June 2021                                         www.newmoa.org 
All of us at NEWMOA hope you are healthy and safe.  
Happy Anniversary NEWMOA!
NEWMOA’s Board of Directors will be inviting current and former members to join them for dinner during the Board meetings in March 2022 in Amherst, MA to celebrate NEWMOA’s 35th Anniversary. If you are interested in joining them, contact Lois Makina.  

Efforts to form NEWMOA began in earnest in 1985 with meetings of an intrepid group of directors of the waste programs in New England. They adopted a set of by-laws in October 1985. At that time and for many years, the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) acted as a fiscal agent for NEWMOA, and the organizations shared office space. In December of 1986, the U.S. EPA formally recognized a request from the New England Governors to endorse the formation of the New England Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA). New Jersey joined NEWMOA in 1989, and New York joined in 1990. At that time, the Association changed its name from New England to Northeast... (but the acronym remained the same). NEWMOA's Board revised its by-laws early in 1991 to reflect these changes. For many years, a major focus for NEWMOA was holding an annual conference, mostly in Waterville Valley, NH, that brought together waste officials from the state environmental agencies and EPA for two days.  
The issues facing the waste industry and state regulatory officials were different in the mid-1980s than they are today. There were numerous notorious waste sites with significant contamination in the region, including in Love Canal, NY and Woburn, MA. These sites received widespread public attention and profoundly affected nearby communities. Federal laws, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) (commonly called Superfund), and the analogous state laws were new. State and federal officials were creating the policies, rules, and programs to implement these laws, and there were vigorous debates among them about how to go about their work. Solid waste programs focused on improving landfills and permitting incineration, with local recycling programs in their infancy. Solid waste officials were struggling with how to get curbside recycling programs up and running and to create a regulatory framework to support the needed recycling infrastructure. Looking back on those times, it is obvious that we have made tremendous progress. But there remain many challenges. 

Much of NEWMOA's basic goals and functions have not changed much since its founding. Nevertheless, the scope of the organization's efforts has expanded over the years to include waste site cleanup, brownfields, pollution prevention, waste reduction, toxics reduction, product stewardship, sustainable materials management, organics diversion, and others.  
 
We look forward to another 35 years of “Leading the Northeast to a Sustainable, Waste-Free Future.” We hope that you will continue to support our work and to help us to onboard a new generation of NEWMOAns. 
Wishing Long-Time Board Members Congratulations on Their Retirements! 
Thank You & Best Wishes to Chuck Schwer, VT DEC 
 
For many years, Chuck Schwer led various Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC) waste prevention and management programs until he retired earlier this year. Chuck started with the Department in the mid-1980s, with the leaking underground storage tank program when the program was relatively new and evolving. His team grew to a mature program that has prevented countless releases of hazardous materials. Chuck was one of the earliest members of the Vermont Hazardous Materials Response Team, which was founded in 1996. Chuck grew into a supervisory role, managing staff and contaminated sites as well as the Vermont Petroleum Cleanup Fund (PCF). Chuck’s most critical contributions are arguably related to the investigations and remediation of PFAS contamination in Vermont. Chuck led the PFAS work of the division staff, so they could diligently respond to the public’s concerns and provide safe drinking water supplies.  

Chuck joined NEWMOA’s Board in 2015. He was very active on the Board and made many contributions over the years. He was the Board Chair in 2018. He led NEWMOA’s efforts on PFAS and other emerging contaminants. He has been an invaluable colleague and friend to the NEWMOA staff and his colleagues on the Board. All of us will miss his leadership, good humor, insights, and dedication. We wish Chuck much success and happiness during retirement. 
Thank You & Best Wishes to Dave Burns, ME DEP 
 
David Burns retired in May 2021 after 38 years of service with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). David began his career in the Bureau of Water Quality Control conducting engineering reviews of wastewater treatment facilities. Soon after, David shifted to the engineering aspects of solid waste projects, inspections, and landfill operations. Within a short time, David advanced to become a Senior Environmental Engineer where he supervised others in the Solid Waste Engineering Unit, and eventually became the Director in 2015 for the Division of Technical Services. David was asked in 2016 to become the Director of the Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management, the Agency’s largest Bureau, to oversee contaminated sites, response activities, materials management, petroleum management, and technical and engineering programs. David has competently led the DEP through the first iterations of managing PFAS issues by becoming an expert and encouraging DEP and other agencies to begin to tackle the problem statewide.  

