About OPS

The Office of Program Support (OPS) aids in the fulfillment of IDEM's mission through collaboration, outreach, education, and assistance efforts with focuses on pollution prevention, recycling, quality assurance, and technical compliance assistance.

OPS Programs and Services

• Agricultural Liaison Services:
  • Partners with and assists farmers, commodity groups, agricultural organizations, the agricultural community, and other stakeholders related to IDEM’s agricultural jurisdictional oversight responsibilities.
• Compliance and Technical Assistance Program (CTAP):
  • Provides free and confidential compliance and technical assistance, training, and workshops to the regulated community to support environmental regulatory understanding, compliance, and stewardship.
• Environmental Education Program:
  • Develops and oversees outreach on a variety of environmental and recycling topics for school-age children throughout the year, for teachers to use in their classrooms, and for special events such as conferences, Earth Day event activities, and the Indiana State Fair.
• Lake Michigan Programs:
  • Supports the protection and restoration of Lake Michigan and its ecosystem through the implementation of the Lake Michigan Beach Monitoring and Notification Program, the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Ship Canal Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan Program, and the Indiana Clean Marina Program. These programs focus on monitoring water quality, remediation of waterways and surrounding areas, and the creation and implementation of best management practices.
• Indiana E-waste / E-Cycle Program:
  • Works with and provides educational outreach materials to manufacturers, collectors, and recyclers to facilitate environmentally responsible management of e-waste and ensures compliance with the Indiana E-Waste Law.
• Indiana Recycling Market Development Program:
  • Administers a grant program for reuse, reduction, and recycling projects that help develop markets for recycling, increase recyclable material collection, and provide public education and awareness of recycling opportunities.
• Indiana Community Recycling Grant Program:
  • Provides grant funds to assist communities with recycling and waste reduction efforts. Funding can be utilized for the creation or expansion of a recycling, source reduction, reuse, buy-recycled, or composting program, and to provide public education and awareness about recycling opportunities.
• Recycling Outreach and Education:
  • Develops resources to reduce solid waste generation in Indiana, provides technical assistance to Indiana’s solid waste management districts, and provides resources and assistance to the public related to recycling efforts, general recycling inquiries, and the proper disposal of household hazardous wastes.
• Pollution Prevention:
  • Manages various pollution prevention related grants and partnerships designed to help Indiana businesses reduce waste generation at the source.
• Stewardship Programs, Partnerships and Recognition:
  • Develops and maintains partnerships with citizen’s groups, communities, businesses, and other organizations to encourage environmental management practices that are “above and beyond” basic compliance. The following recognition and voluntary stewardship programs are a result of these ongoing partnerships and pollution prevention initiatives:
    • Environmental Stewardship Program: Recognizes and rewards regulated entities that exceed the standards of environmental compliance, implement pollution prevention strategies, and maintain an environmental management system (EMS).
    • Indiana Clean Marina Program: Provides information, technical assistance, and guidance to Indiana in an effort to protect our state’s inland and coastal waterways. Participating marinas, boatyards, yacht clubs, and recreational boaters receive recognition for their environmental stewardship.
    • Indiana Clean Yards Program: Recognizes auto salvage businesses that sell, recycle, or salvage scrap metals from vehicles for implementing pollution prevention and best management practices that protect the environment and surrounding communities from potential pollution generating activities.
    • Indiana Comprehensive Local Environmental Action Network (CLEAN): Manages the CLEAN Community Challenge where Indiana municipalities, including cities, towns, and county levels of government are recognized and rewarded for proactively managing governmental operations in a manner that exemplifies a commitment to improving the environment and the health and well-being of their residents.
    • Indiana Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence: Manages Indiana’s most prestigious environmental awards by developing criteria for the nominations, developing committees to review submitted nominations and select awardees, and preparing an award ceremony. There are seven award categories for the most innovative, sustainable, and exemplary programs or projects that positively impact Indiana’s environment and demonstrate measurable environmental, economic, and social benefits.
    • Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention: Provides partnership and administrative support to this organization comprised of Indiana industries, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and governmental bodies that implement and promote pollution prevention. This program brings these various entities together to share pollution prevention ideas, business practices, and innovations to promote waste reduction and environmental stewardship in Indiana.
    • Partners for Clean Air (PCA): A coalition of Northwest Indiana businesses, industries, local governments, and community groups committed to improving overall air quality and public health through voluntary actions. PCA members implement air quality action plans as a way to reduce harmful pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter during Air Quality Action Days.

OPS Internal Agency Support Functions

• Environmental Stakeholder Inclusion:
  • * Coordinates with IDEM program areas to enhance environmental stakeholder involvement in the regulatory processes administered by IDEM. Assists the agency staff with requests from external stakeholders related to disability accommodations, translation and interpretation services, access to information or documents, or plain English guide services.
• Grants Management:
  • Coordinates planning efforts with the U.S. EPA for activities funded by federal performance grants as established in the U.S. EPA’s Performance Partnership Program.
• Health and Safety:
  • Supports IDEM’s office and field staff through training, technical guidance, and safety services. Implements and ensures compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970 - “To assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women” at the agency.
• IDEM Performance Reporting:
  • Responsible for coordinating, implementing and maintaining the agency’s work plan in agreement with the U.S. EPA; collecting, organizing, and reporting agency metrics, and overseeing the development and objectives outlined in the agency’s quality management system.
• Quality Assurance:
  • Oversees the agency’s internal support functions, agency forms management, and provides agency-wide quality assurance services for everything from laboratory protocols to program area-specific guidance documents.
• Regional Offices:
  • Oversees the four IDEM Regional Offices, which were established to help coordinate IDEM’s functions on a more local basis and better serve the varied needs of the regional areas. IDEM’s regional offices provide citizens and the regulated communities with more convenient access to information, meeting opportunities, and regional-specific programs and partnerships. The Regional Office locations are:
    • North serves the counties of DeKalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Noble, St. Joseph, Starke, and Steuben;
    • Northwest serves Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties and houses IDEM’s Lake Michigan area programs;
    • Southeast serves the counties of Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lawrence, Monroe, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland, Union, and Washington;
    • Southwest serves Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties.

Resources

• Meet IDEM’s Senior Staff
• IDEM General Contact Information
• Contact the Office of Program Support