HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-09-12 EMC Final MinutesEMC Final Minutes 1
Sept 12, 2019 4:00p.m. 2
TCAT, 737 Willow Avenue, Ithaca, NY 3
Attendance 4
Member Seat Member Seat
Steve Bissen P Town of Dryden Amanda Champion P Legislative Liaison
Maureen Bolton P Town of Enfield Susan Allen-Gil E Associate Member
Cait Darfler P Town of Ulysses Karen Edelstein A Associate Member
John Dennis E Village of Lansing Bill Evans A Associate Member
Brian Eden P Village of Cayuga Heights Anna Kelles A Associate Member
Pegi Ficken P Town of Groton Dooley Kiefer E Associate Member
Michelle Henry P Town of Newfield Dan Klein E Associate Member
Anne Klingensmith E Town of Danby Jose Lozano P Associate Member
Laurel Lynch E At-Large Osamu Tsuda P Associate Member
Vladimir Micic P Town of Ithaca David Weinstein A Associate Member
Steve Nicholson P Town of Caroline Robert Wesley A Associate Member
Susan Riley E At-Large Roger Yonkin A Associate Member
Tom Shelley P City of Ithaca Darby Kiley E Planning Staff
Ron Szymanski E Village of Freeville Kristin McCarthy P Planning Staff
Regi Teasley E At-Large
Guests – Mike Merchant, Ken Jaffe, Ava Darfler 5
Call to Order – Chair Brian Eden called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. Brian shared that Don 6
Smith and Jonathan Zisk have resigned from the EMC. 7
Privilege of the Floor –None 8
Agenda Review/Changes – None 9
Approval of the July 2019 Draft Minutes – A motion was made by Pegi Ficken, and seconded 10
by Maureen Bolton, to approve the July 11, 2019 minutes. Motion was adopted. 11
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Presentation: Hazards of Lead Ammunition at Shooting Ranges – Gay Nicholson, 13
Citizens for a Healthy Salmon Creek Watershed 14
Gay Nicholson spoke to the EMC regarding lead contamination from spent ammunition at 15
shooting ranges in Tompkins County. Her presentation and the subsequent discussion covered 16
a range of issues, including the history of tension between Lansing Rod and Gun Club members 17
and area residents concerned with risks to environment and public health; opportunities for 18
public and municipal outreach and education; and the role EMC might play in helping to address 19
this pressing issue. Her presentation is available on the EMC website: 20
http://tompkinscountyny.gov/emc/documents/presentations 21
Committee Reports 22
Climate Adaptation: Michelle Henry 23
Committee requested $2,000 in funding as part of the 2020 County budget (Planning and 24
Sustainability Department) for print and web-based materials on practical methods to ameliorate 25
and control flooding and to adopt carbon-sequestration practices. Request was not 26
recommended by County Administrator Jason Molino for inclusion in the draft budget. However, 27
there is support from some legislators. 28
29
Committee helped sponsor showing of the film “Dirt Rich” at Cinemapolis on September 10. 30
31
Committee is exploring recent legal ruling to allow municipalities to adopt more stringent 32
pesticide regulations at the local level and how it might be applied in Tompkins County. 33
34
Environmental Review: Brian Eden 35
Brian updated group on various topics, including the NYSEG rate case; NYSERDA 36
energy efficiency order related to heat pumps; passage of the Climate Leadership and 37
Community Protection Act; Sept. 20th Global Climate Strike; Sept. 21st Climate 38
Solutions conference in New Paltz; Cascadilla Creek dredging; City of Ithaca Green New 39
Deal and draft Green Building Code; Cayuga Power Plant closure and EMC inclusion as 40
signatory on letter to Governor Cuomo from various environmental groups urging a just 41
transition plan for the surrounding community; legal filings related to Cargill and Cayuga 42
Lake Environmental Action Now, and more. 43
44
Unique Natural Areas: Steve Nicholson 45
Next meeting is scheduled for September 17. 46
47
Committee continues its preparation of a final set of UNA boundary revisions. 48
49
David Weinstein won’t have his draft recommendations on the County Forestlands 50
Management Plan for review by the committee until December, with a draft report 51
released for public comment in 2020. 52
53
Waste Reduction: Tom Shelley 54
Tom reported on his meeting with Barb Eckstrom from the County Department of Recycling and 55
Materials Management (RMM) on the status of the local plastic bag ban regulations. County 56
Attorney Jonathan Wood is drafting the local law, which will feature a 5-cent paper bag fee, and 57
Maureen Bolton will serve as the committee’s liaison to the RMM. 58
Janet Levine from Gimme Coffee attended the September committee meeting to discuss 59
reducing single-use fiber/plastic cups and other food service items in the County. 60
Jose Lozano spoke about explorations underway at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment 61
Facility (IAWWTF) on co-digestion of food waste, effluent energy recovery, and the possible 62
production of biochar from biosolids. 63
Committee might recruit a youth representative from Ithaca College, Cornell, or another area 64
higher education institution. Next committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 7. 65
66
Outreach/Community Education: Cait Darfler 67
Cait updated group on plans for the 2019 Fall EMC Community Outreach Event. Details still 68
being fine-tuned but the program will reflect a systems approach to sustainable development. 69
70
Water Resources Council Liaison: Michelle Henry 71
Joan Jurkowich presented a draft five-year update to County Comprehensive Plan. 72
73
Members had a robust conversation on support for resolution to adopt 2012 Tompkins County 74
Wetlands Map as a general planning tool. 75
76
Executive Committee wrote a letter to the County Legislature to request the addition and 77
inclusion of a dedicated Water Resources staff person in the 2020 budget. 78
79
Education Committee is working on a Clean Boating keepsake map/educational brochure. 80
81
Executive – Brian Eden 82
No report due to time constraints. 83
84
Staff Report – Kristin McCarthy 85
Members were reminded to submit their sexual harassment training prevention forms. 86
87
Municipal Reports and Member Announcements 88
89
The latest “Signs of Sustainability” article in Tompkins Weekly covers the Brighten Up Caroline 90
LED lighting project: http://tompkinsweekly.com/stories/caroline-project-distributes-leds,2902. 91
Board of the IAWWTF approved its participation in an effluent heat capture agreement with the 92
developers of City Harbor and other stakeholders. 93
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Chair Brian Eden adjourned the meeting at 5:50 p.m. 95