Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
<br /> <br />FROM: Commission for the Environment <br />SUBJECT: Monthly Meeting Summary <br />DATE: August 12, 2013 <br />LOCATION: Environment and Agricultural Center, Hillsborough <br />_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />MEMBERS PRESENT: David Neal (Chair), May Becker, Terri Buckner, Peter Cada, Susie <br />Enoch, Loren Hintz, Jeanette O’Connor, Steve Niezgoda, Gary Saunders, David Welch <br /> <br />ABSENT: Lucy Adams, Tom O’Dwyer, Jan Sassaman <br /> <br />STAFF: Rich Shaw, Tom Davis, Malcolm Munkittrick (DEAPR intern) <br /> <br />GUESTS: Donna Lee Jones (CFE prospect) <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br /> I. Call to Order: Neal called the meeting to order at 7:34 pm. <br /> <br />II. Additions or Changes to Agenda – None <br /> <br />III. New CFE Member – Neal welcomed Susie Enoch who was appointed on May 21. Four <br />new CFE members were assigned to standing committee. Jones has yet to receive <br />employer authorization; she remains a guest and will not vote. The CFE approved a <br />resolution of appreciation for Bill Kaiser, a long-standing member and former chair. <br /> <br />IV. Approval of Minutes – The June 10 meeting summary was approved unanimously. <br /> <br />V. State of the Environment 2014 – Shaw provided an overview of the process and <br />timeframe for developing the State of the Environment report for Orange County. <br />DEAPR intern, Malcolm Munkittrick, has completed an initial draft for CFE review and <br />comments. CFE members provided detailed feedback on the overall format as well as <br />the narrative included in the different sections of the draft report. Staff asked CFE <br />members to read the report, consider the data, and provide appropriate text to <br />characterize the current status and trends. CFE will also provide recommendations for <br />each topic and determine what information will be highlighted in the executive summary. <br /> <br />CFE members thanked Munkittrick for his excellent work on preparing this initial draft <br />and wished him well during the upcoming school year. <br /> <br />VI. Updates and Information Items – CFE members received updates and information on <br />the following: a) environmental legislation updates, b) NCDENR’s consolidation of its <br />Water Quality and Water Resources divisions, c) Orange County Bus and Rail <br />Investment Plan, d) UNC/County landfill gas project, e) UNC System energy savings <br />plan, f) NC’s clean energy and energy efficiency programs, g) a regional renewable <br />energy project in California, h) potential uranium mining in Chatham, Virginia, and i) a <br />quarantine for ash tree materials & hardwood firewood in neighboring counties. <br /> <br />VII. Committee Meetings – Both standing committees met to review priority tasks and to <br />begin discussing their pertinent sections of the draft State of the Environment report. <br /> <br />VIII. Adjournment – Neal adjourned the meeting at 9:30 pm. <br /> <br />Minutes by Rich Shaw, DEAPR Staff