The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) is an agency of the government of North Carolina that focuses on the preservation and protection of natural resources and public health. The department is headed by the Secretary of Environmental Quality, who is appointed by the Governor of North Carolina and is a member of the North Carolina Cabinet. The Department of Environmental Quality was formed in 2015 and it was preceded by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, which was formed in 1971 by the North Carolina Executive Reorganization Act. The current secretary is Elizabeth Biser, who was appointed to the role by Governor Roy Cooper.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), formerly Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, is a principal department of the U.S. state of Michigan for environmental issues. The department was created in 1995.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the chief regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for protecting and enhancing the state's natural resources and managing sanitary and toxic waste disposal. The agency employs approximately 700 scientists, engineers, technicians, administrators, and environmental specialists. It has headquarters in Portland, regional administrative offices in Bend, Eugene, and Portland; and field offices in Coos Bay, Medford, Pendleton, Salem, and The Dalles. The Laboratory and Environmental Assessment Division operates an environmental laboratory in Hillsboro. The agency's director has the authority to impose fines for violations of the state's anti-pollution laws. In addition to its state mandate, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has delegated authority to DEQ to administer federal environmental programs including the federal Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act within the state.
The Eagle Mine is a small, high-grade nickel mining and copper mining project owned by Lundin Mining. The mine is located on the Yellow Dog Plains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. Eagle is the only primary nickel mine in the United States. The mine began production in fall 2014 and is expected to produce 440 million pounds of nickel, 429 million pounds of copper and small amounts of other metals over its estimated mine life (2014-2027).
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the Governor of Oklahoma. It is responsible for protecting human health and for safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. DEQ is chiefly responsible for the environmental policy of Oklahoma. It is governed by a thirteen member Environmental Quality Board appointed by the Governor, which in turn appoints an Executive Director to administer the Department.
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is the department of the Idaho state government responsible for administration of state and federal environmental laws and regulations. The main offices of the department are in Boise, six regional offices are also maintained.
The Oregon PHL/DEQ Laboratories are the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) laboratories located in a single building in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. DHS operates the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory (OSPHL), and the DEQ operates their Laboratory and Environmental Assessment Division at the site. The laboratories previously were located at Portland State University, moving to the new location near Cornelius Pass Road and the Sunset Highway in northeast Hillsboro in 2007.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is a state agency of Louisiana that monitors the environment of the state. It is headquartered in the Galvez Building in downtown Baton Rouge.
Lynn Henning is a farmer and environmentalist from Michigan, United States. She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2010 for her focus on water quality and for fighting pollution from concentrated animal feeding facilities. She exposed the polluting practices of livestock factory farms in rural Michigan, gaining the attention of the federal EPA and prompting state regulators to issue hundreds of citations for water quality violations. Henning currently works for the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project (SRAP). She also won the Planet Defender Award 2012 for her advocacy and her work.
Climate change has had a number of impacts on the US state of Montana. Heat waves are becoming more common, snow is melting earlier in the spring, and trees are dying as a result of drought, forest fire, and increased prevalence of forest insects. In the next few decades in Montana, climate change is most likely to impact water availability, agricultural yields, and wildfire risk. State and local governments have taken legislative steps, such as establishing a renewable energy portfolio and creating climate action plans, to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Oregon State Sanitary Authority (OSSA) was the first agency in the U.S. state of Oregon that was charged with protecting the environment. In 1938, Oregon voters, by a three-to-one margin, approved an initiative to regulate water pollution and to create an enforcement agency under the jurisdiction of the Oregon State Board of Health. Political pressure that led to the initiative had begun as early as the 1920s, when the Board of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Izaak Walton League, and others had expressed concerns about water pollution and its threats to human health. Pollution had caused many fish kills on the Willamette River in the 1920s, and Portland, on the lower river, had often closed its part of the Willamette to swimming because of sewage in the water.
Low is a ghost town in northern Tooele County, Utah, United States.
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment is a cabinet level agency in the executive branch of Arkansas government responsible for implementation of the rules and regulations regarding the management of natural resources and protecting the environment of the state.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) founded in 1973, is a Wyoming state agency to protect, conserve and enhance the environment of Wyoming "through a combination of monitoring, permitting, inspection, enforcement and restoration/remediation activities". It consists of 6 divisions and since 1992, the Environmental Quality Council (EQC), a separate operating agency of 7 governor-appointed members.
Donald van der Vaart is an American chemical engineer and lawyer who served as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from 2015 to 2017. Van der Vaart was the first DEQ secretary to rise through the ranks as a scientist. Van der Vaart was replaced by Michael Regan in 2017.
Air quality in Utah is often some of the worst in the United States. Poor air quality in Utah is due to the mountainous topography which can cause pollutants to build up near the surface combined with the prevalence of emissions from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles, especially older models. Burning wood fuel for home heating can also contribute significantly to poor air quality. Homes heated with wood contribute about 3000 times the amount of pollution as homes heated with natural gas. About 50% of air pollution in Salt Lake County is from vehicles.
Michael Stanley Regan is an American environmental regulator. He has been serving as the 16th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency since March 11, 2021. He is the first African American man to serve in the role.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is a state-level government agency in Montana. The agency was founded by the Montana Legislature in 1995 as the Montana Board of Environmental Review. It is responsible for monitoring air, water, energy, and mining standards, in addition to regulatory services.
