Board of Public Works
HTM Office
City of Los Angeles
Hazardous & Toxic Materials Office
Board of Public Works
City Hall
200 N. Spring Street, Room 353
Los Angeles, California 90012
(213) 237-1209
Volume 3, No. 1 - Spring 1991
For pollution prevention to become the preferred hazardous materials management solution, waste generators need a market place to purchase technologies and services that can help them to minimize the generation of hazardous waste. The HTM Project hopes to establish such a marketplace by sponsoring Pollution Prevention: Towards 2000, a Waste Minimization Technology Showcase and Conference to be held at the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel, Wednesday, July 31 and Thursday, August 1, 1991.
From a nationwide search for companies that market waste minimization technologies and services, the HTM Project and co-sponsor, the Local Government Commission, found over 50 exhibitors for the Towards 2000 Technology Showcase. The showcase, open to the public for free, will exclusively feature available technologies, such as hazardous chemical substitutes, alternative process machinery, closed loop recycling equipment, and also off-site recycling and reclamation services. City Departments that generate hazardous waste may apply these alternative technologies to their operations.
The exhibitors, mostly small to middle sized companies, offer waste minimization alternatives to the traditional treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs). Although some TSDFs and many consultants play major roles in pollution prevention, the HTM Project decided to limit the showcase's theme exclusively to waste minimization technologies. An exception at the Showcase will be an "Ask the Regulator" booth, featuring City officials scheduled to provide regulatory requirement consultations.
Towards 2000 will feature a concurrent, two day conference at the Biltmore to explore relevant waste minimization issues. Dan McGovern, Environmental Protection Agency's Region IX, is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech. Meanwhile guest luncheon speaker, James Strock, Secretary of the proposed California EPA, shall address the state's environmental direction.
The HTM Project has scheduled several panel discussions focusing on pollution prevention issues for the two day conference's agenda. For Wednesday, July 31 the panel discussions are slated from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.:
Several government agencies and trade associations are lined up to be co-sponsors for Pollution Prevention Towards 2000. The HTM Project thanks the event co-sponsors, especially the City's Department of Water and Power, Department of Airports, Harbor Department, and Bureau of Sanitation.
This issue, Volume 3, No. 1, marks the latest HTM newsletter since Summer 1990, Volume 2, No. 3. Since the last publication, we witnessed a world war, a national recession, and a regional drought. Here's for good news. Sorry for the delay.
Major Tom Bradley honored City departments for their pollution prevention achievements during a March 1 Los Angeles City counsel meeting. The Department of General Services won the 1991 Major's Award of Excellence for Outstanding Achievement in Pollution Prevention for recycling automotive refrigerants. Likewise, the Bureau of Sanitation's Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Department of Water and Power's Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant received Significant Achievement awards.
While General Services received the Major's Award for recycling CFC-12s at the March 1 City Council meeting, on the same day the South Coast Air Quality Management District adopted Rule 1411, which ordered the recycling of refrigerants from motor vehicle air-conditioners. The Major's panel of judges appreciated General Services' prospective thinking.
However General Services did not win the Outstanding Achievement award for merely acquiring the equipment, the Murray A.T.C. 5000. Fleet Services personnel, namely Robert Johnson, Equipment Specialist II, and Roy Mckee, Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic, suggested to the A.T.C. 5000 manufacturer design modifications that improved the efficiency of the systems. Because of Fleet Services' research and development efforts, General Services' CFC-12 recycling program recovers virtually all automotive refrigerants and can service other City air-conditioning systems.
Legend has it that a manager at Hyperion's wastewater treatment plant discovered a mislabeled hazardous waste drum at the facility. He inquired about its origin but nobody could trace its source. Days later he noticed another drum and then other mysterious drum reports appeared. So it goes, incidents like these prompted the Bureau of Sanitation's Human Resource Development Division to form the Hyperion Hazardous Waste Task Force Committee.
The task force not only improved Hyperion's hazardous waste management practices, but initiated an aggressive waste minimization plan. In 1990 the plant reduced the volume of hazardous waste sent to landfills by 98.3% compared to 1989. Hyperion achieved these results by eliminating, reusing, or recycling hazardous materials used in daily operations. By reducing waste, Hyperion realized a cost savings of $273,500.
The Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant ensures that DWP customers receive safe drinking water. During routine operations soil particles, algae, and suspended organic matter collect in the plant's filters. This material, known as backwash sludge, normally would be stockpiled and then hauled to landfills.
