Oregon Environmental Quality Commission Meeting
February 18-19, 2010

DEQ Headquarters, 10th floor, room EQC-A
Portland, OR   

Thursday, February 18. Regular meeting starts at 8:30 a.m.

  1. Preliminary commission business: Review and adopt minutes of the December 10-11, 2009 regular meeting
    The Environmental Quality Commission will review, amend if necessary and adopt the minutes from the December 10-11, 2009 regular commission meeting.
    [Draft December 10-11, 2009 minutes]  

  2. Informational item: Status update for the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility
    Presenters: Joni Hammond, deputy director, and Rich Duval, Chemical Demilitarization Program
    General update on the status and activities at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal facility since the last commission meeting in December 2009.
    [Report and acronym list]  

  3. Action item: Best available technology determination for the mustard agent burn at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility
    Presenters: Rich Duval and MJ Davis, Chemical Demilitarization Program
    The commission must approve a best available technology determination for the treatment and disposal of mustard agent at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility before the facility can begin the activity.
    [Staff report and attachments]

This item is taken out of order

  1. Action item: Director’s transactions for commission review and approval
    Presenter: Kerri Nelson, Management Services Division
    State and DEQ policy require the commission to annually review and approve certain financial transactions of DEQ’s director.
    [Staff report and attachments]  

This item is taken out of order

  1. Action item: Transportation conformity rules
    Presenters: Andy Ginsburg, David Collier and Dave Nordberg, Air Quality Division
    Transportation conformity is the process required by the Clean Air Act that limits vehicle pollution from new transportation projects to an amount that will not exceed national air quality standards. DEQ staff will propose a repeal of certain state transportation conformity rules that duplicate federal measures.
    [Staff report and attachments]

  2. Informational and discussion item: DEQ’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement
    Presenter: Leah Koss, interim manager of DEQ’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement
    Staff will present general information on the operations and roles of DEQ’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement, and discuss how the commission would like to be involved with and informed of enforcement actions in the future.
    [Staff report]

Item F is moved to Friday morning  

  1. Informational and discussion item: Water quality human health criteria for rulemaking
    Presenters: Neil Mullane, Jennifer Wigal, Kevin Masterson and members of DEQ’s cross-program toxics prevention and reduction team
    In October 2008, the commission directed DEQ to engage in rulemaking for new water quality standards based on certain human health criteria. This item will update the commissioners on the status and projected timeline of that rulemaking. Members of DEQ’s cross-program toxics prevention and reduction team will also present an update on their work and the status of related projects and programs at DEQ.
    [Staff report and attachments]

  2. Informational and discussion item: DEQ’s draft sustainability plan
    Presenters: Wendy Wiles and members of DEQ’s internal sustainability team
    Staff will provide the commission with an overview of DEQ’s draft sustainability plan, and discuss opportunities for future commission engagement and discussion on DEQ’s sustainability plan and implementation.
    [Staff report, Attachment A, the draft sustainability report, is not yet available]

The commission will recess until Friday, February 19.
Commissioners may attend an informal evening dinner with members of DEQ’s senior administrative team, but the dinner is not a formal part of the meeting agenda.

 

Friday, February 19. Regular meeting reconvenes at 8:30 a.m.

This item is postponed until the April 2010 EQC meeting
    I.   Informational item: DEQ’s annual financial report  

This item is taken out of order

  1. Director’s dialogue
    Presenter: Dick Pedersen, director
    Director Pedersen will update the commission on special issues and events related to DEQ but not otherwise covered during the course of the meeting’s agenda.
    [Staff report]

   F1. Action item: Request for concurrence with five reappointments to the Air Toxics Science
          Advisory
        Committee Presenters: Director Pedersen, Andy Ginsburg and Gregg Lande, Air Quality Division

The Air Toxics Science Advisory Committee provides DEQ with advice on the state air toxics program that is scientifically and technically sound, independent, balanced, useful and timely. The commissioners will be asked to review and concur with the director’s decision to reappoint five members of the committee for an additional three-year term.
[Staff report and attachment]  

