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Virginia Environmental Excellence Program. What is the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program?. Voluntary program that provides recognition and incentives Three levels: E2, E3 & E4 Open to all types of facilities Environmental Management System & Pollution Prevention Focused
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What is the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program? • Voluntary program that provides recognition and incentives • Three levels: E2, E3 & E4 • Open to all types of facilities • Environmental Management System & Pollution Prevention Focused • Approximately 280 participating facilities • Coordinated with EPA’s Performance Track program
Unique Aspects • Started as administrative initiative; codified 5 years later • VEEP Participants Association formed • Incentives • Annual permit fee discount • “Alternate compliance method” path • WWTP incentive • Incorporated into State Agency Management Scorecard recently
Incentives: Annual Permit Fee Discounts • Hazardous Waste (E2 discount - 5%; E3/E4 discount 20% - regulations state 10%, but we were able to increase to 20%) • Total: $4,060 • Solid Waste (E2 discount - 10%; E3/E4 discount 20% - regulations do not provide for a greater discount) • Total $58,962 • VPDES/VPA: (E2 discount - 2%; E3/E4 discount 20% - regulations state 5%, but we were able to increase to 20%) • Total $9,054
Incentives: Alternate Compliance Method Request • What is the current regulatory requirement that you are seeking to change and what process are you currently going through to meet that requirement? • What is the alternative approach you are proposing? • Which permits at the facility will be affected by the proposed approach? • What are the expected benefits of the proposed approach to the facility? • What are the expected benefits of the proposed approach to the environment?
Incentives: WWTP Proposed Special Condition The annual average concentration limitations for Total Nitrogen and/or Total Phosphorus are suspended during any calendar year in which the facility is considered by DEQ to be a participant in the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program in good standing at either the Exemplary Environmental Enterprise (E3) level or the Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise (E4) level, provided that the following conditions have also been met: a. The facility has applied for (or renewed) participation, been accepted, maintained a record of sustained compliance and submitted an annual report according to the program guidelines; and b. The facility has demonstrated that they have in place a fully implemented environmental management system (EMS) with an alternative compliance method that includes operation of installed nutrient removal technologies to achieve the annual average concentration limitations; and c. The E3/E4 designation from DEQ and implementation of the EMS has been in effect for the full calendar year. The annual average concentration limitations for Total Nitrogen and/or Phosphorus, as applicable, are not suspended in any calendar year following a year in which the facility failed to achieve the annual average concentration limitations as required by b. above.
Virginia State Agency Management Scorecard: Environmental & Historic Resource Stewardship
Lessons Learned • Measurement is critical • Keep it simple • Maintaining relationships with facilities is a challenge • Connections with feeder programs may/may not be successful • Inreach is ongoing/need to tie into other efforts • Marketing may not necessarily be necessary but providing program name recognition is very important
