Chapter 299

299.80(14)(b) (b) Notwithstanding par. (a), this state may at any time commence a civil action to collect forfeitures for violations if any of the following apply:

299.80(14)(b)1. 1. The violations present an imminent threat to public health or the environment or may cause serious harm to public health or the environment.

299.80(14)(b)2. 2. The department discovers the violations before submission of a report under sub. (12).

299.80(15) (15) Access to records.

299.80(15)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), the department shall make any record, report or other information obtained in the administration of this section available to the public.

299.80(15)(b) (b) The department shall keep confidential any part of a record, report or other information obtained in the administration of this section, other than emission data, discharge data or information contained in a cooperative agreement, upon a showing satisfactory to the department by any person that the part of a record, report or other information would, if made public, divulge a method or process that is entitled to protection as a trade secret, as defined in s. 134.90 (1) (c), of that person.

299.80(15)(c) (c) If the department refuses to release information on the grounds that it is confidential under par. (b) and a person challenges that refusal, the department shall inform the applicant or participant of that challenge. Unless the applicant or participant authorizes the department to release the information, the applicant or participant shall pay the reasonable costs incurred by this state to defend the refusal to release the information.

299.80(15)(d) (d) Paragraph (b) does not prevent the disclosure of any information to a representative of the department for the purpose of administering this section or to an officer, employee or authorized representative of the federal government for the purpose of administering federal law. When the department provides information that is confidential under par. (b) to the federal government, the department shall also provide a copy of the application for confidential status.

299.80(16) (16) Reports concerning the program under this section. Every even-numbered year, no later than December 15, the department shall submit a progress report on the program under this section to the governor and, under s. 13.172 (3), the standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over environmental matters. This subsection does not apply after December 31, 2012.

299.80 History History: 1997 a. 27, 41; 2009 a. 30; 2011 a. 260.

299.83 299.83 Green Tier Program.

299.83(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

299.83(1)(a) (a) “Covered facility or activity” means a facility or activity that is included, or intended to be included, in the program.

299.83(1)(b) (b) “Environmental management system” means an organized set of procedures to evaluate environmental performance and to achieve measurable or noticeable improvements in that environmental performance through planning and changes in operations.

299.83(1)(bm) (bm) “Environmental management system audit” means a review, of an environmental management system, that is conducted in accordance with standards and guidelines issued by the International Organization for Standardization and the results of which are documented and are communicated to employees of the entity whose environmental management system is reviewed.

299.83(1)(c) (c) “Environmental performance,” unless otherwise qualified, means the effects, whether regulated under chs. 29 to 31, 160, or 280 to 299 or unregulated, of a facility or activity on air, water, land, natural resources, and human health.

299.83(1)(d) (d) “Environmental requirement” means a requirement in chs. 29 to 31, 160, or 280 to 299, a rule promulgated under one of those chapters, or a permit, license, other approval, or order issued by the department under one of those chapters.

299.83(1)(dg) (dg) “Functionally equivalent environmental management system” means an environmental management system that is appropriate to the nature, scale, and environmental impacts of an entity’s activities, products, and services and that includes all of the following elements and any other elements that the department determines are essential elements of International Organization for Standardization standard 14001:

299.83(1)(dg)1. 1. Adoption of an environmental policy that includes a commitment to compliance with environmental requirements, pollution prevention, and continual improvement in environmental performance and that is available to the public.

299.83(1)(dg)2. 2. An analysis of the environmental aspects and impacts of an entity’s activities.

299.83(1)(dg)3. 3. Establishment and implementation of plans and procedures to achieve compliance with environmental requirements and to maintain that compliance.

299.83(1)(dg)4. 4. Identification of all environmental requirements applicable to the entity.

299.83(1)(dg)5. 5. A process for setting environmental objectives and developing appropriate action plans to meet the objectives.

299.83(1)(dg)5m. 5m. Establishment, implementation, and maintenance of resources, roles, and responsibilities for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving the environmental management system.

299.83(1)(dg)6. 6. Establishment of a structure for operational control and responsibility for environmental performance.

299.83(1)(dg)7. 7. Establishment, implementation, and maintenance of an employee training program to develop awareness of and competence to manage environmental issues.

299.83(1)(dg)8. 8. A plan for taking actions to prevent environmental problems and for taking emergency response and corrective actions when environmental problems occur.

299.83(1)(dg)9. 9. A communication plan for collaboration with employees, the public, and the department on the design of projects and activities to achieve continuous improvement in environmental performance.

299.83(1)(dg)10. 10. Procedures for control of documents and for keeping records related to environmental performance.

299.83(1)(dg)10g. 10g. Establishment, implementation, and maintenance of procedures to monitor and measure, on a regular basis, key characteristics of an entity’s operations that can have a significant environmental impact.