Dave joined NEWMOA’s Board of Directors in 2016 and since then has provided critical leadership within the organization on PFAS and solid waste issues. He was NEWMOA’s Treasurer in 2018 and the Vice Chair in 2021. He has been an important colleague and friend to the NEWMOA staff and his colleagues on the Board. All of us will miss his leadership, attention to detail, good humor, insights, and dedication. We wish Dave much success and happiness during retirement. 
Thank You & Best Wishes to Yvonne Bolton, CT DEEP  
 
Yvonne Bolton came to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) as a newly minted environmental attorney many years ago and is retiring this summer. Over the course of four decades, she proceeded to leave her mark on almost every aspect of the Department. Among her first roles, she worked in the Planning and Coordination Office, to develop regulations and successfully shepherd them through the legislature's approval process. Beginning with the coastal management programs and later water and waste programs she successfully undertook tasks regarding coastal permitting and enforcement, pesticides, solid and hazardous waste, and recycling. She helped to establish the Department's first agency-wide data and geographic information system. As chief of the Materials Management Bureau, she led efforts to improve emergency response; update the state's Solid Waste Management Plan; and adopt and revise the state's first FEMA-approved Disaster Debris Management Plan. Knowing the importance of public outreach and stakeholder involvement to the success of any environmental initiative, Yvonne launched the Solid and Hazardous Waste Advisory Committees. 
 
Yvonne joined NEWMOA’s Board of Directors in 2006. She co-chaired the NEWMOA Board in 2010 and was a member of the Executive Committee in 2008 and 2009. She was instrumental in the development of NEWMOA's 2013 and 2018 Strategic Plans and formulating and advancing many of NEWMOA's priorities. She has been an important colleague and friend to the NEWMOA staff and her colleagues on the Board. All of us will miss her leadership, attention to detail, good humor, insights, and dedication. We wish Yvonne much success and happiness during retirement. 
Solid Waste & Sustainable Materials Management 
Upcoming Webinar
Growing the Upcycled Food Economy 
July 14, 2021, 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern 
 
This free joint NEWMOA and NERC webinar will focus on the emerging business of upcycling food waste. The presenters will cover: 
  • State of the upcycled food movement - definition, certification standard, and environmental benefits 
  • How upcycling is different than other methods of diverting wasted food  
  • Key challenges with upcycling food waste 
  • Business leaders who are building the food upcycling economy 

Presenters: 
  • Leah Graham, Marketing Director, Upcycled Food Association 
  • Dr. Jonathan Deutsch, Professor and Director, Drexel Food Laboratory, Drexel University 
  • Anna Hammond, Founder and CEO, Matriark Foods 
 
Recent Webinars
Lithium Battery Webinar Series

Overview of Lithium Batteries, Their Uses, & Recycling
Slides & Recording: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=478

Examples of Actions by Waste Haulers & Storage & Processing Facilities to Reduce the Risk of Fires Associated with Lithium Batteries
Slides & Recording: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=479

Lithium Battery Recycling
Slides & Recording: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=493

Other Webinar
Environmental Benefits Calculators: How They Work & How They Can Help Slides & Recording: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=483
PFAS Webinars
NEWMOA has hosted a webinar series to share available information on the prevalence of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment, risks to public health, and options for alternatives and remediation. The PowerPoint slides are available on the webpages listed below.

