The task of managing storm debris left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey was the responsibility of the TCEQ, local governments, and FEMA. In order to ensure the safe and expedient clean-up of storm debris, the TCEQ authorized Temporary Debris Management sites throughout the affected counties. As of December, over 200 temporary debris management sites have been authorized by TCEQ’s regional offices. During the disaster response, the Waste Permits Division of the TCEQ assisted the regional offices by maintaining a central database of debris management sites, and by providing a publicly-available map of all debris management sites. Waste Permits staff, including Adrienne Clark, Charles Brown, and Armando Barrera, have contributed their time and talent to this process.

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The 85th Texas Legislature appropriated funds allowing I&HW to hire three new staff members to implement a state-regulated Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) program: Berney Williams, P.E. and Robert Anderson, P.E. joined the section this Fall, and our new geologist will start after the first of the year. Management met with interested parties in 2017 to gather information in support of program development. Using this information, I&HW started the combined process of rulemaking, program delegation, and implementation which is expected to take approximately 18-24 months to complete. 

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I&HW started rulemaking to adopt multiple federal RCRA rule changes, including the Hazardous Waste Generator Rule Improvements regulations. We are in the identification phase of rule adoption, assessing which of the optional federal regulations will be incorporated into Texas regulations. This rulemaking will take 12-18 months for completion. Stay tuned for updates to these rulemakings and other I&HW news in future newsletters.