DEQ’s Suzanne Engels Elected as Vice President for National Organization

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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DEQ’s Suzanne Engels Elected as Vice President for National Organization

ASTSWMO officers from left: Millie Garcia-Serrano, Past-President (MA) Amy Brittain, President (OK)
Dania Rodriguez, ASTSWMO Executive Director, Suzanne Engels, Vice-President (WY) April Webb, Secretary-Treasurer (KY)

By Kimberly Mazza

CHEYENNE – Suzanne Engels is the Administrator for the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division (SHWD) at the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) and has been elected as Vice President of the Association of States and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO).

The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials is a membership driven organization with representation from 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1974, their mission is to enhance and promote effective State and Territorial programs and to affect relevant national policies for waste and materials management, environmentally sustainable practices, and environmental restoration.  

Engels brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience to her new role as the Vice President.  Having worked at the WDEQ for 15 years, she served in various roles within the agency’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Division (SHWD) and the Water Quality Division. In 2021, Engels was appointed as SHWD’s Administrator where she presently leads the responsible regulation of storage, treatment, and disposal of municipal solid waste, industrial waste, coal combustion residuals, and hazardous waste throughout Wyoming.  Additionally, she oversees all things related to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C, D, and I, including matters related to DEQ’s Brownfields, Orphan Sites, Voluntary Remediation, Storage Tanks and the Inspection and Compliance programs.

Not new to ASTSWMO, Engels has been active in ASTSWMO serving as the Region 8 Board Member and the voting member from the State of Wyoming. In the past, she has been an ASTSWMO task force team member and Vice-Chair for the Solid Waste Disposal and Conversion Task Force within the Materials Management Subcommittee. 

Suzanne decided to run for the Vice President position as she recognizes the importance of being involved in state and federal organizations to ensure Wyoming is represented.  

“ASTSWMO gives members an opportunity to voice their concerns and challenges among our peers and our federal partners. The networking provides avenues to find solutions from other states,” says Engels. “Since I will be serving in a leadership role over the next three years as ASTSWMO’s Vice President, President, and then Past President, Wyoming will continue to have visible and robust representation.”

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