Personalized Environmental Compliance Services

Experienced consultants focused on guiding industrial clients through environmental permitting, reporting, and daily compliance. Recommendations are focused on minimizing regulatory burden and maximizing the potential for future growth through planned environmental sustainability.

Who We Are and What We Do

Founded in 2003 by Heather Schebel, Schebel Environmental serves industrial clients across the Midwest to comply with local, state, and federal environmental regulations. Our goal is to be a reliable on-demand extension of your staff. Whether you require occasional assistance with completing large or technical projects, or you need daily assistance with on-going recordkeeping, we are ready to be a consistent, knowledgeable partner.

How We Can Help

01.

Air Services

Schebel Environmental has been helping clients comply with the Clean Air Act since the first Title V Operating Permits were issued in the late 1990s. Much of our work is in the state of Iowa, where we are on a first name basis with IDNR staff. We have decades of experience helping our clients obtain necessary construction and operating permits quickly. We are well informed on current policies, and we know how to get clear permits with flexible conditions. Our assistance extends beyond the issuance of a permit and can include on-going recordkeeping assistance, operation and maintenance plans, annual emission inventories, NESHAP and NSPS reporting, operating permit compliance reports, GHG and CBAM reporting, and more.

Water and Wastewater

Schebel Environmental focuses on water and wastewater compliance for an industrial perspective. We added water expertise in 2008 and have spent the last 18 years with storm water management through NPDES permitting and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) development, implementation, and maintenance. Our staff can work with the local POTW staff to develop wastewater discharge agreements and ensure compliance with those agreements by assisting with wastewater sampling, Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR), and we will work with your treatment staff and chemical suppliers to keep your treatment system running well. We also provide direct discharge NPDES permitting including Anti-Degradation Analysis.

Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste compliance begins with an accurate determination of the generator status (Large Quantity, Small Quantity, or Very Small Quantity) of the facility as well as a comprehensive and well-documented analysis of every waste stream at an industrial facility to determine proper disposal. Schebel Environmental will assist in laying this foundation and has experience in generator status notifications, biennial reporting for Large Quantity Generators (LQG), Contingency Plans for LQGs, and annual hazardous waste activity reporting to state agencies. Our staff can help develop a site-specific hazardous waste management plan that provides staff with instruction and training on proper labeling, manifesting, storage and retention requirements, emergency response procedures, and shipping requirements.

Emergency Planning

EPA’s EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know) law requires industrial facilities to submit the SARA 311 Tier 2 report to the state and local emergency response personnel detailing hazardous material stored on site, quantities stored, and the risks that first responders may face in an emergency. SARA 313 requires annual reporting through the TRI or Form R report of hazardous chemicals that are handled on site and the quantities of those materials that are released to land, air or water. Schebel Environmental has extensive experience in preparing and submitting these reports.

The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) requires all facilities that store more than 1,320 gallons of oil to create and maintain a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan to guide the facility in safely managing that oil. Schebel Environmental can provide a SPCC plan certified by a professional engineer, that meets the requirements of the OPA including emergency response procedures, inspection guidance, required training, and recordkeeping assistance.

Compliance Assistance

Our mission is to be a partner to our clients. We strive to understand your processes and your needs. Our air, water, and compliance experts are communicating with each other to help our clients improve overall compliance. A new wastewater treatment chemical will be reviewed for Tier 2 or TRI implications. A new air emission source will also be evaluated for new hazardous waste or wastewater impacts. Our team also has environmental compliance auditing experience, including ISO 14001 certification audit preparation.

Why Choose Us?

I started Schebel Environmental in 2003 for two main reasons.  First, I noticed that environmental compliance consultants typically worked for traditional engineering design firms.  These firms are structured to be project focused, and they maintain a lot of resources that are not needed for environmental compliance projects.  I saw my clients paying high rates for resources they were not using, including large overhead for marketing that my relationship-based philosophy just doesn’t require.  I believed I could provide better service at a lower price with a low overhead, high flexibility firm.
The second reason is that I wanted to create a great place to work.  I was struggling to balance the needs of my new family with the demands of the expected work schedule, and I noticed that most of these engineering design firms had high turnover.  To have a business built on relationships, I do everything I can to make my employees love working here and to make sure my clients love working with us. One of my proudest achievements is that no employee has ever resigned.
When you start working with us, you can count on us to be there for you, year after year.  For many of our clients, we have been working together for decades, and we can provide continuity.  We remember that project 8 years ago and why it impacts the facility today.  We know the regulators and they know us. Our goal is to provide the assistance you need and deliver it the way you need it. Whether you need one-time assistance with a complex permitting project, or you need help maintaining daily records, we love catering what we offer specifically to your needs.