News Release 565

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES REVIEWS
ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF 2006
Compliance Assistance, Improved Permitting Tops Director's List

Volume 34-565

Contact: Connie Patterson

(For immediate release)

573-751-1010

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 29, 2006 -- While disasters -- man-made and natural -- and ballot issues grabbed the headlines in 2006, Missouri's most important environmental news continued to be improvements in how the Department of Natural Resources does business, according to department Director Doyle Childers.

"Other issues certainly grabbed the bulk of the attention, but in the long run, Missouri's natural resources are going to benefit more from the changes we've made in how we deal with people," Childers said. "To protect the environment, we're building an environment of cooperation and partnership for the betterment of all Missourians."

Continued implementation of the department's compliance assistance efforts and an improved permitting process led director's list of the top 14 environmental developments for 2006. Other issues making the list included passage of the parks-and-soils sales tax; cleanup of the state's largest remaining scrap tire dump; restoration of Johnson's Shut-ins State Park; and drought and energy issues.

Compliance Assistance: The department continues to build upon the compliance assistance efforts that it initiated in 2005 in response to Gov. Matt Blunt's challenge to improve the way the agency did business. In 2006, the department's Field Services Division expanded its network of satellite offices to improve customer service and to ensure that agency assistance is easily accessible for citizens in every part of the state.

The division also implemented environmental assistance visits in 2006. During these informal visits, department staff help permittees with their unique requirements. Compliance assistance is provided with the expectation that corrections will be made if the department discovers any problems affecting the environment or public health.

The department's Ombudsman Program places an ombudsmen in every region of the state. The ombudsmen operate independently to inform the regional directors and the department director of issues, concerns and problems they learn about while meeting with clients of the department. In 2006, ombudsmen made more than 2,000 contacts with citizens, community leaders and business owners. The ombudsmen and Department Director Doyle Childers also conducted 70 town meetings across Missouri, answering questions and gain input from more than 1,000 citizens, business leaders and city officials.

Permitting Improvements: The Missouri Department of Natural Resources made significant improvements to its permitting processes in 2006. The department received a Performance Track Appreciation Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its innovative approach to flexible air permitting techniques. The department was able to accommodate flexibility needs of manufacturing businesses while protecting the environment and encouraging pollution prevention.

The department also made two of its manuals available to the public online to help them comply with department permits. The Water Pollution Control Permits Manual is available on the department's Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/permits/manual/index.html. The department's Field Services Division is in the process of making its Operations Manual available on the department's Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/services/opsmanual.htm. These manuals will be updated regularly and provide information on the department's environmental assistance visits, site inspections, complaint investigations and other division procedures.

The department also expanded the availability of its electronic forms. Missouri businesses, communities and citizens need, on average, 2,444 land disturbance and 1,074 sewer extension permits annually. Now, about 70 percent of these applications can be completed on a computer. When customers complete the forms, they can print, sign and mail them to the department. Customers can reuse these forms year after year. The department expects to soon be able to accept electronic submission of e-forms as well as accepting payments electronically. In addition to the e-forms, nearly half of all department forms online are available as fill-in-able forms, which applicants can save on their computers. Businesses, communities and citizens can check the department's Web site regularly at www.dnr.mo.gov/forms/ for updated forms and other information, as it becomes available.

Parks-and-Soils Sales Tax: In August, Missouri voters once again approved the parks-and-soils sales tax. Voters first supported the tax in 1984 and have since renewed it three times. This statewide one-tenth-of-one percent sales tax revenue is divided equally between Missouri's system of state parks and state historic sites, and the department's soil and water conservation efforts. Currently, three-fourths of the park system's budget and nearly all of the Soil and Water Conservation Program's budget, including funding for 114 county soil and water conservation districts, comes from the parks-and-soils sales tax.

The constitutional amendment that renewed the tax also included a provision that would automatically place the issue before voters every 10 years, keeping the programs funded by the tax accountable to taxpayers.

Scrap Tire Cleanups: The Missouri Department of Natural Resources began cleanup on the state's largest remaining tire dump in Cass County. Jim Robbins, a Kansas City area scrap tire hauler, began accumulating tires on the site in the 1980s. Robbins planned to cover the tires with rock from the quarry. However, the first scrap tire law, enacted in 1990, made the site an illegal tire dump and prevented him from covering the tires. In 2005, the department reached settlements with Robbins and the property owners for the cleanup of the tires. TRI-Rinse, of St. Louis, will remove approximately 1 million tires from the site and plans to shred them for use as a leachate collection layer in a landfill.