Health Effects of Exposure to PFAS
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=458

Health Effects of PFAS Mixtures
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=459

Perspectives on a Class Approach to PFAS
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=454

Wastewater as a Source of PFAS
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=464

PFAS in Surface Water, Fish, & Shellfish
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=471

PFAS Uses & Alternatives
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=466

PFAS: Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF)
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=467

Understanding Usability of PFAS Data
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=463

In-situ Treatment of PFAS in Groundwater
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=470

Destroying PFAS in Groundwater & Landfill Leachate
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=469

PFAS in Water: Removal, Treatment, & Destruction
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=468

PFAS Air Emissions: Impacts to Groundwater & Stack Testing
Slides: www.newmoa.org/events/event.cfm?m=481
Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2)
Principles for Chemical Ingredient Disclosure
Committed to accelerating chemical transparency across supply chains to consumers, a coalition of over 112 businesses, governments, health care organizations, investors, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have endorsed a set of Principles for Chemical Ingredient Disclosure (as of June 28, 2021). Development of the Principles was facilitated by the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2) and Clean Production Action (CPA). The IC2 is a program of NEWMOA. The six Principles were designed by a multi-stakeholder coalition over the last 18 months to frame the necessary steps for increasing access to information about chemicals in products and their hazards:

  1. Disclose all intentionally added chemical ingredients.*
  2. Disclose nonfunctional constituents (i.e., incidental components, breakdown products, and byproducts) that are identified on specified lists of chemicals of concern. This is a general principle to which Signatories agree, though they may hold differing positions on the thresholds for disclosure.
  3. Proactively engage supply chains and interested stakeholders to increase full chemical ingredient information disclosure. Manufacturers and retailers need reliable documentation to trace chemical information along supply chains.
  4. Advocate for filling data gaps to characterize the hazards of chemicals.
  5. Make accurate chemical ingredient information easily accessible to consumers, government agencies, manufacturers, brands, retailers, and others in the supply chain.
  6. Support public policies and industry standards that advance the above Principles.

*Endorsing organizations recognize the need to protect confidential business information (CBI) in limited situations when protection of the information is justified and substantiated. However, chemicals of concern, i.e., substances that are known or suspected hazards to human health or the environment, are not confidential business information.

Endorses of the Principles seek to use them to:
  • Drive avoidance of chemicals of concern
  • Build trust among users and producers
  • Use chemicals with the most comprehensive chemical hazard profiles
  • Work to reduce hazardous chemicals and their uses in products, across supply chains, and throughout product lifecycles

To see the Principles in their entirety, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, as well as the complete list of endorsing organizations, visit: https://www.bizngo.org/public-policies/principles-for-chemical-ingredient-disclosure or https://theic2.org/. Organizations are welcome to endorse the Principles at https://www.bizngo.org/public-policies/principles-for-chemical-ingredient-disclosure.
Webinar on the Principles for Chemical Ingredient Disclosure

Upcoming Webinar on the Principles
July 14, 2021, at 3:00-4:00pm Eastern
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1n9-25GqSgeRhRLRJDCD4Q.

Learn:
  • What are the 6 Principles for Chemical Ingredient Disclosure?
  • Why organizations developed and endorsed the Principles.
  • How the Principles provide value to multiple stakeholders.
  • How organizations foresee using the Principles.
  • How you can support chemical ingredient transparency.

Joining Terri Goldberg of IC2 and Mark Rossi of CPA, speakers include:
  • Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director, Clean and Healthy New York
  • Hal Ambuter, Senior Director, Regulatory and Government Affairs, Reckitt Benckiser (RB) [invited]
  • Karl Palmer, Deputy Director, Safer Consumer Products Program, California Department of Toxic Substances Control
  • Luke Zhou, Lead Sustainable Materials Specialist, Humanscale [invited]
  • Marissa LaFave, Senior ESG Research Analyst, Parnassus Investments [invited]
  • Martin Wolf, Director, Sustainability and Authenticity, Seventh Generation [invited]
Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
E-Filing System Relaunched

IMERC’s online reporting system went through critical and necessary updates over the past two years. The system was back online as of May 24, 2021. Companies have begun to file their 2018 Triennial Notification Forms through the IMERC e-filing system - https://imerc.newmoa.org/Public/EnSuite/Shared/Pages/Main/Login.aspx.