David H. Gale, a LAAFP Maintenance Supervisor, speculated that he backwash sludge could be recycled instead of being disposed. DWP contracted with a local nursery to recycle the material. The recycling operation mixes green waste with the backwash sludge. The dried mixture can be used as an environmentally friendly soil additive. DWP's backwash sludge recycling project saves the City over one million dollars in estimated disposal costs.
As the September 1, 1991 deadline for SB 14 Hazardous Waste Source Reduction Evaluation Plans and Management Reports approaches, the HTM Project will be providing last minute resources for compliance.
The state Department of Health Services produced a videoconference entitled "Hazardous Waste Minimization: Planning for Success" for a live state wide March 28, 1991 broadcast form KPBS in San Diego. The telecast featured experts from the state's Toxic Substances Control Program and also HTM Project director Donna Toy-Chen.
Because not all generators interested in viewing the live videoconference were able to go to a down link facility, the HTM Project, through the Los Angeles Department of Telecommunications, will rebroadcast the videoconference on the L.A. City View cable television station. "Planning for Success" is tentatively scheduled to air several times before the September 1 deadline. Call the HTM Project at x71209 for the rebroadcast dates.
The Major's Award panel of judges consisted of qualified environmental professionals. Because the judges adhered to a strict definition of "pollution prevention", those nominations best reflecting the awards' themes earned the highest scores.
On the panel: John Aubert of General Dynamics helped his employer reduce 40 million pounds of hazardous waste in four years. Dr. Arthur Purcell of the Resource Policy Institute of Eugene Tseng of EcoSource International brought consulting expertise. Sharon Lien of the Anaheim Public Utilities Dept. provided insight from a municipal agency. Kevin Dick of the EPA Region IX in San Francisco scored the nominees by phone and fax. The sole judge from the City was Lillian Kawasaki, General Manager of the Environmental Affairs Dept.
All other Mayor's Award nominees received Certificates of Distinction for their pollution prevention efforts. These efforts signify the City's diversity of approaches to achieve waste minimization.
The minimization of waste oils and fluids, through recycling and improved housekeeping practices, is most applicable to City facilities. Sanitation's Terminal Island Treatment Plant, L.A.-Glendale Water Reclamation Plant, Solid Waste Division, DWP's Aqueduct Division, and Department of Airports all received awards for primarily reducing the volume of hazardous waste fluids.
Meanwhile, several City agencies earned certificates for implementing waste minimizaiton programs unique to their situations. Sanitation's Environmental Monitoring Division, a Mayor's Award finalist, developed a model laboratory waste reduction program. DWP's Power Operating and Maintenance Division retrofilled equipment contaminated with PCBs. General Services switched form solvent based paints to water based paints. The Bureau of Street Lighting acquired improved lighting equipment to conserve energy and save costs.
And finally, DWP considered the long term with the Los Angeles Electric Vehicle Initiative and the short term with its employee commute emissions reduction program.
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[(HTM City News NOTE: The following is an excerpt from the California Department of Health Services' and EPA's Waste Minimization for Hazardous Materials Inspectors Module 1: Introductory Text with Self-Testing Exercises. The City of Los Angeles employs over one hundred environmental inspectors responsible for regulating facilities that use and generate hazardous materials and waste. These inspectors work for several City agencies, such as the Bureau of Sanitation's Enforcement Division and the Los Angeles Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Section. As more industries consider implementing waste minimization programs, City inspectors must define their roles in assisting facilities make this transition.
The manual was prepared by the University of California, Riverside Extension. HTM Project Manager Donna Toy-Chen, is a member of the Project Advisory Committee. Dr. Merritt is Professor of Zoology at the University of La Verne. Reprint permission was granted by the DHS's Toxic Substance Control Program, Alternative Technology Division.)]
by Sheridan V. Merritt, Ph.D.
The effort to minimize hazardous waste requires cooperation between regulatory agencies and the facilities that need to accomplish hazardous waste minimization. The inspector, as an agency representative, can be a valuable resource to the hazardous waste generator seeking to minimize wastes within a complex regulatory framework.
Waste minimization is a winning proposition for hazardous waste generators, for regulators of hazardous materials and waste and for the community at large. Minimization of hazardous waste results in a reduced need for disposal facilities, a lessened risk to the community from hazardous waste releases and conservation of natural resources. The hazardous materials inspector can make a valuable contribution to this effort in his or her regular inspection activities and by acting as a resource and support person for those facilities working on waste minimization programs.
