The meeting theme was “Risk Communication” and the Association offered a training to all meeting attendees on this topic. The meeting also covered issues such as vapes management, program specific issues of risk management, and Tanks State Fund deductibles.
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Presentations
Keynote Speaker: Superintendent Jenkins, Grand Teton National Park
Using EPA’s SALT Framework, a foundation of social science, and personal experience, the presenters will talk through best practices in risk communication. The discussion will include a focus on a variety of key topics including PFAS, legacy pollutants, scientific uncertainty, risk perception, and building trust.
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Management of vapes is an issue for both State and Territorial hazardous waste and materials management programs. The Chairs of ASTSWMO’s Hazardous Waste and Materials Management Subcommittees will provide brief overviews of issues from each program perspective. A speaker from EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR) will talk about the status of EPA’s activities regarding vapes, also known as e-cigarettes. A representative from TerraCycle will discuss the company’s vape collection and recycling program. Following the presentations, the session will provide time for discussion among speakers and attendees.
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Abstract: Sometimes situations happen when readying sites for re-use that sound like they came straight out of an episode of the beloved sitcom, Parks and Recreation. Redevelopment is coming, and some real curveballs may be thrown your way, but that’s OK. The Brownfields Focus Group will highlight situations where there were some significant surprises including when human remains were found during remediation, a fire starting on a property that changed the sampling strategy, and more! Using lessons learned, we’ll present best management practices when working toward redevelopment as a goal, even when feeling like Leslie Knope and saying, “I need you to text me every 30 seconds that everything is going to be ok”. Please bring your own situations to this informal gathering of colleagues and you may walk away with solutions for current and future situations that may inspire a Mouse Rat song.
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The Financial Responsibility Task Force will present findings from 23 States and Territories on UST State Fund deductibles and eligibility requirements. This introductory review explores how varying deductibles may function as compliance incentives and summarizes the diverse approaches to fund coverage. The Task Force will also highlight Pennsylvania and Maine and how they implement their deductible and eligibility structures.
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The State-Federal Coordination Focus Group is hosting a presentation on its latest paper: “Understanding Unlimited Use/Unrestricted Exposure (UU/UE) at Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) Sites: Implications for Long-Term Risk Management”. This session will examine the process State regulators and federal partners undertake to designate MMRP sites as UU/UE, and the unique factors one must consider when dealing with the acute dangers of munitions.
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Session attendees will engage in a facilitated tabletop exercise using a scenario and role-playing that is designed to put into action the skills learned during the plenary session.
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This session will address issues States and Territories are encountering as these facilities approach or reach 30 years of post-closure care, but continue to present environmental concerns. The Vice-Chair of ASTSWMO’s Disposal and Conversion Task Force will briefly introduce the topic and then turn to State perspectives on how these issues are being addressed in practice. One State speaker will summarize a State’s approach to practical decision-making when evaluating landfills reaching 30 years of post-closure care, including financial assurance considerations. Another State speaker will discuss types of financial assurance mechanisms States use, including practical lessons learned from mechanisms that have worked well and those that have created challenges.
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The remedy selection process can be challenging. The EPA’s Spreadsheets for Environmental Footprint Analysis (SEFA) is a tool project managers can use to evaluate remedies holistically. SEFA calculates a project’s projected energy use, water use, material use, waste volumes, and emissions. SEFA’s comprehensive tracking method can help identify elements of a remedy which are environmentally and economically intensive, allowing for remedy comparison or remedy optimization earlier in the remedial process.
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This session covers how high resolution site characterization (HRSC) supports low threat closures at contaminated LUST sites by reducing key uncertainties and clearly delineating exposure pathways and receptors. Speakers will present case studies and State input on the use of HRSC to promote low-threat closures. The session will continue with a moderated panel of State regulators and EPA OUST to share lessons learned, policy adaptations, and real-world outcomes, followed by audience Q&A.
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ASTSWMO’s Remediation and Reuse Focus Group will present on conceptual site modeling, data quality, and different strategies regulators can employ when conducting an optimization study.
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