Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
Encyclopedia
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is a department
of the government of Oklahoma
under the Governor of Oklahoma
. It is responsible for protecting human health and for safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. DEQ is chiefly responsible for the environmental policy of Oklahoma. It is governed by a thirteen member Environmental Quality Board appointed by the Governor, which in turn appoints an Executive Director to administer the Department.
The Department was created in 1993 during the term of Governor David Walters
.
. Under Governor Mary Fallin
, Gary Sherrer
is serving as the Secretary.
. The membership of the Board must be composed of the following:
All members serve renewable five year terms.
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
of the government of Oklahoma
Government of Oklahoma
The government of the US State of Oklahoma, established by the Oklahoma Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the Federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial...
under the Governor of Oklahoma
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
. It is responsible for protecting human health and for safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. DEQ is chiefly responsible for the environmental policy of Oklahoma. It is governed by a thirteen member Environmental Quality Board appointed by the Governor, which in turn appoints an Executive Director to administer the Department.
The Department was created in 1993 during the term of Governor David Walters
David Walters
David Lee Walters was the 24th Governor of Oklahoma from 1991 to 1995.-Biography:Walters was born near Canute, Oklahoma. He graduated as valedictorian from Canute High School in 1969. He later graduated from University of Oklahoma in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering...
.
Mission
The mission of the Department of Environmental Quality is to provide quality service to Oklahomans through comprehensive environmental protection and management programs designed to assist citizens in sustaining a clean, sound environment, and to preserve and enhance our natural surroundings.Leadership
The Department is administered by the Secretary of the EnvironmentOklahoma Secretary of the Environment
The Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor...
. Under Governor Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin is the 27th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. She was a U.S. Representative for from 2007 until 2011....
, Gary Sherrer
Gary Sherrer
Gary Sherrer is an American Democratic politician from Oklahoma. Sherrer serves as Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment under Republican Governor Mary Fallin...
is serving as the Secretary.
State Environmental Quality Board
The governing body of the Department is the State Environmental Quality Board, which is composed of thirteen members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Oklahoma SenateOklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of Senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution....
. The membership of the Board must be composed of the following:
- One member must be a certified or registered environmental professional
- One member must be selected from manufacturing industry executives within the state
- One member must be selected from the hazardous waste industry executives within the state
- One member must be selected from the solid waste industry executives within this state
- One member must be well versed in recreational, irrigational, municipal or residential water usage
- One member must be selected from among the petroleum industries being regulated by the Department of Environmental Quality
- One member must be selected from the agriculture industries regulated by the Department of Environmental Quality
- One member must be selected from the conservation districts of the state
- Three members must be members of any statewide nonprofit environmental organizations
- One member must be a member of a governing body of a city or town in the state
- One member must be from a rural water district
All members serve renewable five year terms.
Organization
The Department is divided into six major divisions, with each division (excluding the Administrative Services Division) being headed by a Division Director.- Environmental Quality Board
- Executive Director
- Deputy Executive Director
- Administrative Services Division - headed by the Executive Director, responsible for providing overall Department leadership
- Air Quality Division - responsible for implementing the state and federal Clean Air ActClean Air ActA Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
s by laying out requirements and strategies for reducing emissions and improving air quality - Customer Services Division - responsible for answering questions about state and federal programs for air, water, and solid or hazardous waster and maintains the State Environmental Laboratory
- Water Quality Division - responsible for implementing the state and federal Clean Water ActClean Water ActThe Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
s by laying out requirements and strategies for reducing water pollution and improving water quality - Land Protection Division - responsible for inspecting and permitting hazardous waste and solid waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities, manages radioactive materials, restores contaminated land to safe and useful conditions and also coordinates agency environmental education
- Environmental Complaints and Local Services Division - responsible for administering environmental programs at the local level through regulatory inspections as well as technical assistance for all facilities having a DEQ permit and responds to all citizen complaints regarding environmental pollution
- Deputy Executive Director
- Executive Director
Staffing
The Departmentof Environmental Quality , with an annual budget of over $60 million, is one of the larger employers of the State. For fiscal year 2010, the Department was authorized 582 full time employees.| Division | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Administration Division | 69 |
| Customer Service Division | 68 |
| Environmental Complaints and Local Services Division | 102 |
| Air Quality Division | 127 |
| Water Quality Office | 130 |
| Land Protection Division | 86 |
| Total | 582 |