Category Archives: Meetings

March 3, 2020 SRRTF Tech Track and Fish work group meeting

Posted on by

The next meeting of the SRRTTF Technical Track and Fish Work group is:

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Please bring a brown bag lunch)
Location:  Spokane Department of Ecology office, 4601 N. Monroe St., Spokane – large conf. room

Please register below if you are calling in:

Register            

Meeting materials:
TTWG_&_FishWG draft agenda 3-3-20
LongTermMonitoringMemo_022620_draft
HighFlowSynopticMemo
Baseline PCB Concentrations in Spokane River Redband Trout_QAPP February 2020

February 26, 2020 SRRTTF mtg./Upcoming work group mtgs.

Posted on by

The next meeting of the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force is:

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District Office
22510 E. Mission Avenue Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Click here for a map

To attend by Webex and phone (all please register using the link below):
(Click here to join the online event.)

After your request has been approved, you’ll receive instructions for joining.

Meeting Documents:

0 – SRRTTF agenda_20200226
1 – SRRTTF DRAFT Meeting Summary January 22, 2020
2020-01-31 ACE Commitment Report
1a – TTWGUpdate_LongTerm_HighFlow_Monitoring_v2
2a – PCB Toxics Media Campaign.Scope of Work 2020
2b – spring media campaign recommendation
3 – EPA P2 grant info.
4a – 20200220_MOA Edits Summary
4b – 20200220_SRRTTF-Revised MOA_Final DRAFT
5 – Agreed Order No 2692 Task Force Presentation 21820
5a – KaiserAOamendNotice
5b – AAOsowSEPAdns
6 – Codification questions
7 – LimnoTech marketing document
8 – WBC SRRTTF Marketing Information
9 – Future Meeting Topics – February 2020
10 – PNCWA Proposed Abstract Submittal_ 2-12-2020final

 

Upcoming work group meetings: (conf. call in number 605-313-5141; 723394#)
March 3 – Tech Track/Fish work group mtg. from 10 am – 2 pm (Dept. of Ecology office, Spokane)
March 4 – TSCA conf. call at 10 am
March 10 – Education and Outreach mtg.at 10 am (Spokane Reg. Health District)
contact lara@whitebluffsconsulting.com for more information

Feb. SRRTTF meetings/biofilm news story/EPA grant

Posted on by

Upcoming SRRTTF meetings: (conf. call number 605-313-5141, 723394#)
PMF work group: Feb. 4 at 11 am (conf. call)
TSCA work group: Feb. 5 at 10 am (conf. call)
Education & Outreach work group: Feb. 11 at 10 am (Spokane Regional Health District)
The next SRRTTF meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm at Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District – 22510 E Mission Ave., Spokane, WA
(For additional info. contact lara@whitebluffsconsulting.com)

Crosscut has written an article “10 of the Wildest Discoveries Washington Scientists Made in 2019” which includes Siana Wong and Brandee Era-Miller’s work on the PCB biofilm project.

Take a look at number 4! https://crosscut.com/2019/12/10-wildest-discoveries-washington-scientists-made-2019

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking grant applications from states and federally-recognized tribes to promote pollution prevention (P2) in businesses across the country. Through these grants, the agency hopes states and tribes, along with colleges, universities and intertribal consortia, will develop and provide information, training and tools to businesses to help them reduce costs and the use of water, energy and other natural resources.

EPA anticipates awarding approximately $9.38 million in total federal pollution prevention grant funding over a two-year funding cycle ($4.69 million in FY 2020 funds and $4.69 million in FY 2021 funds). Individual grant awards could be in the range of $40,000-$500,000 for the two-year funding period or between $20,000 – $250,000 funded per year.

Proposals are due by March 31, 2020

EPA Announces Grant Opportunity for Pollution Prevention Technical Assistance

San Francisco – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking grant applications from states and federally-recognized tribes to promote pollution prevention (P2) in businesses across the country. Through these grants, the agency hopes states and tribes, along with colleges, universities and intertribal consortia, will develop and provide information, training and tools to businesses to help them reduce costs and the use of water, energy and other natural resources.

“Pollution prevention grants are important tools that help support innovative solutions to reducing pollution,” said EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn. “The results of work done under these grants have created best practices that are helping to advance economic growth, increase sustainability and protect the environment.”

EPA anticipates awarding approximately $9.38 million in total federal pollution prevention grant funding over a two-year funding cycle ($4.69 million in FY 2020 funds and $4.69 million in FY 2021 funds). Individual grant awards could be in the range of $40,000-$500,000 for the two-year funding period or between $20,000 – $250,000 funded per year.

For these grants, EPA emphasizes the importance of grantees documenting and sharing P2 best practices that are identified and developed through these grants, so that others can replicate these practices and outcomes. Each grantee will be required to develop at least one case study during the grant period on P2 practices that are new or not widely known or adopted, or where detailed information on the P2 practices could benefit other businesses or P2 technical assistance providers.

