Abstract |
Oklahoma was authorized to administer the RCRA program in 1985, the Air NSPS program in 1982, and the NPDES program in 1996. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) has operated strong compliance and enforcement programs due in large part to their leadership and their experienced management team. Their ability to retain senior managers means they have a breadth of institutional knowledge and expertise that has resulted in clear direction and support in accomplishment of the national enforcement agenda. ODEQ management is also open to change and willing to discuss streamlining current compliance and enforcement processes, as well as building on a strong partnership with the Region. We appreciate ODEQs leadership in piloting the new State Program Review Framework. To accomplish this, ODEQ made the necessary resources, staff and management available to analyze and address concerns as they were identified during the review process. In some instances, ODEQ already had plans in motion effecting improvements. Of note, the ODEQ is implementing a new records management system where all ODEQ enforcement related files will be consolidated by media and will be managed by a professional record keeping staff. |