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Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution
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Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution

Meeting #33: Friday, November 30, 2001
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Conference Room, Environmental Assistance Division
Waterbury State Complex
Waterbury, Vermont

MINUTES

Members Present:
Michael Bender, Abenaki Self-Help Association, Inc.
Ric Erdheim, National Electrical Manufacturers Association
Neil Kamman, Agency of Natural Resources, Water Quality Division
Richard McCormack, Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee
Rich Phillips, Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance Division

Guests Present:
Allison Crowley-Demag, New England Public Affairs Group
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 Conference Room of the Environmental Assistance Division in the Waterbury State Complex in Waterbury, Vermont and the meeting was called to order by Rich Phillips.

Agenda Item 1-
Any changes to today’s agenda.

No changes in today’s agenda.

Agenda Item 2-
Report by Bill Bress and discussion on Human Exposure and Sensitive Populations.

Bill Bress was unable to attend the meeting and this item will be included as an item on the next meeting agenda.

Agenda Item 3-
Review draft outline for 2002 Legislative Report.

The Committee reviewed the following draft outline for consideration of content of the 2002 Annual Report to the Legislature.

ACMP 2002 Report Outline

  1. Status of Hg Reduction Efforts and Work of the Committee
    1. Legislative
      • Status of S.91 (if any recommendations by Committee on legislation, add to Recommendations section)
    2. Product labeling law
      • Status
      • Status of NEMA vs. State of VT
    3. Specific Hg Education and Reduction Initiatives
      • Thermometer exchange
      • Outreach to sensitive populations
      • School clean out
      • Municipal collections of mercury
      • Dairy manometers
      • Auto switches and appliances
      • Dental
      • Fish consumption advisory postings at lakes and ponds
      • FDA advisories
      • Estimated cumulative Hg reductions to date
    4. Regional Mercury Reduction Efforts
      • Status of model legislation adoption
      • NEG/ECP Mercury Action Plan status – new goals for 2010; progress in meeting 50% goal; mercury retirement; upcoming work
  2. Monitoring of Mercury in the Environment
    1. Hg emission inventory in VT
    2. Data and monitoring needs
    3. Plans to update regional inventory
  3. Committee Work Plan for 2002
  4. Committee Recommendations

    Comments on outline:

    • Committee was reminded that the 2002 Report is released on January 15, 2002.
    • Suggestion to include lamp issues and look at emissions from lamp disposal, which are not included in the outline.
    • Suggestion to compile numbers for amount of mercury collected as Connecticut has done and assign a cost to these collection numbers.
    • Suggestion to put data on air emissions in the report and include data on amount of mercury that would contaminate a 20-acre lake. Neil will compile information to be included in the report.
    • Ric Erdheim advised that there was new national EPA data for the Great Lakes regarding mercury use and total emissions. Ric will provide this information to Karen Knaebel to forward to the Committee and for use in the report.
    • Suggestion to use New Jersey’s emissions inventory information in report if it is available in time.
    • Concern that the report needs to remain short and concise.
 

The Committee reviewed its work plan for 2001 to determine possible revisions and additions:

COMMITTEE WORK PLAN FOR 2001

  1. Provide legislative testimony and information to legislative committees on proposed mercury product legislation
  2. Conduct a review of environmental monitoring data, studies, and environmental research initiatives (state, regional and national) on all aspects of mercury contamination in air, soils, water, and biota to gain a better understanding of the health risks to Vermonters.
  3. Revise the existing Vermont inventory of mercury sources that can be used for health risk evaluation and management. Review efforts by other states in these areas.
  4. Review mercury education and reduction efforts of the Department of Health, Agency of Natural Resources, Solid Waste Districts and municipalities and provide recommendations for improving outreach, particularly to sensitive populations and on initiatives that will be most effective in reducing health risks from mercury exposure.
  5. Continue to stay abreast of dental amalgam waste management issues and the status of best management practice implementation by Vermont dental offices.
  6. Review the status of collection programs for discarded mercury products which keep mercury out of the environment and any enhancements that may be necessary in order to virtually eliminate environmental releases of mercury.
  7. In order to assist Vermont hospitals and health care facilities in eliminating the release of mercury to the environment, review the status and availability of mercury content in formulated products used by health care facilities that is available from product manufacturers.
  8. Evaluate the need for mercury emission limitations from solid waste incinerators as suggested in the Regional Mercury Action Plan and make any needed recommendations to the Legislature.

    Comments to work plan items:

    • Item 1 – Add wording "Continue to provide" for legislative testimony and include this item in the 2002 work plan.
    • Item 2 – Neil to write this section for the Committee’s review at the next meeting.
    • Item 3 – Suggestion to note that Vermont’s inventory should be updated when more information is available and information should be included in efforts to update regional data. Suggestion to do an annual air emission update on Vermont’s report.
    • Item 4 – Suggestion to keep this item in the work plan for 2002 and add that the Committee will "Continue to review." Suggestion that more work needs to be done educating sensitive populations regarding fish consumption including marine fishes. Gary Gulka and Michael Bender will draft a separate recommendation regarding sensitive populations.
    • Include an additional item to follow up on fish advisory postings as part of the work plan for the spring and summer of 2002. Neil will draft language.
    • Item 5 – Continue to review status of dental best management practices procedures. Include note to make a decision about amalgam separators.
    • Item 6 - Include work plan item which indicates Committee’s plan to form a sub-committee to review cost and benefit of existing state policy to prohibit the disposal of residential lamps in landfills.
    • Item 7 – Suggestion to bring health care professionals into an Advisory meeting to discuss mercury reduction strategies in hospitals and other healthcare facilities and to assist them in developing an approach. Suggestion to engage hospitals early on and if legislation goes through, hospitals will be mandated to develop a plan for mercury reduction.
    • Item 8 – Suggestion that Committee review bill introduced by David Deen regarding incinerator emissions. Allison Crowley-Demag advised Committee that Wheelabrator had issued a press release regarding its retrofit decision. Allison will provide a copy of the press release to be distributed to the Committee. Suggestion to add to the work plan an item to oversee the progress of treatment facilities.

The Committee considered possible recommendations to be included in the 2002 Report:

  • Include Collection Program Review Committee recommendations in recommendation section of the ACMP report. These items will be reviewed at the next ACMP meeting.
  • Question as to whether the Committee has any recommendations for changes to S.91 that should be included in the report.
    • Suggestion to include ban on auto switches as included in other states’ legislation.
    • Suggestion to include Certified Labeling Plan in S.91 legislation rather than to be provided for in Rule.
    • Suggestion to include refinements in the legislation to be more consistent with actions in other states.
    • Suggestion that S.91 is reasonable as it currently stands especially if the Agency can obtain an additional position to implement the bill.
  • Note that utility companies are willing to include information on utility bills which would promote mercury education. Suggestion to pursue utilizing this media to inform the public about mercury.
  • Suggestion to concentrate on commercial and institutional lamp users for outreach efforts on proper disposal.
  • Suggestion to concentrate on promoting state government procurement through an executive order rather than through S.91 which would set controls to eliminate mercury components being purchased by the state. Current legislation gives a 5% preference on price – question as to whether this is an appropriate or effective approach.

Agenda Item 4-
Other topics not on agenda.

  • The Committee will be sharing the Legislative Card Room with the Lake Champlain Basin Program on January 25, 2002. The Committee was encouraged to consider topics that it would consider important to display for that date.

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

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 11, 2001 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Environmental Assistance Division in the Waterbury State Complex in Waterbury, Vermont.

 

    
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