CURRENT ONGOING PROJECTS    

Project 4

Project Title:  Interagency Cooperation

Agency:  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Project Implementation & Completion Dates:  Ongoing Effort

Project Description:  Although many of the department’s divisions have formed partnerships with other agencies, two divisions, the Standards Division and the Meat and Poultry Inspection Section in the Veterinary Division, are actively involved in assisting other state agencies by performing inspections on a regular basis for those agencies.  The Standards Division is responsible for determining the accuracy of fuel dispensing devices, the quality of petroleum products being offered for sale, and the safety of bulk propane installations.  In many instances, these responsibilities put the division’s inspectors at businesses that are also subject to other agencies’ rules.  The 7,500 retail motor fuel outlets in the state are also subject to air and water quality rules of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.  Standards Division inspectors complete inspection forms for DENR at all retail outlets.  The inspections cover vapor recovery systems and underground petroleum storage tanks.  A similar situation exists with bulk propane installations that are subject to DENR’s Risk Management Program rules. The Standards Division has agreed to review the RMP plans at propane sites for DENR.  Another important function performed by the Standards Division for the Department of Revenue and the Division of Motor Vehicles is the testing of diesel fuel to ensure that nontaxed fuel is not being used in highway vehicles.

The Meat and Poultry Inspection Section has personnel stationed in or regularly visiting 220 meat processing facilities.  The section has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Labor that commits the meat and poultry inspectors to make OSHA inspections a regular part of their responsibilities.  Section management also follows up on violations that the local inspector is unable to resolve.  Only if the section’s management is unable to secure compliance is the violation forwarded to the Department of Labor.

Contacts:

• David Smith, Director,
  Standards Division
  (919)733-3313
  David.Smith@ncmail.net
• David Marshall, Director,
  Meat & Poultry Inspection
  (919)733-4136
  David.Marshall@ncmail.net

Anticipated Environmental Sustainability Benefits:The interagency cooperative efforts of the Standards Division and the Meat and Poultry Inspection Section are prime examples of efficiency in state government.  In both cases it means that fewer state employees are needed to accomplish particular tasks.  Further, businesses are visited by fewer inspectors and the state conserves resources because tasks are consolidated into one trip or are performed by agencies with established expertise in a particular area.  For agencies such as DENR, Revenue, DMV, and Labor, it means they can redirect the use of personnel and resources to other matters.