The department also initiated a new Tire Dump Roundup program in an effort to remove scrap tires from Missouri's landscapes. Missouri property owners are encouraged to report illegal scrap tire dumps on their property. To qualify, the scrap tire dumps must contain between 500 and 10,000 tires. If property owners meet the program criteria, the scrap tires will be cleaned up by the Missouri Department of Corrections' Missouri Vocational Enterprises without any cost recovery paid to the department.

Illegal scrap tire dumps pose serious environmental and health threats. Insects and rodents that breed in these dumps can transmit diseases, such as the West Nile Virus. Fires at tire dumps can burn for months or even years, releasing hazardous substances into the air, land and water.

The Tire Dump Roundup and the cleanup in Cass County are funded by the state's 50-cent-per-tire scrap tire fee -- collected by retailers when new tires are purchased in Missouri. To date, more than 14 million tires across Missouri have been cleaned up with funds from this fee.

Cleanup at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park and the East Fork of the Black River: Workers continue to repair damage caused by the Dec.14, 2005, breach of the Taum Sauk reservoir. The breach allowed 1.3 billion gallons of water to roar down Proffit Mountain and through the park. Piles of trees 15 feet high and silt up to 6 feet deep littered the park. Many park features, including the campground, were destroyed. Cleanup began immediately, allowing the park, but not the shut-ins for which it is named, to re-open temporarily for the summer. This allowed visitors to see what had happened and recovery efforts at the park. Interpretive panels at various locations and a driving tour explained the recovery efforts. Visitors also could tour a one-half-mile interpretive trail through an area known as the boulder field -- where many of the larger boulders from Proffit Mountain came to rest. Because the campground was destroyed and has not yet been relocated, no camping was available this year.

The department conducted public meetings and online surveys to help create a redevelopment plan for the state park. The department hoped to re-open the park in 2007 but delays in restoring the East Fork of the Black River may slow the recovery effort. The stream above the shut-ins was filled with sand and boulders and the channel was blocked with a large rock dam. The Department of Natural Resources approved AmerenUE's plan for the restoration Sept. 13, requesting that work begin immediately. However, AmerenUE has not yet begun stream restoration.

Water Resource Assistance: As Missouri's communities and agricultural producers struggled through another year of drought, the department's Water Resources Center staff helped identify counties facing dry conditions and provided advice on how to minimize the impact of the drought.
The Water Resources Center also conducted extensive groundwater and surface water monitoring to help communities assess the availability of water resources. Gov. Blunt's current budget includes nearly $1.6 million to enhance water resource assessment and monitoring statewide. Expansion of the department's groundwater monitoring system will add 80 new observation wells during the next two years. Department water experts can then access real-time water level data from 157 sites throughout the state. This will allow officials to make the most informed water-related decisions possible.

Energy Prices: As Missourians struggled with rising gasoline prices throughout the summer, the department's Energy Center encouraged money savings through carpooling, vehicle maintenance and other energy and cost-reduction measures. The department also held events to raise public awareness about carpooling advantages.

As winter approached, the Energy Center celebrated the weatherization of 150,000 homes under the Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program. This state program helps low-income families conserve energy and saves tax dollars that would otherwise go to help the same families pay their utility bills. Because weatherization is a long-term solution, the savings continue from year to year. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Energy Center administers the program through 18 regional action agencies. It was started in 1977.

Historic Preservation: Missouri's 25 percent historic rehabilitation tax credits, administered jointly by the department's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the Missouri Department of Economic Development, continued to have a major impact on the state's economy. The number of significant rehabilitation projects fueled by this credit continues to grow and expand. The Missouri Historic Tax Credits Program is now Missouri's largest tax credit. Last year saw the greatest utilization of the credits since their inception. The state issued credits amounting to $105 million last year. Total amount invested in projects using the state credits in last fiscal year was $531.6 million. Staff reviewed 231 state tax projects during the period. Since the inception of the state credits in 1998, more than 660 projects have been reviewed by the SHPO and the total investment is nearly $2.36 billion.

