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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) will host an exciting week of hybrid activities to celebrate National Small Business Week, May 1-5, 2023. OSDBU’s “Back in Business Bigger, Bolder, and Better” commemoration will feature the first in-person activities in three years. For more information on National Small Business Week activities for the public, including a free virtual summit hosted by the Small Business Administration (SBA), see SBA’s National Small Business Week site.
Check out UW-Extension’s webinar on clean energy funding available for Wisconsin businesses. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides nearly $394 billion in clean energy funding over 10 years to rapidly advance the clean energy economy and substantially reduce carbon emissions while improving US economic competitiveness and innovation. With the stable and long-term incentives in IRA, businesses are provided certainty to make long-term investments in the transition to clean energy. Companies are eligible for $216 billion in tax credits over 10 years to invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean transportation, and manufacturing. IRA creates a new credit market for buying and selling tax credits too and enables businesses to achieve bonus credits. The law invests in new and adapted manufacturing facilities to grow American supply chains for clean technologies that will create new jobs.
In this webinar, you will learn from an expert panel about the clean energy funding available to businesses at both the federal and state level, how to optimize your access to funding & financing, strategies to lower your tax liability, and programs to increase the clean energy workforce in Wisconsin.
The EPA finalized amendments to the new source performance standards for Industrial Surface Coating of Plastic Parts for Business Machines pursuant to the review required by the Clean Air Act. For affected facilities that commence construction, modification, or reconstruction after June 21, 2022, the EPA added volatile organic compound (VOC) emission limitations for prime, color, texture, and touch-up coating operations. EPA also included a requirement for electronic submission of periodic compliance reports. This final rule went into effect on March 27, 2023. Read the rule in the eCFR.
Several changes to Wisconsin’s hazardous waste management rules took effect in 2020 and affected most healthcare facilities and reverse distributors in the state that generate or handle hazardous waste. The changes were driven by federal regulations intended to streamline the rules while continuing to protect public health and the environment.
Healthcare facilities generate many types of waste, including pharmaceutical, medical, infectious, solid and hazardous waste. While hazardous waste can be a relatively small percentage of the waste generated by healthcare providers, it must be identified and managed appropriately.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website has updated information and guidance documents for healthcare facilities. The DNR webpages Hazardous Waste Management at Healthcare Facilities and Hazardous Waste Resources contain links to current guidance documents including:
Pharmaceutical Wastes and Subchapter P
The quantity and types of waste generated each month determine a facility’s generator classification or status and the requirements that apply. If the facility is a small quantity generator or large quantity generator, the facility must notify the DNR and operate under the Subchapter P pharmaceutical rules. Subchapter P may reduce the healthcare facility’s generator category, thus reducing waste management requirements, by allowing HW pharmaceuticals to not count toward monthly generation totals. For more information on healthcare facility and Subchapter P requirements, refer to the DNR guidance document WA-1902 Healthcare Facilities: Pharmaceutical Wastes and Subchapter P.
Annual Reporting
Healthcare facilities operating under Subchapter P are not required to report non-creditable or potentially creditable hazardous waste pharmaceuticals on their annual reports (s. NR 662.041, Wis. Adm. Code). However, they may be required to furnish additional reports and records concerning the quantities and disposition of non-creditable and potentially creditable hazardous waste pharmaceuticals.
A healthcare facility must keep copies of waste determinations, land disposal restriction notifications, manifests and exception reports for three years. All records must be readily available upon request by the DNR.
Limitation On Sewering Pharmaceutical Waste
Under s. NR 666.505, Wis. Adm. Code, all healthcare facilities, regardless of generator status or Subchapter P status, are banned from discharging hazardous waste pharmaceuticals into a sewer system (i.e., disposing of them down a sink or toilet drain).
Questions on managing pharmaceutical waste can be directed to the Healthcare Waste Staff.