As a result of inspectors becoming more involved in the onsite development of waste minimization programs, their relationships with industry may undergo some change. It is very important that you, as an inspector, give some thought to both the problems and opportunities that might arise.
Regulator, Consultant or Both
Would assisting a facility in the establishment and implementation of a waste minimization program consistitute too great a shift in the role of inspector, as regulator, toward that of consultant to the industry? The following discussion suggests that consultation/advisement is not a new activity for inspectors and that individual discretion and departmental guidelines can help to ensure a balanced approach.
Experience as Both Regulator and Advisor
Acting as a consultant to the regulated community is nothing new to the experienced hazardous materials inspector. Simply by virtue of the number of facilities examined, the inspector becomes acquainted with many different ways in which facilities attempt to comply with regulations, conserve cost, and minimize liability. Each inspector receives a unique and continuous on-the-job training experience due to the nature and complexity of the types of facilities and processes he or she has investigated. A particularly challenging experience at one facility may lead to thorough research and investigation of an overall industry. Therefore, it is to be expected that each of you will have different strengths and weaknesses, based on your level of training and experience.
The more technical expertise an inspector can develop the better the inspector may be able to assist industry in adopting waste minimization techniques and strategies. However, many basic aspects of waste minimization are common to a variety of industries and processes and require little specific technical knowledge.
Potential Conflicts
Inspectors often juggle the roles of advisor/consultant and regulator. In most jurisdictions, the inspector has a primary duty to protect public health and the environment, and may be the person primarily responsible for enforcing hazardous materials regulations and investigating environmental crime. Often, especially for the small company, the inspector and the hazardous waste hauler are the only sources of information on hazardous materials regulations. The potential for differences in interpretation arises when the inspector and waste hualer, one having responsibility to check for compliance with laws and regulations and the other having an economic interest in the company's generation of hazardous waste, address the various approach to management of hazardous materials.
A Cautionary Note
Other potential problems arise when an inspector gives advice to a business. As an inspector, you must be very careful not to step beyond the boundaries of your expertise and authority. And because of the potential for advisor/regulator conflict, regulatory requirements must be clearly distinguished from "helpful advice". A well articulated department policy and standardization of waste audit or waste minimization assessment procedures can help prevent misunderstandings.
In spite of the potential problems arising when an inspector addresses waste minimization, there is much to be gained by the facility and the regulatory agency through this cooperative effort. Waste minimization is a win-win situation for regulators and generators alike with reduced regulation, disposal costs, and liability for the facility and reduced risk to public health and the environment.
Individual agencies have different policies for waste minimization activities, but this manual assumes a definite distinction between the responsibilities of the inspector and those of the generator. The legal responsibility for minimizing wastes belongs to the generator of the waste. The inspector can encourage and facilitate waste minimization through actions that serve the generator as well as the regulatory agency. As with other inspection activities, the extent of the inspector's role in waste minimization efforts will vary with interests and needs of the facility and the number of other competing responsibilities. The basics of facilitating waste minimization are all familiar to inspectors. They consist of providing information, performing inspections, documenting, and interacting with other agencies.
Information
The inspector and his or her department have the ability to provide critical information to a facility regarding waste minimization alternatives. In fact, the inspector may be the individual who initially motivates a company to explore the possibilities of waste minimization. This happens quite naturally during the process of sharing success stories of similar companies who have minimized waste. But the inspector also serves as a check on the legality and possible restrictions on proposed waste minimization alternatives. In view of the potential conflicts mentioned earlier, however, and important way in which an inspector can be valuable to a company is to extend the company's access to waste minimization information beyond his or her department and beyond the waste hauler.
Access to the waste minimization information network may be increase through industry and regulatory contacts, educational opportunities (seminars, etc.), and published information- information specific handouts, fact sheets and government publications.
Inspection
There are some common problems in hazardous materials management and operations, such as poor waste inventory management, careless handling and storage of materials, commingling of wastestreams and inadequate employee education, training and communication, that have some simple solutions. Inspectors can identify these problems and make recommendations. Taking action to solve these management problems also achieves the goals of waste minimization.
In some cases, unnecessary generation of waste is linked to careless management practices, which may constitute violations of law. Consistent enforcement of regulations can be a major incentive to reduce hazardous wastes through improved management and operations. A facility that is required to dispose of contaminated soil, mixed wastes, and "mystery" (unknown) wastes is more likely to appreciate the economic incentives for proper hazardous waste management and waste minimization. Lawful management of hazardous materials and hazardous wastes is the first step in waste minimization and may represent quite an achievement for facilities with consistent violations. Waste minimization may be all that is necessary for some small companies with simple waste streams to come into compliance with hazardous waste laws.
