On January 17, 2017, EPA authorized NDEQ to administer the RCRA (hazardous waste) Corrective Action Program. Until now, final decisions concerning site-wide cleanup were the responsibility of EPA; now NDEQ has been given this final decision-making authority. Waste Management Section Supervisor Bill Gidley said that the program is fully prepared to assume these additional responsibilities, and that the changes will be beneficial for the agency, EPA, and those regulated under the RCRA program.

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality will be coordinating the annual meeting of the Nebraska Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 9:00 a.m., in Room 424 of the NDEQ office at 1200 N Street, Lincoln. For additional information, please see the meeting agenda below, or contact Ryan Green, NDEQ Small Business and Public Assistance Coordinator, at 402-471-8697.

February 1, 2011 is the deadline to apply for 2011 Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grants. This year, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has developed new forms which can be filled out and submitted as an e-mail attachment. NDEQ has also developed new ranking systems for both the Waste Reduction and Recycling grants, and the new Deconstruction of Abandoned Buildings grants.

Below are links to waste grant program information and the new applications:

March 2, 2017 -- The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has sent invitations to schools across the state, seeking students’ entries for the 2018 “Nebraska: Don’t Waste It” environmental calendar. The contest is open to all Nebraska students from grades K through 12, and the submission deadline is April 15, 2017.

December 22, 2010 -- The 2011 “Nebraska: Don’t Waste It” calendars, featuring artwork of 13 students from across the state, are now available through DEQ. Copies of the calendar are available by contacting NDEQ at P.O. Box 98922, Lincoln, NE 68509-8922, or by sending an e-mail request to NDEQ.moreinfo@nebraska.gov .

March 15, 2017 – The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has scheduled its annual Environmental Update workshops to be held in three locations in Nebraska this May:

Tuesday, May 23 – North Platte, Holiday Inn Express and Suites, 300 Holiday Frontage Rd, North Platte

Wednesday, May 24 – Saunders County Extension Office, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca

Thursday, May 25 – Norfolk, Lifelong Learning Center, Northeast Community College, 801 East Benjamin Avenue, Norfolk

March 24, 2017 -- The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has launched some new pages on its web site to discuss how regional controlled burning can impact air quality. Called “Smoke Awareness in Nebraska,” this site will be updated regularly from March to mid-April, when large controlled burns in the Flint Hills area of Kansas and Oklahoma occur and can potentially impact air quality in surrounding states.

April 21, 2017 -- The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has entered into a contract with Engineering Solutions and Design, Inc (ESD) to perform a study to modernize NDEQ’s solid waste management programs. The study is required by LB 1101, which was signed by Governor Rickets on April 7, 2016.

On May 1, the state began its weekly monitoring of harmful algal blooms (also known as toxic blue-green algae) and bacteria at 50 public recreational lakes in Nebraska. Sampling will continue weekly through September.

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has announced a public comment period and a public hearing regarding the proposal to renew the operating permit for G&P Development, Inc. Municipal Solid Waste Landfill in Milford. The public comment period is open through May 23, 2017. The hearing will begin at 6 p.m. May 31 at the Milford Webermeier Public Library, 617 2nd Street, Milford.