MERC Vermont | Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution Meeting Minutes

Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution

Meeting #25: Friday, January 19, 2001
Time: 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Location: Training Room, Department of Environmental Conservation
Waterbury State Complex, Waterbury, Vermont

MINUTES

Members Present:
Rich Phillips, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
William Bress, Vermont Department of Health
Ric Erdheim, National Electrical Manufacturers Association
Neil Kamman, Agency of Natural Resources, Water Quality Division

Guests Present:
Milly Archer, Downs, Rachlin & Martin
Gary Gulka, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
Julie Hackbarth, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Waste Management Division
Karen Knaebel, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance

The Committee members and interested parties gathered in the Training Room of the Department of Environmental Conservation in the Waterbury State Complex in Waterbury, Vermont and the meeting was called to order by Rich Phillips.

Agenda Item 1-
Accept minutes of the December 20th meeting and changes to today’s agenda.

Minutes of the December 20, 2000 meeting will be reviewed for approval at a later meeting.

Agenda Item 2-
Review final draft of "January 2001" report to legislature.

The Committee reviewed the draft report.

General Comments:

Suggestion to include appendices to the report, which would include Neil Kamman’s monitoring data, comments from Committee members and the Committee’s proposed legislation.
The language of the bill as drafted by the Committee would be drafted in bill form before it is introduced to the legislature. The Committee’s report would not include the proposed legislation in bill draft form.
Suggestion to try to include a bill number if it is available prior to the release of the report.
Suggestion to keep the report to a maximum of 8 pages in length.
The draft report will be posted on the mercury web site on the Advisory Committee page.
Suggestion to include photos in the report and print color copies of the report for the Natural Resources Committees.
Suggestion to include state review in the recommendations.
Suggestion to include appropriations into recommendations as follows:

Agriculture’s request for $40,000 for the manometer project. Michael Bender to speak with Agriculture Department to determine details for funding and advise the Committee of any concerns. Some of Agriculture’s funding comes from fees - concern that because of the need for mercury manometer funding that fees could be raised. Suggestion to include the wording "one time appropriation" for this funding portion.
Two permanent classified positions.
Total appropriation of $250,000 represents two positions, shared cost of states for clearinghouse, and funding for education and outreach.
Approximately $90,000 of the appropriation is funding for education initiatives to be utilized by the Agency of Natural Resources and the Health Department. Suggestion that ANR and the Health Department develop a MOU once the uses and division of the funding is determined.
Suggestion to include a breakdown for the specific purposes of the funding in the appropriations section.

Report review comments:

Concern that the introduction section is too long. Suggestion to condense the first two paragraphs and incorporate into the third paragraph.
Comments on page 1:

Suggestion to change the comment in the second column where it reads "reverse the trend of continuing releases." Ric Erdheim advised that he was not certain what the report is trying to say, but it is clear that there already has been a decline in releases just from the significant reduction in incinerator emissions.
Suggestion to change the above wording to read: "continuing the trend of reducing and eliminating releases."
Comment on first paragraph, second sentence to add a comma (,) after the word "waste."
Suggestion to make mention of recent FDA actions on advisories concerning salt-water fish. Focus on exposure reduction.
Concern in third column, eight or nine lines from the bottom that digital thermometers are not "mercury free" since they rely on button cell batteries that contain mercury.

Comments on page 2

Suggestion on introductory paragraph that Neil supply Gary with EPA criteria on fish consumption.

Comments on page 4

Labeling:

Suggestion to remove wording in the third sentence which reads "until mercury is removed."
No mention regarding injunction on lamps – suggestion to include a sentence describing the lamp injunction.

Disposal:

Suggestion that, if the wording "solid waste" were removed, it would imply that mercury is banned from hazardous waste as well.

Comments on page 5

Vermont Department of Health Initiatives section - suggestion to expand advisory to describe marine fish. Bill Bress will supply a sentence to include in the report regarding expanded fish advisory – "revised" in lieu of "developed" in the Health Department.
Coordination with States section – suggestion to include the fact that the Health Department coordinated with the New Hampshire Dept. of Health and Human Services to do an advisories on common water bodies

Comments on page 7 – Committee Work Plan for 2001

Suggestion to put the list in order by priority.
Suggestion to place the manometer project as the first priority.
Suggestion to include item to focus on addressing the exposure issue.

Comments on page 8

Ric Erdheim requested that an asterisk is placed after "committee recommendations" to refer to his dissenting comments listed in the appendices.

Comments on charts located on the back page

Suggestion to include a citation for the source of the information and reference to whether it is state, regional or national.
Concern that charts are not representative of current data
Suggestion to indicate the date of the information shown in the chart.
Suggestion to review other available charts to include in the report.

Agenda Item 3-
Discuss coordination for January 23^rd card-room display.

Governor has agreed to hold press conference on the same day. The Agency plans to bring the mercury product display board and other mercury project display boards which could be exhibited during the press conference.
Governor will be provided with information for talking points. Suggestion to include information on fish advisories, discussion on mercury in fish, FDA’s advisories, goal of New England Governors for virtual elimination, mention Advisory Committee, and efforts to date on educational initiatives.
The Committee is to provide any suggestions or comments for the press conference by 1:00 p.m. today.

Agenda Item 4-
Other topics not on agenda.

Rich Phillips advised that Henrietta Jordan was no longer available as a member of the Advisory Committee as she has been appointed to another House committee. The Advisory Committee would need to wait for a new appointment.

Rich Phillips announced that David Deen introduced a mercury bill and he would update the Committee on the details of the bill once they were known.

Rich Phillips advised that Committee’s mercury bill would be kept up to date as any changes were made and posted on the mercury web site.

Agenda Item 5-
Set date and agenda for next meeting.

Suggestion that Neil Kamman present information related to his studies regarding fish and core sampling for mercury pollution. Invite the Advisory Committee members, members of the House and Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee and other interested parties. The date of this presentation will be February 23, 2001 from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Availability will be checked for the conference room on the 4^th or 5^th floor of the Pavilion or room 10 or 11 in the State House. Committee members will be notified by e-mail, the members of the House and Senate Natural Resources Committee will be verbally invited by Rich Phillips and a flyer announcing the presentation will be mailed to interested parties.


		Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution