October 2019
www.newmoa.org
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Meet
Mike Wimsatt, New Hampshire Department of
Environmental Services (NH DES), Long Time Member of
NEWNOA's Board
NEWMOA:
Tell us about yourself and your background.
Mike: After earning a B.S. in Chemistry from SUNY-Syracuse, and brief stints working for a chemical importer and in genetics research, I began a career with NH DES in the mid-1980s as a hazardous waste inspector. My work lead to a growing interest in groundwater contamination and site cleanup, and a growing recognition that I had a lot to learn about both.
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So, while working in DES's fledgling Brownfields Program, I continued my studies part-time and obtained an M.S.C.E. focused on water resources engineering at the University of New Hampshire. In 2007, I was honored to be appointed to serve as Director of DES's Waste Management Division, where I continue to serve today.
NEWMOA:
What do you do at NH DES?
Mike: As Director, I work with our outstanding staff and DES's senior leadership to advance the mission of the Division and the Department at large. The Division is responsible for assuring proper management of petroleum products; hazardous waste and solid waste; emergency response; and contaminated site cleanup. We administer NH's Oil Discharge and Disposal Cleanup Fund and NH's Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund, which was capitalized with the proceeds of the State's Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) lawsuit against gasoline manufacturers and distributors
NEWMOA:
What are your priorities for NEWMOA? What do you hope it will accomplish?
Mike:
My priorities for NEWMOA are to ensure the continued vitality and effectiveness of the organization moving forward. NEWMOA provides a vital forum for my colleagues and I to develop and maintain productive working relationships and to regularly communicate with one another. The ever-increasing demands on state waste management officials make it difficult for us to find the time and opportunity to share information and learn from one another. NEWMOA serves a tremendously important function in facilitating that critical communication, helping states leverage their resources to accomplish common policy priorities, and most importantly providing members the opportunity to learn from other states' experiences, successes, and failures on topics that challenge all of us. A terrific example of this is the upcoming NEWMOA-sponsored PFAS Science Conference (see below), which will bring together experts from state government, academia, and industry to share knowledge and solutions on this topic of not just regional, but national importance. Under Terri's leadership, the NEWMOA staff are outstanding force multipliers, leveraging each state's contributions to advance priority initiatives, and providing impact and service delivery that could never be accomplished by the state's working alone. As member states, we need to keep supporting those efforts and find sustainable long-term strategies for the organization.
NEWMOA:
What's one thing you would like people to know about you?
Mike:
I am the great grandson of a Kentucky farmer and moonshiner whose whiskey still was located on a family farm in the bluegrass region. The farm remains in the family, and though the still is sadly no longer active, I visit there yearly with my father.
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| NEWMOA Board of Directors |
NEWMOA's Board of Directors met in September in Portsmouth, NH to discuss state and EPA waste, toxics, PFAS, and pollution prevention challenges and NEWMOA's FY 2020 budget and workplans, fundraising, and strategic priorities.
NEWMOA's FY 2020 officers are:
- Nicole Lugli, CT DEEP, Chair
- Peter Pettit, NYS DEC, Vice-Chair
- Mike Hastry, NJ DEP, Treasurer
The other FY 2020 Board members include:
- Yvonne Bolton, CT DEEP
- Dave Burns, ME DEP
- Greg Cooper, Mass DEP
- Diane Baxter, Mass DEP
- Paul Locke, Mass DEP
- Rich Bizzozero, Mass OTA
- Mike Wimsatt, NH DES
- Melissa Zych, NH DES
- MaryJo Aiello, NJ DEP
- Mike Ryan, NYS DEC
- Ron Gagnon, RI DEM
- Leo Hellested, RI DEM
- Chuck Schwer, VT DEC
- Ed Antczak, VT DEC
Program Chairs:
- Peter Pettit, NYS DEC - Solid Waste and Sustainable Materials Management
- Tom Killeen, NYS DEC - Hazardous Waste
- Trish Coppolino, VT DEC - Waste Site Cleanup
- Pam Hadad-Hurst, NYS DEC - Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2)
- Rich Bizzozero, MA OTA - Pollution Prevention and Sustainability
- Ann Battersby, RI DEM - Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
NEWMOA's Board greatly appreciates Ron Gagnon's leadership as NEWMOA Chair in FY 2019. This was Ron's third time serving in that capacity. Great job!
