The meeting theme was “Telling Our Story”, and the meeting sessions focused on how we tell our “stories” of the sites we are addressing across the country to the public and how are we using data to tell that story.
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Presentations
ASTSWMO Welcome: Suzanne Engels, ASTSWMO President, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
- Welcome to Oklahoma: Amy Brittain, ASTSWMO Past-President & Robert D. Singletary, Executive Director, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
- >U.S. EPA
- EPA Region 6: Scott Mason, EPA Region 6 Regional Administrator
- EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM): Steven Cook, Deputy Assistant Administrator
- ASTSWMO Gives Back: Whitely O'Connor, Homeless Alliance - Sasquatch Shaved Ice
This presentation will focus on the importance of fostering collaboration across programs while effectively identifying and engaging stakeholders. I will share several strategies for leveraging existing tools and platforms to enhance communication efficiency and optimize resource sharing. Additionally, I will introduce visual mapping techniques to identify both internal and external stakeholders, helping staff analyze relationships and prioritize engagement more effectively.
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This plenary session will bring together industry and regulators to discuss how recycling, handling, storage, and emergency response for lithium batteries is conducted across the country.
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This session will highlight how State public education activities and creative strategies such as story maps, social media campaigns, and apps can tell the story of the work being done by State materials management programs.
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Federal regulations and State rules require that owners and operators of petroleum USTs show they have access to up to $1 million for environmental cleanup in case of a petroleum leak. Many UST owners and operators in Washington State have traditionally met this requirement through private insurance. As of October 2024, Washington State’s Pollution Liability Insurance Program provides a new option for petroleum (gas/diesel) UST owners and operators to meet these financial responsibility requirements. The new Financial Assurance Program provides UST owners and operators with up to $2 million to clean up leaks and replace tanks or other infrastructure. The $2 million includes cleanup for the property where the leak happened and affected properties, and third-party damages. Participants in the program can also receive up to $1 million for cleanup of leaks that happened before enrollment in the program. Enrollment fees are based on tank age, and participants can earn fee discounts by completing select best practices that reduce the risk of a release. UST owners and operators can opt-in to the new Financial Assurance Program by submitting an application to PLIA, along with their enrollment fee.
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The ASTSWMO Federal Facilities Subcommittee and Removals Focus Group have partnered to present on Time Critical and Non Time Critical Removal Actions, and their implementation in the Superfund & Federal Facilities programs. The session will break down what a TCRA is, its advantages, vital details or challenges that may arise during the CERCLA process, and case studies where TCRAs were utilized.
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The Virginia Brownfields Assistance Fund (VBAF) was established to provide grants for the restoration and redevelopment of Brownfield sites to support productive reuse and redevelopment. Similarly, Vermont’s Brownfield Revitalization Fund supports characterization and clean-up of Brownfield sites. Though there are differences between the grant opportunities, evaluating the success of each program is based on similar economic criteria: jobs creation, property value, property tax, acreage redeveloped, leveraged funds, etc. This panel will introduce each program, present the results of a recent Economic Impact Analysis of the first 10 years of Virginia’s grant program, discuss criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of the funds, current and future plans, followed by a Q+A opportunity.
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This session will look at post-closure operations and how to move sites into closure states. An example site will be used to illustrate concepts put forth in EPA guidance and highlight strategies for site management.
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ASTSWMO’s Remediation and Reuse Focus Group will present its new paper on Interim Risk Management Practices. This paper outlines different interim measures that can be taken in Munitions Response and Chemical cleanups. The Focus Group will break down different measures the federal agencies employ and outline a general set of IRM principals States can draw upon.
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A panel of State speakers will highlight their States' implementation of the EPA e-Manifest Third Rule and how their States process exception reports, unmanifested reports and discrepancy reports. Following speaker remarks, the discussion will then be opened to session attendees to share their State experiences.
Effectively communicating the risks and impacts of chemical exposure is a critical challenge for regulatory agencies overseeing site cleanups. Residents and site neighbors often face uncertainty and distrust, particularly when contamination involves complex pollutants like PFAS or PCBs. This session will explore best practices for engaging communities, addressing concerns, and ensuring transparency in environmental remediation efforts.
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This session will start with Emerging Issues Task Force members discussing their experiences with ASTSWMO, communicating between their Region’s States to enhance their State Programs, and share support with EPA. For the second half of the session, the floor will be opened to attendees to share their experiences with ASTSWMO and their Regional partnerships.
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