The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Office of Pollution Control (OPC) is in the process of reorganizing its structure to better serve facilities in the state, enhance efficiency, and increase the expertise of its staff. The first step in reorganization was the creation of the Waste Division about a year ago followed by the Emergency Response and Preparedness Division this year. The final phase for reorganization includes structural changes in the Environmental Permits Division (EPD) and the Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Division (ECED).
Placement of managers and staff is nearly complete. “Since the last major reorganization of the Office of Pollution Control about 18 years ago, we determined that it would be beneficial for the facilities we regulate and our staff to examine ways to be more efficient,” said OPC Director Chris Sanders. “We believe these changes move us in that direction.”
EPD and ECED will mirror each other, for the most part, with the creation of two air branches, two water branches, a stormwater branch, and a municipal branch to handle domestic wastewater. The two air and two water branches will have certain industrial sectors assigned to them similar to how OPC exists today. In addition, EPD will have an air program manager and a water program manager while ECED will have an air program manager plus an enforcement branch. The Waste Division will manage the non-hazardous and hazardous waste media programs.
For more information about the reorganization, contact Chris Sanders of MDEQ.
