May 3, 2017 Education and Outreach Work Group Meeting -Postponed til June 7th

he next meeting of the SRRTTF Education and Outreach Work group is:

Date: Wednesday May 3, 2017   Postponed until June 7th.
Time: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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

Call in Number: 509-335-2277
Conference ID: 7775794

Meeting Documents:

May 3, 2017 Technical Track Work Group Meeting

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

Date: Wednesday May 3, 2017
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

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

Audio Call In Number: 509-335-2277
Conference ID: 2740350

Visual Presentations Only – Webinar: for audio please call number above.

To join the online meeting
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1. Go to
https://wadis.webex.com/wadis/j.php?MTID=m55a898449418376cda4f8cf0f22586aa
2. Enter your name and email address.

3. Enter the meeting password: 3YrsvXFJ

4. Click “Join Now”.

5. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Meeting Materials:
–  TTWG 5.3.17 final notes
–  
TTWG agn 05-03-17 revised
–  
Industrial Park site hazard assmt
–  
Spokane Industrial Park Sewage Treatment map
  TCP process flowchart
 SRRTTF Comments to Docket EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190 (draft letter to be discussed by TTWG and then sent out to for decision by full Task Force on conference call on May 10th, at 10 am – call in information to be sent out on May 3 with revised letter)
–  
SRRTTF_LimnoTech_05_03_2017 (Dave Dilks presentation)
–  Pilot Plant Update May 2017 Pilot-Plant-Update-May-2017 (pdf)

Ecology News: Proposed Amendments to Chapter 173-98 WAC and Chapter 173-95A WAC (Ecology grand and loan process for funding water projects)

Below is a Rule Proposal Notice regarding proposed amendments to Chapter 173-98 WAC (the Clean Water State Revolving Fund rule) and Chapter 173-95A WAC (the Centennial Clean Water Program rule). In addition, a PDF of the Rule Proposal Notice is below.

The Rule Proposal Notice contains information on the rulemaking for the two rules, including how to obtain documents, how to participate in the combined public hearing and webinar, how to submit comments, and how to receive updates.

If you have any questions about the process, please contact:

Daniel Thompson
Department of Ecology
Water Quality Program – Financial Management Section
PO Box 47600
Olympia WA 98504-7600
Phone: 360-407-6510
Email: daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov


Rule Proposal Notice

Introduction

The Department of Ecology (Ecology) proposes to adopt amendments to Chapter 173-98 Washington Administrative Code (WAC), Uses and Limitations of the Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund and Chapter 173-95A WAC, Uses and Limitations of the Centennial Clean Water Program. The rule proposal will be published in the Washington State Register on May 3, 2017.

Chapter 173-98 WAC addresses requirements for Ecology’s administration of Washington State’s Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the Water Pollution Control Revolving Administration Account. CWSRF provides low interest rate loans to public bodies for statewide, high-priority water quality projects.

Chapter 173-95A WAC addresses requirements for Ecology’s administration of the Centennial Clean Water Program (Centennial). Centennial provides grants and low interest rate loans to public bodies for statewide, high-priority water quality projects.

Proposed Amendments

Ecology proposes to amend the rules to:

  • Address “housekeeping” issues.
  • Provide more clarity.
  • Provide more flexibility.
  • Take advantage of new funding opportunities consistent with state and federal updates.

Expected Adoption Date

Ecology expects to adopt the amended rules by August 2, 2017.

Documents for Review and Comment

The following documents are available for review and comment:

  • Proposed rule language.
  • Determination of Nonsignificance.

To obtain these documents visit http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/ruledev/wac17398/1604ov.html or send an email request to daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov.

 Public Hearing and Webinar

Ecology will hold a combined public hearing and webinar on May 31, 2017, at 1:00pm. The event will include a short presentation and a question and answer session followed by the formal public hearing.

The public hearing location is:
Department of Ecology
300 Desmond Drive
Lacey, WA 98503

Ecology is also offering the hearing via webinar. Webinars are an online meeting forum that you can attend from any computer using internet access. To join the webinar click on the following link for more information and instructions: https://wadis.webex.com/wadis/j.php?RGID=rcac981bd94bf44f68fee7cca7aacbe1f.

