Glossary of Common DEEP Terms
An Environmental Permitting Fact Sheet
The following terms are frequently used by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Many of these terms are defined in a statute or regulation. This glossary is only intended to assist you in using these fact sheets.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Applicant | A person who files an application with the Department |
| Application | A request for a Department license or renewal thereof, for a modification of a Department license if the modification is sought by the licensee, for certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. Section 1341, or for a variance |
| CAA | Federal Clean Air Act - The original CAA was passed in 1963, but our national air pollution control program is actually based on the 1970 amendments to the Act. Today, federal and state governments are working with the most comprehensive amendments, the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, which have eleven titles addressing such issues as attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, mobile sources, hazardous air pollutants, acid rain, permits, stratospheric ozone protection, enforcement, research, etc. |
| CEPA | Connecticut Environmental Policy Act |
| CERCLA | Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), as amended |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
| CGS | Connecticut General Statutes |
| COC | Cost of Cleanup |
| COP | Certificate of Permission |
| CPPU | Central Permit Processing Unit |
| CWA | Clean Water Act |
| Commissioner | The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Commissioner's agent |
| Connecticut Coastal Management Act | CCMA: CGS Sections 22a-90 to 22a-112 |
| Contested Case | A proceeding, including but not restricted to rate-making, price fixing and licensing, in which the legal rights, duties or privileges of a party are required by statute to be determined by an agency after an opportunity for hearing or in which a hearing is in fact held, but does not include proceedings on a petition for a declaratory ruling under CGS Section 4-176 or hearings referred to in CGS Section 4-168 |
| DEEP | Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
| DPH | Department of Public Health |
| ECAF | Environmental Condition Assessment Form |
| EIE | Environmental Impact Evaluation |
| EIS | Environmental Impact Statement |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency - Federal Agency responsible for overseeing environmental laws enacted by congress |
| Environmental Equity | The Department has developed an environmental equity policy that states: no segment of the population should, because of its racial or economic makeup, bear a disproportionate share of the risks and consequences of environmental pollution nor be denied equal access to environmental benefits. |
| FEMA | Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| FERC | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission |
| FIFRA | The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, 7 U.S.C. 135 et seq., as amended by the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act of 1972, 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq., and as may be amended from time to time |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act (Connecticut's laws dealing with Public Records and meetings are codified in CGS Chapter 3; CGS Section 1-19 specifically deals with access to public records.) |
| FONSI | Finding of No Significant Impact |
| FWPCA | Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. section 466 et seq. as amended |
| GIS | Geographic Information System |
| Hazardous Waste | As defined in CGS Section 22a-448, any waste material which may pose a present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed of or otherwise managed including waste identified in accordance with Section 3001 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (42 USC 6901 et seq.). |
| Hearing Officer | An individual appointed by an agency to conduct a hearing in an agency proceeding; such individual may be a staff employee of the agency. |
| Intervenor | A person, other than a party, granted status as an intervenor by an agency in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of CGS Section 4-176 or subsection (b) of CGS Section 4-177a. |
| IWRD | Inland Water Resources Division |
| LEP | Licensed Environmental Professional (CGS Section 22a-133v) |
| NAAQS | National Ambient Air Quality Standards - The maximum concentrations of pollutants permitted in the ambient air for six "Criteria Pollutants" as required in the Clean Air Act to protect public health and the environment. The Criteria Pollutants are: carbon monoxide, lead, oxides of nitrogen, ozone, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide. |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act |
| Non-attainment Area | A geographical area considered by the EPA to have air quality which fails to meet the NAAQS for a given pollutant. In Connecticut there are two ozone non-attainment areas. The southwestern part of the state is in the "severe" category and the rest of the state is in the "serious" category. The state is also currently in non-attainment for carbon monoxide in certain towns. |
| NPDES | National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System under the FWPCA |
| OLISP | Office of Long Island Sound Programs |
| PERD | Water Permitting, Enforcement and Remediation Division of the Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance (presently is known as WPED - Water Permitting and Enforcement Division) |
| Pollution Prevention | Taking action to reduce the use of toxics and other potentially harmful materials at the beginning of a process or operation; pollution prevention is also referred to as "P2". |
| Pesticide | Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest, or any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant |
| POTW | Publicly Owned Treatment Works |
| RCRA | Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.) |
| RCSA | Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (These are the regulations promulgated under the authority of CGS.) |
| Recycling | The processing of solid waste to reclaim material for reuse |
| RRF | Resources Recovery Facility |
| Rules of Practice | This refers to the rules that govern practice in all DEEP proceedings, including regulation-making, declaratory rulings, licensing, and contested cases; see RCSA Sections 22a-3a-2 through 22a-3a-6. |
| SCEL | Stream Channel Encroachment Lines |
| SIP | State Implementation Plan - Plans and programs developed by the State to achieve and maintain the NAAQS, as required by the CAA |
| SDWA | Federal Safe Drinking Water Act 42 U.S.C. section 300f et seq. as amended |
| Solid Waste | Unwanted or discarded solid, liquid, semisolid or contained gaseous material, including, but not limited to: demolition debris; material burned or otherwise processed at a resources recovery facility or incinerator; material processed at a recycling facility; and sludges or other residue from a water pollution abatement facility, water supply treatment plant or air pollution control facility |
| Transfer Act | CGS Sections 22a-134a to 22a-134d |
| UAPA | Connecticut's Uniform Administrative Procedure Act, CGS Chapter 54 Sections 4-166 through Sections 4-189 |
| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | The Federal agency that regulates certain activities in wetlands and waterways. |
| WEED | Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division of the Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance |
| WPED | Water Permitting and Enforcement Division of the Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance |
| WQC | Water Quality Certification/Certificate |
| WQS | Water Quality Standards |
| Contact Information | Permit Assistance Office Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 79 Elm Street Hartford, CT 06106-5127 860-424-3003 |
This overview is designed to answer general questions and provide basic information. You should refer to the appropriate statutes and regulations for the specific regulatory language of the different permit programs.
Fact Sheet: DEP-FS-007
Content Last Updated on November 7, 2011