299.83(1)(dg)10r. 10r. Establishment, implementation, and maintenance of procedures for periodically evaluating compliance with applicable environmental requirements.

299.83(1)(dg)11. 11. Environmental management system audits.

299.83(1)(dg)12. 12. A plan for continually improving environmental performance and provision for senior management review of the plan.

299.83(1)(dr) (dr) “Outside environmental auditor” means an auditor who is functionally or administratively independent of the facility or activity being audited, but who may be employed by the entity that owns the facility being audited or that owns the unit that conducts the activity being audited.

299.83(1)(e) (e) “Participation contract” means a contract entered into by the department and a participant in tier II of the program, and that may, with the approval of the department, be signed by other interested parties, that specifies the participant’s commitment to superior environmental performance and the incentives to be provided to the participant.

299.83(1)(f) (f) “Program” means the Green Tier Program under this section.

299.83(1)(g) (g) “Superior environmental performance” means environmental performance that results in measurable or discernible improvement in the quality of the air, water, land, or natural resources, or in the protection of the environment, beyond that which is achieved under environmental requirements and that may be achieved in ways that include all of the following:

299.83(1)(g)1. 1. Limiting the discharges or emissions of pollutants from, or in some other way minimizing the negative effects on air, water, land, natural resources, or human health of, a facility that is owned or operated by an entity or an activity that is performed by the entity to an extent that is greater than is required by applicable environmental requirements.

299.83(1)(g)2. 2. Minimizing the negative effects on air, water, land, natural resources, or human health of the raw materials used by an entity or of the products or services produced or provided by the entity to an extent that is greater than is required by applicable environmental requirements.

299.83(1)(g)3. 3. Voluntarily engaging in restoring or preserving natural resources.

299.83(1)(g)4. 4. Helping other entities to comply with environmental requirements or to accomplish the results described in subd. 1. or 2.

299.83(1)(g)5. 5. Organizing uncoordinated entities that produce environmental harm into a program that reduces that harm.

299.83(1)(g)6. 6. Reducing waste or the use or production of hazardous substances in the design, production, delivery, use, or reuse of goods or services.

299.83(1)(g)7. 7. Conserving energy or nonrenewable natural resources.

299.83(1)(g)8. 8. Reducing the use of renewable natural resources through increased efficiency.

299.83(1)(g)9. 9. Adopting methods that reduce the depletion of, or long-term damage to, renewable natural resources.

299.83(1)(h) (h) “Violation” means a violation of an environmental requirement.

299.83(1m) (1m) Administration of program. In administering the program, the department shall attempt to do all of the following:

299.83(1m)(a) (a) Promote, reward, and sustain superior environmental performance by participants.

299.83(1m)(b) (b) Promote environmental performance that voluntarily exceeds legal requirements related to health, safety, and the environment and that results in continuous improvement in this state’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

299.83(1m)(c) (c) Provide clear incentives for participation that will result in real benefits to participants.

299.83(1m)(d) (d) Promote attention to unregulated environmental problems and provide opportunities for conservation of resources and environmental restoration by entities that are subject to environmental requirements and entities that are not subject to environmental requirements.

299.83(1m)(e) (e) Make the program compatible with federal programs that create incentives for achieving environmental performance that exceeds legal requirements.

299.83(1m)(f) (f) Increase levels of trust, communication, and accountability among regulatory agencies, entities that are subject to environmental requirements, and the public.

299.83(1m)(g) (g) Reduce the time and money spent by regulatory agencies and entities that are subject to environmental requirements on tasks that do not benefit the environment by focusing on more efficient performance of necessary tasks and eliminating unnecessary tasks.

299.83(1m)(h) (h) Report information concerning environmental performance and data concerning ambient environmental quality to the public in a manner that is accurate, timely, credible, relevant, and usable to interested persons.

299.83(1m)(i) (i) Provide for the measurement of environmental performance in terms of accomplishing goals and require the reporting of the results.

299.83(1m)(j) (j) Implement an evaluation system that provides flexibility and affords some protection for experimentation by participants that use innovative techniques to try to achieve superior environmental performance.

299.83(1m)(k) (k) Remove disincentives to achieving superior environmental performance.

299.83(1m)(L) (L) Provide for sustained business success as well as a reduction in environmental pollution.

299.83(1m)(m) (m) Promote the transfer of technological and practical innovations that improve environmental performance in an efficient, effective, or safe manner.

299.83(1m)(n) (n) Lower the administrative costs associated with environmental requirements and with achieving superior environmental performance.

299.83(3) (3) Eligibility for tier i.

