MORE WORK AND FEWER PEOPLE TO DO IT.
THAT'S WHAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FACES DOWN
EVERY DAY.
SO AFTER A YEAR OF TAKING A LOOK AT HOW TO PRIORITIZE RESOURCES,
THE DNR THIS WEEK CAME OUT WITH A REORGANIZATION PLAN FOR THE
AGENCY.
DNR SECRETARY CATHY STEPP JOINS US
FROM UW-PARKSIDE TO EXPLAIN IT.
SECRETARY, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
- OH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
- WELL, SO PEOPLE ARE LIKELY CONCERNED THAT THIS
REORGANIZATION, AS YOU CALL IT, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, WILL WEAKEN
ENVIRONMENTAL OR CONSERVATION STANDARDS, BUT YOU ASSURE IT
WILL NOT.
DESCRIBE WHY IT WON'T.
- WELL REALLY WHAT THIS IS JUST ABOUT IS ABOUT A PRIORITIZATION
OF OUR RESOURCES, BOTH HUMAN RESOURCES AND FISCAL RESOURCES.
IT'S NOT A SECRET THAT WE'VE SEEN DWINDLING SUPPLY OF BOTH.
OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, WE'VE SEEN JUST ABOUT A 20% DECREASE
ESPECIALLY IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES SIDE.
SO WE REALLY HAVE TO FIND A WAY, JUST LIKE THE PRIVATE SECTOR
DOES, TO DO THINGS BETTER, MORE EFFICIENTLY AND TAKE
OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE CAN TO LEAN MORE ON EXPERTISE IN THE
PRIVATE SECTOR WHILE STILL RETAINING OUR IMPORTANT
REGULATORY FUNCTIONS.
I DO WANT TO ASSURE EVERYBODY THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS PLAN
THAT ROLLS BACK OR WEAKENS OR LOOSENS ENVIRONMENTAL
REGULATIONS OR STANDARDS.
IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT.
IT'S ABOUT HOW WE DO THE BUSINESS WE DO, NOT THE ACTUAL
WHAT IT IS THAT'S GETTING DONE ON THE GROUND.
- HOW DO THESE CHANGES ADDRESS CONCERNS RAISED IN A RECENT
AUDIT CRITICAL OF THE DNR FOR ITS BACKLOG IN WASTEWATER
PROGRAM AND FOR THINGS INCLUDING LARGE FARMS AS WELL AS A SMALL
NUMBER OF VIOLATION NOTICES GIVEN?
- THIS WAS REALLY ONE OF THE FRONT BURNER CONCERNS THAT WE
HAD, WAS THAT THAT PARTICULAR PROGRAM WAS UNDER-FUNDED,
UNDERSTAFFED.
THIS ALIGNMENT EFFORT THAT WE'VE JUT GONE THROUGH HAS ALLOWED US
TO REALLOCATE SOME OF THE RESOURCES WE HAD IN OTHER AREAS
SO WE COULD PUT THEM TO MORE HIGH-PRIORITY URGENT NEEDS THAT
WE HAD ON THE GROUND.
SO WE CAN GET ACTUAL FEET IN THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
SO THAT'S HELPED US DO THAT.
BY AGAIN JUST LIKE YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S THE POT OF MONEY THAT
YOU'VE GOT AVAILABLE TO YOU, WHAT LIMITATIONS ARE THERE TO
THOSE POTS OF MONEY BECAUSE WE HAVE LOTS OF STRINGS ATTACHED TO
THOSE.
AND LUCKILY THROUGH THIS EFFORT, THROUGH EVERY LEVEL OF STAFF
THAT WAS INVOLVED AS WELL AS EXTERNAL INPUT THAT WE TOOK FROM
PEOPLE WHO WE SERVE, WHICH IS EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD WHO
LIVES HERE, WORKS HERE, PLAYS HERE OR MAKES ANYTHING HERE IS
OUR CUSTOMER.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO ANSWER TO.
BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY GOING TO GIVE US MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO
GET OUT FROM UNDER FLUORESCENT LIGHTS, OUT OF THE CUBICLES,
ONTO THE FIELD AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR FOLKS ARE DOING THE
WORK TO MAKE SURE THERE'S COMPLIANCE WITH WHAT THE PERMITS
ARE WRITTEN TO SAY.
THAT'S THE BEST SERVICE WE CAN PROVIDE TO THE PUBLIC IS MAKE
SURE WE'RE OUT THERE, THINGS ARE GETTING DONE RIGHT ON THE GROUND
AND THIS PLAN IS GOING TO GET US THERE.
- STILL, ALL OF THAT SAID, DO YOU WISH YOU HAD A BIGGER POT OF
MONEY TO WORK WITH?
- I DON'T KNOW ANY AGENT SECRETARY THAT WOULDN'T WISH FOR
MORE MONEY.
BUT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THAT LUXURY.
AND FRANKLY THE PRIVATE SECTOR GOES THROUGH THIS ALL THE TIME.
ALL HEALTHY, DYNAMIC ORGANIZATIONS GO THROUGH REGULAR
REVIEWING OF WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'VE GOT AVAILABLE TO THEM.
WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR CUSTOMERS?
WHAT ARE THEIR PRICE POINTS AND THEN THEY ADJUST THEIR
OPERATIONS ACCORDINGLY.
