Statistics for Regulatory Decision Making
Solid Waste Facility Feasibility Determination

Description

Feasibility is the longest and most critical step in Wisconsin's landfill siting process. The applicant prepares and submits a Feasibility Report for review by the Department, and affected local governments and the public. A landfill can't be sited without a favorable feasibility determination from DNR, as well as certain local approvals. The volume of approved landfill capacity in Wisconsin has been trending upwards substantially in recent years, and during 2003 increased by 21% to reach nearly 121 million cubic yards. As of January 2005, Wisconsin’s approved landfill capacity was 119 million cubic yards. While an increasing trend in disposal capacity may indicate increasing disposal rates, actual disposal tonnages confirm and quantify increased disposal in Wisconsin landfills. More detail about Wisconsin's landfill siting process can be found at: Wisconsin's Landfill Siting Process.

Goal

Complete on-time reviews of solid waste landfill feasibility reports. On time for Completeness Reviews is 60 days from when DNR received the submittal. On time for Feasibility Determinations is normally 60 days, excluding the 30-day public comment period. If a contested case hearing is held regarding the landfill proposal, on time for the Feasibility Determination is 90 days from the close of the hearing record.

Progress Toward Goal, as of March 31, 2006

Each new feasibility report represents a proposed landfill - either expansion of an existing landfill, or an entirely new one. The timeliness data provided here also includes feasibility modifications, meaning requests to modify previously issued (favorable) feasibility determinations. The number of landfill final feasibility decisions issued in any particular year or quarter can vary quite a bit. For example, 11 final feasibility decisions were issued in 2004, while only 3 final feasibility decisions were issued in 2005. For the most part, this variation depends on when feasibility reports are received from applicants, and isn't controlled by the Department. Sometimes the Department may have a dozen or more feasibility reports in house, and other times only a few. At the end of 2005, the Department had 4 landfill feasibility reports in house for review. If approved, the actual disposal capacity may be less, but it is worth noting that these 4 proposed landfills have a combined proposed disposal capacity of 42 million cubic yards, equivalent to about 36% of the total approved disposal capacity in place in Wisconsin as of January 2005. There are also other proposals in earlier stages of the landfill siting process.

In 2005, the Department issued 3 final feasibility decisions - all on time. In the course of reviewing those 3 feasibility reports, the Department also issued 5 intermediate decisions on completeness. Of the 5 completeness decisions issued by the Department in 2005, all were on time.

During the first quarter of 2006, the Department issued 1 final feasibility decision, and this involved 2 intermediate decisions on completeness. All of these decisions issued in 2006 were on time.

Note: A greater number of completeness decisions than final decisions indicates some feasibility reports were not initially complete, and in those cases, the applicant had to submit additional information to make the report complete.

A definition of the terms and explanation of the calculation can be seen by selecting the terms in the table above.

Contact

Gretchen Wheat
gretchen.wheat@wisconsin.gov
608-267-0557