RISE Internship: Environmental Rules and Permits Intern at Pima County Department of Environmental Quality
Position Title: Environmental Rules and Permits Intern
Reports to: Abigail Okrent
Hours/Week: 8-12
Internship Date Range: Spring semester
Location: 33 N. Stone Ave, 7th floor, Tucson AZ 85701
About the Resilience Internships and Student Experiences (RISE) Program
The RISE Program is hosted by the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR) and provides undergraduate and graduate students with paid internships related to resilient environments and societies. RISE internships give students experience in workplace settings with an opportunity to grow their interpersonal skills and prepare them for careers after graduation.
About Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ):
PDEQ is a regulatory agency serving Pima County by protecting public health and the environment. PDEQ operates programs that monitor air and water quality, hazardous waste, solid waste, and promotes waste minimization and pollution prevention. PDEQ also provides public outreach and education, processes environmental permits, and responds to public complaints with investigation and enforcement. To learn more about PDEQ, please visit www.pima.gov/393.
Internship summary:
The intern will work closely with the Rules team and the Air Permits team to help create clarity and coherence between regulations and air permits. They will learn about the regulatory structure of our program and the Clean Air Act, and gain familiarity in researching the Code of Federal Regulations and the Pima County Code. They may also be involved in ongoing rulemaking and legislative efforts as needed.
Internship description:
The intern will help reorganize the internal permit filing system. They will help create and complete searchable databases that specifically list which sections of federal and local code are cited in each permit. This will require great attention to detail, as well as competency with Microsoft Office, including and especially Excel.
Depending on the intern’s abilities and needs of the office, they may also be involved in ongoing rulemakings in Pima County and legislative efforts.
A successful internship semester will provide the intern with good working knowledge of the Clean Air Act, the intersection of federal laws and regulations with local laws and regulations, and familiarity with air pollution and regulation. The intern will also produce at least one piece of writing that will be reviewed and edited and can serve as a writing sample.
Compensation:
The intern will be compensated by the University of Arizona. The pay rate is $18/hour.
How to Apply:
Applicants must be active U of A students enrolled in at least 6 credits. The intern will be hired as a U of A student employee. Student employees are limited to 25 hours/week (20 hours/week for international students) across ALL U of A positions.
International students should consult with International Student Services (ISS) if work authorization is needed before securing an internship. ISS advising information can be found here.
To apply, please email Abigail.okrent@pima.gov with:
- A very brief statement of interest (no more than 200 words)
- Your resume
- Your availability (when you can start, how many hours a week you are available, which days/times you are available, when you would have to be done for the semester)
Applications that do not contain all 3 of these elements will not be considered.
Applications must be submitted no later than January 3, 2025.
If you have any questions about this internship or the application process, please contact Abigail Okrent at Abigail.okrent@pima.gov or by phone at 520-724-7325. To learn more about PDEQ, please visit www.pima.gov/393.