Exceptional event demonstration contracts (Department of Natural Resources and Conservation)

In Montana these records are the responsibility of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). You can submit a public information request to DEQ at https://montanadeq.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(jzktd0zrlbvixtprbhq3svbt))/supporthome.aspx

[cid:image001.jpg@01D98D68.04798BD0]
KarenDe Herman
Records Manager
406-444-5581
kdherman@mt.gov<mailto:kdherman@mt.gov>

Dear Dillon Bergin:

Thank you for contacting DEQ for public information. DEQ has received your request for the following records:

"To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Montana Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

We are aware that air quality management agencies sometimes conduct "exceptional event demonstrations," which are analyses to demonstrate that emissions from potential exceptional events caused an exceedance of one or more NAAQS. These demonstrations are then submitted to the Regional EPA office in order to request that the office exclude the air quality monitoring data from use in certain regulatory determinations.

Concerning services related to these exceptional event analyses, we request:
1. Any and all executed contracts, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), or other equivalent agreements that are currently active, or have been active within the last five years;
2. Any addenda, amendments, attachments, exhibits, materials, and schedules;
3. Any and all correspondence, between the relevant air quality agency and the contracting individual, corporation, or other entity, related to the implementation of these agreements.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days.

Sincerely,

Dillon Bergin"

DEQ is presently evaluating your request in order to provide a cost estimation, if requested, or to fulfill the request. We are experiencing a staffing shortage on our records team at the moment but please know that fulfilling your request in a timely manner is a top priority for DEQ. We appreciate your understanding as we work to improve our processes.

You are welcome to check the status of your request at any time with your username and password through the public portal by clicking here. PLEASE NOTE: If at any time you deem the records no longer needed, please notify us immediately to ensure work on the request is halted. Requesters are responsible for any charges incurred if the request is not cancelled in a timely manner. (https://u8387778.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=6HtRfOYLt5fXvpttM-2FU1HUS-2FweBYdYdrlt-2FwBpqTZHpziABxad7fWwdIDAiXjXJN2rFc_MpmAxW2ZXvsGKIhIx9oMjGfsuRkvvk3yaQ9g8AzNPo4ALAE5YBPvqeh2AstcoFT0KfWOBIXiRE7guK9tOZMp2OMbZBOezhtnOUCNftkrDRRwOFZAMnH29GECjgvQGwXfiy6nz235hB6MNIHaTNoagoqwmgETnWkDZdTyccxX4pLFwGM5bKDbKFiHSDf2Dc0G74zha-2B5Egmhx8bFhIv61XMHFa3304EEBWBtSqb-2FFHRQ-3D)

Kind regards,

MT Department of Environmental Quality
To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the Montana DEQ Public Records Center (https://u8387778.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=6HtRfOYLt5fXvpttM-2FU1HUS-2FweBYdYdrlt-2FwBpqTZHpmoymZ6KjXWTip2A6RU4QTMciKEjc-2FGf9vZuJO1wbOgkR0-2BUTyCRo9-2FTN4dxW33gQ-3DfJlY_MpmAxW2ZXvsGKIhIx9oMjGfsuRkvvk3yaQ9g8AzNPo4ALAE5YBPvqeh2AstcoFT0KfWOBIXiRE7guK9tOZMp2HKdrDZL0DF8AikkHcKMIeWgNxfczDxRDSSECcl94F8EjyoyAc5o2ZNstPX5ht-2FLDzTZL3VBZPlnrq9DbzBTwvWt8Ut4vHsEq2nLXJ6QwoqqVWcDzuXtY10C6Pv-2Fs69dsjsPysZYc2MqpkTeIMTx5x4-3D)

--- Please respond above this line ---
RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of May 25, 2023, Reference # R003193-052523 Dear Dillon Bergin, The MT Department of Environmental Quality received a public information request from you on May 25, 2023. Your request mentioned: “To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Montana Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

We are aware that air quality management agencies sometimes conduct "exceptional event demonstrations," which are analyses to demonstrate that emissions from potential exceptional events caused an exceedance of one or more NAAQS. These demonstrations are then submitted to the Regional EPA office in order to request that the office exclude the air quality monitoring data from use in certain regulatory determinations.

Concerning services related to these exceptional event analyses, we request:
1. Any and all executed contracts, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), or other equivalent agreements that are currently active, or have been active within the last five years;
2. Any addenda, amendments, attachments, exhibits, materials, and schedules;
3. Any and all correspondence, between the relevant air quality agency and the contracting individual, corporation, or other entity, related to the implementation of these agreements.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days.

Sincerely,

Dillon Bergin” The Montana Department of Environmental Quality strives to fulfill records requests within 30 days of receipt. We can certainly try to expedite your request, but we cannot guarantee fulfillment within 10 days. Sincerely, Daisy Dyrdahl-Roberts
RIM Analyst
DIRECTOR'S OFFICE (DIR)
To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the Montana DEQ Public Records Center (https://u8387778.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=6HtRfOYLt5fXvpttM-2FU1HUS-2FweBYdYdrlt-2FwBpqTZHqTCWgYh-2FA4FeYtWYXOBgAzansLg0IiyljDpvX63-2B7CMt8zHYsNaCUoU7JkFFviG2c-3Dx5uZ_MpmAxW2ZXvsGKIhIx9oMjGfsuRkvvk3yaQ9g8AzNPo4ALAE5YBPvqeh2AstcoFT0GWvExBUxW0QtgOf7T7sQLzhJZrS44C8pv8-2B24Nlfx5OlNgAH2W8XP0BC1cX4AKZsPFfKMoyPV5b5JHiqMBlje-2BfEGz6AWuAKVayogSVMNoUU07eH3ZIAKz6kE90kXbqf-2BzKKdsRhtsQL2oambXeds3HVs-2Bf8Y0gbksQPrcK9N6g-3D)

--- Please respond above this line ---
RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of May 25, 2023, Reference # R003193-052523 Dear Dillon Bergin, The MT Department of Environmental Quality received a public information request from you on May 25, 2023. Your request mentioned: “To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Montana Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

We are aware that air quality management agencies sometimes conduct "exceptional event demonstrations," which are analyses to demonstrate that emissions from potential exceptional events caused an exceedance of one or more NAAQS. These demonstrations are then submitted to the Regional EPA office in order to request that the office exclude the air quality monitoring data from use in certain regulatory determinations.

Concerning services related to these exceptional event analyses, we request:
1. Any and all executed contracts, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), or other equivalent agreements that are currently active, or have been active within the last five years;
2. Any addenda, amendments, attachments, exhibits, materials, and schedules;
3. Any and all correspondence, between the relevant air quality agency and the contracting individual, corporation, or other entity, related to the implementation of these agreements.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days.

Sincerely,

Dillon Bergin” Here is the response from our Analysis & Planning Section Supervisor: Dillon, Thank you for reaching out regarding Montana’s exceptional event demonstration process. In response to your questions, we do not have, and have not had, any contracts, memorandums of understandings, or other equivalent agreements regarding our exceptional event demonstrations. Because of this, I do not have any additional information or correspondence related to these items. Thank you, Liz Ulrich If you would like to provide clarification on your request, please respond within ten (30) business days from 06/23/2023. Otherwise, the MT Department of Environmental Quality will consider your request withdrawn. You may communicate your clarifications by responding to this email.  Upon receipt of your clarification, the MT Department of Environmental Quality will further respond to your Public Information Act Request as required by law, including providing you with an estimate of costs associated with producing the requested records if you requested it. Sincerely, Rina Velasquez
Program Support Specialist
AEM / AQ