There are economic, regulatory and public relations benefits to be gained by businesses that apply waste minimization to their operations. It may, therefore, be appropriate for the inspector to bring waste minimization problems and possibilities to the attention of a level of management within the company concerned about business management and company liability.
The inspector and his or her department have the ability to provide critical information to a facility regarding waste minimization alternatives. In fact, the inspector may be the individual who initially motivates a company to explore the possibilities of waste minimization.
It is likely that the inspection will be conducted in the presence of a plant manager or operator who is most familiar with hazardous materials inventory management, the processes that use hazardous materials and hazardous waste handling, storage and disposal. It may be beneficial, in addition, to arrange to have the business manager accompany you in order to discuss the legal requirements, alternative waste management possibilities and company hazardous materials management policy. This not only allows you to educate a manager unfamiliar with hazardous material/waste management, but provides an opportunity to pen the lines of communication between the business manager information about costs associated with hazardous wastes and company perceptions of barriers of waste minimization.
Acquiring information for departmental programs
As liaison in the field, the inspector plays a key role in maintaining an agency's awareness of its regulated industries' activities. The documentation of field situation that an inspector develops and shares with other agency personnel can influence the department's perceptions of the problems, needs and concerns of industry as well as the perceptions of the public. In this way documentation can help to shape department policy.
Interaction with other concerned agencies
Since various agencies (air quality, sewing, regional water quality control boards, DHS) regulate hazardous waste generating facilities, waste minimization activities in one jurisdiction may affect programs under other jurisdictions. It is important that agency representatives remember that the goal of waste minimization is to accomplish an overall reduction in the waste generated, not simply a transfer from one environmental medium to another.
Awareness of a Barrier's Facing Industry
The movement of industry toward waste minimization is not without its obstacles. The recognition of the hazards, liabilities and costs associated with hazardous waste generation is relatively new to the industrial community. In some ways, the barriers to waste minimization are similar to those that delay other major changes in business practices. These barriers include significant limitations on available financial resources, information and technical capabilities. Waste minimization can be further limited by the "end-of-pipe" outlook, which persists in many industries and regulatory agencies. The inspector is in a good position to help a facility's personnel to overcome the "lack of information barrier" as well as their reluctance to examine unfamiliar alternative approaches.
Another service the inspector can provide to the generator and the regulatory agency is to become aware of the barriers which generators are facing and bringing them to the attention of the appropriate people. Local agency personnel may be able to offer some assistance in overcoming the barrier or in seeking the help of state and federal agencies.
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| Name | AKA | CAS #; Category | 1988 TRI | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methyl Ethyl Ketone | MEK Butanone | CAS 78-93-3; Haz. Waste | 159.1 million lbs. | Solvent, Dewaxer |
| Methyl Isobuty Ketone | MIBK, 4-Methyl-2-pentanone | CAS 108-10-1; Haz. Waste | 43.7 million lbs. | Solvent, Alcohol denaturant |
| Benzene | Coal Naphtha | CAS 71-43-2; Carcinogen | 33.1 million lbs. | Fuel Additive |
| Toluene | Methylbenzene | CAS 108-88-3; Priority Toxics | 344.6 million lbs. | Manufacturing |
| Xylenes | Dimethylbenzene | CAS 1330-20-7; Haz. Waste | 201.6 million lbs | Solvent |
| Methylene Chloride | Dichloromethane | CAS 75-09-2; Carcinogen | 153.4 million lbs. | Extractant, Solvent |
| Chloroform | Trichloromethane | CAS 67066-3; Carcinogen | 26.9 million lbs. | Extractant, Solvent |
| Carbon Tetrachloride | Tetrachloromethane | CAS 56-23-5; Carcinogen | 5.0 million lbs. | Extractant, Solvent |
| 1,1,1-Trichloroethane | Methyl chloroform | CAS 71-55-6; Priority Toxic | 190.5 million lbs. | Degreaser |
| Trichloroethylene | TCE, trichloroethene | CAS 70-01-6; Carcinogen | 55.4 million lbs. | Solvent Degreaser |
| Tetrachloroethylene | Perchloroethylene | CAS 127-18-4; Carcinogen | 37.5 million lbs. | Dry Cleaning |
| Cyanides | KCN, NaCN | CAS 151-50-8, 143-33-9; Priority Toxic, Poisin B | 13.8 million lbs. | Metal Plating |
| Cadmium & Compounds | None | CAS 7440-43-9 Carcinogen | 2.0 million lbs. | Electroplating |
| Chromium & Compounds | Haxavalent Chrome | CAS 7440-47-3 Carcinogen | 56.9 million lbs. | Metal Plating |
| Lead | None | CAS 7439-92-1; Priority Toxic | 58.7 million lbs. | Various Industries |
| Mercury | Mercuric Chloride | CAS 7487-94-7; Priority Toxic constituents | 0.3 million lbs. | Various Industries |
| Nickel & Compounds | None | CAS 7440-02-0; Priority Toxic | 19.4 million lbs. | Various Industries |
CAS-Chemical Abstract Service
[(see source document)]
...All the haz mat news that's fit-to-print that can fit inside the column.
