Office of Compliance and Enforcement

John Sadlier, Deputy Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

Homeland Security
Enforcement
Remediation
TCEQ Field Operations Around the State:
      Field Operations Support
               Strike Team
               Monitoring Operations
               Regional Areas
      Field Operations Border and South Texas
      Field Operations Coastal and East Texas
      Field Operations North Central and West Texas

See our region map in PDF. (Help with PDF.)

Homeland Security

Kelly Cook - Homeland Security Coordinator

The TCEQ’s Homeland Security Program assists in the planning, development, coordination, and implementation of initiatives to promote the Governor’s Homeland Security Strategy, and to detect, deter, respond to, and recover from disasters, caused by either nature or people. These initiatives include notifying and coordinating with many of the state’s critical infrastructure entities, including public drinking water producers and purchasers, high-risk dams, refineries, petrochemical facilities, and wastewater treatment facilities.

As a member of the Texas Homeland Security Council, the TCEQ assists in planning, coordination, and communication for homeland security preparedness. The homeland-security coordinator is on-call 24/7 to facilitate requests for assistance from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security (GOHS) and the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management (GDEM), and to notify TCEQ executive management of significant statewide incidents. The coordinator works with all TCEQ program areas and the GOHS/GDEM on issues and activities related to all hazards, including homeland security and emergency management.

The TCEQ’s Homeland Security Program includes the TCEQ BioWatch Program, a federal initiative that provides for early detection of bioterrorism agents, to enable the earliest possible response to an attack. The TCEQ is a partner and grant recipient in this project, responsible for developing and operating air monitoring networks in Texas.

In addition, the Homeland Security Program includes health physicist personnel who perform radioactive materials compliance investigations of construction, operation, security, and closure procedures at regulated facilities.

Enforcement

Bryan H. Sinclair, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Enforcement Division is responsible for investigating violations of state environmental laws and ensuring that appropriate parties take corrective action. The division develops formal enforcement cases in accordance with state statutes and agency rules and consistent with the agency’s philosophy that enforcement, when necessary, must be swift, sure, and just. The division also drafts proposed enforcement orders that include appropriate penalties and ordering provisions for the commission’s consideration and approval.

In addition, the Enforcement Division is responsible for the following activities:

• Administering the Compliance Monitoring Program under the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
• Administering the third-party Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) program.
• Monitoring compliance with the TPDES 75/90 rule, which imposes requirements whenever flow measurements at a sewage treatment plant reach 75 percent and 90 percent of permitted capacity.
• Reviewing and responding to notices and disclosures submitted pursuant to the Texas Environmental, Health, and Safety Audit Privilege Act.
• Processing compliance-history appeals.

See also:
Criteria for Use of Findings Orders
Enforcement Reports: Annual, Monthly
Penalty Policy

Remediation

Brent Wade, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Remediation Division oversees the investigation and cleanup of hazardous pollutants released into the environment. This includes activities conducted by responsible parties, state contractors, and the state itself. The division also seeks restoration of damaged natural resources resulting from such releases. Division programs include:

• brownfields redevelopment initiatives
• contracting support
• the dry-cleaning program
• Industrial Hazardous Waste Corrective Action
• the Innocent Owner/Operator Program
• the Natural Resource Trustee Program
• the Petroleum Storage Tank Program
• the Superfund, including superfund site discovery and assessment
• the Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP)
• the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP)

TCEQ Field Operations Around the State

Texas is diverse in its population density and location, industry types, climate, water availability, and geography. All of these factors can present unique challenges in protecting human health and the environment. To meet these challenges and to provide excellent service to Texas citizens, the regulated community, and TCEQ regional offices, the agency has divided the state into four regional areas and one central service area:

• Field Operations Support
• Field Operations Border and South Texas
• Field Operations Coastal and East Texas
• Field Operations North Central and West Texas

The regional areas are responsible for the administration and operation of each region including: Legislative and EPA investigative commitments, emergency response, budget, human resources, purchasing, lease management, consistency of program implementation, development of program policy and guidance, coordination and implementation of special initiatives, coordination and interaction with EPA, and data management.

Major responsibilities of all regional offices include:

• Conducting investigations for compliance at the permitted and registered air, water, and waste facilities located across the state as well as investigating complaints at facilities and operations, whether permitted or not, based on requests for assistance from citizens, entities, or other concerned parties.
• Developing enforcement-action referrals for violations identified during investigations.
• Providing environmental education and technical assistance to communities as needed.
• Monitoring the quality of ambient air, surface water (rivers, lakes, and bays), and public drinking water.
• Overseeing and ensuring compliance with water rights and when drought conditions exist, allocating the limited water resources in certain designated areas of the state.

See also:
Field Citation Pilot Program

Field Operations Support

David W. Bower, P.G., Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Field Operations Support Division is responsible for the central-office administration and regional coordination of the following functions: budget, contracts, purchasing, analysis of legislation, complaint response (written, Web, and e-mail), developing, developing special initiatives, program committee projects, rule review and development, maintaining Web pages and applications, coordinating and interacting with the EPA, reporting to the EPA and the Legislative Budget Board, tracking public information requests, and data maintenance and coordination. In addition, the division manages the agency's Quality Assurance, Dam Safety, On-site Sewage Facility and Landscape Irrigation programs.

The division also houses the agency's Strike Team and monitoring operations, and supports the three area directors: Border & South Texas, Coastal & East Texas, and North Central & West Texas.

Strike Team

The agency’s Strike Team is a key component of the agency’s ability to rapidly respond to emergencies, assess the extent of public exposure to hazardous materials, and provide an interoperable communication platform. This group of highly trained and experienced environmental investigators can offer specialized, long-term response capabilities to any region in the state for almost any type of event, caused by either nature or people.

The Strike Team was created to provide additional personnel, equipment, and expertise to respond to large-scale emergencies, including natural disasters. The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6, the United States Coast Guard, and others use this concept. Since September 11, 2001, all local, state and federal agencies with a mission related to emergency response have increased their capabilities as well.

Monitoring Operations

The monitoring operations teams are responsible for monitoring air within the state and for reporting that information to the public and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The teams oversee the statewide air quality monitoring networks, operate laboratories in Austin, and conduct special monitoring projects around the state using mobile instruments and vehicles. Staff examine and interpret the causes, nature, and behavior of air pollution in Texas and issue forecasts of possible high concentrations of ground-level ozone and particulate matter in Texas urban areas.

Field Operations Border & South Texas

Ramiro Garcia, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

Responsible for the operations of:

• Region 6 (El Paso)
• Region 11 (Austin)
• Region 13 (San Antonio)
• Region 15 (Harlingen)
• Region 16 (Laredo)

See also:
Edwards Aquifer Protection Program
Watermaster Programs

Field Operations Coastal & East Texas

Donna G. Phillips, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

Responsible for the operations of:

• Region 5 (Tyler)
• Region 10 (Beaumont)
• Region 12 (Houston)
• Region 14 (Corpus Christi)

See also:
Edwards Aquifer Protection Program

Field Operations North Central & West Texas

Randy J. Ammons, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

Responsible for the operations of:

• Region 1 (Amarillo)
• Region 2 (Lubbock)
• Region 3 (Abilene)
• Region 4 (Dallas/Fort Worth)
• Region 7 (Midland)
• Region 8 (San Angelo)
• Region 9 (Waco)