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Federal Facilities Forum
ANNOUNCEMENTSPresentations from ECOS Annual Meeting Available Presentations made during the joint Federal Facilities Forum and ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group session on September 21, 2009 at the ECOS Annual Meeting are available at the links below:
ECOS Passes Resolution Regarding Formerly Used Defense Sites During the Cross-Media Committee plenary session on September 22, 2009, the ECOS membership passed the following policy resolution (click link for resolution text): Department of Defense's Formerly Used Defense Sites Program Budget Webinar Held to Discuss Onsite Disposal of Radioactive Waste On June 1, the ECOS Federal Facilities Forum held a webinar to discuss the report: An Examination of the Use of Engineered Cells for Onsite Disposal of Radioactive Waste. The report highlights state considerations for hosting onsite radioactive waste disposal cells. Fifteen officials from seven states participated in the webinar, including: Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee. The webinar featured slideshow presentations from Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky. Ms. Christine Gelles, Director of the Office of Disposal Operations, was also on hand to offer commentary and perspective from US DOE EM. For more information about the webinar, please contact Matthew Jones of ECOS at (202) 624-3665. Click here to see the agenda. For more information about the Washington state case study contained in the report, please contact Ron Skinnarland (Washington) at (509) 372-7924. ECOS Passes Resolutions on Mercury and Federal Facility Cleanup Issues During the Cross-Media Committee plenary session on March 23, 2009, the ECOS membership passed the following policy resolutions regarding mercury pollution and federal facility cleanup issues (click links for resolution texts): Clarification of CERCLA Sovereign Immunity Waiver for Federal Facilities Mercury Reduction, Stewardship, and Retirement Paul Sloan Named New State Co-Chair for the ECOS Federal Facilities Forum
In February 2009, ECOS announced Paul Sloan (Tennessee) as the new State Co-Chair of the ECOS Federal Facilities Forum. For more information, click here.
Available for Viewing: ECOS Webinar on DOE Nuclear Cleanup Budget Planning (Recording)
On December 3, ECOS held a web-based seminar ("webinar") on the topic of nuclear weapons complex cleanup budget planning. Ms. Merle Sykes (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Program Planning and Budgeting with the U.S. Department of Energy) presented a slideshow to ECOS Federal Facilities Forum members outlining the agency's annual budget planning process for its environmental management work. Numerous state officials from across the complex joined Ms. Sykes in a question-and-answer session following her presentation. Officials from several states attended the session (including IL, KY, MO, OH, SC, TN and WA). To view a recording of the event, click this link, scroll down the resulting page, and click the "Playback" button.
US EPA Supports Renewed State/ Federal Munitions Response Dialogue Through cooperative agreements, EPA is providing support to ECOS and ASTSWMO to support a renewed state/federal dialogue on munitions response issues. Funding provided to ECOS through the cooperative agreement will support expenses of the state members of the work group. A letter from EPA to DOD about this effort is available here.
