Jenny C. Staebem appointed as Industrial Siting Administrator for the DEQ

Rules and Regulations

All official Wyoming State Rules and Regulations are kept at the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. Click here to view all current Rules and Regulations.

Trade Secret Confidentiality Requests

Entities requesting permits from the DEQ are required to provide detailed descriptions of the activities or processes involved, so the DEQ may evaluate compliance with standards to protect public health and the natural resources of the state. These descriptions often include information that is considered "trade secrets" or proprietary by the entity. The DEQ must balance the obligation to keep confidential any trade secrets or proprietary information disclosed during the permitting process with the obligation to comply with the Wyoming Public Records Act (W.S. 16-4-203(d)) and Wyoming Environmental Quality Act (W.S. 35-11-1101(a)).

The following checklist has been developed for submitting requests to keep documents containing "trade secrets" confidential. The checklist summarizes the trade secret confidentiality issue in the State of Wyoming and refers to three documents that provide guidance for such requests:

  1. seminal August 29, 2011 letter from former DEQ Director John Corra to a member of industry describing the components of a trade secret confidentiality request and the extent to which the DEQ will be able to keep this information confidential. These concepts are reiterated and refined in the checklist
  2. An excerpt from the Wyoming Supreme Court’s March 2014 decision in Powder River Basin Res. Council v. Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Comm’n., 320 P.3d 222 (Wyo. 2014), adopting the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) definition of “trade secrets.” 
  3. 40 C.F.R. § 2.208 lists additional criteria that must be met in order for information to be considered a “trade secret.”

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Jenny C. Staebem appointed as Industrial Siting Administrator for the DEQ

Jenny C. Staebem

By Kimberly Mazza

Todd Parfitt, Director of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has appointed Jenny C. Staebem as the new administrator of the Industrial Siting Division at the DEQ. 

Dr. Staebem was a research scientist, project manager and consultant in the antimicrobial and pesticide industries.  She has served Wyoming as a public defender, prosecutor and civil county attorney.  Most recently she has worked for the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office where she served as legal counsel for the Game & Fish Department and the DEQ, including the Industrial Siting Division. Her education includes: a bachelor’s degree in Insect Biology from the University of Wyoming,  a master’s degree in Entomology from Clemson University, a juris doctorate from the University of Wyoming, and a doctorate in Forest Resources in the study of semiochemical ecology from the University of Georgia.

“Jenny brings to the position excellent credentials and experience along with a broad range of management and professional skills,” said Parfitt. “We are excited to have her join our team.”

Jenny will begin her new role as the Industrial Siting Division Administrator early in December and will oversee the division’s responsibility for assessing the environmental and socio-economic impacts of proposed large industrial projects. 

“I look forward to working with the DEQ team, local communities, and the companies interested in industrial development within our great state.  I appreciate Director Parfitt for providing me with this opportunity,” stated Jenny.

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