Air Matters, August 2007

Volume 2, Issue 4

Bureau of Air Management
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707

• Deadline for joining Environmental Results Program for Printers is Sept. 21
• New Air Reporting System A Success
• Air Program Revises Format for Public Notices

Deadline for joining Environmental Results Program for Printers is Sept. 21
By Sarah Murray

Wisconsin printers have a new opportunity to demonstrate their good environmental records under a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) program that makes it easier for them to meet all of their environmental requirements at once.

Developed in collaboration among the DNR, Wisconsin Department of Commerce and industry groups using a federal innovation grant, the Environmental Results Program (ERP) is designed to help printers understand and comply with all of their environmental requirements across several DNR programs. The deadline for signing up for the ERP this year is September 21.

“It’s an innovative approach to helping Wisconsin’s printing industry--especially small printing operations--navigate what can often be a confusing and intimidating process of complying with environmental regulations,” says DNR Air and Waste Division Administrator Al Shea.

ERP participants use a comprehensive, plain-language workbook to walk through a self-assessment of their compliance with state and federal air, wastewater and hazardous waste requirements. They then complete and submit to the DNR a self-certification form demonstrating that they meet air emissions standards, hazardous waste management requirements and other environmental obligations.

ERP advantages and benefits

One of the ERP’s biggest advantages is its connection to DNR’s Audit Immunity Program, which defers penalties for any violations a printer discovers while the company works with the DNR to get back into compliance with environmental requirements.

“In the past, many smaller printers may have been unaware of some environmental regulations, or had a tough time understanding how to follow them,” Shea says. “This allows them time to identify and fix problems without facing penalties, and can help us ensure a clean and healthy environment while supporting small businesses.”

Even for small operations that pride themselves on being environmentally friendly, the program has benefits. The ERP workbook can make it easier for a printing business to ensure that it’s using best management practices to protect the environment. The goal for the future is to have the ERP serve as an alternative to traditional license and permit obligations and help printers meet their clients’ requests for green printing.

“This is a great opportunity for smaller printers to take advantage of the flexibility offered by the DNR to printers who submit the self-certification,” says Niall Power, president and CEO of Printing Industries of Wisconsin. “ERP is the first step in making Wisconsin a green printing state.”

Printers interested in participating in the ERP can contact Renee Lesjak Bashel in the Department of Commerce’s Small Business Clean Air Assistance Program at (608)264-6153 or renee.bashel@wisconsin.gov, or Jon Heinrich of the DNR at (608)267-7547 or jon.heinrich@wisconsin.gov. More information is also available at http://commerce.wi.gov/bd/bd-ERP.html.

Murray is a communications specialist in the Bureau of Air Management.

New Air Reporting System A Success
By Ralph Patterson and Patrick Kirsop

Each year 1,500 to 2,100 businesses are required by law to report their air emissions to the Department of Natural Resources. In the past, this was done by having users load a software program onto their computer, add emissions data for their facility onto the program, and then have the program transmit the emissions data back to the Department. Now that new computer technology is available, the Department has successfully changed its reporting system to allow businesses to complete their annual air emissions reports by using the internet.

Replaced CRS

The new internet reporting system replaced an eight-year-old system known as the Consolidated Reporting System (CRS) that was very successful in its own right but encountered obstacles in later years, such as advanced security systems and spam blockers that lessened its usefulness. Because the new reporting system is accessible through a web browser, a new security arrangement was necessary to make sure the correct people reported air emissions for a company. The new system required users to obtain a Web Access Management System (WAMS) ID through the Internet from the Department of Administration and then ask for an air reporting role for the facility they wanted to report for by completing a DNR Switchboard request. The entire registration process required less than 15 minutes to complete, and DNR received about 1,900 registration requests.

Overall, the new web-based reporting system was a “success” although users did face challenges to submit their air emissions data by March 15, 2007, the statutory deadline for reporting emissions. Some bugs were found in the system’s software program but were fixed as quickly as possible, and the Switchboard portal exceeded its expected usage, which caused some reporting delays with users

In addition, the new software program was moved from Department of Natural Resources computer servers to Department of Administration servers, and the Air Management Bureau was moved to a temporary building because of renovations to its existing location, all of which added to some implementation problems for staff. However, even with these obstacles, the majority of the reporting was completed by the March 15 deadline.

For further information on the new air emission reporting system, please contact Ralph Patterson by phone at 608-267-7546 or e-mail at Ralph.Patterson@wisconsin.gov.

Patterson is Emissions Inventory Team leader with the Bureau of Air Management located in Madison. Kirsop is Chief of the Emissions Inventory and Small Business Section of the Bureau of Air Management located in Madison.

Air Program Revises Format for Public Notices
By Jerry Medinger

Revising public notices to make them more user-friendly was one of the needs identified by a Public Involvement workgroup that was part of the Department’s efforts to improve its air permitting process. The workgroup felt that Operation and Construction Permit public notices needed to be re-structured to better inform interested parties of the Department’s permit review process and to encourage meaningful public participation. The major areas for improvement identified were:

• Writing notices for the general public, using simpler, less technical, better-organized, and more informal language;
• Including details about the specific project and facility being permitted; and
• Stating an exact date by which comments are needed.

The workgroup developed a revised public notice, which was piloted in the South Central Region. The more detailed notice was written to address the improvements needed but as a result, it became much longer. Questions were then raised on whether the public notice could be shortened and still meet the basic federal and state requirements for public notices. The higher cost of publishing longer notices was an issue as well as questions on whether the public was really interested in the additional detail that would be included in a newspaper notice when all of the project information is readily available on the Department’s web site. In response to these concerns, a shorter version of a simplified public notice was developed and piloted in both the Southeast and South Central Regions in 2006.

Feedback and comments considered

The workgroup used survey questionnaires to gather feedback on both the longer and shorter formats from "interested parties" (public groups and persons registered with the Air Program to receive hard copies of all public notices regarding permit actions). Air Program staff also provided comments on the revised formats.

Based on the feedback that was received, the shorter public notice was adopted and will be used soon to announce the Department’s air permit actions throughout the state. Key features of the new public notice include a brief plain-English description of the project being permitted and a specific date that public comments are due on the project.

Medinger is a Transportation Supervisor in the Southeast Region and is located in Milwaukee.

 

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