Notification through the e-filing system enables companies to comply with the Mercury-added Product Notification requirements of Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina (autos only), Rhode Island, and Vermont. Reporting is required for any company that sold or distributed mercury-added products into the states listed above during calendar year 2018.

IMERC hosted e-filing demonstration webinars in May and June. The demos highlighted the changes to the reporting system and covered the basic functionality and features of the product reporting system. The demo also included a walk-through of new features companies can use to submit their Phase-out Exemption Applications and Alternative Labeling Plans. Recording: www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/imerc/efiling.cfm.

A number of mercury-added products are banned for sale in a subset of IMERC-member states. In some instances, individual states allow companies to apply for phase-out exemptions - www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/imerc/banphaseout.cfm. Some IMERC-member states also require product and point-of-sale labeling of mercury-added products to alert potential customers that the product contains mercury and informing them how to properly dispose of it. If a particular product cannot be labeled with the standard language and formatting, companies may apply for an alternative labeling plan - http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/imerc/labelinginfo.cfm.
NEWMOA Board of Directors
NEWMOA's Board of Directors virtually met in early June to discuss state and EPA waste, toxics, PFAS, and pollution prevention challenges and NEWMOA's FY 2021 finances, projects, and strategic priorities.
 
NEWMOA’s FY 2021 Officers:
  • Mike Hastry, NJ DEP, Chair
  • Dave Burns, ME DEP, Vice Chair
  • Greg Cooper, Mass DEP, Treasurer
 
Additional FY 2021 Board members:
  • Yvonne Bolton, CT DEEP (retiring July 2021)
  • Diane Baxter, Mass DEP
  • Tiffany Skogstrom, Mass OTA
  • Mike Wimsatt, NH DES
  • Melissa Zych, NH DES
  • MaryJo Aiello, NJ DEP
  • John Vana, NYS DEC
  • Mike Ryan, NYS DEC
  • Ron Gagnon, RI DEM
  • Leo Hellested, RI DEM
  • Chuck Schwer, VT DEC (retired May 2021)
  • Cathy Jamieson, VT DEC
 
FY 2021 Program Chairs:
  • Chris Nelson, CT DEEP - 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)
  • Melissa Zych, NH DES - Pollution Prevention and Sustainability
  • Tom Metzner, CT DEEP - Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
news@NEWMOA
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 EPA or a related organization; connected to the Association in some other way; or have expressed interest in our work. news@NEWMOA contributors include Andy Bray, Terri Goldberg, Jennifer Griffith, Lois Makina, Krishana Abrahim-Petrie, and Melissa Nadeau.

If you have questions about the delivery of this e-newsletter, contact Lois Makina, lmakina@newmoa.org.
 
Please share this newsletter with others in your agency or organization that might be interested. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
NEWMOA is on Facebook
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). 
2020 Annual Report
NEWMOA accomplished a number of important milestones in 2020 as documented in its Annual Report. For a quick view of NEWMOA’s accomplishments, see the NEWMOA-by-the-Numbers and the Highlights.
 
 
Leading the Northeast to a sustainable, waste-free future
 
NEWMOA is a non-profit, non-partisan, interstate association whose membership is composed of the state environment agency programs that address pollution prevention, toxics use reduction, sustainability, materials management, hazardous waste, solid waste, emergency response, waste site cleanup, underground storage tanks, and related environmental challenges in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
 
NEWMOA provides a strategic forum for effectively solving environmental problems through collaborative regional initiatives that advance pollution prevention and sustainability, promote safer alternatives to toxic materials in products, identify and assess emerging contaminants, facilitate adaption to climate change, mitigate greenhouse gas sources, promote reuse and recycling of wastes and diversion of organics; support proper management of hazardous and solid wastes, and facilitate clean-up of contaminant releases to the environment.

NEWMOA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.