Assistance
Wellhead Protection Fund
Indoor Radon Abatement
Non-Point Source Implementation
Hydroelectric Power Cons Fund
Survey Studies
National Dam Safety
Training Reimb for SmallSystems
State Energy Program (SEP)
Pollution Prevention
Energy & EnvironmentalOpportunitiesSurface Mine Conservation
Multipurpose Grants to States and Tribes
Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Nuclear and Chemical Security
Homeland Security Initiative
Chesapeake Bay Poll Abatement
EPA Planning Grant - AdminWater Pollution Control Act
Air Pollution Control Grant
Su rface Mine Contra & Reclamtn
Trng and Educ of Undgrnd Miners
Construction Mgmt Assist Grant
Safe Drinking Water Act
Oil Pollution Spills Removal
Tech Assist to Small Systems
Assistance to State ProgramsLocal Assist & Source Wtr Prot
Great Lakes Restoration
West Nile Virus and Zika Virus Control
Zika Vector Control Response
TOTAL:
$219,625,0004
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