Science Services Support: Environmental Fees and Billing Program

The Consolidated Billing Program collects revenue for the entire DNR in an efficient and customer-friendly manner. Initiated in 1973 as a joint Air and Wastewater fee system, the program now includes 18 fee programs. The program serves environmental programs within the DNR and regulated companies outside the DNR that we bill.

The Consolidated Billing program evolved when Watershed Management staff needed to bill companies for discharges and Air Management staff needed to bill the same companies for air emissions, and the DNR promptly sent the companies two bills. As other sorts of fees that were collected from companies increased, it made logical sense to consolidate the bills. The Consolidated Billing Program now claims responsibility for the collection of a multitude of statute required fees, plus various license and permit fees.

These fees include:

• hazardous waste annual generator fees,
• air emission fees,
• wastewater fees,
• storm water fees,
• wastewater groundwater fees,
• laboratory certification registration fees,
• solid waste facility license fees,
• hazardous waste license fees,
• construction and demolition landfill inspection fees,
• solid waste transportation license fees,
• solid waste landfill environmental fees,
• and hazardous waste manifest fees.

During 2001, over 25 million dollars came through the consolidated billing system. In 2002, Landfill License surcharge and Recycling Tipping Fees were collected for the first time causing the dollar amount to exceed $40 million. In 2003 the billing collected over 25 million dollars for the department.

The time that is saved for the DNR´s environmental programs is a significant factor in evaluating the success of the Consolidated Billing Program. After all, it is important to remember that the goals of the environmental programs are to protect and better the environment, not to collect money. By providing the billing service for the other regulatory programs, we allow them to concentrate on protecting our natural resources without spending valuable staff time on bill collecting.

For more information on environmental fee collection for all the Department programs, please contact:
Michael Kvitrud, Environmental Fees and Billing Manager