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Suzanne Engels

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. A 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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Suzanne Engels

Solid and Hazardous Waste Administrator

suzanne.engels@wyo.gov
(307)777-7937

Suzanne Engels is the Administrator of the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Alongside a talented staff, Suzanne regulates the storage, treatment, and disposal of municipal solid waste, industrial waste, and hazardous waste throughout Wyoming. Suzanne also oversees complex environmental remediation projects and manages the Underground Storage Tank Program within DEQ, which addresses environmental impacts and returns contaminated properties to productive use.

Suzanne has served DEQ for 14 years in various roles within DEQ’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Division and the Water Quality Division. Before joining the State of Wyoming, Suzanne worked for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in the Water Quality Control Division and for the City of Englewood at the Littleton/Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant. She also had short tours with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US EPA Region 8. Suzanne is active in ASTSWMO as the current Region 8 Board Member and was previously the Vice-Chair for the Solid Waste Disposal and Conversion Task Force within the Materials Management Subcommittee. Suzanne grew up in the greater Chicagoland area. She moved west and completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Computer Science from Regis University and her Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Suzanne resides in Cheyenne with her husband, three children, one dog, and five chickens. She enjoys all

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