Grant applications should focus on at least one of the following P2 priority areas, also referred to as National Emphasis Areas (NEAs) that support several of the Agency’s Smart Sectors:  

  1. NEA #1: Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing
  2. NEA #2:  Chemical Manufacturing, Processing and Formulation
  3. NEA #3:  Automotive Manufacturing and Maintenance
  4. NEA #4:  Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing and Maintenance
  5. NEA #5:  Metal Manufacturing and Fabrication

EPA’s national P2 Program will host two informational webinars for potential applicants and interested stakeholders. The first webinar will be held on Wednesday, February 19, 2020 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm EDT. To register, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8522288642270023693.

This webinar will review information about the P2 Grant program and the application process to help potential applicants submit a high-quality application to EPA for consideration.  Time will be provided on the webinar for questions and answers. 

The second webinar will be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm EDT to review and answer questions on the NEAs for this grant competition cycle. To register, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4696774328423521549.

The webinar registration links will work best when using the Google Chrome browser.  Please consult the solicitation for further details.

Proposals are due by March 31, 2020. Additional information is available on www.grants.gov, under Funding Opportunity Announcement EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-001.

Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.


January 22, 2020 SRRTTF Conference Call

Posted on by

The next meeting of the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force is:

Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Time: 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Call in number: 1-605-313-5141; access code: 723394#

Meeting Documents:                                                                               
agenda_20200122
SRRTTF DRAFT Meeting Summary December 5, 2019
AMENDMENT 1 – 2020
REVISED Draft Comp-Plan-2019 Accomps
http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/2113.htm HB 2113 reintroduced for 2020. As a heads up, we wanted to let you know that the codification bill from last year was automatically reintroduced.  Please don’t let this cause alarm as any bill that didn’t pass in the first year of a biennium, is alive for the second half of the biennium.  No further action will be taken on the bill at this time.  And this reintroduction does not change our game plan of inviting Senator Billig to come and talk to the Task Force about what it means to codify and then determine appropriate next steps as follow up on that briefing.
OECD_020320_Final
Future Meeting Topics – January 2020

 

Grant opportunity/Upcoming SRRTTF meetings

Posted on by

Terry Husseman Account (THA) Grants – Application Announcement

Application Period Opens: January 2, 2020 at 8:00 a.m.; Application Period Closes: February 4, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

Please visit the: Terry Husseman Account (THA) Website to review the 2020 Funding Guidelines.

Overview of the Terry Husseman Account (THA) Funding Opportunity

THA grants support locally sponsored on-the-ground projects that restore or enhance the natural environment. Typical projects address water quality issues and fish and wildlife habitat protection or enhancement in or adjacent to waters of the state, such as streams, lakes, wetlands, or the ocean.

Projects that develop and implement aquatic land geographic information systems (GIS) that support restoration or enhancement of the natural environment are also eligible and may be proposed.

On-the-ground projects that address an environmental emergency may be eligible. An environmental emergency is defined as a risk to the natural environment as a result of a natural or man-made disaster.

On-the-ground projects of statewide significance may be proposed that use innovative approaches or technologies that could be applied in multiple watersheds throughout Washington, and result in a significant improvement to the natural environment.

To be considered, projects must provide primary benefits to public resources (land or water stewardship) and affiliated infrastructure.

Grant Award Amounts
Grant awards are up to a maximum of $50,000. The typical grant award ranges from $10,000 to $25,000.

Available Funding
Funding levels vary. Awards depend on revenue from water quality penalties and available regional sub-account levels.

Match
There are no recipient match or cost-share requirements. THA grants provide 100 percent of the project Total Eligible Cost. However, contributing funds may be used to demonstrate stakeholder support and may increase competitiveness of an application. 

THA grant funds can be used to meet match requirements for other Washington State grant programs, such as:

  1. Ecology’s Water Quality Combined Financial Assistance Program Nonpoint Activity grants(Section 319 EPA federal fund source, and Centennial State Building Construction Account fund source).
  2. Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) grants. 

Grant Timeline
Projects typically run 12 to 18 months.

Application deadline
Completed grant applications must be submitted via Ecology’s Administration of Grants and Loans (EAGL) online grant system by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. **

Application evaluation period and notice of award decision
Applications will be reviewed, evaluated, and scored by a team of regional Ecology evaluators. Regional priorities are established at the beginning of each funding cycle.

Applicants will be notified by a Regional Fund Coordinator (RFC) of the award decision, no later than Tuesday, March 31, 2020. If a project is chosen for funding, the anticipated start date of the agreement will be June 1, 2020, or thereafter.

2020 Funding Cycle Timeline

Date Program Milestone
Thursday, January 2, 2020 EAGL grant application opens at 8:00 a.m.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020 EAGL grant application closes at 5:00 p.m.**
Wednesday, February 5 – Wednesday, February 12, 2020 Application screening.
Thursday, February 13 – Monday, March 16, 2020 Evaluation period for EAGL grant applications.
On or before Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Regional Fund Coordinators send funding decision notices to applicants.
On or before Friday, April 10, 2020 Regional Directors send award letters to applicants, identifying Ecology Project Manager (PM) and Financial Manager (FM) assignments.
April – May 2020 Ecology PM and FM work with grant recipients to develop the agreement.
June 1, 2020, or thereafter. Agreement start date of funded projects.

