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Winter 2016 www.newmoa.org
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news@NEWMOA
news@NEWMOA is designed to help our members and colleagues keep informed about the Association's projects and activities. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are a member of a NEWMOA working group, committee, program, or listserv; an invitee to NEWMOA events; a colleague at EPA or a related organization; connected to the Association in some other way; or have expressed interest in our work. If you have questions about delivery of this e-Newsletter, contact Lois Makina, (617) 367-8558 x312.
Share this newsletter with others in your agency or organization that might be interested. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
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Packing up the Office Space at 129 Portland Street
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New Logo to Commemorate 30th Anniversary!
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New Office in the Non Profit Center at 89 South Street
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NEWMOA Has Moved!
NEWMOA moved its offices in December to the Non-Profit Center - 89 South Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02111-2651. Our phone number and emails addresses remain the same. For almost 30 years, NEWMOA's office was located near North Station in Boston and for the past almost 20 years at 129 Portland Street. Our new office is adjacent to our sister organization, the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) and in a building operated by and exclusively for non-profit organizations. NESCAUM provided a considerable amount of support for this move, and we greatly appreciate their assistance. The staff are excited to be in our new space.
To celebrate the new move, NEWMOA hosted an Open House on January 21st. Several colleagues from neighboring organizations, as well as building tenants joined the festivities. If you are in Boston, stop by for a visit!
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Jennifer Griffith, NEWMOA; Rich Bizzozero, MA OTA; and Paul Locke, MassDEP
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Beth Deabay, Deb Szaro, and Brian Tocci - EPA Region 1
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Andy Bray, NEWMOA; Emily Tamanaha, MA Nonprofit Network; and Lois Makina, NEWMOA
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NEWMOA Celebrates 30 Years!
NEWMOA is turning 30 and will be celebrating this milestone throughout 2016. Our Board of Directors will be inviting current and former members to join them for dinner during the Board meetings in March, June, and September. If you are interested in joining them, contact Lois Makina. Invitations will be forthcoming.
Efforts to form NEWMOA began in earnest in 1985 with a number of meetings of the Directors of the waste programs in New England. They adopted a set of by-laws in October 1985. At that time and for many years, the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) acted as a fiscal agent for NEWMOA, and the organizations shared office space. In December of 1986, the U.S. EPA recognized in writing a request from the New England Governors formally endorsing the formation of the New England Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA).
New Jersey joined NEWMOA in 1989 and New York joined in 1990. At that time, the Association changed its name from New England to Northeast... (but the acronym remained the same). NEWMOA's Board revised its by-laws early in 1991 to reflect these changes.
The issues facing the waste industry and state regulatory officials were different in the mid-1980s than they are today. Federal laws, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) (commonly called Superfund), and the analogous state laws were new. State and federal officials were creating the programs, rules, and policies to implement these laws, and there were vigorous debates among them about how to go about their work. There were numerous notorious waste sites with significant contamination in the region, including in Love Canal, NY and Woburn, MA. These sites received widespread public attention and profoundly affected nearby communities. State and federal officials were struggling with how to implement programs to prevent new sites like those from occurring and to properly and safely clean them up. Solid waste programs focused on landfilling and incineration, with local recycling programs in their infancy. Curbside collection of materials for recycling was rare. Solid waste officials were struggling with how to get those kinds of programs up and running and to create a regulatory framework to support the needed recycling infrastructure. Looking back on those times, it is obvious that we have made tremendous progress. But there remain many challenges.
Much of NEWMOA's basic mission, goals, and functions have not changed much since its founding. Nevertheless, the scope of the organization's efforts has expanded over the years to include waste site cleanup, brownfields, pollution prevention, waste reduction, toxics reduction, product stewardship, sustainable materials management, and others. Many of those concepts and approaches were in their infancy in the mid-1980s.
We look forward to another 30 years of continuing to strive toward achieving a "clean, healthy, and sustainable environment by exploring, developing, promoting, and implementing environmentally sound solutions." We hope that you will continue to support our work and to help us to welcome a new generation of NEWMOAns.
