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When Gary Kelman became Office of Special Programs Director Nov. 23, he took on a new mission to propel his unit to a new quality of customer service for both regulated entities and MDE staff alike. The Office of Special Programs’ (OSP) mission is to promote environmental stewardship and sustain Maryland’s business economy by assisting and educating environmentally-responsible businesses.
Kelman’s direction and vision will guide his team to assure that MDE becomes a hub for environmental information and promote a broader understanding of regulatory matters to the regulated community. The OSP staff works in a multi-media fashion to assist businesses who need environmental permits in understanding their environmental obligations.
“Multimedia matters (air, water and waste) need coordination within MDE,” said Kelman. “All parts of MDE should all work together so that a businesses permitting experience is the best that it can be. We’d rather help a permittee understand their environmental obligations up front than one that accepts a permit without realizing its implications.”
Kelman also coordinates the department’s enforcement and permitting activities so that many of MDE’s responsibilities to EPA and the state legislature are fulfilled.
Kelman’s Credentials
Born in Philadelphia, Kelman attended Philadelphia University and received his undergraduate degree in Life Sciences. After moving to Maryland, he earned a master’s degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Maryland Graduate School. He worked for a small consulting firm where he participated in activities from writing environmental impact assessments to analyzing environmental samples. In 1979, he landed a job writing discharge permits with Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources in the Water Resources Administration. Immediately prior to his appointment at OSP, he was the Maryland State Pretreatment Coordinator, giving MDE national recognition as a leader in that program. He has been on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Environmental Professionals since 1988, founding its Chesapeake Chapter and is the current national president, reprising a role he held in 1993.He is also on the Board of Trustees of the Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals, an organization that certifies senior professionals working in that field.
“I would like to see MDE be THE source for environmental information – some non-regulatory environmental issues are handled by the Department of Natural Resources, but when it involves pollution, you should come to us,” added Kelman. “As a non-regulatory part of MDE, the Customer Service Center within the OSP, is a place where businesses can obtain permitting and compliance information in a more relaxed, open fashion. We are here to help customers comply with regulations and understand what their responsibilities are toward restoring and protecting the environment.”
Top-Notch Customer Service
The innovative concept of having “customer service” in a government agency allows MDE to improve the permitting process. “Constructive feedback from our customers is a way that we can constantly improve the system to make it better for all of us,” Kelman said. One way to accomplish this is a survey that is sent out with each permit requesting information on the permittee’s experience in obtaining a permit.
Kelm an manages the OSP and staff that receives several thousand permit applications per year with only 2-3 people. Laura Armstrong is charged with Pollution Prevention. She visits client sites and administers the EPA contract for pollution prevention activities. She also helps industries develop Environmental Management Systems. Andrew Gosden is an environmental engineer and MDE Small Business Ombudsman. Bob Daniel is an administrator who handles customer service calls and database management, Stanley Tsai is an engineer who also works with database management, customer service, and sponsorship of international delegations, where he arranges meetings for MDE to show technical people from other countries how Maryland performs regulatory functions that they may want to copy in their countries.
Publications
OSP publishes the Business Guide to Environmental Permits and Approvals, Annual Enforcement and Compliance Report and the MDE Dry Cleaner Compliance Calendar, which is also published in Korean to make sure that audience is properly reached.
Will the OSP improve with Kelman’s direction? “The outside world should know whom to call – it’s us…we will either have the answer at our fingertips or get them the answer,” he said.
Call the Customer Service Center at (410) 537-3772.
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