Meet Yvonne Bolton, Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection & Long Term NEWMOA Board Member
NEWMOA:
Tell us about yourself and your background.
Yvonne: I
graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in environmental conservation, and law degree and MS in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School.
I was a law intern at a general practice firm where I worked on an interesting pesticide misuse case and that really clinched it for me that public sector environmental protection work was what I wanted to do.
I have been with the Department for 33 years and have worked my way around the Agency - starting with regulation drafting on a variety of topics - fisheries, wildlife, solid waste, and air pollution and then held positions in a number of program areas - coastal permitting and enforcement, solid and hazardous waste permitting, agency data integration initiatives, and water quality management.
In 2006, I became the Bureau Chief for the Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance (MMCA) - a successor Bureau to our prior Bureau of Waste Management. MMCA reflects the Department's shift from a waste management focus to one that recognizes that proper management of materials is not only an effective waste minimization strategy but also presents opportunities for materials to be used with less environmental impact.
NEWMOA:
What do you do at CT DEEP?
Yvonne: MMCA covers a broad range of programs (including hazardous and solid waste, source reduction and recycling, pesticides, underground storage tanks, leaking underground storage tanks, PCBs, marine terminals, emergency response, site assessment and support, industrial National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and pretreatment, stormwater and large subsurface disposal systems). I have a staff of 120 talented but overcommitted staff working in these programs. Given the Bureau's span, I am the 'traffic cop' that makes sure that things keep moving, priorities are prioritized, obstacles are addressed, funding is in place, cross program issues are coordinated, challenges are elevated, and direction and program strategies and initiatives are consistent with Agency goals. I have an exceptionally capable and experienced management team in the Bureau: no matter what is thrown at us, they help me figure out how we can get there.
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| Click on the Image to read the May 2018 IMERC Alert |
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NEWMOA:
What are your priorities for NEWMOA? What do you hope it will accomplish?
Yvonne: NEWMOA is an important resource and partner for the member states as state budgets are tightening and staff numbers are shrinking. Material management challenges can be complex, cross cutting, and often emerging. NEWMOA provides resources, expertise, and commitment to bring the states together to share knowledge, experiences, and ideas, and our capacity and focus on mutual problems. NEWMOA staff never fails to impress me -they are current on issues - both traditional and emerging, establish strong rapport/relationships not only with the state directors but also workgroup staff and are always willing to help. I'd like to ensure that NEWMOA continues to have the capacity, funding, and direction to help state programs address existing and new challenges.
NEWMOA:
What's one thing you would like people to know about you?
Yvonne: I love to travel and have been very fortunate to have taken a number of amazing trips with my immediate and extended family: Alaska, Mediterranean, river cruises, Hawaii, Germany, Scotland, African safaris, Dominican Republic, and family get-togethers in Vermont and coastal Georgia, just to name a few standouts. While I moved around a lot as a kid, my children have either had the blessing or curse of being raised in one place, but I think these travel experiences have not only enhanced family ties but provided them with a spirit of adventure, perspective, and adaptability. I'm not as fearless as they are, but I'm game for that destination.
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NEWMOA's Board of Directors met in June to discuss state and EPA waste, toxics, PFAS challenges, and pollution prevention programs and NEWMOA's projects, funding, and strategic priorities. They discussed many of the projects that are described below.
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Pollution Prevention & Sustainability Program
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Pollution Prevention & Sustainability
NEWMOA recently sent a letter to EPA Headquarters urging them to i
nitiate a dialogue with state environmental agencies regarding the future of the Pollution Prevention (P2) program and actively seek state involvement in the Agency's deliberations on this important program. NEWMOA is particularly interested in learning about EPA's vision for the program nationally, and the role of regional coordination and support. To view the full letter, visit
www.newmoa.org/publications/letters/NEWMOA_Chair_Letter_to_EPA_on_the_Future_of_P2.pdf
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Solid Waste & Sustainable Materials Management Program
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Food Waste Reduction
NEWMOA is conducting a food waste training and technical assistance project in rural areas of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont that is designed to help residents reduce the generation of food waste and start or expand backyard composting. NEWMOA is developing a series of handouts targeted to residents. The handouts promote food waste reduction practices, home composting, local donation options, as well as detailed composting guidance documents for those residents looking to jump right in and get started.