** Applications for on the ground projects that address an Environmental Emergency may be submitted at any time. An environmental emergency is a risk to the natural environment as a result of a natural or man-made disaster. The project must meet all of the application criteria.

** Applications for on the ground projects that have a Statewide Significance may be submitted at any time. A project of statewide significance is one that proposes innovative approaches or technologies that could be applied in multiple watersheds throughout Washington, and would result in a significant improvement to the natural environment. The project must meet all of the application criteria.

Questions
Please contact me, or a Regional Fund Coordinator, if you have additional questions after reading through the Terry Husseman Account (THA) Funding Guidelines.
Thank you.

Amy Krause
| Grants Technical Assistance Lead | Shorelands and Environmental Assistance (SEA) Program |
|WA State Department of Ecology | ( 360.407.7107 )
| Mailing Address: P.O. Box 47600; Olympia, WA  98504-7600 |
| Street Address: 300 Desmond Drive; Lacey, WA 98503-1274 |

Upcoming SRRTTF Meetings: (conf. call number 605-313-5141, 723394#)
TSCA conf. call: January 8, 2020 @ 10 am
Education & Outreach: January 21, 2020 @ 10 am – Spokane Regional Health District
The next SRRTTF meeting will be a conference call on January 22, 2020 @ 1:30 pm

December 5, 2019 SRRTTF Meeting

Posted on by

The next meeting of the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force is:

Date: Thursday, December 5, 2019
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Spokane County Water Resource Center
1004 N. Freya Street
Spokane, WA 99202
Click here for a map

To attend by Webex and phone (all please register using the link below):
Register

After your request has been approved, you will receive instructions for joining.

Meeting Documents:

0 – SRRTTF agenda_20191205Download
1 – SRRTTF DRAFT Meeting Summary October 23, 2019Download
2 – WBC Amend 1Download
2B – WBC SRRTTF SOW – 01_2020 to 12_2020Download
3 – SRRTTF OECD iPCB Case Study BriefDownload
4 – STATEMENT OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES NGC Case Study FinalDownload
5 – Draft Comp-Plan-2019 AccompsDownload
6 – Future Meeting Topics – December 2019Download

Ecology Variance Workshop

Posted on by

The Department of Ecology is hosting a one day public workshop to share information on the potential use of PCB variances for five Spokane River dischargers. We are sending out this message to share the workshop agenda and to let you know we have updated the start and end time of the workshop

Meeting information:

What: Workshop on PCB Variances for Spokane River Dischargers

When: November 14, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (note time change)

Where: CenterPlace Regional Events Center, 2426 N Discovery Place, Spokane Valley

Attend in person:
CenterPlace Regional Events Center
2426 N Discovery Pl, Spokane Valley		 Attend via webinar:
Register for the webinar at https://bit.ly/32EddUp

New:

Questions about this workshop? Email Susan Braley or call 360-407-6414.
Visit our rulemaking page to learn more about the proposed PCB Variances for the Spokane River.

ACE board meeting/Upcoming SRTTF work group meetings

Posted on by

The next meeting of the ACE board will be Tuesday, November 5 at Inland Empire Paper (3320 N. Argonne Road, Spokane, WA) from 10 am to noon.

Agenda:

  1. Election of Officer positions with the retirement of Bud Leber as ACE President
  2. Distribution of duties/responsibilities amongst ACE Board members (Ecology Contract for legislative funding, interface/contract with suppliers/vendors, accounting/budgeting functions, etc.)
  3. Scope of work/budget for projects approved by the SRRTTF on October 23, 2019

Upcoming SRRTTF work group meetings: call in number (605-313-5141)

TSCA conf. call:  November 6 at 10 am
Education and Outreach:  November 12 at 10 am – Spokane Regional Health District
Database Management conf. call:  November 14 at 3 pm

For more information, contact lara@whitebluffsconsulting.com

October 23, 2019 SRRTTF Meeting

Posted on by

The next meeting of the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force is:

Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Spokane County Water Resource Center
1004 N. Freya Street
Spokane, WA 99202
Click here for a map

To attend by Webex and phone (all please register using the link below):
Register
After your request has been approved, you will receive instructions for joining.

Meeting Documents:

0 – SRRTTF agenda_20191023
1 – August 27 SRRTTF DRAFT Meeting Summary
Kaiser – SRRTTF Rep. change letter
2a – SRRTTF Project Categories 101519 – clean
2b – PrioritizationMatrix- 20191015 -clean
20191023_MeasurableProgress
3 – MOA Edits Summary – 20191023 update
4 – OECD – Case Study on Policy Misalignment of TSCA & CWA
5 – Future Meeting Topics – October 2019








October 15, 2019 Tech Track work group conference call

Posted on by

The next meeting of the SRRTTF Technical Track Work group is:

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Call in number: 605-313-5141, 723394#

We will review and discuss recommended work planning materials, based on the May 2019 Data Synthesis Workshop, for sharing with the Task Force on October 23.

Meeting materials:
PrioritizationMatrix- 20191011
SRRTTF Project Categories 101119