The agreement provides assistance to state and tribal assistance grants to assist with work directly related to either the development of an application for an EPA-approved state program, or for…

The agreement provides assistance to state and tribal assistance grants to assist with work directly related to either the development of an application for an EPA-approved state program, or for work directly related to the implementation of an EPA-approved state program for the control of coal combustion residuals (CCR). Activities:the activities include to help develop, and once approved implement an EPA-approved state CCR program. Activities to be performed will include: contractor support for database improvements that will assist the ND solid waste program in developing and implementing the CCR program. Database improvements will include an online portal that will allow CCR facilities to submit required documents such as: permit applications, demonstrations of location standards, documentation required under the design criteria, operating criteria, groundwater, monitoring and corrective action, closure and post closure care, and retrofit criteria. In addition, there will be updates to the database to improve the overall management of the permitted facilities. This will include adding a customer portal to allow for electronic reporting of the required reports by the permitted facility. The customer portal will have a dashboard which allows the regulated facility to see the status of their permit and any required reports that are coming due and that have been previously submitted. The information in the database will also be made accessible to the general public to allow easy access to the public regarding permitted facilities. Updates will also allow for nddeq management and staff to track all aspects of the permit. The electronic reporting will improve data quality and ensure reports are complete before they are submitted which will allow staff to review and save properly submitted reports easily. Updates will include the ability to easily determine if the required reports and data have been submitted by the regulated facilities and if they were received on time or late. A small part of the grant funds will also be used for technical assistance to train ndeq staff on CCR regulations during program implementation.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: 1) development of a project charter defining the project scope, the project team and timeline for the project. This will be signed by the nddeq's program and department management to ensure management's commitment to the project. 2) conduct a needs assessment and GAP analyses to determine the updates that will be needed and refine the specifications for the CCR program. 3) conduct a request for proposal and award a contract following standard procurement process to ensure all state and federal requirements are met with the procurement process. 4) contractor development and configuration of the database updates. 5) user testing and staff training of the database updates. 6) acceptance testing of the database updates. 7) final implementation of database updates into full production. The expected outcomes include: 1) improved access to data for the nddeq's staff, regulated facilities and the public by having online access to the database 2) improved quality of data being reported by the facilities. 3) more efficient use of the nddeq's staff time by having facilities electronically report data eliminating the need for nddeq staff to manually enter data. 4) more efficient decision making and improved management oversight because of improved access to data by the nddeq's staff and management the intended beneficiaries include: nddeq for implementation of the CCR program, and the public for improved access to CCR program permits, information and data.