Join NEWMOA staff and our local partners at several food waste educational events that we will be conducting this summer, including the:
- Farmers Market in Laconia, NH on the Saturdays of July 28th and August 18th
- Caledonia County Fair in Lyndon, VT on Friday and Saturday August 24th and 25th
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Resident handout focused on backyard composting
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Handout focused on food donation in the Northeast Kingdom of VT
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Resident handout focused on reducing food waste
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Recent NEWMOA-NERC Webinars
NEWMOA and NERC have jointly organized a series of webinars this year focused on reducing recycling contamination.
Recordings:
PowerPoint Presentations
Webinar Conversation on Consumption-Based Emissions Inventories
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) inventories greenhouse gas emissions in two different ways: the sector-based approach, formally called the in-boundary inventory, and the consumption-based emissions inventory (CBEI). The inventories utilize different accounting methods, and each encompasses a unique scope of emissions. This webinar explored Oregon's CBEI methodology, data sources, the lessons learned from their modeling, and what actions DEQ is taking based on the results.
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Waste Site Cleanup Program
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Supporting Members
NEWMOA's Waste Site Cleanup (WSC) Program welcomes Supporting Members to facilitate the engagement of consultants and others in NEWMOA's WSC activities. The benefits of membership include:
- Participation in an annual virtual meeting with the directors of the state WSC programs to discuss emerging issues and training needs
- Participation in calls to plan and organize NEWMOA's workshops and webinars, including agenda development, presenters, and other logistics
- Attendance at NEWMOA's workshops at half the regular price and webinars at no fee
- Recognition on NEWMOA's website and training materials
- At the "Gold" level, no cost for a display table at one set of workshops
- Increased recognition of your firm's capabilities and priorities by regulators and other companies throughout the northeast states
Fee Structure
Detailed information about membership levels and associated benefits are available
here
. In general, there are three levels of WSC Supporting Membership:
- Gold - $2,500
- Silver - $1,000
- Individual - $500
Fall Workshop
NEWMOA is finalizing plans for an early fall WSC workshop, focused on data collection and interpretation. Presentations will cover: accessing the subsurface, soil sampling, groundwater sampling, vapor intrusion investigation, and interpreting laboratory results. More information about the workshop will be available at:
www.newmoa.org/cleanup/workshops.cfm
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NEWMOA recently hosted well-attended workshops for hazardous waste inspectors in EPA Regions 1 and 2. Both workshops covered EPA's new E-manifest systems. The EPA Region 1 workshop also covered enforcement of Land Disposal Restrictions. The EPA Region 2 workshop included presentations and small group discussions on best practices for preparing for and documenting inspections, including management of digital photographs and other material.
NEWMOA has also held recent conference calls on interjurisdictional issues between state solid and hazardous waste programs because of mandatory recycling requirements for businesses and municipalities, results of inspections of retail facilities, and state RCRA training requirements for large quantity and small quantity generators.
These workshops and calls are for state and EPA officials in the northeast, who are involved in the hazardous waste and other waste programs.
Permit Writers Workgroup
NEWMOA is forming a hazardous waste Permit Writers Workgroup to:
- Create a network of state permit writers so that they are able to call upon each other for information and advice
- Convene the group at least once per year via conference call or webinar to provide an opportunity to share information, tools, challenges, and strategies
- Provide opportunities for state permit writers as a group to interact with EPA Regional or Headquarters officials on regulatory issues that affect permits issued by states
- Provide a forum for state permit writers to develop comments and recommendations for EPA
Comments to EPA on a Proposal for Aerosol Cans
NEWMOA submitted comments to EPA in response to a proposal for regulating used aerosol cans as universal waste. NEWMOA's members generally support the concept of adding aerosol cans to the universal waste (UW) rule and believe that the UW regulatory framework is appropriate for the collection and management of hazardous waste aerosol cans. The comments included many recommendations for improving and clarifying the proposed Rule. To view the letter, visit www.newmoa.org/publications/letters/Comments_Universal_Waste_Aerosol_Can_Proposed_Rule.pdf.
