Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the Governor of Oklahoma. It is responsible for protecting human health and for safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. DEQ is chiefly responsible for the environmental policy of Oklahoma. It is governed by a thirteen member Environmental Quality Board appointed by the Governor, which in turn appoints an Executive Director to administer the Department.

The Department was created in 1993 during the term of Governor David Walters.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Environmental Quality is to provide quality service to Oklahomans through comprehensive environmental protection and management programs designed to assist citizens in sustaining a clean, sound environment, and to preserve and enhance our natural surroundings.

Leadership

The Department is administered by the Secretary of the Environment. Under Governor Mary Fallin, Gary Sherrer is serving as the Secretary.

State Environmental Quality Board

The governing body of the Department is the State Environmental Quality Board, which is composed of thirteen members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate. The membership of the Board must be composed of the following:

• One member must be a certified or registered environmental professional
• One member must be selected from manufacturing industry executives within the state
• One member must be selected from the hazardous waste industry executives within the state
• One member must be selected from the solid waste industry executives within this state
• One member must be well versed in recreational, irrigational, municipal or residential water usage
• One member must be selected from among the petroleum industries being regulated by the Department of Environmental Quality
• One member must be selected from the agriculture industries regulated by the Department of Environmental Quality
• One member must be selected from the conservation districts of the state
• Three members must be members of any statewide nonprofit environmental organizations
• One member must be a member of a governing body of a city or town in the state
• One member must be from a rural water district

All members serve renewable five year terms.

Organization

The Department is divided into six major divisions, with each division (excluding the Administrative Services Division) being headed by a Division Director.

• Environmental Quality Board
  • Executive Director
    • Deputy Executive Director
      • Administrative Services Division - headed by the Executive Director, responsible for providing overall Department leadership
      • Air Quality Division - responsible for implementing the state and federal Clean Air Acts by laying out requirements and strategies for reducing emissions and improving air quality
      • Customer Services Division - responsible for answering questions about state and federal programs for air, water, and solid or hazardous waster and maintains the State Environmental Laboratory
      • Water Quality Division - responsible for implementing the state and federal Clean Water Acts by laying out requirements and strategies for reducing water pollution and improving water quality
      • Land Protection Division - responsible for inspecting and permitting hazardous waste and solid waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities, manages radioactive materials, restores contaminated land to safe and useful conditions and also coordinates agency environmental education
      • Environmental Complaints and Local Services Division - responsible for administering environmental programs at the local level through regulatory inspections as well as technical assistance for all facilities having a DEQ permit and responds to all citizen complaints regarding environmental pollution

Budget and Staffing

The Department of Environmental Quality, with an annual budget of over $70 million, is one of the larger employers of the State. For fiscal year 2014, the Department was authorized 548 full-time employees.^[2]

References

1. ↑ http://www.deq.state.ok.us/mainlinks/reports/2015AnnualReport/AnnualReport2015.html
2. ↑ FY 2014 State Budget, Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, pg 177

External links

• Department of Environmental Quality homepage
• US Environmental Protection Agency homepage