NStEP is open to all Arkansas organizations with a minimum of twenty full-time employees. Eligible entities include manufacturers, institutions of higher education, municipalities, government agencies, and non-profits. An entity wishing to apply for membership in NStEP should follow the procedures set forth in Section IV of the NStEP Handbook.
Applications are accepted throughout the year. Applicants should submit the application electronically. Upon submittal, the applicant will receive an acknowledgment that the application was received. If the application is complete, then it will be reviewed for compliance with state and federal environmental regulations. If the applicant meets the compliance-related requirements for membership (see the table below), then the application will be sent to the Director for approval. If approved, the applicant will receive a welcome letter in the mail signed by the Director. The acceptance letter will direct the entity to the Project/Report Form. They will then submit an environmental project(s) for consideration within two weeks of acceptance into the program. The project(s) submitted will be reviewed by technical experts within the division for approval.
The agency has ninety days from the receipt of a complete application to notify the applicant in writing of membership approval or denial. There is no formal appeal of the director’s final eligibility decision. An entity that has been denied acceptance into NStEP may reapply for consideration at any time.
Membership Categories
There are four membership categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Eligible Applicants
Compliance-related requirements for an entity that voluntarily seeks a designation in one of the four program tiers of the NStEP can be found in the table below.
| Requirement | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An entity may not be eligible to participate in the program if there has been a pattern of regulatory or permit violations, notices of violation, civil penalties and/or criminal penalties and significant compliance advisories (or informal enforcement actions) that indicate a lack of commitment to environmental leadership. | ✱ | ✱ | ✱ | ✱ |
| Evidence of no serious violations of applicable local, state and federal environmental laws and permits for a period of time immediately prior to the date of submission of the application for participation in the program. | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 3 years |
| No conviction of environmental laws or out-of-court settlements of formal charges of criminal violations within a period of time before filing the application unless under new ownership not associated with the act. | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
| If the applicant entered into a settlement agreement or Consent Administrative Order for serious violations of environmental laws and permits, the business entity must be monitored and in good standing with an agreed-upon compliance schedule prior to the date of submitting an application to the program. | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 3 years |
| Any entity that applied for the program and is a part of a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, municipality, county, state, federal agency or a department that operates in multiple locations under the same parent company will have the choice of applying for membership based on a single location or include multiple locations within the state of Arkansas. This may affect large parent companies that maintain offices with less than 20 total employees by combining all locations. Each facility location must be in compliance with applicable local, state and federal environmental laws and regulations. Compliance with the terms of a consent administrative order or other settlement agreement may be considered in this determination. | ✱ | ✱ | ✱ | ✱ |
Proposal / Report Form
Upon acceptance into the program, entities will then submit an environmental project(s) for consideration. The project(s) submitted will be reviewed by technical experts within the Division for approval.
An annual progress report will be due each year on the anniversary date of acceptance into the NStEP.
Environmental Project Proposal/ Report Forms:
