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Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy

Stakeholders Forum Summary

November 18, 1999

Martha Prothro, the facilitator, opened the fifth biannual Binational Toxics Strategy (BNS) Stakeholder Forum at 8:30am on November 18, 1999. Next, Gary Gulezian, Director of U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office, welcomed participants and announced that the substance workgroups have now developed a strong information base on sources of and regulations governing Level 1 BNS substances. He offered that the next challenge facing BNS stakeholders is to determine what to do with the information now available, to recognize opportunities to reduce these substances and to take actions that will make a difference.

Following Mr. Gulezian’s opening comments, several BNS partners stepped forward to describe actions they are taking to prevent BNS substances from entering the Great Lakes. Frank Anscombe, U.S. EPA, led off with a discussion of the Chlor-Alkali sector’s efforts to reduce mercury consumption. Among other things, the Chlor-Alkali sector, the largest consumer of mercury in the United States, has stepped forward voluntarily in recent years to improve brine purity by installing new operating procedures and making capital improvements. One Olin chlor-alkali factory also recently volunteered to participate in a mercury emissions study with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, an action which should advance the sector’s ability to use mercury consumption information as a management tool.

Dale Phenicie, Council of Great Lakes Industries (CGLI), described CGLI’s efforts to: (1) increase awareness of the BNS in the industrial community; (2) improve release inventory status/information, especially for OCS, PCBs, Dioxin, and HCB; (3) sign up industry partners, including Eastman-Kodak, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, OntarioHydro, Dow Chemical, and Dow-Canada, for new voluntary commitments; (4) coordinate with other/existing regulatory and other programs; (5) enhance the stakeholder process experience; and (6) identify incentives for industry to participate.

Guy Williams, National Wildlife Federation (NWF), then reflected on the progress already made under BNS and observed that "it will take all of us to eliminate the substances" from the Great Lakes. He described NWF’s efforts to encourage other ENGOs to participate in the BNS, the organization’s work with BNS workgroup leaders and the Integration Group, and their work in the community, including launching a "Clean the Rain" campaign, their work with Healthcare without Harm, and their efforts to help utilities find ways to reduce mercury releases. In closing, Mr. Williams commented that the most important steps are to come and that the BNS should now focus on direct outreach to CEOs, business leaders, and "others who can make the biggest difference." This comment was supported by several members of the audience. Tracy Mehan, Michigan DEQ, described this next step as "breaking down the green wall between environmental and financial management branches."

Margaret Wooster, Executive Director of Great Lakes United (GLU), spoke next. She observed that the BNS is "at a crossroads" and issued a challenge to Great Lakes industries to implement the "Virtual Elimination Strategy," as the BNS was formerly titled. She expressed a concern that the goal of the BNS is unclear and urged stakeholders to agree to virtual elimination as a goal. She then raised the question of how incineration will be handled under the BNS and closed her comments with a description of GLU’s work to advance a "Clean Car Campaign," an effort to reduce hazardous materials in cars that are later incinerated. Ms. Wooster was followed by Stephane Gingras, also of GLU, who commented that a clear regulatory framework is needed. He then reviewed principles that GLU would like to see adopted by the BNS:

Following these partner presentations, BNS substance workgroup leaders provided updates on workgroups’ progress to-date. Bob Krauel, Canadian Mercury Workgroup leader, described the Mercury workgroup’s workshops (on reducing mercury from utilities and community actions), achievements (among them being the Chlor-Alkali Institute’s commitment to reduce mercury use by 50%, commitments made by three northwest Indiana steel producers and Ontario Steel, and a Memorandum of Agreement signed between U.S. EPA and the American Hospital Association to work with EPA to significantly cut hospital wastes by 2005). Mr. Krauel also described efforts in Ontario by the Association of Municipal Recycling Coordinators to expand household hazardous waste programs in Ontario. Finally, he reviewed U.S. and Canadian progress toward BNS challenge goals: U.S. mercury air emissions declined 25% between 1990 and 1995 and U.S. mercury use declined by 25% between 1995 and 1997; in Canada, mercury emissions to air have declined 80% since 1988 (the baseline year).