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Interstate Mercury Education & Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
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Workgroup Activities
The IMERC Steering Committee and individual Workgroups have been busy over the last several months on the following projects and priorities:
- Notification - The group is winding down its review of 2016 triennial notification forms, having approved almost 300 forms, which is an approximately 90 percent compliance rate. IMERC continues to pursue non-notifiers.
- Labeling - The group is reaching out to third-party sellers of mercury-added products to ensure compliance with labeling laws - especially via online sales. IMERC recently held a conference call with Amazon.com to learn about their online sales and distribution process, and to provide guidance to ensure their compliance with state and federal product labeling requirements.
- Phase-outs - The group is currently focused on ensuring compliance of manufacturers of switches and relays, products that are banned in several IMERC states, with an interest in possible enforcement.
- Education & Outreach - The group has begun to review the initial analysis of 2016 mercury-added products data, prepared by IMERC staff. Early observations suggest that mercury-added product sales in the U.S. have declined approximately 70 percent since 2001.
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2018 NAHMMA Conference
This year's conference includes sessions focused on household hazardous wastes (HHW), product stewardship, and pollution prevention. T
erri Goldberg, representing IMERC will be joining the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) and the Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) on a panel focused on managing the collection and recycling of mercury-added thermostats.
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Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2)
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Recent IC2 Webinars
On June 26, Jimmy Seow, Ph.D., discussed fluorine-free alternatives for Class B aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) used to suppress liquid and vapor fuel fires, implementation of fluorine-free foams outside of the U.S., and environmental impacts of firefighting foams. Dr. Seow has more than 30 years' working experience in industry, government, and research. He was co-author and adviser for the Queensland [Australia] Department of Environment and Heritage Protection Firefighting Foam Use Policy (2016), and he is a member of the PFAS subject matter expert group comprising regulators, policy makers, toxicologists, epidemiologists, research scientists, and lawyers from the U.S., Canada, the UK, and the EU. PowerPoint slides.
On July 12, 2018, Jared Sachs and Thomas Tongue, from
XOS
, discussed the capabilities of XOS's HD Mobile High Definition X-Ray Fluorescence (HDXRF) analyzer, which is able to analyze lead in paint and substrate materials and also precisely measures cadmium, arsenic, mercury, antimony, and other elements that may be of concern in consumer products. Applications of this technology include:
- Rapid, precise screening and quantification of toxic elements
- Multi-element detection in toys and children's products for compliance with regulatory requirements
- Rapid screening for RoHS II metals in electronics
- Heavy metal detection in jewelry
- Compliance verification across the supply chain
Considering many IC2 members' interest in product testing, the Clearinghouse thought it would be useful to highlight screening tools available to government agencies and retailers. Tools that help identify samples to send to a lab for confirmatory analysis allows those running screening programs to examine more components or products in less time and decreases lab costs. XOS's technology is of interest because of its ability to screen coatings (for example, paint on pencils or zippers), as well as the potential to screen for phosphorous, which can indicate the presence of organophosphate flame retardants.
High Priority Chemicals Data System & Data Flow Project
NEWMOA has selected an information technology contractor to design and build the IC2 High Priority Chemicals Data System (HPCDS). NEWMOA issued a request for proposals, received three, and convened an IC2 Selection Committee to review and evaluate the proposals. This Committee met via conference call to develop review criteria, interview the finalists, and discuss the proposals. All of the bidders provided high-quality proposals that demonstrated their qualifications and experience, which made the selection process challenging. In the coming weeks, the IC2 Database Workgroup will begin working closely with the contractor to define and document requirements for the System, which will be developed, tested, and deployed over the course of the next year.
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news@NEWMOA
is designed to help our members and colleagues keep informed about the Association's projects and activities. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are a member of a NEWMOA working group, committee, program, or listserv; an invitee to NEWMOA events; a colleague at EPA or a related organization; connected to the Association in some other way; or have expressed interest in our work. If you have questions about delivery of this e-Newsletter, contact Lois Makina.
Share this newsletter with others in your agency or organization that might be interested.
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Newsletter contributors:
Andy Bray, Topher Buck, Terri Goldberg, Jennifer Griffith, Lois Makina, and Rachel Smith.
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