299.83(3)(a) (a) General. An applicant is eligible for tier I of the program if the applicant satisfies the requirements in pars. (b) to (d), subject to par. (e). If an applicant consists of a group of entities, each requirement in pars. (b) to (d) applies to each entity in the group. An applicant for tier I of the program shall identify the facilities or activities that it intends to include in the program.

299.83(3)(b) (b) Enforcement record. To be eligible to participate in tier I of the program, an applicant shall demonstrate all of the following, subject to par. (e):

299.83(3)(b)1. 1. That, within 60 months before the date of application, no judgment of conviction was entered against the applicant, any managing operator of the applicant, or any person with a 25 percent or more ownership interest in the applicant for a criminal violation involving a covered facility or activity that resulted in substantial harm to public health or the environment or that presented an imminent threat to public health or the environment.

299.83(3)(b)2. 2. That, within 36 months before the date of application, no civil judgment was entered against the applicant, any managing operator of the applicant, or any person with a 25 percent or more ownership interest in the applicant for a violation involving a covered facility or activity that resulted in substantial harm to public health or the environment.

299.83(3)(b)3. 3. That, within 24 months before the date of application, the department of justice has not filed a suit to enforce an environmental requirement, and the department of natural resources has not issued a citation to enforce an environmental requirement, because of a violation involving a covered facility or activity.

299.83(3)(c) (c) Environmental performance. To be eligible to participate in tier I of the program, an applicant shall submit an application that describes all of the following:

299.83(3)(c)1. 1. The applicant’s past environmental performance with respect to each covered facility or activity.

299.83(3)(c)2. 2. The applicant’s current environmental performance with respect to each covered facility or activity.

299.83(3)(c)3. 3. The applicant’s plans for activities that enhance the environment, such as improving the applicant’s environmental performance with respect to each covered facility or activity.

299.83(3)(d) (d) Environmental management system. To be eligible to participate in tier I of the program, an applicant shall do all of the following:

299.83(3)(d)1. 1. Demonstrate that it has implemented, or commit itself to implementing within one year of the department’s approval of its application, an environmental management system, for each covered facility or activity, that is in compliance with the standards for environmental management systems issued by the International Organization for Standardization or determined by the department to be a functionally equivalent environmental management system.

299.83(3)(d)2. 2. Include, in the environmental management system under subd. 1., objectives in at least 2 of the following areas:

299.83(3)(d)2.a. a. Improving the environmental performance of the applicant, with respect to each covered facility or activity, in aspects of environmental performance that are regulated under chs. 29 to 31, 160, or 280 to 299.

299.83(3)(d)2.b. b. Improving the environmental performance of the applicant, with respect to each covered facility or activity, in aspects of environmental performance that are not regulated under chs. 29 to 31, 160, or 280 to 299.

299.83(3)(d)2.c. c. Voluntarily restoring, enhancing, or preserving natural resources.

299.83(3)(d)3. 3. Explain to the department the rationale for the choices of objectives under subd. 2. and describe any consultations with residents of the areas in which each covered facility or activity is located or performed and with other interested persons concerning those objectives.

299.83(3)(d)4. 4. Conduct, or commit itself to conducting, annual environmental management system audits, with every 3rd environmental management system audit performed by an outside environmental auditor approved by the department, and commit itself to submitting to the department an annual report on the environmental management system audit that is in compliance with sub. (6m) (a).

299.83(3)(d)5. 5. Commit itself to submitting to the department an annual report on progress toward meeting the objectives under subd. 2.

299.83(3)(e) (e) Waiver of enforcement record requirements. The secretary of natural resources may waive requirements in par. (b) 2. or 3. based on the request of an applicant. The department shall provide public notice of the request and shall provide at least 30 days for public comment on the request. The secretary may not grant a waiver under this paragraph unless he or she finds that the waiver is consistent with sub. (1m) and will not erode public confidence in the integrity of the program.

299.83(4) (4) Process for tier i.

299.83(4)(a) (a) Upon receipt of an application for participation in tier I of the program, the department shall provide public notice about the application in the area in which each covered facility or activity is located or performed.

299.83(4)(b) (b) After providing public notice under par. (a) about an application, the department may hold a public informational meeting on the application.

299.83(4)(c) (c) The department shall approve or deny an application within 60 days after providing notice under par. (a) or, if the department holds a public informational meeting under par. (b), within 60 days after that meeting, unless the department and the applicant agree to a longer period. The department may limit the number of participants in tier I of the program, or limit the extent of participation by a particular applicant, based on the department’s determination that the limitation is in the best interest of the program.

299.83(4)(d) (d) Notwithstanding s. 227.42 (1), a decision by the department under par. (c) to approve or deny an application is not subject to review under ch. 227.

299.83(4m) (4m) Incentives for tier i.

299.83(4m)(a) (a) The department shall issue a numbered certificate of recognition to each participant in tier I of the program.