The dramatic increase in the number of National Register of Historic Places nominations processed and listed seen since the establishment of the Missouri Rehabilitation Tax Credits continued this year. The amount of interest in the program as evidenced by requests for information, eligibility assessments and nominations submitted remains extremely high. Last year, Missouri saw 76 new listings in the National Register representing 1,212 resources

MEGA 2007: The release of the second edition of MEGA -- the MEGA 2007 CD-ROM -- gives users computer access to nearly 30 statewide geographic information system (GIS) data layers. Significant improvements and additions have been made since MEGA's debut in 2003. New data layers have been added to this collection of interactive computer maps and many of the existing data layers have been updated. Because the state has collected geologic data since the mid-1800s, vast amounts of information are available. This allows users to apply earth science data to real-world issues. The data can support better decisions related to the use and protection of our state's water resources. Landowners, developers, engineers, geologists, planners, consultants, first responders, researchers, teachers and students may find this tool particularly helpful.

MEGA 2007 can be purchased for $45 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Geology and Land Survey. To order a copy, contact the division's publications desk at 573-368-2125 or 800-361-4827, or order online at www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/adm/publications/MapsOrder.htm.

Lewis and Clark State Office Building Recognition: In 2006, the Lewis and Clark State Office Building, home to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, received the highest rating available by the U.S. Green Building Council for energy efficiency and environmental awareness. The building was awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification -- only one of 16 in the nation and the first to be awarded to a state government office building. The department's focus on energy efficiency will save the state an estimated $30,000 to $60,000 annually in heating, cooling and lighting costs.

Emergency Environmental Response: The department's Emergency Environmental Response took reports of 2,385 incidents in 2006, with 779 of those involving the cleanup of confiscated methamphetamine labs and 295 additional reports requiring on-site responses from EER. EER on-scene coordinators are stationed throughout the state and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to environmental emergencies.

The types of incidents included truck accidents and fuel spills, mercury spills and underground storage tank leaks. EER unit members also helped provide security for World Series games in St. Louis in October. Team members patrolled the Busch Stadium area with radiation and air monitoring devices.

Fraudulent Emission Certificate Investigation: Environmental investigators with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources helped uncover a plot to produce and sell nearly 4,000 fraudulent auto emissions certificates in the St. Louis area. Earnest Carter was sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for manufacturing and distributing the certificates. The fake emissions certificates were designed to help register vehicles that would otherwise be ineligible for registration. Co-defendant Donald Allen was sentenced to four years probation and paid a $5,000 fine for distributing the fake certificates. The auto emissions inspection program is designed to improve air quality.

Fine Particulate Matter Forecasting: The department began coordinating Fine Particulate Matter 2.5 air quality forecasts for the St. Louis area through a grant funded by the EPA. Fine particles are a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air that can include acids, organic chemicals, metals, soil or dust particles and allergens. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to see with the naked eye. Fine particle matter is 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller. Fine particles are nearly 30 times smaller in diameter than a single strand of human hair, which averages 70 micrometers. This makes it easy to get pollution deep into the lungs and cause significant health problems. Particle pollution, unlike ozone, can occur year-round. Fine particles come from a variety of sources, including motor vehicles, power plants, wood burning stoves and fireplaces, forest fires and some industrial processes. These forecasts help people in the St. Louis area quickly learn when air pollution is expected to reach unhealthy levels. The forecasts are available on the department's Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/apcp. Residents of the St. Louis area may also check the weather page in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for the current levels and projected PM 2.5 forecasts.

Weldon Spring: In 2006, the Weldon Spring site evolved into long-term surveillance and maintenance status to ensure that the site remains safe for current and future use. This transition was a result of three decades of successful coordination among the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. EPA, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The hazardous waste site has been transformed into an education and recreation destination. The Weldon Spring Interpretive Center provides information on the site cleanup and current status of monitoring. The site features reestablishment of native prairie plants as vegetative cover. It also features the Hamburg hike and bike trail, named for one of the towns originally displaced by the federal government, that connects the Katy Trail State Park to the Missouri Department of Conservation's Busch Conservation Area. The Weldon Spring site also features a viewing platform on top of the waste disposal cell. Finalizing the Federal Facility Agreement by the three regulatory parties is a major step toward memorializing the roles and responsibilities of the federal and state agencies.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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