FORUM BACKGROUNDThe ECOS Federal Facilities Forum (FFF) provides a forum for dialogue between ECOS members and officials from various federal agencies tasked with environmental management duties at various federal facilities (many state environmental agencies have staff dedicated to negotiating and overseeing pollution cleanup activities undertaken by various federal agencies at various federal facilities). The FFF affords state and federal environmental management officials the opportunity to interact, share information, learn from each others' expertise, and work together to negotiate various technical and political issues related to the cleanup of various polluted federal sites. In addition to this, ECOS tries to monitor breaking news related to environmental cleanup negotiations regarding federal facilities as well as the release of new policy or technical documents relevant to this field, and ECOS frequently passes this news and information on to FFF members, and periodically conducts meetings or trainings on related topics for their benefit as well. The Federal Facilities Forum was created in the Spring of 2004 by combining two (2) predecessor ECOS subgroups, the DOE Forum and the DOD Forum. Historically, and currently, the FFF has had a strong partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and ECOS members' participation in the FFF has largely involved a collaboration with DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) officials to oversee and continue a dialogue regarding the activites these officails are responsible for performing, including decommissioning, cleaning up, and restoring various sites within the nuclear weapons complex (the FFF is currently supported in part by a grant from the DOE). Many states have an interest in these activities and have negotiated and secured oversight authority to monitor DOE EM's cleanup efforts for such sites as allowed for under various federal laws, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) (also known as the "Superfund law"). Despite this current focus, the FFF is open to accomodate opportunities for interaction between state officials and environmental management officials from other federal agencies besides DOE, including:
Indeed, the FFF often holds meetings in conjunction with the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group in order to maximize resources and syncronize opportunities for dialogue around issues of mutual interest to both state officials and officials from DOE and DOD. Past FFF events have already played host to officials from the EPA as well. ECOS members appreciate opportunities for interaction with their federal partners, and ECOS welcomes ideas for any such interaction for the future. Now, and into the future, ECOS seeks to continue to build and maintain strong relationships with federal agencies tasked with performing environmental management duties at various federal facilities so that states can continue to oversee and ensure that such facilities are managed in a manner which safeguards human health and the environment. The Federal Facilities Forum is currently co-chaired by Paul Sloan (Deputy Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation). The federal co-chair position is currently vacant. The FFF Staff Liaison is Matthew Jones (ECOS). Persons wishing to learn more about the Federal Facilities Forum may contact Mr. Jones at mjones@ecos.org. The Federal Facilities Forum is a subgroup of the ECOS Cross-Media Committee and reports directly to the Cross-Media Committee regarding its activities and policy position suggestions. The Federal Facilities Forum usually meets at least twice a year-- convening a session at both the ECOS Spring Meeting and the ECOS Annual Meeting (in late summer or early fall). The FFF also holds periodic conference calls in order for members to share news and information, and to coordinate the group's future activities. In addition to this, the FFF also participates in periodic outreach meetings and conference calls with DOE's Combined Intergovernmental Working Group (CIWG). ECOS' representatives to the CIWG are: Thomas Schneider (Ohio EPA); Michelle Wilson (South Carolina DHEC) and FFF Co-Chairman Paul Sloan (Tennessee DEC) or his alternate, John Owsley. State officials interested in joining the FFF are encouraged to contact Matthew Jones mjones@ecos.org.
CURRENT ACTIVITIESCIWG In 2008 and 2009, FFF members will continue to participate in the Combined Intergovernmental Working Group (CIWG), a forum between DOE EM and various intergovernmental associations established to encourage year-round communication between these groups regarding the status of cleanup efforts at nuclear weapons complex sites. These discussions usually center on federal-state cleanup agreement negotiations, and the changing political, technological, and budgetary issues that accompany such negotiations year to year. Currently, Michelle Wilson (South Carolina DHEC); Thomas Schneider (Ohio EPA); and FFF Co-Chairman Paul Sloan (Tennessee DEC) serve as ECOS' representatives to the CIWG (or Mr. Sloan's alternate, John Owsley). Webinars In 2008 and 2009, the FFF plans to provide trainings and internet-based seminars ("webinars") to its members on engineering, technology and political topics related to the cleanup of the nuclear weapons complex.
PAST ACTIVITIES2009 ECOS Spring Meeting On March 22, 2009, the Federal Facilities Forum met in joint session with the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group (SWG) as part of the 2009 ECOS Spring Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. Click on the following links for more information: AGENDA for FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG Meeting-- March 22, 2009 NOTES from the FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG Meeting-- March 22, 2009 PRESENTATION by Maureen Sullivan to the FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG-- March 22, 2009 PRESENTATION by William Levitan to the FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG-- March 22, 2009 2008 U.S. DOE Intergovernmental Meeting ECOS sent a contingency of members and staff to attend the Intergovernmental Meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE EM) November 12- 14, 2008 in Snowbird, Utah. This meeting afforded an excellent opportunity for members and their staff to meet with DOE EM officials, and their professional counterparts in other states to share information and talk about issues of concern to them. Several top-level DOE EM officials attended the meeting to discuss program budgeting, waste disposition, and the agency’s plans for transitioning site cleanup work under the upcoming Obama Administration. The ECOS Federal Facilities Forum also held states-only side meetings as part of this broader meeting event, so members could have a chance to interact and collaborate.