The DNR charges an annual fee to all industrial storm water permittees. The DNR will mail or email invoices for the yearly fees in May/June. The invoice will include instructions on paying the fee, where to send the payment and the due date.
Fees for the various general permits are $260 per year for Tier 1, Auto Salvage and Scrap Recycling permittees and $130 per year for Tier 2 and Nonmetallic Mining permittees.
To mitigate any billing questions ahead of time, please review the frequently asked questions below.
My facility closed or ceased operation. What do I need to do?
A facility that has closed or ceased operations and no longer requires coverage under an industrial storm water discharge permit needs to submit a completed Notice of Termination (NOT) form to the DNR. The NOT form must be filed via the Water ePermitting System.
What do I need to do if my industrial facility moves to a new location?
If your facility moves, in addition to terminating coverage for the previous location by submitting a Notice of Termination (NOT) form, you also need to reapply for the industrial storm water discharge permit coverage for the new site by submitting a Notice of Intent (NOI) form. The permit coverage is for the unique location and does not move with the operation. The NOT and NOI forms must be filed via the Water ePermitting System.
My facility is being sold or has been sold to another owner. Can the industrial storm water discharge permit coverage be transferred to the new owner?
Yes, both the previous owner and new owner may request a permit coverage transfer to the person who will control the industrial facility. To transfer the permit coverage to the new owner, both the previous owner and new owner need to sign a transfer request. The new owner must file an NOI form with the signed Transfer of Coverage form via the Water ePermitting System.
What happens if my facility closes or changes location and I don’t terminate the industrial storm water discharge permit?
It is crucial for industrial facilities that cease operations or move to a new location to submit a Notice of Termination (NOT) form to the DNR for the vacated facility. If the NOT form is not filed, the facility will continue to be billed on an annual basis and may even be sent to Department of Revenue collections. The DNR will notify the facility of termination of coverage when it has been received.
I spoke with someone previously about canceling the fee. Why am I getting billed again?
If a facility no longer requires a storm water permit, the DNR must receive the proper notification. If you contact the DNR and are instructed to submit a Notice of Termination (NOT) form, please do so at your earliest convenience so that it can be processed and the DNR’s records updated appropriately. Submitting a note with the invoice does not serve this function. A copy of the submitted NOT form should be kept for your records.
My facility is still active; however, there has been a change in contacts.
To ensure the invoice is sent to the correct facility or individual, please provide up-to-date contact information (including the appropriate billing contact) in your DNR records. To verify your contact information, use DNR Switchboard and log in to view facilities tied to your account. If contact information needs to be updated, please contact your local DNR storm water staff member. Contact update requests received after April 28, 2023 may not display correctly on the 2023 annual billing statement.
For forms or additional information:
The DNR announced that the State of Wisconsin has entered into a contract to establish the nation's first market-based water quality trading clearinghouse. The clearinghouse is an innovative solution to water quality issues that compensates farmers and landowners, saves wastewater facilities money and protects Wisconsin's water resources.
The selected entity, Wisconsin Clearinghouse, LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Resource Environmental Solutions (RES).
Municipalities and industries throughout Wisconsin that own and operate wastewater treatment plants can now contract with the Wisconsin Clearinghouse to find and obtain water quality trades to help them meet their wastewater permit requirements. This approach allows treatment plant owners to protect local water quality while saving money on costly treatment upgrades. This clearinghouse model also encourages farmers and landowners to adopt pollution-reducing practices on their land in exchange for monetary compensation.
Water quality trading works by keeping pollution from entering surface water. For example, a participating farmer may let a field go to native prairie vegetation rather than planting row crops. This would allow phosphorus to stay on the field and be available for plants to absorb rather than flowing into surface water during heavy rains. The farmer can sell these phosphorus credits to a municipal wastewater plant that is required to reduce the amount of phosphorus it discharges.
Parties interested in purchasing or selling credits should contact Wisconsin Clearinghouse at:
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