Other methods to clearly recognize completion and compliance are also being developed for other programs. The Office of Waste Management has developed a draft Interim Policy for Arsenic in Soil. This document is currently undergoing internal review and should be ready to be discussed with an outside work group in about two weeks. A general discussion was held concerning the Site Remediation and the Oil Pollution regulations. Concerns were raised about overlapping authority and inconsistent program requirements.
Additional work needs to be done to improve coordination between the programs.
DEM has begun a permit streamlining review process of the environmental permitting programs. Bob Ballou went over the DEM legislative agenda. The centerpiece of DEM's effort will be the Open Space initiative. The department is requesting support from the business community on this effort. Additional information about the DEM legislative agenda and the Open Space initiative will be posted on DEM's website, when it is finalized.