[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6387101,"mediaKeyId","2117064-37789a928c3ceba4dc43a62ec09d3652","parentId",2117064,"title","DEQ director outlines agency programs, permitting workload and legal challenges before Senate committee","audioSeconds",3948,"startMs",760000,"endMs",4708000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2117064-37789a928c3ceba4dc43a62ec09d3652&start=760&end=4708","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2117064-37789a928c3ceba4dc43a62ec09d3652/thumbnail_760000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6387101/North-Dakota/DEQ-director-outlines-agency-programs-permitting-workload-and-legal-challenges-before-Senate-committee","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387101-de461f422b23a9cecad27c06d4eec1fc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143905&Signature=jkjwuaDMk~uBbE8pqP7kwcf-CaJ1xr9CVVL8tuYCOK-3HNukBMP~hiIvoy79FixtgdwnHTMESm8P-9XjUjE-ly6MNiv6z6~KU47~M0BN6k3ryc8lriZUfirPLDcDbd3AVQgxO6oyFkuA2uH7G46MXmCeAlnUCaeZHAyEwqTMf69J9ZnAs~ImIIGsqJF5vIM5E3351Mk4INKvE7IrPXTUf1j32NU4cq~zMmd0LH~qz7xpK-a7QqevFHPu5ZAEc6G7Lv7dtQtp78epArSJMtCNymQO2om7Z6i0KUQu7TFgLfKUsOwAGjJdi1~CDAbs46rfGhivGLwZ0IMEqZc21LO53g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Committee on Appropriations - Human Resources Division, ND","date","2025-01-15T00:00:00Z","article","Bismarck — Department of Environmental Quality Director Dave Blott used his committee testimony to give an overview of the agency’s programs, recent accomplishments and several operational challenges, including permitting workload for large energy projects and litigation with federal regulators.

Blott described the DEQ as organized into seven divisions — Air Quality, Water Quality, Municipal Facilities, Waste Management and Chemistry, plus the Director’s Office and Accounting — and said the department employs about 173 FTEs across engineers, scientists, chemists, technicians and administrative staff.

Why it matters: The overview explains how the state implements federally delegated environmental programs, where the agency is relying on state primacy agreements, and how staffing and federal funding shifts affect permitting and oversight for major projects.

Primacy and permitting: Blott told the committee the DEQ holds primacy agreements with EPA to implement federal programs at the state level under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and RCRA. He described a permitting pipeline that can take months for large facilities and said the agency performs complex technical reviews in‑house. “A permit can be over $100,000 on those big ones — we charge for the time that we put into it,” he said.

Blott highlighted two high‑profile permit reviews the agency has processed: the Dakota Carbon Center East Project LLC’s Project Tundra (a proposed carbon capture and sequestration retrofit of a coal plant) and Saralon, a large gas‑to‑liquids facility. Both projects are novel and require significant technical review even before construction.

Enforcement, monitoring and recent results: The director said the agency maintains nine plus continuous ambient air monitors statewide and plans to add another in the northeast. He reported results from a recent EPA helicopter flyover: “They looked at 750 sites. They found 7 violations,” and Blott added, “that’s 99% compliance,” using the figure to illustrate high compliance rates in the oilfield.

Emerging contaminants and monitoring: Blott discussed PFAS, calling it a class of thousands of compounds that are persistent in the environment and noted detection at very low levels creates new technical and communication challenges. He explained the DEQ sees PFAS in wastewater and landfills and described the agency’s interest in developing PFAS testing capacity in the new chemistry laboratory.

Waste management highlights: The DEQ’s waste division described success in working with the wind‑energy industry to remove more than 100 abandoned wind turbine blades left on private property, secured a $500,000 federal radon awareness and mitigation award, and operates an abandoned auto fund supported by DOT fees to remove derelict vehicles.

Legal and federal relationship: Blott said the agency is involved in multiple lawsuits challenging EPA actions and cited delays by EPA on nondiscretionary decisions as a recurring problem that forces states to seek judicial resolution. He described the state’s approach as “following science and the law” and said the agency’s workload can be affected by swings in federal priorities.

Staffing and capacity: Senators asked whether DEQ has the staffing and technical depth to review multiple large projects simultaneously. Blott said the agency can handle current workload but would “have to sit and say you got to wait in line” if several large projects arrived at once; he described prioritization as the practical approach.