 Submitting Comments

The comment period on the proposed amended rules and the Determination of Nonsignificance ends June 7, 2016. You can comment in the following ways:

  1. Testify or submit written comments at the public hearing or through the webinar.
  2. Submit your comments via e-Comments at http://ws.ecology.commentinput.com/?id=vM3e3.
  3. Mail your comments to:

Daniel Thompson
Department of Ecology
PO Box 47600
Olympia WA 98504-7600

Ecology’s Response to Comments

All of the comments received will become part of the official record. We will publish responses to comments in a document called a Concise Explanatory Statement (CES). The CES is required by the Administrative Procedure Act (RCW 34.05) and is available after the rule is adopted.

Receive Email Updates

To receive updates on the rulemaking process and other significant grants and loans program actions, please sign up for the Ecology’s Water Quality Program’s Grants and Loans ListServ at: http://listserv.wa.gov/cgi-bin/wa?A0=ECY-WQ-GRANTS-LOAN.

 

EPA Announces Public Regulatory Reform Meetings on TSCA, TRI and Lead Exposure Reduction — May 1, 2017

Consistent with Executive Order 13777, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) is hosting two meetings on May 1, 2017, to solicit input on regulations promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) that could be repealed, replaced, or modified to make them less burdensome.

On February 24, 2017, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13777 on Enforcing the Regulatory Agenda. The Executive Order (EO) establishes the “policy of the United States to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people.” Among other things, it requires each agency to create a Regulatory Reform Task Force to evaluate existing regulations and to identify regulations that should be repealed, replaced, or modified.

OCSPP is holding two public meetings (both of which the public is invited to participate in person or via teleconference) on May 1, 2017 so that we can listen and learn from those directly impacted by our regulations.

The first meeting will be held from 9am to 12pm and will address regulations promulgated under TSCA Subchapters I (Control of Toxic Substances), II (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response), VI (Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products), as well as EPCRA Subchapter II §11023 (Toxic chemical release forms), commonly referred to as the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). These are regulations addressing chemical risk review and reduction programs including new and existing chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, mercury and formaldehyde, as well as regulations implementing the TRI.

The second meeting will be held from 1pm to 2:30pm and will address regulations promulgated under TSCA Subchapter IV (Lead Exposure Reduction). These regulations address implementation of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, Lead Abatement Program, Residential Lead-based Paint Disclosure Rule, and Residential Hazard Standards for Lead in Paint, Dust and Soil.

We invite you to provide input on these actions during the public meeting/teleconference or by submitting written comments to the EPA-wide docket using docket number: EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190. The docket, which is accessible through www.regulations.gov,  will remain open through May 15, 2017. OCSPP will give equal consideration to input provided through either of these methods.

Additional information on joining the meetings (in person and via teleconference) and submitting written comments through the docket is below. For questions about this process, please contact Darlene Leonard at leonard.darlene@epa.gov. For more information about this effort, please visit https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulatory-reform.

Participating in the Meetings:

Persons interested in attending the meeting on TSCA Subchapters I, II and VI, and EPCRA Subchapter II §11023, either in person or remotely, may register at https://tsca-tri.eventbrite.com.

Those interested in participating in the meeting on TSCA Subchapter IV, either in person or remotely, may register at https://tsca-pb.eventbrite.com.

Participants must indicate their interest in speaking when registering. To attend the meeting in person or to receive remote access, please register no later than April 27, 2017.  While on-site registration will be available, seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to pre-registrants, until room capacity is reached. The Agency anticipates that approximately 150 people will be able to attend the meeting in person. For registrants not able to attend in person, the meeting will also provide remote access capabilities; registered participants will be provided information on how to connect to the meeting prior to its start.

 Providing Input through the Docket:

Comments can be submitted to the public docket, EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190, which is available at www.regulations.gov. The docket will be open until May 15, 2017.

Detailed instructions on how to submit comments to the docket are available at: https://www.regulations.gov/help. Also, EPA’s Tips for Effective Comments can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets#tips.

