State Innovation Grant Program: Wisconsin
The Use of Whole-Farm Environmental Management Systems (EMS) as a
Supplement to CAFO Permits for the Dairy Sector (2007 Competition)
ie innovation urani rrogram 10 support
efforts led by state environmental agencies to test innovative approaches
for achieving better environmental results and improved efficiency in
permitting programs. Between 2002 and 2007, the State Innovation Grant
program competition awarded over six million dollars to support 35 state
projects that test permitting innovation for a variety of regulated entities
including several small business sectors. Asummary of the awards by year
appears in the table below.
State Innovation Grant Program Statistics, 2002-2007
Competition Proposals Proposals Total Program
Year Submitted Selected Funding ($)
2002/2003
$618,000
$1.425 Million
$1.479 Million
Cumulative
$1.243 Million
$1.611 Million
$6.376 Million
"Innovation in Permitting" has been the theme of the State Innovation Grant
competition since its inception. In the last three competition cycles states
received awards for projects in the following three categories:
• The Environmental Results Program (ERP) is an innovative
approach to improving environmental performance based on a system
of the interlocking tools of compliance assistance, self-certification
(sometimes, where permissible, in lieu of permitting), and
statistically-based measurement to gauge the performance of an entire
business sector. The program utilizes a multimedia approach to
encourage small sources to achieve environmental compliance and
pollution prevention. (See: http://www.epa.gov/permits/erp/)
• Environmental Management System (EMS) is a system involving a
continual cycle of planning, implementing, reviewing and improving the
processes and actions that an organization undertakes to meet its
business and environmental goals. EMSs provide organizations of all
types with a structured system and approach for managing
environmental and regulatory responsibilities to improve overall
environmental performance and stewardship.
(See: www.epa.gov/ems/info/index.htm)
• Performance Track is a partnership that recognizes top
environmental performance among participating US facilities of all types,
sizes, and complexity, both public and private.
(See: http://www.epa.gov/performancetrack/)
NCEI has provided awards also for projects testing watershed-based
permitting, and for permit process streamlining in past competitions. For
more information on the history of the programs, including information on
solicitations, state proposals, and project awards, please see the EPA State
ittD://www.eDa.aov/innovation/statear
Project Background:
Urban and rural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution has
become a significant problem for Wisconsin in recent
years and is the leading cause of water quality
problems in the state, degrading or threatening an
estimated 40 percent of streams and 90 percent of
inland lakes. Agricultural runoff has been a main
factor in surface and groundwater NPS pollution, due
in part to the high number of dairy farms in the state.
Wisconsin has nearly 15,000 dairy farms, of which
approximately only 1 percent are required to have
water permits and comply with existing confined
animal feeding operation (CAFO) regulations. Nearly
70 percent of the land within Wisconsin's Lakeshore
Basin is farmed and over 90 percent of farms are not
regulated. In this tri-county area (Door, Kewanee and
Manitowok Counties, between the Lake Michigan
shoreline and Green Bay), where the project will
focus, dairy farming is the dominant industry sector
and problems with agricultural runoff are especially
acute. Wisconsin was faced with a choice between
expanding the CAFO permit program to address the
serious environmental problems, and supplementing
the permit program with other programs that can
deliver environmental improvement.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(WDNR) received an EPA State Innovation Grant in
the 2007 competition to explore the potential and
expand the capacity for Wisconsin's dairy sector to
use whole-farm Environmental Management Systems
(EMS) as a tool for multi-media environmental
improvement on small and mid-size farms.
Project Description
WDNR is providing outreach, training, and detailed
technical assistance to help dairy farmers in
Wisconsin's Lakeshore Basin develop and
implement whole-farm EMS. The EMS process
NCE
NATIONAL CENTER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION
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encourages farmers to move beyond a "permit
compliance" or "best practices" mindset to a "continual
improvement" mindset that acknowledges how best
practices evolve over time. This effort will build upon
an ongoing collaborative partnership called the
Agricultural Watershed Improvement Network (AWIN),
and make use of Wisconsin's Green Tier Program,
WDNR's voluntary environmental leadership program
to promote and recognize Environmental Excellence.
Wisconsin's goal of building upon EMS knowledge
and capacity to test the full potential of EMS as a tool
for environmental improvement in the dairy sector will
be captured in two objectives. The first objective is to
target and train the dairy producers, dairy processors,
and related sector personnel to raise awareness and
understanding of EMS and Wisconsin's Green Tier
program. The second objective will build upon their
training to assist these same parties with implementing
a whole-farm EMS, auditing their EMS, and applying for
and participating in Green Tier.
The project began with the award of the grant on
October 1, 2007 and will take three years to complete.
Connection to EPA's Goals:
This project has a direct link to EPA's Strategic Goal 5,
Compliance and Environmental Stewardship.
Specifically this project addresses goal 5.2 by seeking
to improve environmental performance through
pollution prevention and innovation. The project
promotes stewardship behavior, and advances
sustainable outcomes by testing, evaluating, and
applying alternative approaches to environmental
protection aimed at achieving measurably improved
environmental outcomes.
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Project Contacts:
For more specific information on the
Wisconsin State Innovation Grant,
please contact one of the individuals
below:
Jeffrey Voltz
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Bureau of Cooperative Environmental Assistance
101 S.Webster St., P.O. Box 7921
Madison, Wl 53707-7921
(608)266-8226 FAX: (608)267-9305
jeffrey.voltz@wisconsin.gov
Program Contact:
Sherri Walker
State Innovation Grant Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460 (MC1807T)
(202)-566-2186; FAX (202) 566-2220
walker.sherri@epa.gov
Marilou Martin
US EPA Region 5
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
312-353-9660 FAX: (312)353-5374
martin.marilou@epa.gov
Tom Davenport
US EPA Region 5
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
312-866-2209: FAX (312)886-0957
davenport.thomas@epa.gov
Beth Termini
National Center for Environmental Innovation
US EPA Region 1
1 Congress Street
Boston, MA02114
617.918.1662
termini.beth@epa.gov
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy,
Economics and Innovation
(1807T)
May 2008
EPA-100-F-08-042
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