Collaboration Nation: Piloting EPA’s Small Local Governments Compliance Assistance Policy

Ken Harmon, AttorneyOffice of ComplianceU.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA and Small Local Governments Local governments are both regulators and

regulated Small local governments may find it a challenge

to comply with all of the environmental regulations that apply to their activities

Conversations and information-sharing with the States of Idaho, Nebraska, and Oregon in 1994 led to the 1995 Small Communities Policy

Policy established the framework within which States could work with small communities to identify and correct their environmental violations and resolve the matter with a reduced penalty

EPA’s Goals

Focus greater attention to small local government environmental concerns

Accelerate protection of public health and the environment

Encourage small local governments to work with States to: Identify their environmental responsibilities Achieve and sustain compliance Resolve violations with minimal penalties

The Small Local Governments Compliance Assistance PolicyA State can reduce or waive the usual non-compliance penalty for a Small Local Government (fewer than

3,300permanent residents) that participates in a

comprehen-sive self-audit (all environmental requirements); and Either: Returns to compliance within 180 days (of the

commencement of compliance assistance from the State); or

Enters into an enforceable compliance agreement (with a schedule) within 180 days.

What was new?

The 2004 Small Local Governments Compliance Assistance Policy shifted focus to small “local governments”

Introduced a 2-tiered population cap Created an EMS option Allowed “fenceline” projects

Capacity Test

To allow penalty reductions for local governments with between 3,301 and 10,000 residents, the State must develop a capacity test and consistently apply it

The Policy recommends 19 factors that the state capacity test should incorporate

The EMS Option

A small local government can also receive the Policy’s penalty reductions if it elects to address violations discovered during an inspection by Correcting the discovered violations; and Developing and implementing an

environmental management system for its governmental operations

Fencelining

A local government with between 3,301 and 10,000 residents

Admitted to participate after the state’s capacity test determines it is eligible

May limit the scope of its project (either comprehensive compliance or EMS) to a subset of its governmental operations

ECOS Grants In late 2004, OECA provided $50,000 to

ECOS for grants to States to conduct pilots implementing the Small Local Governments Compliance Assistance Policy

As with all pilot programs, our intent was to provide the recipients an incentive to try something new, and then help them share the lessons they learned.

Arizona Small Community Project

Focused on helping small local governments develop and implement an EMS Arizona calls a Small Community Environmental Protection Plan (SCEPP)

The goal is to promote sustained environmental compliance

Elements of Arizona’s Pilot A new Small Community Policy that

tracks EPA’s Policy Informative brochures about a local

government’s environmental requirements

“One stop shopping” Web page Implementation guide for local

governments Outreach

Arizona Brochures

Explain the State’s program and address common environmental violations

Written for wide local government audience

Distributed widely Have proved useful to other

audiences

Arizona’s Web Page

At www.azdeq, users can link to Arizona’s Small Community Policy, to its brochures, to compliance information for the various government operations, to funding resources, to environmental statutes and rules, to State contacts, and to useful non-state links.

Arizona’s Implementation Guide

A manual that leads small communitiesthrough the requirements of Arizona’sSmall Community Policy. Includes: Descriptions of environmental regulations Self-assessment guides SCEPP template Policy Checklist Glossary of terms

Arizona’s Outreach

Improves the performance of both StateAnd communities by: Assessing the needs of Arizona

communities during the design phase Assuring participants have a full

understanding of process and responsibilities

Assessing the effectiveness of activities

Tennessee Stormwater Outreach Project

A Train-the-Trainer effort to help small

local governments: Understand their stormwater

obligations Adopt environmental policies and

ordinances Assess in-house technical skills

Elements of Tennessee’s Project Needs assessment survey Development of EMS training and materials Steering local governments toward training

and discounts available though the Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership

Outreach, technical assistance, and follow-up

Four Train-the-trainer workshops

Tennessee’s Survey Questions non-threatening, clearly written,

required no technical expertise to answer, offered help

High level of interest among the 25% of small communities that responded

Most responding communities, had 5 or fewer staff with environmental responsibilities, did not have and EMS, and wanted to attend a free workshop on stormwater compliance

Tennessee’s Workshops Explained the need for workshops Gave an overview of stormwater regulations

and pollution prevention Reviewed templates for stormwater ordinances Explained Environmental Management Systems Explained the Small Local Governments

Compliance Assistance Policy Presented a video showing solutions to

stormwater problems Showed local governments how and where to

find the necessary resources Participants received a manual and a CD/Rom

South Carolina’s Capacity Test Project Following the guidelines in EPA’s Small

Local Governments Compliance Assistance Policy, South Carolina developed a test for measuring the technical, managerial, and financial capacity of a municipal drinking water system

The State applied its capacity test to 11 small municipal water systems

The State and small local water systems used the findings of the capacity test to discuss options for achieving sustained compliance

South Carolina’s FindingsWhile most of the eleven small watersystems had adequate water capacity Most lacked the technical capacity to remain in

compliance with drinking water requirements Half lacked professional managers (only two

employed managers who were adequately trained)

None of the 11 systems had adequate financial resources and procedures

Only one of the eleven systems was judged to possess the technical, managerial, and financial capacity to remain in compliance with drinking water requirements

Results from the Pilots Identifying national resources and

organizing information about them makes the process easier

Using a team approach within the State offices makes it easier to develop the materials needed for small community compliance assistance

Identifying common violations and developing targeted written materials helps generate interest, establish credibility

Results from the Pilots The smallest communities are the most

likely to ask the State for help Small staffs at small local governments

make developing and implementing EMS difficult

Best to start small, allow local government to have early success, then they realize what more than are capable of doing

Results from the Pilots Compliance assistance to small

local governments produces results: Improved compliance Improved understanding Improved management practices Improved financial procedures Improved trust Improved confidence

Results from the Pilots Materials developed for small

communities prove useful in outreach to other sectors of the regulated public

States can implement EPA’s Policy I ways that meet the needs of their small local governments

Special districts need compliance assistance as much as small local governments