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DEP briefs BASWG on new MCGP and alerts group to LR 165 fee proposal
Summary
At the Feb. 13 BASWG meeting, DEP staff summarized a new MCGP (referred to in the meeting as 'MCGP'), audit schedules and training plans, and flagged LR 165, a proposed bill that would raise the annual MS4 permit fee from $362 to $1,306.
At the February 13 BASWG meeting, Kerem Gungor of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection updated members on recent regulatory work and outreach related to stormwater permitting.
Gungor said a stakeholder meeting was held Dec. 16 and DEP is finalizing a related report; the agency plans to begin drafting rule changes tied to Chapter 500 and to the permit the meeting referred to as the "MCGP." According to the update, the new MCGP treats sites of five acres or more as "large sites" and requires stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs) to be prepared by certified persons. The update also noted that disturbing more than one acre still requires submission of a new Notice of Intent under the MCGP. A webinar describing the changes was recorded and members were asked to help share the recording.
Gungor outlined the upcoming audit schedule provided to the group: Brewer and Orono are slated for field audits while Old Town will receive a desk audit; Cara Belanger and others received the audit lists and will circulate them and upload them to the DEP folder on the BASWG drive. Members were told audits would include months' notice and were expected to start in May. BASWG, stormwater coordinators and code-enforcement staff were invited to a regional training on the new standards (members discussed holding that training in April and coordinating with DEP staff).
Meeting attendees also flagged LR 165, "An Act to Update Waste Discharge License Fees," which the transcript records as proposing an increase in the annual MS4 permit fee from $362 to $1,306. The bill was noted for members to monitor; no policy position was taken at the meeting.
The meeting recorded that Holliday Keene (DEP) would not be present for part of the updates and that Megan Hess would circulate the webinar link and other materials.
What happens next: BASWG members will receive audit lists and hearing/training invitations; DEP staff expected to continue stakeholder engagement as rule drafting proceeds.
