Environmental Protection: Land Protection Activities

The US Land Protection Division has diverse duties. It inspects and permits hazardous waste and solid waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities, permits and inspects certain underground injection wells, manages radioactive materials, restores contaminated land to safe and useful conditions (Brownfields, Superfund, Voluntary Cleanup and Land Restoration) and also coordinates agency environmental education for K-12, higher education and the general public. We maintain lists of recyclers.



Hazardous Waste
This program work to help individual to void hazardous and solid waste disposal sites including storage units, transfer facilities, recycling units and treatment units. It also oversees corrective actions at various hazardous sites. It also helps to provide inspectors for hazardous facilities, investigates complaints, operates the disposal plan system, controls hazardous industrial waste disposal and manages oversight of EPA grant commitments.



Brownfields Program
This program provides a means for private parties and government entities to voluntarily investigate and if warranted, clean up properties that may be contaminated with hazardous wastes. The formal Brownfields Program provides specific state liability relief and protects the property from federal Superfund actions.

Solid Waste Management
This section provide expertise to individuals and companies to reviews permit applications and writes permits for solid waste disposal sites including storage units, transfer facilities, recycling units and treatment units. It also conducts inspections of solid waste permitted facilities, investigates complaints, regulates biomedical wastes, controls non-hazardous industrial waste disposal.

Radiation Management
This program again, provides help for expertise for regulation of radioactive materials, industrial/analytical x-ray machines and particle accelerators, and medical therapeutic x-ray machines and particle accelerators. (It does not regulate medical diagnostic X-Ray machines.)

Underground Injection Control
This program help to oversee the underground injection control activities that are regulated by the DEQ. The Underground Injection Control expertise personnel review permit applications, conduct inspections and investigate complaints.