IDEMS TRANSITION

1
IDEMS TRANSITION

• Thomas W. Easterly, P.E., DEE, QEP, Commissioner
• IN Department of Environmental Management

2
Personal Background

• Over 30 years as an environmental professional.
• About 12 years as an environmental engineer for
  the New York State Department of Environmental
  Conservation in the Air and Solid and Hazardous
  Waste Programs with some cross media work into
  Wastewater Pretreatment Issues.

3
Personal Background

• 7 years as Bethlehem Steels Corporate Air
  Expertresolved long standing compliance issues
  and initiated compliance management systems.
• 6 years as Superintendent of Environmental
  Services at Bethlehem Steels Burns Harbor, IN
  production facility. 6,000 employees, 5,000,000
  tons of shipments, over 2,000,000,000 in annual
  sales.

4
Personal Background

• Over 2 years in the regulated gas and electric
  utility industry.
• Most recently an environmental consultant helping
  companies understand and meet their environmental
  obligations.
• Many serious enforcement actions result from a
  lack of understanding of the requirements.
• A number of companies are required to be in the
  regulatory system but dont know how to come in
  at this time.

5
Burns Harbor Successes

• Reduced environmental incidents from an average
  of about 50 per month in 1994 to an average of 2
  per month in 2000 with many months of no
  incidents.
• Clear explanations of requirements.
• Monitoring of results.
• Feedback on performance.
• Fixing physical problems preventing compliance.

6
Burns Harbor Successes

• Partnerships
• Community Advisory Committee
• Bethlehem Management
• USWA
• Environmental Groups
• IDEM, EPA, DNR (2), NPS
• Neighboring Community Citizens
• Local Governments
• Streamlined our RCRA Corrective Action
• NIRPC EMPC AQSC
• QLC

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Goal

• Increase the personal Income of all Hoosiers from
  the current 0.88/1.00 of the national average
  to at least 1.00/1.00 of the national average
  while maintaining and improving Indianas
  Environmental Quality.

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How is Personal Income Linked to Environmental
Improvement?

• Maslows Pyramid reminds us that people meet
  their basic needs for food, shelter and security
  before addressing other needs.
• In most of Indiana, personal autos for
  transportation are a basic need.
• People with lower incomes can often only afford
  older more polluting automobiles which contribute
  more than their share to our transportation
  related air quality issues.

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Income and the Environment?

• People with more income typically purchase newer
  cars that pollute less.
• Similarly, newer industrial processes have less
  waste (more product per unit of input).
• Waste typically becomes pollution.
• Financially successful industries typically are
  able to purchase these newer processes that
  pollute less.

10
Income and the Environment?

• Businesses that are struggling financially still
  must pay their workers and their suppliers. One
  of the few places to reduce is maintenance.
• At some point, deferred maintenance leads to
  reduced equipment availability and increased
  pollution.

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Income and the Environment?

• People and Businesses who have met their basic
  needs look past their own needs to the greater
  good including the general quality of life.
• Pursuit of improved quality of life includes
  support for better environmental quality.

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How Will IDEM Help Increase Personal Income?

• Clear, predictable and speedy decisions.
• Clear regulations.
• Assistance first, enforcement second.
• Timely resolution of enforcement Actions.
• Every regulated entity will have current valid
  permits without unnecessary requirements.

13
Actions to Date

• Held Agency Wide Meeting with Governor Daniels to
  Announce the new direction and answer questions.
• Met with all Branch Chiefs and other Agency
  Leaders to reiterate the message of change and
  answer questions.
• Removed most of the existing management to both
  facilitate and signal change.

14
Actions to Date

• Directly delegated authority and responsibility
  to Branch Chiefs with direction to do their jobs
  while considering economic development.
• Asking people to first go to the staff
  responsible for the issue and let the staff do
  the right thinglet me know when there is a
  problem.

15
Future IDEM Structure

• Less management and more empowerment of technical
  staff.
• Eliminate the deputy commissioner layer.
• Manage by objectives.
• EnPPA
• QMP or equivalent
• Generally Implement Government Efficiency
  Commission Recommendations.

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Major Strategic Issues

• CSOs/Long Term Control Plans.
• PM2.5 Non-Attainment Designations.
• Redevelopment of Contaminated Sites.
• Brownfields
• Voluntary Remediation Program
• LUST
• RCRA Corrective Action

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Significant Issues

• Electronic Permits and Reporting.
• Administratively extended NPDES permits.
• Water Quality Standards or Variances.
• Not yet issued Title V permits.
• Appealed Title V and NPDES permits.
• Unwritten policy applied as regulation.

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Enforcement/Compliance

• Focus is on Compliance, not penalties or gotcha
• Goal is for every regulated entity to understand
  and comply with their environmental
  responsibilities.
• Will continue to enforce against those who do not
  meet their environmental responsibilitiesworking
  to speed up the enforcement process.

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Questions?

• Tom Easterly
• 100 N. Senate Ave. IGCN 1301
• Indianapolis, IN 46204
• [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• teasterly_at_dem.state.in.us