PAST ACTIVITIES
2008 ECOS Annual Meeting
On September 21, 2008, the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group met in joint session with the Federal Facilities Forum (FFF) as part of the 2008 ECOS Annual Meeting in Branson, Missouri. A press release from the U.S. Department of Defense describing the outcomes of these meetings is available here. 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 ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group met in joint session with the Federal Facilities Forum (FFF) 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
San Diego Meeting - March 2008
On March 14, 2008, the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group convened a meeting in San Diego, California. Click on the following links for more information about the meeting:
REPORT BRIEF on the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group Meeting on March 14, 2008
NOTES from the Emergining Contaminants Task Group session on March 14, 2008
NOTES from the Compatible Use and Sustainability Task Group session on March 14, 2008
Resolution on Sustainability and the Department of Defense
At the 2007 ECOS Annual Meeting on September 18, ECOS passed Resolution 07-11: On Sustainability and the Department of Defense, which supports the work of the Compatible Use and Sustainability Task Group.
Resolution 07-11: On Sustainability and the Department of Defense
Other Work Group Products
Compatible Use and Sustainability WorkOutcomes and Action Items from the Forum for a Sustainable Future
June 2007 Work Group Meeting
On June 20-21, members of the ECOS-DoD Sustainability Work Group met in
The Compatible Use and Sustainability Task Group discussed follow up activities to their November 2006 Forum for a Sustainable Future and heard a presentation about the San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership initiative. More information on the work of this task group can be found on their webpage.
Emerging Contaminants Survey
During the fall of 2006, the Emerging Contaminants Task Group surveyed the states regarding their work related to emerging contaminants and what chemicals they considered emerging contaminants. Thirty-eight states responded to this survey. Below are links to documents which summarize their responses.
Press Release on Emerging Contaminants Survey Results
Summary of State Responses to Emerging Contaminants Survey
Spreadsheet of Survey Responses
ECOS 2006 Annual Meeting
At ECOS' 2006 Annual Meeting, the Work Group held a joint meeting with the Federal Facilities Forum. Notes from that session and copies of two presentations can be accessed through the links below.
Presentation by Shannon Cunniff of DoD on DoD's Work on Emerging Contaminants
June 2006 Work Group Meeting
Approximately 60 people, including representatives from 13 states, participated in the last ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group Meeting held on July 14-16, 2006 in Seattle, Washington. On June 14 about 20 state and federal members toured Fort Lewis Army Base to learn about their sustainability activities. Each of the three task groups met on July 15 to address their projects.
The Land Use Controls Task Group discussed activities related to the Uniform Environmental Covenants Act, and heard reports from the 2006 Institutional Controls Roundtable in Tucson, on the Navy’s LUC Tracker, on ICMA’s LUC Webring, on EPA’s work on Life Cycle Cost Guidance, and an opportunity to work with Google Earth to share data on cleanup sites. More information on the task group's session can be found on their webpage.
The Compatible Use and Sustainability Task Group discussed the use of the customizable briefing on encroachment since the last meeting and development of a marketing/outreach plan for the briefing. The group also discussed concerns that the Department of Defense was not sufficiently employing the principles and practices of sustainability as installations prepared for growth or redevelopment. The group also heard presentations on the sustainability activities of several of the agencies and associations attending the meeting. Additionally, the group worked on planning the Forum for a Sustainable Future, which will be held this fall in San Diego. More information on the task group's activities can be found on their webpage.
The Emerging Contaminants Task Group discussed drafts of five work products that subgroups have been developing. These work products are a survey for states on emerging contaminants, an issue paper on communication related to emerging contaminants, an issue paper on the selection of toxicity values/criteria for risk assessment in the absence of IRIS values, an issue paper on the initiation of actions and funding for emerging contaminants, and an issue paper on improving consistency in risk assessment. More information on these products and the task group's activities can be found on their webpage.
2006 ECOS Spring Meeting
On March 20, 2006 at the ECOS Spring Meeting, ECOS members and guests were briefed on the activities of the work group during a session of the ECOS-DoD Sustainability Work Group. Attendees also heard about two State-DoD partnerships - the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability and the Virginia Regional Environmental Management System - related to sustainability. Copies of the presentations can be accessed below.