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NEWMOA is Hiring a Project Staff Person
NEWMOA is seeking to hire a Project Staff Person who has a minimum of two years of full time or equivalent part time professional experience in the field of environmental science and experience with website support or the equivalent combination of the required experience and the following educational substitution. The successful candidate must have an undergraduate degree from a recognized school with a major in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, environmental science or health, environmental planning or policy, or engineering. A graduate degree from a recognized school with a major in one of the fields listed above may be substituted for a maximum of one year of the required experience.
NEWMOA is seeking the following basic knowledge and skills:
- Knowledge of federal and state waste management, toxic chemicals, and pollution prevention policies and programs
- Facility with spreadsheets
- Familiarity with website support, including knowledge of HTML, basic web development, and common web development languages
- Good communications skills, both verbal and written
- Excellent organizational skills
- Good teamwork and problem-solving skills
- Ability to work effectively with scientists, engineers, and policy makers and to establish professional credibility
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
The general duties and responsibilities include:
- Assists with coordinating and documenting NEWMOA Workgroup/s
- Gathers and presents information for members and drafts documents
- Helps to organize Workgroup meetings and conference calls
- Conducts research and drafts presentations of the results
- Helps to prepare technical or policy documents, reports, and memos
- Assists with updating and maintaining NEWMOA's websites and social networking sites
- Assists with implementing projects and with project planning and reporting
The satisfactory performance of the above duties and responsibilities requires the staff person to have a thorough understanding of NEWMOA's programs, organization, and policies. The ideal candidate must be able to exercise initiative and exhibit resourcefulness in complicated situations. They must be able to work effectively with state and federal officials at both staff and management levels and with varied professional backgrounds. The ability to organize the workload and perform tasks in an accurate, conclusive, and timely manner is required.
The Project Staff person will assist with development of educational materials for a pharmaceutical waste collection project, will support analysis of state municipal solid waste data, will assist with food waste recovery projects, will assist NEWMOA's interstate clearinghouses, and will support large conferences and meetings in 2020.
To apply, send a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 references to Terri Goldberg.
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Northeast Conference on the Science of PFAS: Public Health & the Environment
NEWMOA has partnered with the Northeast Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), and others to organize a regional science conference on PFAS. The conference will take place March 31-April 1, 2020 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center, in Framingham, MA. The goals of the conference are to:
- Ensure that local, state, and federal action to address PFAS contamination is informed by the most current and reliable science
- Facilitate networking and information-sharing among key stakeholders on PFAS topics
- Identify important gaps in the science and policy to help inform future research
NEWMOA expects conference attendance to be approximately 400 people, including:
- Government officials
- Academic researchers and students
- Consultants and vendors
- Companies that use, make, or sell products that contain PFAS
- Non-governmental and environmental organizations
The conference will include plenary and concurrent sessions and an exhibit and poster area. The concurrent sessions are anticipated to cover:
- Health impacts and environmental behavior
- Treatment, remediation, and disposal
- PFAS uses and alternatives
- Environmental sampling and analysis
Call for Sponsors
Conference sponsors will have high visibility prior to and during the conference. NEWMOA will include the sponsors' names and logos on its conference webpages and social media postings and on handouts and signs during the conference. During the conference, the sponsors will be prominently displayed on PowerPoint slides during the plenary sessions and will be acknowledged during those sessions and others. There are four levels of sponsorship, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.