33/50 Program...The EPA recently announced its voluntary 33/50 Program to reduce seventeen TRI pollutants from environmental releases (see side bar EPA's Most Wanted Chemicals). EPA's Administrator William Reilly asked the generators to pledge a 33% reduction of the seventeen pollutants from 1988 levels by 1992 and a 50% reduction by 1995.
Pollution Prevention Act of 1990...By passing the PPA '90, Congress has empowered the EPA to make waste generators consider multi-media source reduction. Any generator required to file annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) forms under Section 313 of SARA Title III will now have to include toxic chemical source reduction and recycling reports. The reports must include quantitative measurements of source reduction achieved from the previous year, a two year projection of future reductions, and a listing of the source reduction practices used.
L.A. Haz Waste Report...The HTM Project has authorized Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. to complete the status report Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management in the City of Los Angeles Departments. The report summarizes Los Angeles City facility waste streams over the past several years by department and makes recommendations. The report will be submitted to the respective departments; general managers.
LGC Reduction Seminar...Over two dozen Los Angeles City employees, mostly Sanitation inspectors, attended a workshop "Reducing Hazardous Pollutants: Strategies for Air, Water & Land" at the Los Angeles Harbor Dept. Auditorium in April. The workshop, sponsored by the U.S. EPA, the states DHS, and the Local Government Commission, presented the attenders with source reduction strategies for several regulated industries.
L.A. Waste Exchange...The HTM Project is studying the feasibility of an informal interdepartmental waste exchange for unused stock chemicals that would otherwise have to be TSDFed. If your City facility would like to participate call the HTM Project at x71209.
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Los Angeles waste generators can take advantage of the HTM Project's new Los Angeles Hazardous Waste Reduction Assistance Program. L.A.HWRAP uses the expertise and enthusiasm of retired professionals to perform "walk through" waste reduction audits in industrial facilities, free of charge. Also nicknamed the L.A. Senior Environmental Corps, the twenty volunteers total nearly 1000 years of professional education and experience, including careers in chemical engineering and environmental science. The program will be managed by the HTM Project and the Bureau of Sanitation.
The retirees, recruited by Dr. Arthur Purcell of the Resource Policy Institute, assembled at Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant in March 1991 to receive hazardous waste reduction assessment training. Many retirees did not know what the City expected from them, but either their aspirations of getting back into industry or their desire to protect the environment motivated them to volunteer.
Alan Gagnet and Dr. Alex Padva of the Florida Department of Environmental Regulations provided the core waste reduction curriculum to the L.A. Seniors using their state's successful retiree program as a model. Technical lectures presented by representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency Region IX, Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, Rockwell-Rocketdyne, and Jacobs Engineering were up-staged by Terry-Foecke's hands on mock industrial process exercise.
Foecke of the Waste Reduction Institute in Minneapolis dispensed to class members Play Dough Fun Factory sets. Assuming the role of a federal contractor, he gave the retirees product specifications that they needed to follow to obtain a government contract. However he warned them that any residual red or yellow clay must be disposed of as hazardous waste. As the calss made a mess of their tabletopes, they immediately understood why source reduction is considered the most desirable hazardous materials management option.
...the HTM Project will ask the retirees to help Los Angeles City facilities finalize SB 14 Hazardous Waste Source Reduction plans and Management reviews which are due September 1.
As L.A.HWRAP starts up, the HTM Project will try to match a retiree's professional background with the industries requesting assistance. For example, Andre Amy of Pomona considered changing vocations from his many years of being a metallurgical engineer to becoming an environmental professional. For his first assignment, Amy along with George Notskas are scheduled to help a metal plating firm in North Hollywood.