  1. Informational and discussion item: Budget and legislative updates
    Presenters: Greg Aldrich, government relations manager, and Jim Roys, budget manager
    Staff will update the commission on the February 2010 Special Session of the Oregon Legislature, the 2011-13 session and DEQ’s budget for the 2011-13 biennium.
    [Staff report, attachment A]

  2. Informational item: Climate change
    Presenter: Dr. Phil Mote, Oregon State University
    Dr. Phil Mote, director of Oregon State University’s Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, will present on the science of climate change. This guest presentation is the first in a series before the commission related to climate change issues at the state, federal and global level.
    [Staff report]

  3. Informational and discussion item: Developing Oregon’s Integrated Water Resource Strategy
    Presenters: Neil Mullane and Christine Svetkovich, DEQ’s Water Quality Division; Phil Ward and Brenda Batemen, Oregon Water Resources Department, and John Jackson, chair of the Oregon Water Resources Commission
    The co-presenters will update the commission on the 2009-2012 work plan for the development of an Integrated Water Resources Strategy for Oregon, and potential involvement for the commission through the planning process.
    [Staff report and attachment]

 Item M is moved to Thursday morning  

  1. Informational and discussion item: Willamette Valley field burning
    Presenters: Andy Ginsburg, David Collier and Brian Finneran, Air Quality Division
    The 2009 Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 528, a bill that phases out the practice of field burning in the Willamette Valley. Under state law, EQC enters into a memorandum of understanding with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to allow ODA to operate the field burning program in the Willamette Valley. Both ODA and DEQ are required to adopt new rules to reflect the changes made by Senate Bill 528, and EQC has the authority to allow emergency burning under certain circumstances. DEQ staff will present information on the draft rules, which are not yet released for public comment, and discussion on this issue.
    [Staff report and attachments]

  2. Public forum
    At approximately 3:15 p.m. on February 19, the commission will provide members of the public an opportunity to speak to commission members on environmental issues. Individuals wishing to speak to EQC must sign a request form at the meeting and limit presentations to five minutes. The commission may discontinue public forum after a reasonable time if a large number of speakers wish to appear. In accordance with ORS 183.335(13), no comments may be presented on rule adoption items for which public comment periods have closed.

  3. Commissioner reports
    Commissioners will present information and updates not covered in the regular meeting agenda.  

Adjourn

 

 
Future Oregon Environmental Quality Commission meeting dates and locations include:
April 29 and 30, 2010 – Coos Bay
June 16 and 17, 2010 - Lakeview
August 18 and 19, 2010 – Astoria (tentative)
October 21 and 22, 2010 - Portland
December 9 and 10, 2010 - Portland


 
Agenda Notes

Staff Reports: Staff reports for each item on this agenda can be viewed and printed from DEQ’s Web site at http://www.deq.state.or.us/about/eqc/eqc.htm. To request a particular staff report be sent to you in the mail, contact the EQC Assistant, Department of Environmental Quality, Director’s Office, 811 SW 6th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97204; telephone 503-229-5301, or toll-free 1-800-452-4011 extension 5301 in Oregon. Please specify the agenda item letter when requesting reports. If special physical, language or other accommodations are needed for this meeting, please contact the EQC assistant as soon as possible, but at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

Public Forum: The commission will provide time in the meeting during the afternoon of Friday, February 19, for members of the public to speak to the commission. Individuals wishing to speak to the commission must sign a request form at the meeting and limit presentations to five minutes. The commission may discontinue the public forum after a reasonable time if a large number of speakers wish to appear. In accordance with ORS 183.335(13), no comments may be presented on rule adoption items for which public comment periods have closed.

Note: Because of the uncertain length of time needed for each agenda item, the commission may hear any item at any time during the meeting. If a specific time is indicated for an agenda item, an effort will be made to consider that item as close to that time as possible. Scheduled times may be modified if participants agree. Those wishing to hear discussion of an item should arrive at the beginning of the meeting to avoid missing the item. All agenda times are subject to change.

For more information, visit the EQC homepage:
http://www.deq.state.or.us/about/eqc/eqc.htm