ECOS Resolution Update

On August 28th, during their annual conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), which is the national non-profit, non-partisan association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders, passed a resolution addressed to the EPA that laid out several points about how to best address levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in wastewater discharges to our nation’s waterbodies.

The ECOS resolution is the most recent step in a process that began two years ago when SRRTTF members Inland Empire Paper Company along with Spokane Riverkeeper and The Lands Council wrote a letter to the EPA alerting them of the the regulatory loophole that allows PCBs to continue to be released to the environment.  

“The passage of the resolution was really a significant event,” said Ted Sturdevant the director of the Washington State Department of Ecology. “State environmental regulators heard the exact same message from industry, academia and the environmental community — we need to turn off the faucet that is allowing this pollution stream to continue. That allowed a very diverse gathering of states to agree to a strong statement calling for a national solution. The states are fed up with trying to solve pollution problems at the end of the pipe, when the solutions are best found through prevention at the national level. It’s why ECOS has called for comprehensive reform of the federal law governing toxic substances, and why we’ll keep pushing at the national level, and within our own states, until we get there.”  Ted Sturdevant, Director, Washington State

On September 7, 2012 the Waterkeeper organizations sent EPA a letter in support of the ECOS resolution. EPA sent this response on October 5, 2012.

Read the Huffington Post Article, “State Environmental Heads Pass Resolution about PCBs” by Bart Mihailovich.

October 24, 2012 Spokane River Regional Task Force Meeting

Spokane River Regional Task Force Meeting Announcement

Date: October 24, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Liberty Lake
22510 E. Mission Avenue
Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Click here for a map.

Call In Number: 800-704-9804;
Participant Code: 34863442#

Please note, the conference call in number will remain open until 15 minutes until after the meeting begins. It will continue to remain open as long as there are callers on the line. If you wish to join the meeting by phone late, please notify Adriane Borgias (abor461@ecy.wa.gov) ahead of time.

Meeting Documents
– 
SRRTTF Meeting Summary 10-24-12
– 
SRRTTF Draft Agenda 10-24-12
– 
Request For Proposals R3 10-15-12
– 
RFP Attachment A R2
  SRRTTF Work Plan 10-10-12
  SRRTTF Work Plan Milestone Schedule 10-17-12
  SRRTTF Logos & Letterhead Options 10-17-12
  SRRTTF Fact Sheet 10-15-12 (v2)
– 
PCBs in Products Resolution Draft 10-05-2012 (v1)
  NACWA TSCA Letter 09-26-2012 (v1)
  WEF TSCA Letter 09-26-2012 (v2)
–  Spokane River Fish Samples 2012 – Updated 10-15-12
–  PCBs in Products Resolution & Letter – to Suzanne E. Goss, NACWA President
–  PCBs in Products Resolution & Letter – to Ken Kirk, NACWA Executive Director
–  PCBs in Products Resolution & Letter – to Jeff Eger, WEF Executive Director
–  PCBs in Products Resolution & Letter – to Cordell W. Samuels, WEF President

October 10, 2012 Administrative Work Group Meeting

Spokane River Regional Task Force

Administrative Work Group Meeting
Date: October 10, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm

Location: Washington Department of Ecology
N. 4601 Monroe St.
Spokane, WA 99205
Click here for a map.

Meeting Documents
–  
SRRTTF Admin WG DRAFT Mtg Notes 10-10-12
   SRRTTF Admin Work Group Draft Agenda
–   PCBs in Products Resolution Draft 10-05-12

September 26, 2012 Spokane River Regional Task Force Meeting

Spokane River Regional Task Force Meeting Announcement

Date: September 26, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Washington Department of Ecology
N. 4601 Monroe St.
Spokane, WA 99205
Click here for a map.

Call In Number: 800-704-9804;
Participant Code: 34863442#

Please note, the conference call in number will remain open until 15 minutes until after the meeting begins. It will continue to remain open as long as there are callers on the line. If you wish to join the meeting by phone late, please notify Adriane Borgias (abor461@ecy.wa.gov) ahead of time.

