FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 4, 2010

Contact:
Cindy Lowry, Alabama Rivers Alliance: clowry@alabamarivers.org or (205) 322-6395
Casi Callaway, Alabama Stormwater Partnership: callaway@mobilebaykeeper.org or (251) 433-4229
Michael Mullen, Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper: riverkeeper@troycable.net or (334-807-1365)
Adam R. Snyder, Conservation Alabama Foundation: asnyder@conservationalabama.org or (205) 533-6178

A partnership of environmental organizations and coalitions has proposed a proactive agenda and evaluation plan for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and its new director Lance LeFleur.  At an introductory meeting with Director LeFleur in late June, multiple environmental organizations introduced four topline priorities in what is being dubbed as the ADEM Scorecard.

“It is important to first set a vision for our priorities with the new director, and then regularly evaluate the progress of the director, the agency, and the Environmental Management Commission,” said Adam Snyder, co-chair of the ADEM Reform Coalition and director of the Conservation Alabama Foundation, two of the groups involved in the development of the ADEM Scorecard. “We hope this clearly sets forth expectations and creates a mechanism for a shared vision about environmental progress in Alabama.”

Amidst the unparalleled magnitude of the oil disaster and its aftermath, many other major environmental problems continue to burden Alabama’s citizens and ecosystems.  The environmental partnership would particularly like to see significant progress on four priorities during Director LeFleur’s tenure:

1.    Fully addressing issues raised in the NPDES petition to EPA (with the Alabama Rivers Alliance being the lead evaluator). Fourteen citizens groups filed a petition with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on January 14, 2010, asking the EPA to commence proceedings to withdraw Alabama’s authorization to administer the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).  The petitioners cited consistent failures of ADEM’s water program over the past few decades and are seeking relief from EPA.

2.    Improving permitting, inspection and monitoring, and enforcement related to stormwater (with the Alabama Stormwater Partnership being the lead evaluator). Sediment and other pollutants carried by stormwater runoff from construction sites and urban development have caused water quality and habitat degradation in the state’s waterways, on which citizens depend for drinking water, recreation, wildlife habitat, fishing and economic vitality.

3.    Improving enforcement and compliance across all program areas (with the ADEM Reform Coalition’s Enforcement Committee being the lead evaluator).  ADEM has not been especially tough on polluters when it comes to enforcement and assessment of penalties, nor has ADEM been very transparent in how it decides what enforcement action to take and how it establishes penalty amounts. In the recent past, enforcement actions and penalties dropped to a very low level.

4.    Adopting a protective risk level and regulatory program for air toxics (with the Conservation Alabama Foundation being the lead evaluator). Alabama needs leadership from the director and ADEM, and ultimately adoption by Alabama’s Environmental Management Commission (AEMC) to have a protective risk level and regulatory program for air toxics. Currently, some state communities are exposed to excessive levels of carcinogens and other toxics due to multiple sources in a concentrated area. By adopting a more protective risk level for air toxics, the EMC, director, and ADEM can decrease exposure and improve public health in Alabama.

During the late June meeting with LeFleur, environmental groups were pleased with the director’s desire to hold regular meetings with environmental organizations and coalitions. 

“We hope to build a working relationship with the new director that produces positive results for the environment,” said Michael Mullen of the Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper. “The first steps are conversations that build a better understanding, but ultimately, we want those conversations and understanding to lead to real changes at the agency.”

While environmental organizations plan to formally evaluate the progress made on the ADEM Scorecard priorities within the next 12 to 18 months, each organization has committed to working directly with the director and ADEM staff to find solutions to these priority issues, as well as other environmental problems in the state.
 
Co-signers of the ADEM Scorecard include:

ADEM Reform Coalition
Alabama Environmental Council
Alabama Rivers Alliance
Alabama Stormwater Partnership
Black Warrior Riverkeeper
Cahaba Riverkeeper
Cahaba River Society
Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper
Conservation Alabama Foundation
Friends of Chewacla Creek and the Uphapee Watershed
Lookout Mountain Heritage Alliance
Lake Watch of Lake Martin
Sand Mountain Concerned Citizens
Save Our Saugahatchee