Southeast Regional Partnership on Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS)
February 9-10, 2006 Work Group Meeting
Nearly 100 people, including representatives from 18 states, participated in the latest ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group Meeting held on February 9-10, 2006 in Washington, DC. Each of the three task groups met to address their projects. The Land Use Controls Task Group discussed the Uniform Environmental Covenants Act and management of LUCs. The Compatible Use and Sustainability Task Group heard from several states about thier programs related to environmental management systems and sustainability, and began discussing possible activities related to pollution prevention. The Emerging Contaminants Task Group worked on follow up actions from the Forging Partnerships on Emerging Contaminants Forum held in November 2005. The task group broke into four subgroups to develop on a state survey on emerging contaminants, and to discuss and begin to address key risk assessment/risk management issues, risk communication challenges, and a pollution prevention policy related to emerging contaminants.
During one of the plenary sessions, participants heard from DOD on their Range Assessment activities. The presentations made by each of the services can be accessed below.
Air Force Range Assessment Presentation
Army Range Assessment Presentation
ECOS 2005 Annual Meeting
Notes from the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group Session at the ECOS 2005 Annual Meeting in Kennebunkport, Maine are available here.
June 9-10, 2005 Meeting
Representatives of 12 state environmental agencies met with representatives of DOD, DOE, and several associations at the ECOS-DOD Sustainability Work Group meeting June 9-10 in Denver, Colorado. Each of the three task groups met and continued work in their focus areas.
The Groundwater Task Group worked on creating the agenda for a forum entitled “Forging Partnerships on Emerging Contaminants: A Forum for State and Federal Stakeholders,” which is being planned for this fall. It also heard from Shannon Cunniff of DOD on the agency’s latest activities regarding perchlorate research and remediation. The Land Use Controls Task Group worked on addressing comments on the draft land use controls resolution, which was circulated to ECOS members. The group also heard updates from the International City/County Management Association and EPA on their activities related to land use controls. The Compatible Use and Sustainability Task Group reviewed feedback from initial presentations of their encroachment briefing. They also discussed a variety of issues including the Virginia Regional Environmental Management Systems, collaboration opportunities with the ITRC, and federal sustainability initiatives. All work group members also heard a presentation by John Buck of DOD on operational range assessments.
April 10, 2005 at ECOS Spring Meeting
At the ECOS Spring Meeting, each of the task groups reported on their work to the Commissioners.
February 2-3, 2005 Meeting
The work group met on February 2-3, 2005 at the Hall of States in Washington, DC. Agendas for the meeting were:
- Overall Agenda - February 2-3
- Compatible Use and Sustainability Task Group - February 3
- Groundwater Task Group Agenda - February 2-3
- Land Use Control Task Group Agenda - February 2-3
ECOS' 2004 Annual Meeting - October 3, 2004
The ECOS-DoD Sustainability Workgroup met on October 3 at the ECOS Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The meeting notes reflect that the main focus of the meeting was to present the work of the three task groups to the ECOS membership. A resolution in support of the workgroups efforts was also proposed. The three strategic plans as they were presented to the ECOS membership are:
Strategic Plan for Emerging Contaminants in Groundwater
Strategic Plan for Compatible Use and Sustainability
Strategic Plan for Land Use Controls
The strategic plans and resolution in support of the workgroup were presented to additional ECOS members as part of the Federal Facilities Forum Session on October 4. The resolution in support of the ECOS-DoD Sustainability Workgroup was approved by the ECOS membership on October 5, 2004.
Summary of September 23, 2004 Meeting
At a meeting that followed the Brownfields 2004 Conference in St. Louis, Missouri the ECOS-DoD Sustainability Workgroup continued its work on three strategic plans to deal with encroachment/compatible use, land use controls, and groundwater issues. In a one-day meeting on September 23, 42 attendees representing 13 states, EPA, and many parts of the Department of Defense met as a full group and then in individual task groups to finalize their strategic plans for presentation to the ECOS membership at ECOS' annual meeting in October.
Summary of June 29-30, 2004 Meeting
The ECOS/DoD Sustainability Workgroup held a very successful meeting June 29-30, in Washington, D.C. More than 50 participants attended including representatives from 12 states, the Department of Defense, NGA, NAAG, ASTSWMO, ASDWA, NACO, ICMA, and the White House.
The meeting was co-chaired by Jon Sandoval of Idaho and Alex Beehler of the Department of Defense. In three breakout sessions, participants discussed encroachment/compatible use, land use controls, and groundwater issues. Jim Werner of Missouri, Marybeth Brenner of New Jersey, and Eric Noack of Nevada co-lead the breakout sessions with representatives of the Department of Defense. The dialogue in the breakout sessions was spirited and constructive. By the end of the meeting, draft plans had been created for how the workgroup would try to address these matters.
Draft Strategic Plan for Emerging Constitutents in Groundwater
Draft Strategic Plan for Enroachment
Draft Strategic Plan for Land Use Controls