Happy New Year! We wish you a health-filled and joyous 2022. |
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Meet Greg Cooper, NEWMOA’s Board Vice-Chair |
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NEWMOA: Tell us about yourself and your background.
I have worked at MassDEP for over 28 years, since 1993. I grew up in the Los Angeles area (Arcadia) and received my BS in Business from the University of Southern California (USC). Out of college I worked for Investor’s Business Daily and worked my way up to western U.S distribution manager. The work did not inspire me much, so I went back to school and obtained an MBA in Environmental Management from UC Davis. In graduate school, I opted to pursue a focus on the environment instead of computing (career mistake). Mind you this was 1989 so my foresight was lacking at 25. But to be honest, I am happy I made the choice I did because every day since then has been one that has been challenging and meaningful. I met my wife (Resa) of 30 years in California, and we decided to move back to her roots in Boston in 1992. It was the classic five-year plan that turned into 30. We now have three boys in their 20’s, all healthy, big bodies, and only one more year of debt. I consider myself to be pragmatic. I would call myself a numbers person who is driven by results and not extremely patient.
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NEWMOA: What do you do at DEP?
At MassDEP, I have served as the Director of Hazardous and Solid Waste for the past 10 years. I started out in solid waste/recycling managing the Springfield materials recovery facility (MRF) and ended up as the Director of Recycling a few years later. Currently, I manage hazardous waste, toxics, asbestos, underground storage tanks (USTs), and environmental results program (ERP), and I coordinate MassDEP’s multi-media compliance and inspection efforts with our regional offices.
NEWMOA: What are your priorities for NEWMOA? What do you hope it will accomplish?
Priority number one - never becoming President. After that I’d like to contribute to advancing more regional coordination and initiatives. It is abundantly clear that we can’t work in a bubble in New England, not when you can drive through 6 or 7 states in a half day. I think NEWMOA is in a unique position to foster those efforts.
NEWMOA: What's one thing you would like people to know about you?
I love live music. For me, there is nothing better than going to local music venues. I enjoy the small ones most and will listen to just about anything except cover bands. So, if we can arrange NEWMOA Board meetings around this that would be great. As you can imagine, the past two years have been very disappointing on that front, and I’m looking forward to the day when that returns.
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Northeast Conference on the Science of PFAS: Public Health & the Environment
NEWMOA has partnered with the Northeast Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), and others to organize this regional Conference. The Conference will take place in-person April 5-6, 2022 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center in Marlborough, MA. The goals of the Conference are to:
- Ensure that local, state, and federal action to address PFAS contamination is informed by the most current and reliable science
- Facilitate networking and information-sharing among key stakeholders on PFAS topics
- Identify important gaps in the science and policy to help inform future research
NEWMOA expects Conference attendance to be approximately 600 people, including:
- Local, state, and federal government officials
- Academic researchers and students
- Consultants and vendors
- Companies that use, make, or sell products that contain PFAS
- Non-governmental and environmental organizations
The Conference will include plenary and concurrent sessions and an exhibit and poster area. The concurrent sessions are anticipated to cover:
- Health Impacts & Environmental Behavior
- Treatment, Remediation, & Disposal
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PFAS Uses & Alternatives
- Environmental Sampling & Analysis
COVID Protections
Attendees will be asked to provide proof of vaccination or, for those who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons, that they provide proof of a negative COVID test in the prior 72 hours. We will likely require attendees to wear masks when they are not eating but will make a final decision on that closer to the time of the Conference.
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Upcoming Waste Site Cleanup Webinars |
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Overcoming Fractured Bedrock Investigation Challenges
Tuesday, February 1, 2022, 1:00 - 3:00 Eastern
Presenters: Derek Pizarro & Bill Brab, AST Environmental
Leveraging Your CSM to Develop Successful Bedrock Remediation Approaches: Concepts & Case Studies
Tuesday, February 8, 2022, 1:30 - 3:00 Eastern
Presenters: Chapman Ross, FRx & Leah MacKinnon & Julie Konzuk, Geosyntec Consultants
Indoor Air Impacts from PCBs in Building Products: Why it Matters & How to Properly Collect Air Samples
Wednesday, March 9, 2022, 1:30 – 3:00 Eastern
Presenters: Trish Coppolino, VT DEC; Jim Occhialini & Andy Rezendes, Alpha Analytical; Keri Hornbuckle, University of Iowa
NEWMOA waste site cleanup webinars are free for federal, state, and local government officials only (please make sure to read each webpage for the discount code). For others, the fee is $75 with a reduced rate of $25 for non-profit organizations, students, and academics.
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Solid Waste & Sustainable Materials Management |
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Minimum Post-Consumer Recycled Content Model Legislation for Plastics
NERC and NEWMOA will be hosting a webinar on January 13, 1:00 PM Eastern to walk through the Draft Model Legislation.
Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4089495380802734605
Over the past 18-months, NEWMOA and The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) brought together a Workgroup of state recycling officials from the northeast to work together to develop the draft Model Legislation for minimum post-consumer recycled plastic content in trash and carry-out bags and food, beverage, and household product containers. The Model Legislation is intended as a common starting point in the development of legislation requiring the use of post-consumer recycled plastic in specified products sold in the states. The main goals of the Model Legislation are to incentivize markets for recycled plastic, improve the economics of recovering plastic for recycling, and reduce the environmental impact of virgin plastic production.
NERC and NEWMOA’s Workgroup included representatives of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP), Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC). In drafting the Model, the Workgroup consulted experts in trade associations, the consulting community, industry, and other state governments to seek their advice, information, and learn from their experience. In addition, the Workgroup reviewed existing post-consumer recycled content mandates for plastic products that have been enacted in California and Washington State and proposed legislation in New Jersey.