We also recommend that you clearly include the subject area on which you are providing input at the beginning of your comment. The subject area could include, but is not limited to, a reference to any of the following:

  • Code of Federal Regulations regulatory cite or Part/Subpart;
  • Federal Register citation;
  • Regulatory program or rulemaking title;
  • Title of guidance document.

EPA NEWS: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting public comments on its evaluation of existing regulations per Executive Order 13777, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.”

All public comments will be accessible online in our docket on the regulations.gov website ( https://www.regulations.gov/?tab=search ) identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190 at (https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190).
You may offer public comment regarding implementation of regulatory reforms to programs including the Superfund cleanup program. The EPA Headquarters office that oversees the Superfund program, the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) (https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-land-and-emergency-management), will host a public meeting to obtain public feedback on May 9, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time in Arlington, VA.  Additionally, the Office of Water (OW) (https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-water) will hold a virtual listening session for the public on May 2, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
For more information about the public participation in regulatory reform, please visit https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulatory-reform#Public 

April 26, 2017 Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force Meeting

The next meeting of the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force is:
Date: Wednesday, April  26, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 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 phone:

Call In Number: (509) 335-2277
Participant Code: 5266916
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Webinar for Presentations:
To start the online meeting
——————————————————-
1. Go to https://wadis.webex.com/wadis/j.php?MTID=mf14b37c68c9458d65b13936724080477
2. Log in to your account.
3. Click “Start Now”.
4. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
Meeting Password: RpckHSr6
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Audio conference information
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To attend by phone:
Call In Number: (509) 335-2277
Participant Code: 5266916
Meeting Documents:
–  SRRTTF 04.26.17 Final summary
Agenda:
–  SRRTTF_04-26-17_agenda_draft2 (revised on 4.20.17)

Previous Meeting Summaries:
 SRRTTF 03-22-17 meeting notes_draft
 TTWG summary Notes 04-05-17 DRAFT
Funding (ACE) and Technical Documents:
–  ACE commitment report_April 2017
–  Fish Feed Supplier PCB Reporting Requirements
  EPA SRRTTF TSCA Meeting 042617 – Questions Outcomes Final draft
 Agenda_EPA-SRRTTF_4-26_Final Draft
 2017-18 SRRTTF Proposal SOW draft (Ruckelshaus Center – file updated 4.26.17)
Presentations:
2015 Phase 3 Duwamish RU 
–  PRELIMINARY_HomologMassBalance_042617
–  Federal Cleanup Sites With PCBs In The Spokane-2
Outreach:
– BasisofCampaign
– Communications Continuum_PCBs (1)

Special Meeting with SRRTTF and EPA, April 26, 2017

A special meeting with the SRRTTF and EPA will be held April 26, 2017 immediately following the regular Task Force meeting.

The SRRTTF intends this meeting to be an initial discussion that leads to a robust stakeholder process. Our goal is to identify technically and legally defensible solutions that address the regulatory conflicts between the TSCA/water quality standards. Development of next steps to make this happen should be the primary outcome of this initial meeting.

Location: Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District  Click Here for a map.
Time: 12:30 – 2:15 pm

 

Meeting Summary:
April 26, 2017 Special Meeting EPA/TF Notes

Agenda:
Agenda_EPA-SRRTTF_4-26_Final Draft
EPA SRRTTF TSCA Meeting 042617 – Questions Outcomes Final draft

Presentations:
IEP-PCB-Presentation (pdf)
EPA-TSCA-presentation-042717 (pdf)

IEP PCB Presentation , 
Pollution Prevention Principles
PCB Chemical Action Plan

 

 

Ecology News: The Spokane Urban Waters Data project has been completed in EIM.

The Spokane Urban Waters Data project has been completed in EIM! Kristin Carmack entered this data and provided a Quality Assurance review of the data in EIM.  Kristin deserves a big kudos for this work!  With over 19,000 records, 77 locations, and multiple source investigations spanning 5 years, this was a HUGE amount of data to enter into EIM.

The data can be found under EIM project ID: SRUW-Spokane.