Closing: Blott and department staff took committee questions and agreed to provide requested data and program histories. No committee action was recorded during the testimony.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division 1/15/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Department of Environmental Quality Director Dave Blott briefed senators on the agency’s seven divisions, permitting workload for large projects, PFAS testing, radon outreach, and ongoing legal actions involving federal rules and EPA decisions.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Human Resources Division, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28901,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6387106,"Senate committee reviews Department of Environmental Quality budget; chemistry lab move, PFAS testing and tank fund database get one‑time costs",3755,714000,4469000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2117064-37789a928c3ceba4dc43a62ec09d3652&start=714&end=4469","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2117064-37789a928c3ceba4dc43a62ec09d3652/thumbnail_714000.jpg","/articles/6387106/North-Dakota/Senate-committee-reviews-Department-of-Environmental-Quality-budget-chemistry-lab-move-PFAS-testing-and-tank-fund-database-get-onetime-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387106-e88e4ef2bd7b85d834ea858654e4ca47/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143905&Signature=TWby4OWkJn2j-3d3~g-Oh7uK3uvUhiHR8yumhu3PJujG8Lg2LygB2Qdo2Vulnh6K88JjQ9OuzuEKHd8OKAt4Wq1YX6MLESoPR7JUi-M47yonUqPI5bzxFi6Af4MHxPZaSbDAo35V030f9TYZPi4PBiiZfUgbnbsTW4rWZ1aBEtgVp9DA21FnpaRiL2cq7Q51Ajm1f06DYrZpHx0rGKlJPZwUqazKqlCIzumAxPZB0si6282aBKVo9v77KTPniqn-32THV2A0AovFUgrqsg0SHyhdiiUSjh-hbcWHvG1TjPfE5DuPTjqe-8VE04B8UMAXhdA6ECw7xtWrjM4RizeCAA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bismarck — Department of Environmental Quality officials on Wednesday detailed their agency’s proposed budget for the 2025–27 biennium and asked the Senate Human Resources Appropriations Committee to approve Senate Bill 2024, which carries the agency’s funding request.

Beth Jacobson, director of accounting for the Department of Environmental Quality, told the committee the department’s recommended 2025 budget would be funded with about 15% general funds, 62% federal funds and 23% special funds, and that the executive recommendation “included $19,000,000 in general funds” largely to restore vacant FTE funding and support a compensation package.

Jacobson said salary and wages account for roughly $46 million (about 35% of the DEQ budget), operating expenses total about $21.8 million, capital assets roughly $4.4 million and grants/subawards about $60 million (45% of the agency budget). She described $5 million‑plus in one‑time funding in the executive recommendation, most of it tied to the new state chemistry laboratory and related startup costs.

Why it matters: The package includes one‑time costs that the DEQ says are necessary to move and outfit a modern laboratory and to stand up testing for emerging contaminants. The committee’s decision will determine how the agency funds ongoing programs and several large one‑time capital and IT projects.

The laboratory move and PFAS testing: Jacobson said the new chemistry laboratory is under construction on the Capitol grounds and that moving the DEQ lab’s instrumentation will be costly because many instruments require manufacturer assistance. She gave an estimated moving package of $1,500,000 to move about 120 instruments, “with an estimated average moving cost of $12,500 per unit,” and said an additional roughly $1.4 million is budgeted for laboratory equipment such as refrigeration, gas generators and mass spectrometers.

Jacobson told the committee the one‑time laboratory package also includes funding to establish PFAS (per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances) testing capability in the new facility. DEQ Director Dave Blott explained the issue: “PFAS … is the forever chemical,” he said, noting some compounds in the class are regulated at very low concentrations — “a standard of 4 parts per trillion” — and that more testing capacity is required.

Petroleum tank fund and database: The committee pressed DEQ about the Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Fund (PTRCF), which the agency recently assumed from the Insurance Commissioner. Blott said the PTRCF is self‑funded and that its balance is “around $6,000,000,” noting cleanup claims can reach up to $1,000,000 per incident. The department is proposing a new PTRCF database to allow regulated parties to submit fees online and to improve fund management; Jacobson and Blott said the budget includes one‑time funding for that IT project (the request discussed in the hearing was described as roughly $900,000 to $960,000 in conversation).

Revolving loan funds and grants: The DEQ’s municipal facilities division administers two revolving loan funds — a drinking water state revolving fund and a clean water (wastewater) revolving fund — which provide low‑interest loans at roughly 2% to communities for upgrades. Blott and Jacobson said the funds largely sustain themselves through repayments but noted federal capitalization grants remain important and have been shrinking nationally.

Staffing, vacant FTEs and fee‑funded positions: Jacobson walked the committee through recently added and vacant positions. She said most of seven FTEs awarded in 2023–25 are filled; one chemist position tied to an anticipated lead‑and‑copper testing workload remains vacant while the final rule was delayed. Jacobson told senators that if the lead‑and‑copper rule is finalized the department expects a large increase in sampling and would fill that FTE with special funds collected from testing fees.

Budget risks and federal funding: Jacobson cautioned that roughly 62% of the recommended budget is federal funds and that reductions at the Environmental Protection Agency would force program adjustments. Blott added the DEQ will monitor federal grant availability and may need to adjust operations if federal funds decline.

Requests from committee members: Senators asked for additional records and histories. Blott agreed to provide a history of PTRCF payouts (committee members asked for a 15‑year history or a reasonable multi‑year period), and Jacobson said the department can provide recent histories of revolving loan fund activity and the vacancy report submitted to legislative council.

Closing: The committee opened public hearings earlier in the session and closed the hearing on the agency’s appropriation bill during the same meeting. No committee vote was recorded in the transcript; senators asked for follow‑up materials before deliberations.

","Department of Environmental Quality officials told the Senate Human Resources Appropriations Committee that Governor Armstrong’s executive recommendation largely matches the agency’s requests and includes one‑time funding for a new state chemistry laboratory, PFAS testing capacity and a Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Fund database.","actionData","errors"]

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DEQ director outlines agency programs, permitting workload and legal challenges before Senate committee

Senate committee reviews Department of Environmental Quality budget; chemistry lab move, PFAS testing and tank fund database get one‑time costs