The Draft Model Legislation does not necessarily represent the views of individual Workgroup members or the Agencies they represent, nor are NERC and NEWMOA taking an official position regarding the legislation. Both organizations, however, support increased use of post-consumer plastic in products and packaging.
Upcoming Joint NEWMOA-NERC Webinar
End Markets for Finished Compost
February 23, 2022, 1:00 - 2:30 Eastern
Just as with traditional recyclables, closing the loop is essential for successful organics management. The loop is closed with the productive use of finished compost. This webinar, jointly hosted by NERC and NEWMOA, will discuss end market applications and examples from organizations that compost food and other organics.
Presenters will be:
- Debra Darby, Manager, Organics Sustainability Solutions, Tetra Tech, Moderator
- Charles Duprey, Founder & President of Naturcycle LLC
- Maria Bianchetti, Recycling Specialist, OCRRA
- Emma Yates, Business Development, & Ryan Cerrato, Vice President, Product Marketing, WeCare Denali
Recent Joint NEWMOA-NERC Webinars
Recycled Content Mandates: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
This webinar was co-sponsored by NEWMOA, the NERC, and the West Coast Forum on Climate and Materials Management.
Recycled content mandates are growing in popularity as a policy mechanism to engage producers in taking responsibility for recycling markets, sharing in the costs of a functioning recycling system, and reducing climate change impacts. But not all recycled content mandates are the same, and some have the potential for unintended consequences. This webinar examined:
- California’s experience with several, different recycled content mandates
- Whether or how mandates might support, or conflict with, broader extended producer responsibility policies
- Potential economic and environmental limitations of recycled content mandates, and some possible solutions
Presenters:
- Mark Murray, Executive Director, Californians Against Waste
- Steve Alexander, President & CEO, Association of Plastics Recyclers
- David Allaway, Senior Policy Analyst, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Fate of Non-organic Packaging Materials from De-packaging Operations – How Much is Recycled & Into What?
De-packaging is growing as a way of making the significant amount of waste from unused packaged food available for anaerobic digestion and composting. During this webinar, jointly hosted by NERC and NEWMOA, attendees heard from operators of de-packaging facilities and a researcher who is investigating the presence of micro-plastics in de-packaged food waste.
Presenters:
- Ray Duerr, Vanguard Renewables
- Rashi Akki, Ag-Grid Energy
- Eric Roy, University of Vermont
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Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2)
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Welcome Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) Back to IC2!
IC2 is pleased to welcome the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) back as a returning member. ME DEP was a founding member of IC2 and has plans to utilize IC2’s High Priority Chemicals Database System (HPCDS) to assist them with implementing the reporting requirements related to their 2021 law prohibiting the sale of products that have intentionally- added PFAS.
New GreenScreens in the IC2 Chemical Hazard Assessment Database (CHAD)
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NEWMOA Board of Directors |
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NEWMOA's Board of Directors virtually met in early June to discuss state and EPA waste, toxics, PFAS, and pollution prevention challenges and NEWMOA's FY 2021 finances, projects, and strategic priorities.
NEWMOA’s FY 2022 Officers:
- Mike Wimsatt, NH DES, Chair
- Greg Cooper, Mass DEP, Vice Chair
- Leo Hellested, RI DEM, Treasurer
Additional FY 2022 Board members:
- Robert Isner, CT DEEP
- Nicole Lugli, CT DEEP
- Graham Stevens, CT DEEP
- Susanne Miller, ME DEP
- Diane Baxter, Mass DEP
- Tiffany Skogstrom, Mass OTA
- Cynthia Nelson, NH DES
- Mike Hastry, NJ DEP
- MaryJo Aiello, NJ DEP
- John Vana, NYSDEC
- William Ottaway, NYSDEC
- Ron Gagnon, RI DEM
- Leo Hellested, RI DEM
- Matt Chapman, VT DEC
FY 2022 Program Chairs:
- Chris Nelson, CT DEEP - Solid Waste & Sustainable Materials Management
- Tom Killeen, NYSDEC - Hazardous Waste
- Trish Coppolino, VT DEC - Waste Site Cleanup
- Saskia van Bergen, Washington Ecology - Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2)
- Cynthia Nelson, NH DES - Pollution Prevention & Sustainability
- TBD - Interstate Mercury Education & Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
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news@NEWMOA is designed to help our members and colleagues keep informed about the Association's projects and activities. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are a member of a NEWMOA working group, committee, or program; invitee to NEWMOA events; a colleague at EPA or a related organization; connected to the Association in some other way; or have expressed interest in our work. news@NEWMOA contributors include Krishana Abrahim-Petrie, Andy Bray, Terri Goldberg, Jennifer Griffith, Lois Makina, and Melissa Lavoie.
If you have questions about the delivery of this e-newsletter, contact Lois Makina, lmakina@newmoa.org.
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Follow us on NEWMOA’s Facebook page! We are now using Facebook to post notices about our events, new publications and information resources, projects, and members. We’d love to hear your ideas for how to make our Facebook page engaging and helpful. Check it out by searching for Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA). |
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Leading the Northeast to a sustainable, waste-free future
NEWMOA is a non-profit, non-partisan, interstate association whose membership is composed of the state environment agency programs that address pollution prevention, toxics use reduction, sustainability, materials management, hazardous waste, solid waste, emergency response, waste site cleanup, underground storage tanks, and related environmental challenges in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
NEWMOA provides a strategic forum for effectively solving environmental problems through collaborative regional initiatives that advance pollution prevention and sustainability, promote safer alternatives to toxic materials in products, identify and assess emerging contaminants, facilitate adaption to climate change, mitigate greenhouse gas sources, promote reuse and recycling of wastes and diversion of organics; support proper management of hazardous and solid wastes, and facilitate clean-up of contaminant releases to the environment.
NEWMOA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
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