2018-06-27 Meeting Minutes (EMC)

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Commissioner Gaffney suggested the commissioners work together on getting the language finalized, and they could revisit the issue at the next meeting. Director Kucharski explained that generally, each contract has its own evaluation criteria. For recycling contracts, they could include an education component as points and add it to the contract review and evaluation criteria. DEM would need to let everyone know what the evaluation will involve. The education components would be listed in the RFP that goes out. Commissioner Osborne said she’d like Director Kucharski to help with the language, and they can bring it forward at the next meeting. Chair Bennett clarified that a motion is on the table, and the discussion on it is being continued to the next meeting. At that time there will be succinct language to put forward. Commissioner Osborne thanked the commissioners for their support, as this matter has laid heavily on her heart for quite some time, and she thanked the administration for being open to it. b. Status report by subcommittee pursuant to its investigation on how to address implementing the Commission’s resolution approved and adopted on March 28, 2018, to adopt a proactive pollution elimination program consistent with the goals of the Clean Water Act. Chair Bennett reported the subcommittee has learned that the County’s wastewater disposal is a relatively small piece of the whole pie. The island’s 59,000 cesspools comprise a larger slice, and this fact has caused the subcommittee to step back and look at the issue of wastewater disposal, and nutrient movement into the ocean, in a larger context. They plan to look at federal law, including the Clean Water Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act, and review the state’s implementation of these as well as any state laws about water quality and coastal zone management. They will also look at what policies and programs the County as a whole has. The idea is to bring all the divergent, discordant policies into one document and then make recommendations on how the County can attempt to fill some of the voids. The State chooses at times to ignore federal law and not do what the CWA says. At the government level the laws can be ignored, and there are no consequences other than continued degradation of our receiving water. People he has spoken with are interested in this and recognize the discordancy and holes that exist. He hopes to have a draft in a month to provide to the EMC for comments. Commissioner Gaffney said the project is overwhelmingly huge. Other nations have tackled this issue in unique ways, and there may be value in studying what they