Marked Agenda
Commissioners' Work Session
Monday, March 23, 1998
1:30 p.m.
Room 201S, Building E, Park 35, Austin

NEW BUSINESS

This meeting is a work session for discussion between commissioners and staff. No public testimony or comment will be accepted except by invitation of the commission.

  1. Discussion of an agency report on enforcement actions for various media including agriculture, air, industrial and hazardous waste, municipal solid waste, occupational certification, petroleum storage tanks, public water supply, water quality, and multi-media. Anne Dobbs (Enforcement Division) presented this item. No action was taken.

  2. Consideration of issues relating to the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS). Trace Finley (Executive Director’s Office) presented this item. The commissioners identified which sessions they would attend during the upcoming ECOS national meeting.

  3. Consideration of legal and policy issues related to the municipal solid waste program, including permitting, land use, and regional solid waste plans. Linda Haynie, John Forehand, Susan Janek (Office of Waste Management), Marianne Baker and Diane Parker (Office of Legal Services), and Susan Ferguson (Office of Policy and Regulatory Development) presented this item. At the work session the commissioners indicated:

  4. Consideration of the agency's implementation of legislation enacted by the 75th Texas Legislature including a legislative update on Senate Bill 932 repeal of Government Code Section 481.143 which froze certain agency rules upon filing of a permit application, and the agency's efforts to work with the Interim Legislative Committees. The commission may also meet in closed meeting to receive legal advice regarding these matters, or any of the above the matters, as authorized by Section 551.071 of the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551 of the Government Code. Any commission action, decision, or vote on these matters will be made in open meeting in accordance with Section 551.102 of the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551 of the Government Code. The commission met in closed session to receive legal advise regarding issues relating to Senate Bill 932 and in open session directed staff to proceed as outlined in backup materials.

  5. Planning for the next Commissioners’ Work Session. The next Commissioners’ Work Session is tentatively scheduled for Thursday April 9, 1998, in E-201S, at 1:30 p.m. It will include the following issues: an update on the Strategic Planning “Town Hall” Meetings, consideration of comments on EPA’s proposed Environmental Justice Guidelines, consideration of the agency’s Pollution Prevention Integration Plan, and a Legislative Update. Staff was also instructed to bring back MSW land-use issues on May 6, 1998 and to be prepared to discuss the beneficial uses of biosolids in May or June.