As in every agency, APCD has a group of staff that provides core management and administrative services. The administrative staff of the agency ensures the effective and efficient functioning of the agency. Many of these services are primarily internal in nature and address the areas of technology (computers, phones, satellite downlinks), budgeting, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, bookkeeping, personnel, facilities, and fleet management, clerical support and grants oversight.
The administrative group seeks to ensure, through the office of the Director, the overall effective and efficient management of all aspects of APCD and to help ensure it achieves its mission.
Other administrative services relate more closely to the external mission of the agency and include public information, legal services, open records, rulemaking, state implementation plan development and overall management.
Public Information
Through the public information function, APCD provides requested information to the public and the media about the complete range of issues pertaining to air quality. Also, through this function, APCD develops effective and informative education and outreach programs for the public.
In responding to or providing information to the media, the Public Information Officer (PIO) utilizes a range of services or mechanisms including press releases, interviews for radio, television and the print media, press conferences and press briefing materials and public service announcements. Providing information to the public frequently occurs in response to inquiries and usually involves researching various sources of information to get the information requested. The PIO also develops informational materials and presentations to provide information to citizens groups, businesses and neighborhood associations, government officials and agencies and for use by other APCD staff.
APCD’s PIO also plays the lead role in the development and maintenance of the agency’s web site. Our web site continues to evolve as an important tool in keeping the public informed about vital air quality issues.
Legal Services
Legal services at APCD address several areas and are meant to ensure that all activities and services of the agency are performed and rendered in compliance with all applicable laws.
Specifically, the agency’s attorney devotes substantial time to developing and reviewing necessary contracts for the agency, insuring the agency legally applies the complex laws relating to personnel issues, helping to draft and ensure the legality of agency regulations and plays a lead role in the agency’s enforcement program - specifically reviewing proposed Notices of Violations and negotiating settlements of alleged violations or handling formal legal actions relating to alleged violations until the matter is resolved.
Open Records
Under state law KRS Chapter 61 the public has substantial rights to inspect and get copies of a wide range of public records. As a specific core function, APCD has staff assigned to handle all open records requests. Under the law, a person must submit a written request to APCD to inspect and copy records. APCD then has three days, or a reasonable time, to respond to the request. If the agency denies the request the denial must be properly based on one or more of the statutory bases for denial.
Rulemaking
Under KRS Chapter 77, APCD’s authorizing law, the agency is authorized, through its Board, to promulgate regulations to accomplish its mission of protecting air quality.
This rulemaking function is one of the agency’s most important as regulations have historically been one of the most effective mechanisms through which sources of air pollution have been required to reduce air emissions to improve the community’s public health.
APCD has established a process to help ensure appropriate regulations that involves a thorough internal review process of every draft new or amended regulation and generally a review by an informal, ad hoc, external group of stakeholders that includes citizens, representatives of environmental groups, business, and industry. This group of volunteers provides useful feedback to help the agency identify any issues of concern with the draft regulation.
When the agency has a new or amended regulation ready for consideration, it presents the draft regulation to one of two committees of the APCD Board for a review of the probable need and appropriateness of the new or amended requirments. The Board committee may then authorize that the proposed regulation be published for a written public comment period, as required by APCD regulation and KRS 77, or the Board committee may return the draft regulation to the APCD staff for further action or no action.
After a written public comment period, typically lasting 30 days, the Board is then required to hold a public hearing on the proposed regulation to give the public an opportunity for verbal or comments. At the close of this public review process, the Board may adopt the regulation as proposed, adopt the regulation as amended pursuant to comments made during the public comment period or public hearing, or may not adopt the regulation. When the Board adopts the regulation, the new or amended regulation is immediately effective unless the Board specifies a later effective date for the regulation.
Because of the importance of APCD’s regulations to improving air quality, APCD maintains all of its regulations on this website.