Meeting Documents
– 
SRRTTF Meeting Summary 9-26-12
– 
SRRTTF Meeting Summary 9-26-12 Appendix A (Resources Responses)
– 
SRRTTF Draft Agenda 9-26-12
  Request for Qualifications R1 DRAFT 9-19-12
  RFQ Attachment A R1 DRAFT 9-19-12
  SRRTTF Work Plan DRAFT 9-19-12 (pdf version)
– 
SRRTTF Work Plan DRAFT 9-19-12 (word version)
  SRRTTF Letterhead DRAFT 9-19-12
  ECOS Resolution 12-9 PCBs in products – Approved 8-28-12
–  PCBs in Products Resolution Draft 09-18-2012
  NACWA TSCA Letter of Support DRAFT 9-26-12
  WEF TSCA Letter of Support DRAFT 9-26-12
– 
Spokane FY13 Toxics Sampling Summary for SRRTTF TWG 9-7-12

September 5, 2012 Adminstrative Work Group Meeting

Spokane River Regional Task Force

Administrative Work Group Meeting
Date: September 5, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm

Location: Washington Department of Ecology
N. 4601 Monroe St.
Spokane, WA 99205
Click here for a map.

Meeting Documents
–   SRRTTF Administrative Work Group Meeting Notes
   SRRTTF Administrative Work Group Meeting Draft Agenda
–   ECOS Draft Resolution on PCBs in Products

ECOS Draft Resolution on PCB in Products

August 22, 2012

As requested by the SRTTF during our meeting this afternoon, attached is the 03-02-2012 Draft ECOS PCBs in Products Resolution.  This is an earlier draft and may not be completely representative of the version that will be presented to the committee on Tuesday, but it will provide everyone with a sense of what is being requested.  Also attached is the agenda for the meeting and a link with more information about the meeting:  http://ecos.org/section/events

I suggest sending letters of support to the following and please have anyone sending letters also copy me:

Matthew C. Jones
Senior Project Manager
Environmental Council of the States
50 F Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
202-266-4925

mjones@ecos.org

Thanks for posting this information to the SRTTF and I greatly appreciate everyone’s attention, efforts and supporton this issue.

Doug Krapas
Environmental Manager
Inland Empire Paper Company
Phone:  509/924-1911
E-Mail:  dougkrapas@iepco.com

Click Here: for related information.

August 22, 2012 Spokane River Regional Task Force Meeting

August 8, 2012

Spokane River Regional Task Force Meeting Announcement

Date: August 22, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Location: Water Resource Center, Spokane County Regional Water Reclamation Facility
1004 North Freya St.
Spokane, WA 99202
Click here for a map.

Meeting Documents

SRRTTF Meeting Notes (Revised) 082212

SRRTTF Draft Agenda 8-22-12

Sensing Interviews Results PPT 8-22-12 (with notes)

ECOS Draft Resoultion on PCBs in Products

Business Entity Discussion

Background Information:
SRRTTF Business Entity Structure Concept (Accepted by Task Force on May 22, 2012)

Documents for Task Force consideration and approval:

Business Entity Draft Articles of Incorporation 8-8-2012

Business Entity Draft Bylaws 8-8-2012

Note: The Business Entity documents have been posted on the SRRTTF website and available for review by the Task Force since July 19, 2012. Comments have been received and incorporated into the attached drafts. If you have further questions or concerns about these documents, please contact Adriane Borgias by Tuesday, August 14th so they may be addressed at the upcoming SRRTTF meeting.

Spokane River Toxics Workshop Report to Task Force

Work Group Report Out 082212 01

Work Group Report Out 082212 02

Task Force Work Plan

SRRTTF Work Plan Objectives Concept R3 08-08-12

SRRTTF Technical Advisor Concept R1 08-08-12

The Task Force Work Plan documents were developed from the recommendations and findings of the Spokane River Toxics Workshop that was held June 5-6, 2012. They are foundational documents to be used in the development of a Request for Proposal for a Technical Advisor.  Please review prior to the Task Force meeting and be prepared to respond and/or provide comment.

Plan for Ecology’s Fiscal Year 2013 Toxics Sampling in the Spokane River

Handout on FY13 sampling for SRRTTF Meeting on 8-23-12