January 2018 Metrics Report
| Air Construction for 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Received Applications | 5 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Application Decisions | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Monthly Goal | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Air Operating for 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Received Applications | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Application Decisions | 8 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 8 |
| Monthly Goal | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
NDEQ is required by the Nebraska Environmental Protection Act to take action to seek voluntary compliance by the facilities we regulate. Two of the primary methods NDEQ uses toward this end are Outreach and Compliance Assistance.
Simply stated, a primary goal of NDEQ is to Make Compliance Easy. Below is a snapshot of NDEQ efforts focused on achieving the goal and reinforcing a mutually-beneficial relationship with the regulated community. It should be noted that the activities listed under Compliance Assistance are specific on-site visits devoted to helping the regulated community understand and comply with our regulations.
| OUTREACH | COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE | |
| 181 outreach activities at workshops, conferences, and meetings 137 speaking engagements Includes -Environmental Updates (Lincoln/Omaha/Norfolk/North Platte) -Power Summit -Economic Development Webinars -Medium Feedlot Workshops -Brownfields Workshops | 247 compliance status inspections It should be noted a significant portion of compliance assistance activities occur during the course of normal duties, i.e. conducting inspections and responding to inquiries by phone. |
Emerging Issues/Risks: On January 18th, NDEQ announced the award of $1.3 million in grant awards under the Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program (LRRGP). NDEQ received over $3.6 million in grant applications. The requested amount was a $900,000 increase from the last application period. Since 1992, NDEQ has awarded over $33 million in LRRGP grants.
Accomplishments: DEQ has made significant changes to the January metrics report. The Ag and Air Quality sections have increased their permitting goals after both sections consistently met the initial goals. For Ag, the initial goal of four was established based on the historic baseline and this proved to be conservative. The revised permitting goal is now eight. For Air Quality, the revised permitting goals are attributed to the impact from a kaizen to streamline permitting, staff retention, increased experience and cross-training staff to write both types of permits. The new goal of 10 permit decisions a month for both construction and operating permits reflects a team approach to Air Quality permit writing.
Misc. Items of Note: On January 11th, approximately 30 state senators, or their staff, attended a “Wellhead Protection Legislative Breakfast at the Capitol. The event is coordinated by NDEQ, the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts and the Groundwater Foundation. The objective of the event is to provide good information on Nebraska’s groundwater resources. Educational posters were prepared by NDEQ, and John Heaston (Aquamart) presented a short program on the importance of groundwater. The legislative breakfast has turned into an annual event and a successful collaboration of the organizations mentioned.