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NDEE To Hold Public Meetings on Proposed Changes to Title 129 Nebraska Air Quality Regulations

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will hold four meetings on the Proposed Changes to Title 129 Nebraska Air Quality Regulations. These meetings are intended for the regulated community and stakeholders, as well as the general public. Both in-person and virtual attendance options will be available.

WHAT: Proposed Changes to Title 129
WHEN:
  • Tuesday, April 27, 9:30 am
  • Thursday, May 13, 1 pm
  • Tuesday, May 25, 9:30 am
  • Thursday, June 10, 1 pm
WHO: NDEE Air Quality program staff
WHERE: Online and at the NDEE office, 245 Fallbrook Blvd., Room 031

Registration instructions are provided at the bottom of this page.

About the meeting: The purpose of this meeting is to provide public outreach on the proposed revisions to Title 129 – Nebraska Air Quality Regulations. NDEE staff will review proposed revisions to each chapter and address questions and comments regarding the proposed revisions.

Attendees are highly encouraged to submit questions and comments in advance (no later than a week before each meeting) to the NDEE Air Quality program, NDEE.airquality@nebraska.gov.

NDEE is conducting its outreach efforts now so that any informal comments the department receives from the public can be evaluated and incorporated when possible to present to the Environmental Quality Council (EQC).

Questions and feedback following the last public meeting should be submitted no later than June 18, 2021. After that time, the public will still be able to provide their comments during the formal comment period for consideration by the EQC.

Proposed revisions to Title 129 implement Executive Order No. 17-04 on Regulatory Reform, streamline and clarify existing provisions, and adopt changes to state and federal law. Regulatory streamlining and language modernization revisions have been proposed for all chapters. The most notable proposed changes include
  • comprehensive restructuring of the regulation format,
  • allowing the agency Director to issue Class II operating permits for a term that exceeds 5 years,
  • addition of sections that outline allowable pre-permit construction activities and contents of a completed construction permit application,
  • allowing for disposal by incineration to include contraband materials from law enforcement operations
  • removal chapters and appendices that
    • restate contents of state statutes, regulations, or general legal principles;
    • were previously repealed
    • are no longer applicable
    • have been replaced by a state plan.

The Executive Order is available at
http://govdocs.nebraska.gov/docs/pilot/pubs/eofiles/17-04.pdf.

Once finalized, the proposed regulations will be placed on public notice for a hearing before the Environmental Quality Council.

A draft copy of revised Title 129 and documents describing the proposed revisions are available on the NDEE Proposed Rules and Regulations webpage at
http://dee.ne.gov/Press.nsf/Rules.xsp. Additional documents, such as a Question and Answer document, will be made available on this page as they are developed.

About the presenters: NDEE staff participating in this meeting includes Air Construction and Operating Permit staff, Air Compliance staff, Air Monitoring staff, and staff from the agency’s Legal division and Public Information Office.

Register to attend in person:

The option to attend this meeting in person is available. The current local Directed Health Measures (DHM) will be followed, which include the requirement to wear a face mask. If you wish to attend in person, please register for the meeting by sending an email containing your name, title/organization, and contact information (phone/email) to
NDEE.airquality@nebraska.gov with “Request to Attend – T129 Mtg” in the subject line to request a reservation. Please specify which meeting you wish you attend. There are 75 seats available, and reservations will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Once room capacity is reached, those who registered will be notified that in-person attendance is no longer available.

Register to attend online:

If you wish to attend online instead of in person, or were informed that in person attendance has filled up, please:

1. Go to NDEE Proposed T129 Nebraska Air Quality Regulations:
2. Click "Register.”
3. On the registration form, enter your information and then click "Submit.”

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event. For assistance, contact
ndee.assistance@nebraska.gov.