Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management Organization

Division of Remediation
Division of Technical Services
Division of Oil and Hazardous Waste Facilities Regulation
Division of Solid Waste Management
Division of Response Services

Organizational Chart

The Bureau of Remediation & Waste Management directs the cleanup and mitigation of adverse effects associated with uncontrolled hazardous substance sites; responds to discharges or spills of oil products or hazardous matter; manages the generation, transport, storage, treatment or disposal of hazardous wastes, hazardous substances, petroleum products and biomedical waste; and administers the solid waste facility licensing program, the asbestos abatement and lead abatement programs, and the sludge and residuals landspreading program. In addition, the Bureau provides staff support to the Board of Underground Storage Tank Installers and the Oil Spill Advisory Committee. Staff are located in Augusta, Bangor, Portland and Presque Isle.

The Bureau is organized into five divisions: Remediation; Technical Services; Oil and Hazardous Waste Facilities Regulation; Solid Waste Management;and Response Services. Two units (the Program Services Unit and the Policies and Procedures Unit) complete the structure of the Bureau.

The Division of Remediation is responsible for: investigating, evaluating and ranking potential uncontrolled hazardous substance sites; managing long term groundwater remediation projects, providing replacement drinking water supplies at major sites of leaking underground oil storage tanks, coordinating site cleanup activities including Superfund; overseeing cleanup of federal military bases; administering the Voluntary Remedial Action Program (VRAP); reviewing environmental audits; enforcement activities; reviewing landfill evaluations and closure plans; and administering the Municipal Landfill Closure and Remediation Program.

The Division of Technical Services provides technical support for all of the Bureau's programs. This division also develops technical programs for underground oil and chemical storage tanks, reviews hazardous waste facility license applications for technical adequacy, carries out compliance inspections of groundwater monitoring programs at licensed hazardous waste sites, and provides technical support to groundwater cleanup projects at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. In addition, the Division provides technical support to the Board of Underground Oil Storage Tank Installers.

The Division of Oil and Hazardous Waste Facilities Regulation is responsible for: developing and overseeing the State's hazardous waste management program; oil terminal licensing; consolidating federal and state licensing requirements; licensing hazardous waste, biomedical waste and waste oil transporters; processing hazardous waste manifest shipping forms; and registering underground tanks. The Division processes applications for the various types of oil, waste oil, biomedical waste and hazardous waste licenses administered by the Bureau. Staff inspects oil and hazardous waste facilities, takes necessary corrective and enforcement actions at facilities that are not in compliance and at unlicensed facilities that need licenses, resolves environmental problems caused by facilities that do not meet State requirements, and reviews and approves closure plans for hazardous waste sites.

The Division of Solid Waste Management is responsible for licensing, compliance, complaint response, enforcement, public information/education and assistance functions related to all types of solid waste facilities and activities including: landfills (municipal solid waste, special waste and construction/demolition debris); incinerators; transfer stations; waste processing facilities; beneficial use projects; non-hazardous waste transportation; sludge, ash and residuals land application; septage disposal; composting; and asbestos and lead abatement.

The Division of Response Services is available 24 hours a day for emergency response to oil, hazardous waste, or hazardous materials spills and incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. The division also provides response training to other agencies, investigates complaints and violations, performs oil terminal inspections, oversees the installation and removal of underground storage tanks, develops contingency plans and response protocols, and implements research projects or testing procedures. Division personnel also provide staff support to the Oil Spill Advisory Committee.

The Program Services Unit is responsible for processing cash receipts, recovery of bureau expenditures for spill clean-up, contracting, grant procurement and tracking, and managing the Bureau's data operations.

The Policies and Procedures Unit is responsible for drafting legislation and testimony, and drafting and revising Bureau regulations and procedures.

General Information

Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management Organization