2008 ECOS Annual Meeting On September 21, 2008, the Federal Facilities Forum met in joint session with the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group (SWG) as part of the 2008 ECOS Annual Meeting in Branson, Missouri. Click on the following links for more information: AGENDA for FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG Meeting-- Sept. 21, 2008 NOTES from the FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG Meeting-- Sept. 21, 2008 PRESENTATION by James J. Fiore to the FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG-- Sept. 21, 2008 2008 ECOS Spring Meeting On April 14, 2008, the Federal Facilities Forum met in joint session with the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group (SWG) as part of the 2008 ECOS Spring Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Click on the following links for more information: AGENDA for FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG Meeting April 14, 2008 NOTES from the FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG Meeting April 14, 2008 PRESENTATION by Karen C. Guevara to the FFF/ ECOS-DOD SWG April 14, 2008 Energy Communities Alliance Annual Conference The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) will hold its annual conference on February 21-22, 2008 in Washington, DC. At the meeting, members of Congress, committee staff members, and DOE officials will be invited to share their perspectives on important Department of Energy issues including Presidential politics, changes in Congress, FY09 appropriations for the Department of Energy, the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), integration of DOE missions with cleanup at sites, environmental cleanup, waste disposition and more. If you would like more information about this meeting visit ECA's website at www.energyca.org or contact Carolyn Hanson at 202-624-3501. DOE Environmental Management Engineering and Technology Update - October 2007 In October 2007, DOE published this update on the activities and accomplishments of their Office of Engineering and Technology.
2007 DOE Intergovernmental Meeting On October 17-18 in Snowbird, Utah, five national intergovernmental groups that work closely with the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management met with the U.S. Department of Energy on issues related to the cleanup of the nuclear weapons complex. The meeting included both presentations and small group breakout sessions. Below are links to the three main presentations made by the Office of Environmental Management. More information on recommendations for action from the breakout sessions will be posted here as it becomes available.
2007 ECOS Annual Meeting The Federal Facilities Forum held a joint session with the ECOS-DoD Sustainability Work Group at the 2007 ECOS Annual Meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho on September 16. The major activities of the meeting included an update on the activities and products of the ECOS-DoD Sustainability Work Group, a presentation from DOE on the Roadmap for Cleanup, and a discussion of DSMOA issues. More information from the session can be found below.
Defense-State Memorandum of Agreement (DSMOA) As a result of some apparent changes in interpretation of DSMOA policy, in April 2007, ECOS passed a resolution to pursue work with DoD and Congress to address these changes. To pursue this issue with DoD, ECOS sent a letter to Philip Grone, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, on April 25, 2007 asking for clarification of the changes they have made in interpreting DSMOA policy. On July 23, 2007, ECOS received response letter from DoD clarifying their position.
EIS for Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste On July 23, 2007, the Department of Energy issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the disposal of Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste. DOE is proposing to evaluate alternatives for disposal in a geologic repository, in intermediate depth boreholes, and in enhanced near surface facilities. Locations that are being considered for storage include the Idaho National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the Nevada Test Site, Yucca Mountain, the Savannah River Site, Oak Ridge Reservation, and the Hanford Site, as well as commercial facilities. Written comments on the Notice of Intent are being accepted until September 21, 2007. In addition to accepting written comments, a series of public scoping meetings are being held in August and September. To read the full Notice of Intent, to view the list of public scoping meetings, to submit comments, or to learn more about DOE's Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste EIS, visit the DOE webpage dedicated to this.
DOE-EM Five-Year Plan The Department of Energy's Environmental Management Office (DOE-EM) has published its five-year plan for fiscal years 2008-2012.
