Act 154 Chemical Use Working Group

The General Assembly passed H.595 (Act 154) in the spring of 2016, which included a mandate to the Agency of Natural Resources to form a working group of “interested parties and parties with expertise in the field of toxic chemical use and regulation" to develop a set of recommendations on how to prevent exposure to toxic chemicals, hazardous materials and hazardous waste; identify and regulate currently unregulated toxic chemicals, hazardous materials and hazardous waste (contaminants of emerging concerns); and inform Vermonters regarding potential exposure, including from contaminated groundwater, public water systems, or private potable water supplies.

Act 154: An act relating to potable water supplies from surface waters

Search the Vermont General Assembly website to find updates on the status of legislation related to chemicals policy.

Final report: Act 154 Chemical Use Working Group Report on Toxic Chemical Use in the State of Vermont

Submitted January 13, 2017 to:

The House Committee on Energy and Technology
The House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife
Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy

Meeting Materials: January 5, 2017

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• January 3, 2017 - Comments submitted jointly by VNRC, VPIRG, LCI, VLS and TAC regarding Dec. 15, 2016 draft report
• January 4, 2017 - Comments submitted by Nat Shambaugh, private citizen, regarding Dec. 15, 2016 draft report. Background report: Organic Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Lake Champlain Basin: A Review of Current Knowledge, 2016.
• January 4, 2017 - Comments submitted by Seventh Generation regarding Dec. 15, 2016 draft report

Comments on majority recommendations

• December 8, 2016 - Comments submitted by Associated Industries of Vermont, Global Foundries, Mack Molding
• December 12, 2016 - Comments submitted by VNRC, VCC, LCI and VLS
• December 14, 2016 - Public comment from Nat Shambaugh

Meeting Materials: November 29, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Draft Outline of Act 154; Section 10 Report from the Working Group on Chemical Use in Vermont
• Template for Regulatory Program Summaries
• Meeting Recording (ORCA media)

Meeting Materials: November 17, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Policy Proposals for Act 154 Working Group Review
• Majority Policy Recommendations from the Act 154 Chemical Use Working Group
• Public comment received from Nat Shambaugh, Citizen and Annette Smith, Vermonters for a Clean Environment
• Meeting Recording (ORCA media)

Meeting Materials: November 1, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• DRAFT Policy Recommendations from the Act 154 Working Group and Interested Parties including contact information - Updated November 8, 2016
• Meeting Recording (ORCA media)

Meeting Materials: October 19, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Goals and Values Exercise
• Gaps Exercise
• Meeting Recording (ORCA media)

Meeting Materials: September 19, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• TRI Webinar Information
• Meeting Recording (ORCA media)

Presentation: The Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act
Heather Tenney, Toxics Use Reduction Institute, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Meeting Materials: August 23, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Meeting Recording (ORCA media)

Presentation: Act 154 (H.595) Toxic Chemical Use Working Group
Ruma Kohli, Product Stewardship and CSR Program Manager, and Thom Jagielski, Site Operations Manager, Global Foundries

Presentation: Thinking About Comprehensive Chemicals Policy
Joel Tickner, ScD, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Meeting Materials: July 19, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Background Material
  • Report: Review of Minnesota Department of Health; Contaminants of Emerging Concern Program Process for Selecting Chemicals, (University of Minnesota Department of Health, May, 2016): The University of Minnesota recently reviewed the process used by the MN Department of Health’s Contaminants of Emerging Concern Program to select chemicals to develop health-based guidance values. The review was conducted as a result of a legislative mandate to review the department’s drinking water contaminants of emerging concern program, to assess the process used by the department, and to compare the process to efforts by other states and the US EPA. See associated Appendices of the Report.
  • Article: Compendium of State Regulatory Authorities on Emerging Contaminants, (Integral Consulting, Inc., May 2016): A recent evaluation of regulatory initiatives focusing on emerging contaminants in all 50 states and D.C.  This report looks at such factors as programs’ level of environmental screening for emerging contaminants, and development of regulatory guidance and standards for emerging contaminants.
  • Article: Toward a New U.S. Chemicals Policy: Rebuilding the Foundation to Advance New Science, Green Chemistry, and Environmental Health, (Wilson and Schwarzman, August 2009): A report focusing primarily on the effectiveness of federal chemicals policy written before the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.  Though this article was published in 2009, it provides a useful background of the chemical manufacturing industry and discusses some of the aspects of recent chemicals policies that could be improved to better protect public health and the environment. 
  • Appendix: EPA Regulatory Matrix: Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Chemicals in Other Federal Programs. The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is “a resource for learning about toxic chemical releases and pollution prevention activities reported by industrial and federal facilities”, and is used to inform decision-making on the local, governmental, and private/corporate levels.