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1995 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 453
Requesting the agencies of the Commonwealth to engage in pollution prevention planning.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 1995
Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 1995

WHEREAS, § 10.1-1425.11 of the Code of Virginia declares it to be the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage pollution prevention activities; and

WHEREAS, the Joint Subcommittee Studying Pollution Prevention (Senate Joint Resolution No. 207, 1993) documented that the economic benefits of pollution prevention include the avoidance of the need for costly pollution control technologies, avoidance of the risk of pollution control technology failure, avoidance of the transfer of pollutants across media that may occur with media-specific control technologies, the protection of natural resources by the avoidance of excessive levels of wastes and residues, minimization of the depletion of resources, assurance that the environment's capacity to absorb pollutants is not exceeded, and reduced waste disposal costs; and

WHEREAS, many Virginia industries that have employed pollution prevention practices have successfully reduced the amounts of toxic substances generated as wastes or released into the environment as pollutants and realized significant savings; and

WHEREAS, the subcommittee determined that by adopting pollution prevention approaches, state agencies can set an example for private industry, while generating economic savings and affording greater environmental protection; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Motor Vehicles saved over $280,000 during the first five months of a pollution prevention effort known as the "Paperwork and Printing Reduction Initiative"; and

WHEREAS, several other agencies, including the Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Correctional Enterprises, and the Department of Transportation, have recognized the value of and are beginning to implement pollution prevention practices; and

WHEREAS, there are significant opportunities for state agencies to reduce or prevent pollution at the source through cost-effective operation and raw materials use; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That each agency of the Commonwealth that generates more than a minimal amount of a toxic or hazardous substances as wastes be requested to:

1. Review the programs, processes, and activities of the agency and ascertain how reductions in the amounts of toxic or hazardous substances generated as wastes or released into the environment as pollutants can be promoted and achieved;

2. Amend those programs, processes, and activities, except those relating to the procurement and use of fuels by stationary sources, so as to reduce the amounts of toxic or hazardous substances generated as wastes or released into the environment as pollutants in furtherance of statewide goals for reducing or eliminating the release of toxic or hazardous substances into the environment as pollutants; and

3. Submit to the Department of Environmental Quality an agency pollution prevention plan in accordance with a schedule for the filing of such plans to be established by the Department; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That by January 1, 1996, the Department of Environmental Quality be requested to establish criteria (i) to determine whether minimal amounts of toxic or hazardous substances are generated as waste or released into the environment as pollutants, and (ii) to be used by agencies in creating pollution prevention plans. In developing the criteria, the Department shall consider, among other factors, risks to public health and safety posed by the use or release of such substances, and the cost and availability of substitute programs, processes, and activities.