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 Congratulations to Jennifer Griffith! In mid-December Jennifer Griffith celebrated 20 years as a Project Manager at NEWMOA. NEWMOA's Board and staff congratulate her on reaching this important milestone and appreciate her commitment to environmental protection and dedication to NEWMOA. Jennifer was hired in 1995 to conduct a joint NEWMOA-NESCAUM project focused on integrating pollution prevention (P2) and compliance assistance approaches for companies that were subject to the Clean Air Act Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards for air emissions, hazardous waste, and other environmental requirements. As a result of that project, NEWMOA/NESCAUM published several important compliance / P2 manuals covering the wood furniture and pressure sensitive tapes and labels industries, both of which can be important sources of emissions of toxic air pollution and hazardous waste. In recent years, Jennifer has managed NEWMOA waste site cleanup efforts, particularly the workshops that NEWMOA holds several times per year (see below). These workshops have covered an impressive array of topics over the years. Participants have consistently given them very positive reviews. She also organizes annual meetings of state and EPA Brownfield program coordinators, which have been very useful in help to enhance coordination between EPA and states in the implementation of these programs. Jennifer has also led a number of NEWMOA's solid waste projects, particularly our efforts to gather and analyze data related to the flow of municipal solid waste (MSW) for disposal within and outside of the region as well as the generation and management of construction and demolition (C&D) materials from building projects. These efforts have helped state programs to greatly improve the quality of their MSW and C&D data and to a regional understanding of how these materials are managed. In recent years, Jennifer has led a number of projects that provide training and support for rural communities that are trying to address key waste challenges, including unused paint, pay-as-you-throw programs, and bulky waste (i.e., mattresses, carpet, furniture, and large hard plastic items). These projects have greatly benefited solid waste districts and regions throughout the Northeast. Jennifer has made many other contributions (too numerous to list here) to NEWMOA over her tenure. Congratulations and thank you Jennifer!
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Waste Site Cleanup Program
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Upcoming Workshops
NEWMOA will be holding workshops on Making Better Decisions: Real-time Data Collection and Interpretation for waste site cleanup professionals on March 22, 23, and 24 in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, respectively. The use of innovative sampling methods and field-based characterization technologies, and the ability to interpret the data and adapt the workplan in the field can reduce the overall time and expense of performing a quality site characterization and remediation, while simultaneously yielding better information to make informed decisions. During the workshops, participants can:
- Learn about the technologies and techniques used for real-time data collection and analysis;
- Learn about how to use this data to improve site characterization and remediation decisions;
- See the equipment and technologies demonstrated in-the-field by the two leading companies in the Northeast;
- Interact with vendors of field-portable XRF and GC/MS analytical equipment; and
- Hear about how state programs use and support this approach.
Continuing Education Credits: NEWMOA has applied for at least 5 continuing education credits for MA License Site Professionals (LSPs), CT Licensed Environmental Professionals (LEPs), and NJ Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (LSRPs) and will post the course numbers once approval is received.
The registration fee is $200 with a reduced rate of $50 for government officials, non-profit staff, and academic researchers. Continental breakfast and lunch are included.
To be added to the NEWMOA email list for notices about future waste site cleanup workshops, email Jennifer Griffith.
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Comments to EPA
At the end of December, NEWMOA submitted comments to the U.S. EPA in response to proposed rules focused on management of pharmaceutical wastes and improvements for generators. In general, NEWMOA expressed support for the rules and its comments focused on how to improve them to facilitate effective implementation by EPA and state programs.
Over the past few months, NEWMOA has held conference calls on such hazardous waste topics as:
- EPA's Proposed Pharmaceutical Rule and Proposal Generator Improvement Rule;
- Pharmaceutical waste treatment and disposal; and
- Management of waste from intentional deployment of auto air bags.
These training calls are for state and federal hazardous waste inspectors and other compliance and enforcement staff and regulatory development staff.
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Pollution Prevention & Sustainability Program
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Updated site features include:
- A mobile-friendly design;
- Highlighted P2Rx Center services;
- Calendar of available webinars and training;
- A variety of opportunities to network with peers; and
- System for sharing results.
NEWMOA's P2Rx Center can help you connect with other P2 and sustainability practitioners, develop and deliver effective source reduction programs, find useful information and tools, and measure the impacts of your efforts. Check out the new site and let us know what you think - contact Andy Bray.
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Interstate Mercury Education & Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
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IMERC recently published updates to its Mercury-Added Product Fact Sheets for six targeted product categories, including:
The Fact Sheets summarize the data provided by manufacturers and distributors of mercury-added products to the IMERC-member states in compliance with the state Notification requirements. They include a trends analysis of mercury use in each product category sold in the U.S. from 2001 to 2013; as well as information about the amount of mercury used in the products; why mercury has been or continues to be used in the products; state phase-outs and bans on the use of mercury in products; collection and recycling programs (where applicable); and other useful information.
Overall, mercury use in each of the product categories analyzed from 2001-2013 has declined. For the most recent reporting period between 2010 and 2013, the greatest reductions occurred in the batteries (92 percent) and lighting (37 percent) product categories. As new technology becomes available, IMERC expects these product categories to continue to go down. And although the 2013 report for thermostats showed a slight increase in mercury use - manufacturers have reported to IMERC that they have completed a phase out of these devices and have sold all remaining inventory as of January 2015.
If you have any feedback or suggestions on these Fact Sheets, contact Rachel Smith.
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Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2)
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New GreenScreens�
Since the beginning of January, the IC2 has added seven new GreenScreens� to the IC2 Chemical Hazard Assessment Database. The latest additions provide detailed hazard assessment information for acetaldehyde, benzene, benzyl chloride, isopropanol, n-butanol, n-propyl bromide, and titanium dioxide and brings the total number of hazard assessments publicly available in the Chemical Hazard Assessment Database to 109. The IC2 thanks the Washington State Department of Ecology for generously providing these assessments. |
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