The L.A.HWARP volunteers have been trained to be preliminary hazardous waste reduction assessments for qualified Los Angles based industries. A generator can expect a retiree to tour its facility for waste minimization opportunities, but should not expect a thorough environmental audit like those conducted by inspectors or by established environmental consultants.
After several site visits and interviews the retirees will research possible source reduction options. These options include technology transfer, process modifications, and alternative management practices. The retirees will present a brief research summary with recommendations to the facility management and the HTM Project. The generator should expect follow-up calls from the volunteer to find out it any of the suggestions were successfully implemented.
For many of the L.A. Seniors' first assignments, the HTM Project will ask the retirees to help Los Angeles City facilities finalize SB 14 Hazardous Waste Source Reduction plans and Management reviews which are due September 1. If your City facility requires SB 14 compliance, please call the Bureau of Sanitation's Matthew Bequette at (213) 237-0806 to apply for L.A.HWRAP assistance.
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by Mark N. Nakata
The HTM Project leads an environmental compliance education committee for the downtown Los Angeles jewelry district. The committee consists of interagency representatives from the Bureau of Sanitation's Enforcement Division, Fire Dept's Hazardous Materials Section, Dept. of Building and Safety, Planning Dept.'s Zoning Administration, and the Environmental Affairs Dept. Also joining the committee are the Los Angeles County Hazardous Materials Control Project and the California Dept. of Health Services' Toxics Program.
The jewelry district educational committee represents an unprecedented effort by several government agencies to focus on a single industry for environmental compliance outreach. Over 600 jewelry manufacturers locate their facilities inside a dozen downtome buildings. The sidewalk retail centers give the jewelry district an alluring appearance, but above the retail floors the manufacturing shops generate waste hydrofluoric acid, silica dust, cadmium, and cyanide.
The education committee plans to give environmental compliance literature and seminars to the jewelry shops. Presumably, the campaign's success most likely will not be measured in sivler and gold. The committee realizes that many cultural, multicultural, and economic barriers prevent many shops form coming this compliance. However, many agencies working in cooperation will achieve better results than if each agency acts independently.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Western Region and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board filed a lawsuit this past May against the City of Los Angeles, and other parties, for neglecting to effectively regulate industrial wastewater pretreatment standards. This lawsuit can simply be filed away in the "We thought we were doing a pretty good job" folder, but a valid point will go unnoticed.
What should be on trial is not the performance of the local regulatory agency, but the EPA Clean Water Act's archaic emphasis on industrial wastewater pretreatment as the preferred water pollution control method. Unless the EPA and local agencies provide the necessary leadership to make pollution prevention and waste minimization the most desired means of discharge to protect the water bodies, the inadequacies of the end-of-the-pipe treatment regime will continue to persist.
The Los Angeles County Dept. of Health Services transferred its Hazardous Materials Control Project (HMCP) to the County Forester and Fire Warden as of July 1. The HMCP, the lead local toxics enforcement agency, has procedural Memoranda of Understanding with the City's Bureau of Sanitation. These MOUs will probably have to be modified to reflect the consolidation, but until then Smokey the Bear meet to Toxic Avenger.
The City also anxiously awaits the formation of the California Environmental Protection Agency, to be administered by Governor Wilson's appointee James Strock. The creation of Cal-EPA will consolidate several major environmental programs, including the DHS Toxic Substance Control Division, under one super agency. Possible the era of multi-media pollution control and prevention has arrived in the State of California.
HTM City News, published quarterly, updates Los Angeles City Departments and Bureaus on hazardous and toxic materials management and minimization issues. The Hazardous and Toxic Materials Project distributes the newsletter primarily to Los Angeles City Employees. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Los Angeles City Board of Public Works, nor the commercial products mentioned are not necessarily endorsed by the City of Los Angeles. The editors welcome submissions for articles and press releases for calendar events listing. Please address all correspondences to: Board of Public Works, HTM Project, 200 N. Spring Street, Room 353, Los Angeles, CA 90012 or Mail Stop 465. For further information or assistance please call (213) 237-1209 or x51209.
Board of Public Works Members
Felicia Marcus, president
Dennis N. Nishikawa, Vice- President
Percy Duran III, President Pro-Tempore
M.E. "Red" Martinez
John W. Murray, Jr.
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Last Updated: November 14, 1995