Download PDF

The Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) held a stakeholder meeting December 4th to discuss proposed revisions to the Arkansas Asbestos Abatement rule (Regulation 21).

DEQ has invited those interested in the rule to discuss appropriate and necessary regulatory changes.

The stated objective is to continue to improve the asbestos program.

The Arkansas Asbestos Abatement Regulations are compiled in Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission Regulation 21. DEQ’s Office of Air Quality (“OAQ”) Asbestos and Planning staff had undertaken a review of the regulation and provided a proposed mark-up to the attendees for stakeholder consideration. DEQ intends the mark-up to provide clarification and make organization revisions in light of government transformation.

Proposed modifications to Chapters 1 – 6 of Regulation 21 were provided to the meeting attendees as a starting point for discussion. The assembled group offered feedback to OAQ’s proposed rule changes. The DEQ will take that feedback back to OAQ leadership for further consideration and evaluation.

According to representatives from the DEQ asbestos section, there will be subsequent meetings. Those meetings have not yet been scheduled. However, the OAQ stated that the next deliverable to the group will be a strawman draft of the remaining chapters of Regulation 21. The goal of the OAQ’s asbestos section is to finalize the proposed regulatory revisions mark-up before the close of 2020.

A copy of the Regulation 21 draft markup can be downloaded here.