The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), through its Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE), issued a statement on March 18, 2020, detailing its procedures for enforcement discretion requests for potential noncompliance arising from the onset of COVID-19. TCEQ encourages companies and other regulated entities to take all available actions necessary to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and permit requirements to protect the health and safety of Texans and the environment. It also recognizes that because of COVID-19 some facilities are operating with a smaller workforce than may be necessary to maintain normal operations and ensure compliance with applicable regulations.

In light of this situation, TCEQ acknowledges that there may be some instances in which noncompliance is unavoidable. When a regulated entity finds noncompliance directly associated to COVID-19, the entity can request enforcement discretion by emailing both OCE Deputy Director Ramiro Garcia and the OCE. TCEQ is monitoring the OCE mailbox daily and has established a goal of responding to each request within 48 hours.

The email requesting enforcement discretion should include:

• a concise statement supporting the request for enforcement discretion
• the anticipated duration of the need for enforcement discretion
• citation of the rule/permit provision for which the enforcement discretion is requested

In addition, regulated entities must maintain records adequate to document activities related to the noncompliance under enforcement discretion, including details of the regulated entity's best efforts to comply.

Given that enforcement consequences in these situations can vary significantly, regulated entities should work with counsel to review the situation to determine whether noncompliance has occurred. If the answer is "yes," the requesting entity would need to prepare a submission that accurately identifies:

• the potential noncompliance
• how the noncompliance is related to COVID-19
• what actions the entity has taken to attempt to comply
• how long the noncompliance is anticipated to continue
• what actions the entity will take to minimize the impact of the noncompliance

DISCLAIMER: Please note that the situation surrounding COVID-19 is evolving and that the subject matter discussed in these publications may change on a daily basis.