HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-11-14 EMC AgendaThe EMC is a citizen board that advises the County Legislature on matters relating to the environment
and does not necessarily express the views of the Tompkins County Legislature.
TOMPKINS COUNTY
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
121 East Court Street Ithaca, New York 14850
Telephone (607) 274-5560
http://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/emc
AGENDA
November 14, 2019 TCAT Transit Center (737 Willow Ave.) 4:00 P.M.
1. Call to Order 4:00
2. Privilege of the Floor
3. Changes to the Agenda/Approval of the Minutes (September 12, 2019)
4. Review of Proposed UNA Boundary Revisions 4:05
5. Action: Approve Resolution to Adopt UNA Boundary Revisions 4:45
6. Committee Reports 4:55
a. Climate Adaptation
b. Environmental Review
c. Waste Reduction
d. Outreach/Community Education
e. Water Resources Council Liaison
f. Executive
7. Staff Report – Darby Kiley 5:20
8. Municipal Reports and Member Announcements 5:25
9. Adjournment 5:30
2019 Meeting schedule (second Thursdays)
12/12
Reminder to Members:
If you are unable to attend, please contact Kristin McCarthy, Administrative Assistant, via email
at kmmccarthy@tompkins-co.org or phone at 607-274-5560.
EMC Draft 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
Regi Teasley E At-Large Kristin McCarthy P Planning Staff
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
12
Presentation: Hazards of Lead Ammunition at Shooting Ranges – Gay Nicholson, 13
Citizens for a Healthy Salmon Creek Watershed 14
15
Gay Nicholson spoke to the EMC regarding lead contamination from spent ammunition at 16
shooting ranges in Tompkins County. Her presentation and the subsequent discussion covered 17
a range of issues, including the history of tension between Lansing Rod and Gun Club members 18
and area residents concerned with risks to environment and public health; opportunities for 19
public and municipal outreach and education; and the role EMC might play in helping to address 20
this pressing issue. Her presentation is available on the EMC website: 21
http://tompkinscountyny.gov/emc/documents/presentations 22
Committee Reports 23
Climate Adaptation: Michelle Henry 24
• Committee requested $2,000 in funding as part of the 2020 County budget (Planning and 25
Sustainability Department) for print and web-based materials on practical methods to 26
ameliorate and control flooding and to adopt carbon-sequestration practices. Request was 27
not recommended by County Administrator Jason Molino for inclusion in the draft budget. 28
However, there is support from some legislators. 29
• Committee helped sponsor showing of the film “Dirt Rich” at Cinemapolis on September 10. 30
• Committee is exploring recent legal ruling to allow municipalities to adopt more stringent 31
pesticide regulations at the local level and how it might be applied in Tompkins County. 32
33
Environmental Review: Brian Eden 34
Brian updated group on various topics, including the NYSEG rate case; NYSERDA 35
energy efficiency order related to heat pumps; passage of the Climate Leadership and 36
Community Protection Act; Sept. 20th Global Climate Strike; Sept. 21st Climate 37
Solutions conference in New Paltz; Cascadilla Creek dredging; City of Ithaca Green New 38
Deal and draft Green Building Code; Cayuga Power Plant closure and EMC inclusion as 39
signatory on letter to Governor Cuomo from various environmental groups urging a just 40
transition plan for the surrounding community; legal filings related to Cargill and Cayuga 41
Lake Environmental Action Now, and more. 42
43
Unique Natural Areas: Steve Nicholson 44
• Next meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 17. 45
• Committee continues its preparation of a final set of UNA boundary revisions. 46
• David Weinstein won’t have his draft recommendations on the County Forestlands 47
Management Plan for review by the committee until December, with a revised draft 48
report released for public comment in early 2020. 49
50
Waste Reduction: Tom Shelley 51
• Tom reported on his meeting with Barb Eckstrom from the County Department of Recycling 52
and Materials Management (RMM) on the status of the local plastic bag ban regulations. 53
County Attorney Jonathan Wood is drafting the local law, which will feature a 5-cent paper 54
bag fee, and Maureen Bolton will serve as the committee’s liaison to the RMM. 55
• Janet Levine from Gimme Coffee attended the September committee meeting to discuss 56
reducing single-use fiber/plastic cups and other food service items in the County. 57
• Jose Lozano spoke about initiatives underway at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment 58
Facility (IAWWTF) on co-digestion of food waste, effluent energy recovery, and the 59
production of biochar from biosolids. 60
• Committee might recruit a youth representative from Ithaca College, Cornell, or another area 61
higher education institution. Next committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 7. 62
63
Outreach/Community Education: Cait Darfler 64
Cait updated group on plans for the 2019 Fall EMC Community Outreach Event. Details still 65
being fine-tuned but the program will reflect a systems approach to sustainable development. 66
67
• Water Resources Council Liaison: Michelle Henry 68
Joan Jurkowich presented a draft five-year update to County Comprehensive Plan. 69
• Members had a robust conversation on support for resolution to adopt 2012 Tompkins 70
County Wetlands Map as a general planning tool. 71
• Executive Committee wrote a letter to the County Legislature to request the addition and 72
inclusion of a dedicated Water Resources staff person in the 2020 budget. 73
• Education and Outreach Committee is working on a Clean Boating keepsake 74
map/educational brochure. 75
76
Executive – Brian Eden 77
No report due to time constraints. 78
79
Staff Report – Kristin McCarthy 80
Members were reminded to submit their sexual harassment training prevention forms. 81
82
Municipal Reports and Member Announcements 83
84
• The latest “Signs of Sustainability” article in Tompkins Weekly covers the Brighten Up 85
Caroline LED lighting project: http://tompkinsweekly.com/stories/caroline-project-distributes-86
leds,2902. 87
• Board of the IAWWTF approved its participation in a renewable energy district with the 88
developers of City Harbor and other stakeholders. 89
90
Chair Brian Eden adjourned the meeting at 5:50 p.m. 91