Next, Tony Martig, U.S. PCBs Workgroup leader, discussed that workgroup’s activities. He described a "reduction commitment letter" that the PCBs workgroup drafted and sent to eight U.S. industries in the Great Lakes Basin: three automobile manufacturers and five steel producers. All three automobile manufacturers have responded, committing to reduce up to 100% of high level PCBs in their processes. A similar letter was recently sent to Canadian industries and one response has already been received. Mr. Martig then described the U.S. EPA Registration Database being established to account for PCB transformers in use. The Database has registered 18,000 transformers in the U.S., containing a total of one million pounds of PCBs. He then described numerous programs at work in Canada and the U.S., including the U.S. PCBs Phasedown Program to help utilities become 100% PCB-free within three years, the Cook County (Illinois) Clean Sweep outreach efforts to small businesses and local governments, the Small Quantity Outreach Program which brought together ninety owners with PCB disposal and storage operators in Canada, and the PCB Bulletin, which provides information on regulations and disposal facilities in Canada. Mr. Martig reported a 50% reduction in PCBs in Canada (against the 1988 baseline), that 23% low-level PCBs in Canada have been destroyed, and that progress in the U.S. against the challenge goal continues.

David Macarus, U.S. EPA gave an update on the Pesticides Workgroup. He reported that in Canada, all uses of BNS Level I pesticides have been cancelled and that industrial production has ceased. In the U.S., as reported in the draft 1998 BNS Challenges Report, all pesticides registrations have been cancelled and production has ceased. However, the U.S. is not able to verify that no pesticides are being released (in part because they are being collected during household hazardous waste collections). He noted that opportunities still exist to remediate contaminated sites, conduct clean sweeps, and participate in ongoing national and international initiatives including the PBT Initiative (U.S.) and the POPs.

Tony Kizlauskas, U.S. Alkyl-Lead Workgroup leader, reported that the BNS challenge goal for alkyl-lead has been met and that the workgroup continues to support and encourage stakeholders. The Workgroup has reviewed remaining permitted uses of alkyl-lead (aviation gasoline and automobile racing) but, at this time will not take action under the BNS to address those sources. Instead, the workgroup will go into a "dormant" stage and, on the U.S. side, focus efforts on the PBT Initiative draft national action plan for alkyl-lead. Canada will conduct ambient air and soil sampling at selected airports with high general aviation traffic volumes.

Next, Sandro Leonardelli (Environment Canada) provided a Dioxin Workgroup update. He reported that to-date, Canada can report a 76% reduction in dioxin entering the Great Lakes and the U.S. can report up to a 75% reduction (but this cannot be verified until the U.S. inventory comes out next year). He noted that the Dioxin Workgroup has identified its top five priorities for action and will, later in the day, use a decision tree to identify priority projects. Possible priorities include backyard trash-burning, residential wood combustion, and PCP-treated utility poles. He concluded his presentation by identifying the following workgroup needs: stack test data from industry (including secondary copper smelters and electric arc furnaces); stakeholder participation relevant to priority projects; and maintaining an action-oriented perspective.

Steve Rosenthal, U.S. Workgroup leader for the HCB/B(a)P group, described that workgroup’s efforts to identify major emitters, including their work to resolve disputes regarding HCB emissions from utility coal combustion and rubber tire manufacturing, neither of which turned out to be a source. He described both general reduction activities (including the U.S. Pesticide Active Ingredient MACT (which led to a 65% HAP reduction) and the Woodstove Change-out programs underway in Ontario and being planned in Wisconsin and Michigan) and workgroup activities (including discussions underway with U.S. and Canadian Wood Preservation Associations, Dow’s commitment to reduce releases by 75% by 2005, and recent environmental management agreements signed with Ontario steel companies). He then noted that the Ontario HCB inventory reported a 61% reduction in releases (since 1988) and that the U.S. TRI reported a 73% reduction in releases from 1990 to 1997.

Darryl Hogg, Canadian OCS Workgroup leader closed out the session. He stated that there are no documented releases of OCS to the Great Lakes Basin but also noted that OCS emissions are generally not tracked by industries. He then hypothesized that OCS formation is linked to processes which generate HCB and dioxin. Mr. Hogg identified specific potential sources of OCS (including waste incineration, magnesium production, secondary aluminum and copper smelting, iron sintering, and aluminum plasma etching) and noted that emissions from these sources will need to be tested to confirm the presence of OCS.

Following these presentations, participants broke for lunch and headed to substance-specific breakout sessions.

 

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