New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Memo from Lawrence Nadler to Sherry Bishko
M E M O R A N D U M
Sherry Bishko - Project XL Coordinator
EPA Region II
Lawrence J. Nadler - Division of Solid & Hazardous Materials, NYSDEC
Project XL Proposal for Public Utilities
June 13, 1996
During our June 13, 1996 telephone conversation, you requested responses to the following four questions regarding this proposal, raised by the Project XL Review Team at EPA Headquarters.
1. Issue: How many remote "sites"
per year could possibly be affected by this proposal?
Response: Extrapolating the information we have received from
certain specific public utilities, and recognizing that the number of
sites will vary considerably from year to year, the total number of
remote "sites" affected would range from 400-900 per year.
This takes into account telephone companies, electric power companies,
and oil and gas pipelines (both interstate and intrastate).
Issue: How many public utilities can be expected to participate in this project, if approved? How will DEC reach out to them to ensure their participation?
Response: DEC is hoping that all will participate if they perceive that it is in their interest to do so. Presently, there are 41 telephone companies doing business in New York State (i.e., NYNEX, plus 40 local companies). There are 8 electric power companies and 12 oil and gas pipelines. The total number of potential participants is approximately 60.
Once a final project agreement is developed, it is likely that a mailing will be made to all potential participants, inviting them to a meeting in Albany to discuss implementation of the project and their participation. All utilities who intend to participate will be asked to provide a written notification to DEC to that effect so that the "universe" of participants will be clearly known. DEC already has contact names, telephone numbers and mailing addresses for the telephone companies and electric power companies, and is in the process of obtaining this same information for oil and gas pipelines.
Issue: How many known incidents of exposure have there been to hazardous waste generated at "remote" locations by public utilities?
Response: No state agency records information of this nature. One incident is too many.
Issue: How many traffic accidents are known to have been caused by the temporary storage of hazardous waste at remote locations?
Response: No state agency records information of this nature in such a way that the contributing cause would be clearly identified. One incident would be too many.
cc: N. Nosenchuck
P. Counterman
J. Grossman