WE HAVE A REAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DO THAT FOR TAXPAYERS IN
WISCONSIN, TO MAKE SURE THE INVESTMENT THAT TAXPAYERS,
LICENSE PAYERS, PERMIT APPLICANTS ARE PAYING ARE
RETURNING THE BEST POSSIBLE, YOU KNOW, BENEFIT TO ALL OF THOSE
USERS.
AND THAT MEANS THAT INSTEAD OF SHUFFLING PAPERS AND CHECKING
BOXES, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE RIGHT THINGS ARE BEING DONE OUT
ON THE GROUND.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT IT'S ABOUT PRIORITIZING THAT,
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PRODUCERS OF ALL KINDS, ACROSS
ALL INDUSTRIES AND MAKING SURE WE'RE GETTING THE JOB DONE.
- PART OF YOUR REORGANIZATION CALLS FOR A NEW WAY OF
PERMITTING LARGE ANIMAL FARMS THAT GENERATE WATER-POLLUTING
MANURE.
YOU CALL FOR ALLOWING PRIVATE CONSULTANTS TO WRITE PERMIT
APPLICATIONS FOR FARMERS.
WHAT ROLE DOES THE DNR THEN PLAY IN PERMITTING THESE LARGE ANIMAL
OPERATIONS AND IN APPROVING THEIR SO-CALLED NUTRIENT
MANAGEMENT PLANS?
- SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE
BEEN DOING IN WISCONSIN FOR OVER TEN YEARS NOW.
WE'VE GOT A PROGRAM CALLED THE WETLAND DELINEATOR ASSURANCE
PROGRAM.
TO WHERE WE'VE GOT CREDENTIALED PROFESSIONALS IN THE PRIVATE
SECTOR WHO HAVE LOTS OF TECHNICAL TRAINING FOR THIS TYPE
OF WORK WHO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND MAP OUT WETLANDS FOR EXAMPLE.
THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH A RIGOROUS PROCESS OF APPROVAL AT
WISCONSIN DNR BEFORE THEY CAN GET ON THAT LIST.
WHEN WE GET THOSE APPLICATIONS IN, IT DOESN'T TAKE AS MUCH TIME
TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THE THOUSANDS OF PAGES, WHEN WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANS, FOR EXAMPLE,
TO BE ABLE TO BE ASSURED THAT THE WORK THEY'RE DOING WE CAN
RELY UPON WHEN WE WRITE THE PERMITS.
SO THIS ISN'T ABOUT PRODUCERS WRITING THEIR OWN PERMITS.
IT'S NOT ABOUT THEM WRITING THEIR OWN REGULATIONS OR
STANDARDS.
THIS IS ABOUT SOME OF THE MORE HEAVY-DUTY, TECHNICAL PAPERWORK
SIDE OF THINGS GETTING DONE BY PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE VERY WELL
EDUCATED AND CREDENTIALED TO DO THAT.
WE'VE DONE THAT WITH WETLANDS IN THE PAST IN 10 YEARS.
WE'RE LOOKING TO KIND OF MIRROR THAT PROGRAM.
WE'LL BE DOING SPOT AUDITS AND REGULAR CHECK-INS TO MAKE SURE
THAT THOSE CALCULATIONS ARE BEING DONE CORRECTLY.
BUT THE REGULATORY FUNCTION DOES NOT LEAVE WISCONSIN DNR.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN APPROVE
OR DENY A PERMIT APPLICATION.
IT'S JUST ONE CHUNK OF THAT APPLICATION CAN BE DONE BETTER
IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, FREEING UP MY STAFF TO GET OUTSIDE, ON
THE GROUND TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE RULES ARE BEING FOLLOWED.
- THERE WAS AN OUTCRY WHEN THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH STAFFING WAS
CUT BY MORE THAN 30%.
WHAT DOES YOUR STRATEGIC REALIGNMENT DO WITH DNR
SCIENTISTS GOING FORWARD?
- ONE THING I WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY, OUR AGENCY IS FULL OF
SCIENTISTS.
WE'VE GOT BIOLOGISTS, GEOLOGISTS, HYDRO-GEOLOGISTS ALL
THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT.
THE PORTION THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS OUR RESEARCH DIVISION,
TO WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING RESEARCH IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
AND THE LEGISLATURE IN THE LAST BUDGET GO-AROUND DECIDED WE HAD
MORE RESEARCHERS THAN WHAT THEY FELT WE NEEDED.
AND SO WHAT WE HAD TO DO AGAIN IS TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT'S THE
ACTUAL WORK THAT'S BEING DONE AND HOW CAN WE BETTER STREAMLINE
THE WORK THAT OUR MANAGERS AND OUR SCIENTISTS OUT ON THE GROUND
NEED TO HAVE DONE, THOSE QUESTIONS THAT THEY NEED
ANSWERED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF MANAGEMENT.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE NOW.
WE'VE ALIGNED SOME OF THOSE RESEARCH PROFESSIONALS INTO
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE DEPARTMENT SO THEY CAN BETTER
WORK IN SYNC WITH THE MANAGERS THAT ARE OUT ON THE GROUND WITH
THEIR PARTNERS.
SO THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION, BETTER
ANSWERS COMING TO US QUICKER ON SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE'RE
FACING.
- ALL RIGHT.
SECRETARY CATHY STEPP, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
- THANKS FOR HAVING ME.