TCEQ staff demonstrate EPA NetPPR digital annual-reporting form; outline CDX sign-up, roles and beta testing

Colleen (TCEQ pretreatment outreach staff) led a demonstration of the EPA’s Net Pretreatment Program Report (NetPPR) platform during a TCEQ pretreatment outreach meeting, instructing control authorities and permit holders on how to create a Central Data Exchange (CDX) account, request preparer or signatory permissions, and upload annual-report attachments.

Colleen said that “this platform is new for us, and we are working hard to familiarize ourselves with the system so we can better guide you through this process,” and described steps for registering with CDX, completing identity proofing for signatory roles, and linking a CDX account to a program’s EPA ID. She also thanked Jake Winn with EPA, who “is on our call in a support support capacity,” for technical assistance during testing.

Why it matters: TCEQ staff said the NetPPR service will replace paper annual reports once the EPA e-reporting requirement takes effect, and they urged control authorities to set up accounts, confirm delegate signatories where needed, and consider volunteering as beta testers so the agency can refine the form before the production launch.

What TCEQ showed and told attendees

- CDX registration and roles: TCEQ walked through the CDX registration process, including selecting the NetPPR service, choosing a role (preparer versus signatory), and requesting permissions tied to a TPDES permit. Colleen emphasized that preparer accounts allow data entry but not certification, while signatory accounts allow signing and certifying the form and thus require either being the permit signatory or having a written delegation on file with TCEQ.

- Identity proofing: Signatories must complete an identity proofing step (electronic or paper) via the vendor used by EPA (LexisNexis) or mail a signed form; the electronic option requires entering legal name, home address, date of birth and the last four digits of the Social Security number to obtain immediate access.

- Multi-factor authentication and login.gov: Attendees were shown how login.gov is used to secure CDX accounts and were advised to save login.gov credentials and set up a multi-factor authentication method.

- Linking accounts and permissions: After registration, a user must search for the EPA ID of their program and request preparer or signatory permissions; TCEQ reviews and approves those requests before the program appears in the user’s CDX account.

- Test environment vs. production: TCEQ demonstrated a test NetPPR record and repeated that test data will not transfer to the production environment. The test environment is intended for learning and functional testing; TCEQ encouraged attendees to use it and to volunteer as beta testers, but cautioned them not to expect data migration from test to live.

- Timing and access window: TCEQ staff said they expect to continue testing through the summer and aim to launch the production NetPPR service in the fall; they also described the current plan that users will have access to their annual-report forms approximately three months before each report’s due date so they can upload completed files and finalize certification once the form is open.

- Attachments and large-file options: For large submission materials (for example, substantial program-modification final packages), TCEQ asked for two hard copies and one digital copy and noted the agency accepts large files via SharePoint links or an FTPS site.

- Influents/effluents and spreadsheet template: TCEQ staff said influent/effluent monitoring results will be uploaded as an Excel spreadsheet template rather than entered directly into many individual form fields; they plan to publish a template users can fill throughout the year and re-upload when the form opens.

- Industrial-user (IU) and enforcement data: The NetPPR form includes an IU inventory for SIUs/CIUs and fields to record sampling, inspection, and enforcement (NOVs, formal/informal actions and S&Cs). TCEQ staff said the IU inventory will carry forward year to year, and that some redundant or optional fields are being negotiated with EPA to reduce reporting burden.

- Other administrative items: In the meeting Colleen also reminded attendees that program modifications require mandatory pre-submittal meetings for non-substantial and substantial modifications and described recent changes to TxTox report usage for annual reporting and upcoming Region 6 pretreatment workshop logistics.

Discussion, guidance and next steps

Attendees asked how many individual user accounts were needed; TCEQ advised that each preparer should have an individual account so multiple staff can perform data entry and to make use of the record "check out" functionality that shows who is actively editing a record. Staff confirmed multiple plants can be checked out by different staff at the same time but a single plant record cannot be checked out simultaneously by multiple editors.

TCEQ asked stakeholders to provide written feedback on the access window (three months), spreadsheet template design, and optional fields the agency is requesting EPA to remove or make optional; staff said they will circulate the recorded demo and slides and post resources to the TCEQ website and the stakeholder outreach email list.

Quotes from the record are limited to meeting participants and staff listed in the meeting transcript.

Ending

TCEQ staff reiterated the invitation to volunteer as beta testers, offered follow-up assistance for account or delegation questions, and asked stakeholders to prepare delegation forms (if needed) and begin CDX registration so they will be ready when the production NetPPR service opens. Colleen closed by noting she would be leaving TCEQ next week but said the outreach team will continue the rollout work.