DOE Draft Engineering and Technology Roadmap The Department of Energy’s Environmental Management Office (DOE-EM) has published a draft Roadmap for Engineering and Technology that identifies technology gaps that exist in the current program and contains a strategy to address those gaps. These gaps affect DOE-EM’s efforts to clean up their sites. The roadmap and strategy is divided into three areas: Waste Processing, Groundwater and Soil Remediation, and Deactivation and Decommissioning/Facility Engineering. If you have comments on this document, please send them to Carolyn Hanson by June 15, 2007 so they can be compiled into a set of comments from ECOS.
Long-Term Stewardship Roundtable & Training On April 4-5, 250 people representing 42 states, EPA, local governments and other groups met at the 2007 LTS Roundtable and Training to discuss issues related to long-term stewardship (LTS) and institutional controls. In plenary sessions, participants heard a panel discussion on roles and responsibilities related to LTS and presentations by several companies that offer products that can address data availability and collatoration challenge related to institutional controls. In breakout sessions, attendees had the opportunity to learn about and discuss isues related to financing and costing of LTS; LTS data exchange; LTS and institutional controls tools; optimization; partnerships, roles, and responsibilities; and tracking, implementation, monitoring , and enforcement. Numerouse state representatives made presentations based on experience in their agencies. Copies of the presentations are available on the CLU-In website. DOE's Proposed 2008 Budget for Office of Environmental Management On February 5, DOE released the President’s proposed budget for the department for 2008. While the department’s overall proposed budget reflects an increase of 3% over the 2007 request, the proposed budget for the Office of Environmental Management reflects a 3% decrease below the 2007 request. The largest cut was related to Defense Environmental Cleanup Closure Sites under which the cleanup at several sites including Rocky Flat, Fernald, and Columbus have been completed and transferred to the Office of Legacy Management. The proposed budget also reflects significant budget cuts for most of the Non-Defense Environmental Cleanup Sites such as the
DOD's Efforts Related to Unexploded Ordnance Safety A January 2007 letter from Alex Beehler, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, briefly describes DoD efforts to educate the public on the hazards of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
2006 Intergovernmental Meeting with DOE Representatives of ECOS, the National Governors Assocation Federal Facilities Task Force, the National Association of Attorneys General, the Energy Communities Alliance, and the State and Tribal Government Working Group met with the Department of Energy on November 29-30 in Arlington, Virginia. At the meeting the groups and DOE shared information related to: DOE's performance-based project management, the current status of Yucca Mountain legislation, DOE's waste disposition strategy, long-term stewardship, DOE's budget, natural resource damage assessment, and the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). In breakout groups, the participants discussed how to improve decision-making, communication, and consultation between DOE and the various groups and their members. Below are links to some of the presentations that were made.
DOE's Waste Information Management System As part of its work to address disposition of waste at its sites, DOE has created WIMS. WIMS allows users to visualize and understand the volumes, categories, and problems of forecasted waste streams. WIMS can be accessed at the link below: 2006 Annual Meeting Notes from the joint meeting of the Federal Facilities Forum and the ECOS-DoD Sustainability Work Group at the 2006 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon are available here. The presentation by Shannon Cunniff of DoD on DoD's work related to emerging contaminants can be found here. The presentation by Bill Ross of North Carolina that provided an update on the activities of the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) can be found here. 2005 Intergovernmental Meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy Representatives of ECOS, the National Governors Assocation Federal Facilities Task Force, the National Association of Attorneys General, the Energy Communities Alliance, and the State and Tribal Government Working Group met with the Department of Energy on November 9-10 in Washington, DC. At the meeting, the groups and DOE shared information on their activities related to long-term stewardship, natural resources damanges assessment, DOE's End States Initiative, and DOE's new waste disposition strategy. Copies of the presentations made at the meeting can be accessed on the National Governors Association Federal Facilities Task Force website. 2005 Annual Meeting Notes from the Federal Facilities Forum at the 2005 Annual Meeting in Kennebunkport, Maine are available here. The presentation by Cliff Rothenstein and Mark Barolo of EPA's Office of Underground Storage Tanks on USTs and the 2005 Energy Bill can be found here. A summary of the 2005 Energy Bill created for the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) can be accessed here. |
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