Municipal Solid Waste Management & Resource Recovery Advisory Council (MSWRRAC) Meeting
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
12100 Park 35 Circle, Building E, Room 201S, Austin, Texas
Thursday, July 13, 2017
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Members Present
Mr. Jeffrey Mayfield
Ms. Heather Douglas
Mr. Charles “Chuck” Rivette
Mr. David S. Yanke
Ms. Cheryl Mergo
Ms. Risa Weinberger
Mr. Robert “Holly” Holder
Mr. Jim Wolverton
Mr. Kevin Martinolich
Mr. Maurice Pitts, Jr.
Members Absent
Mr. Leo Smith
Ms. Yvette Salinas
Mr. Tim Davis
Mr. Scott Trebus
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TCEQ Staff
Mr. Earl Lott
Ms. Diane Barnes
Mr. Mauricio Perez
Mr. Steve Hutchinson
Mr. David Greer
Mr. Chase Campbell
Ms. Shannon Watson
Mr. Ben Yanke
Mr. Stephen Fryer
Ms. Shannon Watson
Guests
Mr. Ethan Cox, City of Denton
Mr. Nick Vincent, City of Denton
Mr. David Dugger, City of Denton
Mr. Larry Laine, TX Disposal System
Ms. Sara Nichols, STAR
Mr. Michael Carleton, Arredondo, Zepeda & Brunz, LLC
Welcome and Introduction of Members and Guests – Mr. Holly Holder, Interim Council President
Mr. Holder welcomed members and guests.
Study on the Economic Impacts of Recycling – Mr. David Greer, Pollution Prevention and Education Section, TCEQ
· Study is still on track to be completed before the end of August.
· Presentation about the study is tentatively scheduled for the October meeting.
Environmental Excellence Awards – Mr. Chase Campbell, Pollution Prevention and Education Section, TCEQ
· Discussed the events of the banquet held at the TCEQ Trade Fair.
· Presented a few videos that were submitted by the winners.
· Requested to keep an eye out for future projects.
· New website: www.teea.org
TCEQ Waste Permits Division (WPD) Update – Mr. Earl Lott, Division Director
Mr. Lott provided the following updates:
· Staffing
Ø Down 6 full time employees (FTEs) in WPD
Ø September 1st, state hiring freeze may be lifted
Ø 4 new FTEs for coal combustion program for IHW Permits Section due to bill passage
· Legislative Session
Ø Only 2 bills passed that affected the MSW program
s HB 1584 authorizes counties adjacent to Mexico with population less than 300,000 and municipality population of 200,000 or more to regulate solid waste within an extraterritorial jurisdiction. Currently, this only affects Webb County. No impact to MSW program.
s SB 1229 authorizes counties with population. more than 1.5 million and at least 75 percent of the population resides in a single municipality to use competitive bidding process to contract for solid waste services located within ETJ of a municipality, if the municipality does not provide such services in that area. MSW rules could be updated, but not necessary at this time.
Ø Special Session begins July 18th. Potential interim study of the MSW program could occur through a legislatively formed committee.
· Streamlining MSW Processes
Ø Finalized several guidance documents. Updated documents are available on the TCEQ website.
· Scrap Tires
Ø Cement industry has approached the TCEQ to help reduce the amount of scrap tire piles for tire derived fuel. However, there are more stringent federal air emission requirements for scrap tires that come from abandoned tire sites. TCEQ is discussing the issue with EPA to see if there is some relief to the current requirement that can be granted in order to allow the State to efficiently manage these abandoned sites.
Landfill Mining – Mr. David Dugger, City of Denton Solid Waste Department
Mr. Dugger introduced Ethan Cox as the new director for the City of Denton’s Solid Waste & Recycling Department. Mr. Dugger discussed the landfill mining project at the City of Denton Landfill. Following is project information that was presented.
· Project began when the facility drilled for gas wells in an older section of the landfill. They realized that there was material in place from a period of time when the city was not conducting much recycling that could now be possibly recycled.
· Project is scheduled to begin in October when equipment arrives.
· An estimated 250-300 tons/day of daily production in the mining process when operation is fully running is anticipated.
Texas Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Infrastructure Assessment in Four Major Markets – Mr. Michael Carleton, Arredondo, Zepeda & Brunz, LLC
Mr. Carleton discussed a study that addresses how population growth and other factors impact the State’s solid waste infrastructure, including waste generation, and landfill capacity. The study focused on the Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio areas.
Council Positions Update – Mr. Steve Hutchinson, B&PS Section
· 9 positions will be open
· 6 of the 9 are due to position expirations and the other 3 are partial term positions
· Appointment agenda date will be early November
· 10 applications have been received
Approval of April 20, 2017 Meeting Highlights:
Mr. Wolverton made a motion to accept the meeting highlights. Mr. Rivette seconded the motion, and the highlights were approved by the council.
Public Comments
None.
Next Meeting: Scheduled October 12, 2017.
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