The Department of Environmental Protection published four final and nine proposed technical guidance documents for the coal mining, oil and gas, sewage facilities act, treatment plant operators, water quality, drinking water and noncoal programs. DEP also published notice of a water quality general permit for sewer extensions and pump stations.

Final: DEP ID: 563-2504-002. Land Maintenance Financial Guarantees. This document defines how the Department will require coal mining activities to be bonded in an amount that covers the Department's cost to complete the site's reclamation plan.

Final: DEP ID: 550-3000-001. Compliance Monitoring of Oil and Gas Wells and Related Facilities and Activities. This document summarizes the policies regarding field inspections and other compliance monitoring activities carried out by the Department's Oil and Gas Management Program and revises procedures governing the frequency of inspections as well as procedures for determining whether a violation has occurred.

Final: DEP ID: 550-4000-001. Enforcement Actions By DEP's Oil and Gas Management Program. This document revises procedures for tracking violations as well as timeframes and procedures for resolving violations.

Final: DEP ID: 383-2300-001. Pennsylvania's Interim Program for Operator Certification. Description: The guidance and procedures contained in this document provide direction to the Department and the State Board for Certification of Water and Wastewater Systems Operators to implement the Water and Wastewater Systems Operators' Certification Act.

Draft: DEP ID: 362-2192-004. Guidelines for Identifying Tracking and Resolving Violations for the Land Application of Biosolids. This document provides internal guidance to the Department's Biosolids Program Staff for identifying and resolving compliance and enforcement activities across this Commonwealth. Comments due: July 25.

Draft: DEP ID: 362-4000-003. Act 537 Program Guidance; Local Agency/Municipality Evaluation and Compliance Activity. This document provides internal guidance to Department staff by providing general strategy and procedures for evaluating municipal and local agency performance when implementing the Act 537 program and to provide potential compliance actions available to correct deficient performance prior to initiating enforcement activity. Comments due: July 25.

Draft: DEP ID: 362-4000-004. Act 537 Program Guidance; Sewage Enforcement Officer Evaluation and Compliance Activity. This document provides internal guidance to Department staff by providing general strategy and procedures for evaluating sewage enforcement officer performance when implementing their Act 537 responsibilities and to provide potential compliance actions available to correct deficient performance prior to initiating enforcement activity. Comments due: July 25.

Draft: DEP ID: 362-4000-005. Act 537 Program Guidance; Identifying, Tracking, Resolving of Sewage Facilities Act Violations. This document provides internal guidance to Department staff by providing general strategy and procedures for pursuing enforcement activity against municipalities, local agencies and sewage enforcement officers found to be sufficiently deficient in their responsibilities under the Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537) to warrant formal action. Comments due: July 25.

Draft: DEP ID: 362-4180-004. Guidance for Calculating Civil Penalty Assessment Amounts under the Sewage Facilities Act. This document provides internal guidance to Department staff for the calculation and assessment of civil penalties under the Sewage Facilities Act. Comments due: July 25.

Draft: DEP ID: 362-4180-005. Act 537 Program Guidance; Civil Penalty Assessment Processing. This document provides internal guidance to Department staff to achieve Statewide consistency with the civil penalty assessment processing under Act 537. Comments due: July 25.

Draft: DEP ID: 362-4000-006. Guidelines for Identifying, Tracking, and Resolving Violations for Water Quality. This document provides internal program guidance to the Department's Water Quality Program staff for identifying and resolving compliance and enforcement activities across this Commonwealth. Comments due: July 25.

Draft: DEP ID: 383-4000-002. Guidelines for Identifying, Tracking and Resolving Violations for the Drinking Water Program. This document provides the Department's Field Staff with an organized approach to dealing with serious violations in the drinking water program in accordance with the Department-wide policy issued on April 6, 2004. Comments due: July 25.

Draft: DEP ID: 562-4180-102. Noncoal Compliance/Enforcement Procedures. This proposed guidance document summarizes the procedure used by the Department to cite violations by noncoal operators including blasting activities related to noncoal mining operations. Comments due: July 25.

· Final Water Quality Management General Permit for Sewer Extensions and Pump Stations (WQG-02).

For copies of Draft Technical Guidance

For copies of Final Technical Guidance

6/24/2005