Twenty AMSA Agencies "Charter Members" of Common Sense Initiative's Landmark Environmental Agreement
Twenty AMSA member agencies have stepped forward and committed to a new EPA Common Sense Initiative (CSI) Program that will allow the metal finishing industry more flexibility in meeting current national requirements as it attempts to achieve overall environmental improvements. Under The Metal Finishing Strategic Goals Program - a landmark agreement reached under the Common Sense Initiative - participating firms pledge to reduce metal emissions to air and water by 50%, reduce hazardous sludge disposal by 50%, and cut down on Toxic Release Inventory emissions by 90% by 2002. AMSA's charter members and future participating states and municipalities will provide the industry with compliance and pollution prevention assistance, particularly in meeting pretreatment requirements. Guy Aydlett, director of water quality for Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Va., and chair of AMSA's Pretreatment & Hazardous Waste Committee, is a member of the CSI Metal Finishing Subcommittee and will continue to represent AMSA's interests as the Initiative proceeds.
In contrast to traditional regulatory programs that separately control air, water, and land pollution in a one-size-fits-all manner, CSI provides "cleaner, cheaper and smarter" solutions that are reached through consensus among multiple stakeholders. By involving all stakeholders up front, the CSI approach helps avoid challenges in court, ultimately paving the way for faster, cheaper results.
Landmark Pretreatment Agreement Reached Under Common Sense Initiative
The Metal Finishing Strategic Goals Program - a landmark agreement reached under the EPA Common Sense Initiative - was announced at a press conference hosted by Save the Bay, an organization working to ensure that the environmental quality of Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay and its watershed is restored and protected. Pictured left to right are: Senator Jack Reed (D-RI); Juan Mariscal, asst. director of planning, policy & regulation, Narragansett Bay Commission; Paul Pinault, exec. director, Narragansett Bay Commission and AMSA board member; Dave Marsh, CEO of Marsh Plating Inc. and member of the National Association of Metal Finishers; Guy Aydlett, chair of AMSA's Pretreatment & Hazardous Waste Committee and director of water quality for Hampton Roads Sanitation District; Carol Browner, EPA Administrator; Senator John Chafee (R-RI), chair of the Environment & Public Works Committee; and Curt Spalding, executive director of Save the Bay. Guy Aydlett represents publicly owned treatment works on the Common Sense Initiative.