Meet Nicole Lugli, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), 2019 NEWMOA Vice Chair

NEWMOA: Tell us about yourself and your background.

Nicole:  I have worked at CT DEEP for over 20 years. Directly out of UCONN law school, I started as a CT Career Trainee in the Office of Long Island Sound Programs (OLISP) working in enforcement for coastal management and establishing and administering a Long Island Sound (LIS) Fund grant program through proceeds from the sale of LIS license plates. For the past 15 or so years, I have had a leadership role within the Commissioner's Office in coordinating the Department's strategic planning and program development, including the EPA Region 1 / CT DEEP Performance Partnership Agreement. This covers the grant commitments for DEEP's three major EPA-delegated authorities, including RCRA, air, and water, as well as the permitting, assistance, pollution prevention, and enforcement programs.

 

About seven years ago, my responsibilities expanded so now I also serve as the Agency Lean Coordinator. I participated in DEEP's initial Lean Implementation Committee in 2008, Lean Leadership Certification training, and many Lean events, as a Team Sponsor, Champion, and Team Member. I also represent DEEP on the CT's Statewide Continuous Process Improvement Steering Committee, which was established by the Governor.

 

NEWMOA: What do you do at CT DEEP?

Nicole: Presently, as the Office Director of Policy, Planning, and Program Development within the Office of the Commissioner, I am responsible for coordinating policy and planning regarding compliance with environmental protection laws, including enforcement and permitting practices and serving as a liaison to the EPA in matters relating to strategic planning, enforcement, compliance assistance, and pollution prevention. I also oversee our Environmental Review section that coordinates Agency comments on the CT Environmental Policy Act (CEPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as CT Siting Council applications and petitions for various utility projects, including power plants, solar farms, fuel cells, transmission lines, and substations. With the recent prioritization of renewable energy projects, the need to coordinate across DEEP's three Branches - energy; air, water, and materials management; and natural resources on the siting of renewable energy projects has increased. Finally, I continue to shepherd DEEP's process improvement, standardization, and succession planning efforts. We understand that DEEP will lose many staff due to attrition in 2022, and we, therefore, need to step-up the Agency's sustainability planning efforts.

NEWMOA: What are your priorities for NEWMOA? What do you hope it will accomplish?

Nicole:  My top priority for NEWMOA is to assist with NEWMOA's sustainability. Despite the resource constraints of state agencies, there is a strong need to continue to support this important interstate organization that facilitates coordination on services and forums on interstate policy, permitting, and enforcement matters that states cannot necessarily do on their own. The partnerships formed among the states through NEWMOA, helps us to learn about and share approaches to common problems and emerging issues on matters, such as PFAS and the recycling market challenges, as a key ingredient for success. I support NEWMOA's continued focus on training and information sharing in such areas as the hazardous waste permit writers' efforts, reducing food waste from the solid waste stream, climate resilience preparedness, and the IC2 assistance with an emerging national association to advance alternatives assessment.

NEWMOA: What's one thing you would like people to know about you?

The theme of NEWMOA's   2018 Annual Report  is "Partnerships for Change," which is emblematic of our accomplishments in recent years. We believe that effective partnerships can help to raise the level of performance of all of those involved beyond what could be achieved as individual agencies or groups. Some of the highlights in the FY 2018 Report include:

• Holding a Sustainable Dairy Summit organized in partnership with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC)
• Starting development of a High Priority Chemicals Data System
• Implementing a project with local partners in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont to help residents reduce wasted food and successfully compost in their backyard and to help businesses increase recovery and donation of their excess food
• Holding monthly information sharing conference calls to discuss the latest developments on emerging contaminants and training webinars
• Jointly convening a series of webinars with the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) on recyclables collection and impacts on manufacturing and end-users

For more information, contact Terri Goldberg at  [email protected]. 

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Workshop

• Setting remedial action objectives
• Benefits and challenges of technologies
• Feasibility studies
• RCRA requirements at remediation sites
• Moving from remedy selection to implementation
• Case studies

• Ross Bunnell, CT DEEP
• Mark Dennen, RI DEM
• Richard Desrosiers, GZA
• Paul Dombrowski, ISOTEC
• John Duclos, NH DES
• Maureen Dooley, Regenisis
• Nick Hastings, Woodard & Curran
• Karen Kinsella, GZA
• Michael Marley, XDD
• Maryann Sapanara, GZA
• David Shea, Sanborn Head

Food Donation Webinar

NEWMOA and NERC held an " Edible Food for Donation" webinar about succe ssful ideas for  expanding opportunities for donating food , particularly from grocery stores and other retailers on  April 25. Presenters included Sherri Stevens and Nick Lachapelle, Hannaford Supermarkets and Lorenzo Macaluso, Center for EcoTechnology. To view the slides and recording, visit: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=370. 

For more information, contact: Terri Goldberg, [email protected]. 

Using Recycled Content Materials in Road & Infrastructure Projects Workshop

NEWMOA and NERC jointly hosted a daylong workshop to promote the use of recycled materials in road and infrastructure projects in Connecticut on April 9. The workshop brought together state, local highway, and public works officials, environmental departments, and others to hear about new opportunities, case studies, and lessons learned from experts in the field. It focused on case studies by peers who have successfully used the following materials in road and infrastructure projects:

• Compost
• Glass
• Ground asphalt shingles
• Shredded tires

To view the slides, visit: www.newmoa.org/events/agenda.cfm?m=348 .

Stakeholder Initiative on Public Policies for Chemical Ingredient Transparency

Clean Production Action (CPA) and the Northeast Waste Management Officials Association's (NEWMOA) Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2) have launched a partnership to find common ground among key stakeholders on chemical ingredient transparency policies and programs.

 

The diversity of transparency mandates at the state level has been steadily increasing for the past ten years. The States of California, Maine, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have enacted requirements for public disclosure of chemicals of concern in cleaning products and/or children's products. Other states, including Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have established requirements for reporting on and labeling products and packaging for the presence of mercury. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the American Sustainable Business Council, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Center for Environmental Health, Clean and Healthy New York, Mind the Store Campaign, Safer States, and Toxic-Free Future are advocating for greater disclosure across supply chains. Retailers, including Walmart, have established requirements for ingredient disclosure by their suppliers. Ecolabels, such as the Safer Choice by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, require chemical ingredient transparency to meet their criteria.

These transparency initiatives confront similar types of challenges that often differ within and across product categories and sectors. Businesses that operate in multiple jurisdictions find it difficult to participate in or comply with the growing array of requests and requirements. Advocates and the public find it difficult to locate the chemical ingredient information in products when they need it. Businesses and government agencies developing environmentally preferable purchasing specifications are demanding chemical ingredient information and having to navigate and interpret the complex landscape of disclosure information that is available. These stakeholders - governments, businesses, NGOs, and researchers - could benefit greatly from a set of common principles and data practices.

 

IC2 and CPA will convene businesses, governments, and NGOs to develop common principles and criteria for chemical transparency policy. By convening key stakeholders, both groups hope to accelerate state and local policy development, industry action, and government programs that focus on disclosure of toxic chemicals in products. Chemical ingredient transparency frequently is a catalyst for companies to develop safer alternatives and avoid toxic chemicals in the first place, and it provides NGOs and governments with the knowledge of where toxic chemicals are used, thereby identifying priority chemicals for undertaking various actions.

For more information, contact Terri Goldberg, [email protected] 

Newsletter contributors: 

Andy Bray, Topher Buck, Terri Goldberg, Jennifer Griffith, and Lois Makina.