Conference Sponsors as of July 2019 include:
Platinum
Gold
Silver
For more information and to become a conference Sponsor, contact Terri Goldberg
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Call for Exhibitors
Many of the attendees buy products and services, such as and would benefit from knowing more about available vendors:
- Analytical instruments and services
- Monitoring and sampling equipment and services
- Remediation and treatment equipment and services
- Consulting services
- Training and education products and service
A limited number of exhibit spaces are available. For more information on exhibiting, contact Jennifer Griffith
Conference Planning Committee
- Mary Butow, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NH DES)
- Meghan Cassidy, U.S. EPA Region 1 Superfund Technical & Enforcement Support Section
- Sheau-Yun (Dora) Chiang, CDM Smith
- Daniel D'Agostino, U.S. EPA Region 2, Clean Water Division
- Barbara Firebaugh, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC)
- Jennifer Guelfo, Brown University, Superfund Research Program, Texas Tech. University, Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering
- Wendy Heiger-Bernays, Boston University School of Public Health, Superfund Research Program
- Steve Maybury, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP)
- Jennifer Miller, Vista Analytical Lab
- Kara Murphy, Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM)
- Geoffrey Pellechia, SGS North America
- Frank Ricciardi, Weston and Sampson
- Lynn Rubinstein, Northeast Recycling Council (NERC)
- Laurel Schaider, Silent Spring Institute
- Tiffany Skogstrom, Massachusetts OTA
- Mark Smith, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP)
- Richard Spiese, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC)
- Christina Stringer, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC)
- Elsie Sunderland, Harvard University Arts and Sciences, Superfund Research Program
- Steve Woodard, ECT
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Waste Site Cleanup Program
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RCRA Compliance at Cleanup Sites; Waste Characterization & Listed Hazardous Waste
NEWMOA is offering a free webinar on Thursday, October 24, 10:00 that covers what waste site cleanup staff and managers need to know about the definition of solid and hazardous waste and characteristic and listed hazardous wastes. It will emphasize how critical waste determination is as the starting point to ensuring that a site cleanup complies with RCRA C requirements. Ross Bunnell, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) will be the presenter. Mr. Bunnell has many years of experience in the RCRA program in Connecticut, having worked in RCRA permitting, enforcement, and most recently, policy development, education, and outreach. He will include case studies and examples to illustrate key points in his presentation. In developing his presentation, he has worked with colleagues from the other states in the Northeast to make sure the information applies to all of the states in the region. There will be ample time for questions and comments during the webinar.
RCRA Compliance at Cleanup Sites: Area of Contamination & Contained-in Policies
NEWMOA is offering a free webinar on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, 10:00 AM that will cover what waste site cleanup staff and managers need to know about how to ensure compliance with RCRA regarding identification of the area of contamination and the northeast states contained-in policies. Mark Dennen, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) will be the presenter. Mr. Dennen is a long time RCRA inspector and program manager with experience addressing contaminated waste sites. In developing his presentation, he has worked with colleagues from the other states in the Northeast to make sure the information applies to all of the states in the region. There will be ample time for questions and comments during the webinar.
These webinars are the first two in a four-part series that will take place over the fall of 2019 and winter 2020 and cover key RCRA compliance topics that can affect site cleanups.
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Workshop - Redevelopment of Contaminated Properties & Resolving Conflicts with Stormwater Requirements: What You Need to Know
To avoid problems and successfully remediate and redevelop a contaminated property, waste site cleanup professionals need to know about stormwater program requirements. Stormwater management is also key to the climate resiliency planning that state and federal government agencies are emphasizing at cleanup sites.
To mitigate contamination to waterways, stormwater programs promote the use of onsite infiltration. However, at many contaminated properties, the remediation plan allows contamination to remain onsite if it is isolated from direct contact and precipitation. The goals of the two programs can, therefore, be at odds, and the redevelopment plan for a contaminated property can be negatively impacted if the two approaches are not considered early on and reconciled.
NEWMOA's workshop take place on November 6, 2020 at Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson, CT. It will cover the following topics and include examples and lessons learned from real sites:
- Waste site cleanup fundamentals and potential conflicts with stormwater requirements
- Stormwater fundamentals and potential conflicts with waste site cleanup requirements
- Strategies and technologies to comply with both sets of requirements
- Demonstration of a Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) project planning tool that others can use
- Case studies of contaminated property redevelopment projects impacted by stormwater management issues
Presenters include:
- Suzanne Courtemanche, Tighe & Bond
- Phil Forzley, Fuss & O'Neill
- Brian Kortz, Fuss & O'Neill
- Kelly Owens, RI DEM
- Alisa Richardson, RI Department of Transportation
- Igor Runge, GZA
Continuing Education Credits (CECs): The workshop is approved for 3.25 CECs for CT LEPs, 4.25 CECs for MA LSPs, and 5.0 CECs for NJ LSRPs. NEWMOA has also applied for NYS Professional Engineer (PE) credits.
Save the Date
Revitalizing the Northeast: Brownfields Summit
2020
in Devens, MA, October 7-8, 2020
This Summit will bring together key Brownfields stakeholders to help advance and accelerate redevelopment of contaminated properties. The goals of the Summit are to:
- Share information about the financial incentives, liability protections, and technical and other assistance available for brownfields development from federal and state governments
- Promote best practice and lessons learned across states and programs
- Provide an opportunity to increase networking in the region and information-sharing among key stakeholders
The two-day Summit will include plenary and break-out sessions and an exhibit area. There will be ample time during the breaks for networking and viewing the exhibits. If funding is available, there will be a reception during the evening of the first day.
