ADEQ was not a stepping stone for me like it is for other people in that agency,” she said. One method of providing information to the public is through a Freedom of Information Act request. As for the 50 percent drop in penalties assessed on polluters, Keogh said that shouldn’t be interpreted as a reduced commitment to environmental protection. “The next day when our IT staff came in … all those comments were put back online.”, Director Keogh said in an interview that she was not in the office May 2 and did not see any of the Regulation 37 comments until later. “I love my job. As of June 22, the state transparency website shows 14 employees that make over $85,000 annually. The following Monday, May 7, Davis wrote her up for speaking again to Moulton after Davis had allegedly told her not to do so. Arizona Guidance Manual for Constructed Wetlands for Water Quality Improvement (May 1995), Arizona Mining BADCT Guidance Manual (APP) (July 2005), Bulletin No. If you do not know exactly what documents you are looking for, a general records review of the department's files regarding the matter of concern is recommended. 2: The Earth Pit Privy - Other Methods of Organic Waste Disposal, Bulletin No. FAX: 501-682-0880, Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment But one critical comment, submitted May 2 by former ADEQ employee Ellen Carpenter, also marshaled publicly available figures to question whether the agency was capable of establishing a complex new system. Davis appears to have learned about the comment only later that afternoon, after which she consulted with her supervisor, Julie Linck. “I just find it kind of curious why, all of a sudden, I just seemed to turn into a bad person — enough to warrant termination.”. The Public Information staff will inform you whether DEQ possesses files pertaining to the request and how you may view or receive the information. … Her actions were both intentional and insubordinate.”. For questions involving Title VI, please contact: (Subscribe to receive information on specific topics), Arkansas Freedom of Information Act Handbook, Draft Arkansas Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) at Public Notice, 401 Certification/ Short Term Activity Authorization (STAA) Tracker, DEQ Draft & General Permit Notices of Intent (NOIs). “EPA’s multipurpose grants allow recipients to fund issues that are important to them, even if those issues span different program areas, and ADEQ shows how to put that flexibility into action,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. For example, Senior Deputy Director Julie Linck, the agency’s second-in-command, is married to Kelley Linck, a former Republican state representative now serving as legislative affairs chief for the Department of Human Services. “When asked by her supervisor about the situation, Ms. Robinson lied,” Davis’ written narrative says. “Why, all of a sudden, did [Davis] have an interest?”). adequate search responsive to the ompanies’ FOIA requestsC and that the IRS properly withheld he allteged alter egos’ taxpayer return information under OIA F Exemption 3 and 26 U.S.C. map/directions. “It’s appalling.”. Carpenter attached screenshots to her email illustrating these and other numbers, including an apparent increase in the number of employees earning high salaries between 2015 and 2018. The next morning, May 3, Davis called Robinson into her office, demanding to know if she’d shared the comment with others. Help us deliver the latest daily reporting and analysis on news, politics, culture and food in Arkansas. Penalties declined from $662,000 in FY 2015 to $328,000 in FY 2017, according to the state’s budget transparency website. He began working at the Times in 2014. Keogh acknowledged the unfilled positions saved the agency money; she placed the figure at “roughly $2.5 million in salary savings over a two-year cycle.” But she said it was appropriate for ADEQ to budget conservatively in recent years, given recent talk of declining federal grants from the EPA under the Trump administration. News media questions or interview requests, as well as Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from the public, should be directed to the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment's public information coordinator listed below. The positions and numbers changed from 2017 to 2018, but both lists … included the type of staff one might think of as doing the actual work of the agency,” she wrote. Robinson said Davis, along with Linck and a member of the agency’s IT staff, met after reading the comment on the afternoon of May 2. She wrote that out of 11 division chiefs at ADEQ in 2015 (there was one vacancy at the time), eight are no longer employed with the agency. … [I’m] trying to reduce some of the barriers internally to be able to deliver our programs more effectively, to modernize what we do and to ensure that we’re using the best science.”. (The agency’s media protocol explicitly lists responding to FOIA requests as a duty of the public information officer, and Robinson said she responded to 25 or 30 requests per month on average. Fully completing the form will allow us to direct your question or comments quickly and efficiently. “It’s just, ‘You need to be made aware this is out there, it’s going to be made public, definitely look at it.’ … We would make the director aware, but the comment wouldn’t be treated — wasn’t treated — any differently than the other 20-plus comments we received that day,” Davis said. “I was unfairly targeted as the ‘fall guy,’ ” due to displeasure over Carpenter’s comments, Robinson wrote in an attached narrative describing her version of events. On May 4, Davis wrote her up for the public comment incident. and pr duction, snd to assezzble the best ava11able intelligence for ezpressfou fn n..tfonal estimates to czufde 1n the yorzrzfatfon oI Ioreign policy and tbe preparation o. our defense pb ns. United States Environmental Protection Agency. News media questions or interview requests, as well as Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from the public, should be directed to the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment's public information coordinator listed below. “Honestly … that’s a fairly new practice of the agency, I believe … to make sure the comments are posted during the comment period itself, rather than waiting until the end of the comment period.”. Attn: FOIA Request Arkansas E&E sends press releases and media advisories using an email distribution list. The LDEQ's mission is to provide service to the people of Louisiana through comprehensive environmental protection in order to promote and protect health, safety and welfare while considering sound policies regarding employment and economic development. 1, Groundwater Quality Study for North Central Mohave Valley 2 Vol. “What they did behind closed doors, I don’t know … but the public comments all came down,” Robinson said. “Never have I been asked to have those reviewed before I send them out, unless an attorney asks me to hold onto it,” Robinson said. 8: Disinfection of Water Systems (1978), Bulletin No. Davis and Keogh said the agency was unable to comment on a personnel matter when asked in a June 5 interview why Robinson was fired. “[Carpenter] submitted FOIAs. Robinson, in a later interview, said it was not typically part of her job to alert the director’s office about comments, but she agreed that Carpenter’s merited being flagged. “ADEQ has undergone significant reorganization in the past two to three years. “My understanding was comments were back online … very shortly after the start of business the next day,” she said. “[Carpenter] submitted FOIAs. Why would I shoot myself in the foot like that, especially when I have a passion for what I do? Keogh also claimed the salary savings allowed ADEQ to increase pay for engineers and other technical staff without greater cost to taxpayers. A few days later, Robinson filed a grievance with ADEQ, saying she was unjustly terminated “based on misrepresentations and falsehoods” that could affect her future employment. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. - Fri.8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Record Review HoursMon. In a few cases, new documents may be in active use within the agency and not yet available in electronic format. ADEQ's Records Center manages the agency's public records. The funding will support a variety of water quality programs, including collaboration between the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma on the Illinois River watershed. Based on Arizona law, our policy recognizes the public's right to access public records. toll!genes. Documents not available on the website can be reviewed by the public in the DEQ Records Management Section during regular business hours. Reporters who wish to receive these notices or to be removed from the Arkansas E&E recipient list should contact the public information coordinator: To schedule a visit to review environmental files, please contact: Subscribe to the DEQ Email Lists to receive information on a specific topic from a list of available email lists in use by the divisions within the department.
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