The organizers expect approximately 300 people to attend, including representatives from:
- State and federal government brownfields and waste site cleanup programs
- Local, regional, and state economic development agencies
- Real estate developers, financial institutions, and law firms
- Local governments
- Consultants
Sponsors & Exhibitors
NEWMOA is seeking Summit sponsors and exhibitors.
For more information contact Jennifer Griffith.
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Solid Waste & Sustainable Materials Management Program
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Compost Use in Roadway Projects Webinar
NERC and NEWMOA sponsored a webinar on in how to use compost for erosion control, soil stabilization, and other road and infrastructure improvements on October 3. The webinar was presented by Jean Bonhatal, Director, Cornell Waste Management Institute - a well-known and widely respected expert in organics management.
Report on End-Markets for Waste Tires
According to the latest assessment of the U.S. scrap tire markets by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), scrap tire stockpiles have steadily declined throughout the past few decades. The Association's "2017 U.S. Scrap Tire Management Summary" concludes that more tires are being recycled and used by various end-markets, and historic stockpiles are declining.
Until 2013, many of the tires generated in southern New England were incinerated as tire-derived fuel (TDF) in a plant in Sterling, Connecticut that consumed about 10 million tires per year. That plant suspended operations in the fall of 2013. Since the closure of the Sterling facility, there has been increased interest in the region in expanding recycling of waste tires.
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The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and NEWMOA recently jointly published a summary report, called End-Markets for Used Tires in the Northeast
. It covers facilities and markets for waste tires in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
This new resource identifies 33 companies that are engaged in:
- Tire-derived fuel (TDF)
- Volume reduction (shredding/crumb rubber and other products)
- Hauling services for scrap tires
In several instances, individual companies provide services in more than one category. The directory identifies companies by name, with website, geographic area served, and its services.
Recycling Businesses that Process or Use Post-Consumer "Blue Bin" Materials after MRF Processing
The NERC-NEWMOA Regional Recycling Market Development Committee has produced a directory of businesses that process or use post-consumer recycled content after processing by materials recovery facilities (MRFs), derived from so-called "blue bin" recyclables: paper, plastic, glass, aseptic cartons, and aluminum and steel cans. Recycling Businesses in the NERC Region that Process or Use Post-Consumer "Blue Bin" Materials after MRF Processing covers facilities in the NERC region - Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The directory includes:
- Paper recyclers - 68 businesses
- Plastic recyclers - 53 businesses
- Glass recyclers - 15 businesses
- Aluminum recyclers - 6 businesses
Total businesses processing or using post-consumer recycled content in the 11-state region: 142
Pharmaceutical Waste
NEWMOA recently initiated a technical assistance project in northern New Hampshire and Vermont to improve access to proper management of unused medications. The project focuses on establishing collection programs at long-term care facilities, and if possible, at pharmacies and/or law enforcement agencies. The project will also work with home hospice and health care providers to develop standard guidance and provide them with prepaid mailers that clients can use to send unused medication for destruction.
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| Pollution Prevention & Sustainability |
Pollution Prevention (P2) in the Janitorial Service Sector
NEWMOA is currently working with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's (RI DEM) Office of Technical and Customer Assistance in their efforts to
advance P2 in the janitorial service sector. The goal of this program is to engage the janitorial community in Rhode Island and Southern New England to:
- Provide training and education on the hazards of conventional cleaning chemicals
- Provide information on third-party certified, safer alternatives to conventional cleaning products
- Advocate for policies that initiate company- or institution-wide changes to purchasing and use practices
In the coming months NEWMOA will assist RI DEM with the development and delivery of a training workshop for custodial staff in Rhode Island schools.
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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, or program; invitee to NEWMOA events; a colleague at a related organization or EPA; connected to the Association in some other way; or have expressed interest in our work. n
ews@NEWMOA contributors include: Andy Bray, Topher Buck, Terri Goldberg, Jennifer Griffith, and Lois Makina.
If you have questions about delivery of this e-Newsletter, contact Lois Makina.
Please share this newsletter with others in your agency or organization that might be interested.
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| NEWMOA is on Facebook & LinkedIn |
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Follow us on NEWMOA's Facebook page! We are now using Facebook to post notices about our events, new publications and information resources, projects, and members. We'd love to hear your ideas for how to make our Facebook page engaging and helpful. Check it out by searching for Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA).
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