USCM Summer Newsletter 2004

From the President's Desk...

MWMA Programs and Services
are Beginning to Heat Up!

As we enter the dog days of summer, MWMA programs and services are beginning to heat up! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to so far:

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Planning for the 2004 Fall Summit is well under way. I’m looking forward to hosting you in October and sharing Lexington’s state-of-the-art training pad and facility. We’ll have experts and practitioners brief you on the areas important to solid waste and environmental management, including electronics recycling and waste to energy. If you have a program you’d like to share or a challenge you’d like to explore, please contact Susan Jarvis, sjarvis@usmayors.org.

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Cans For Cash: City Recycling Challenge: MWMA, The US Conference of Mayors and Alcan Aluminum are pleased to announce a new national recycling challenge. Be sure to enter your city in the competition for a chance to win up to $10,000 for recycling education and promotion. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government is signed up and I challenge each of you to get involved. You can’t win if you don’t enter.

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The 72nd Annual Meeting for the United States Conference of Mayors had an underlying theme of sustainable development and environmental issues were explored and discussed. Resolutions concerning MTBE liability, green house gas incentives, renewable energy credits and water and wastewater were discussed and adopted. For the full text of resolutions adopted, please log on to www.usmayors.org.

•	MWMA is pleased to welcome North East Maryland Waste Authority, American Re-Fuel and Alcan Aluminum as new members. The experience and expertise of MWMA’s members is our greatest asset.

I encourage you to spread the word to your neighboring cities about MWMA. Be sure to contact Susan Jarvis at 202.861.6760 or sjarvis@usmayors.org with your leads, so MWMA staff can follow up.

Environmental Committee Explores Innovative Conservation and Clean Air Programs

By: Brett Rosenberg and Susan Jarvis

The United States Department of the Interior manages approximately one in every five acres of land, operates water and energy projects and manages national parks and wildlife refuges throughout the United States. Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary of Policy, Management and Budget, US Department of the Interior, briefed the Environmental Committee on the department's Cooperative Conservation Program. "The 4 C's approach to innovative conservation management, conservation through cooperation, communication and consultation is designed to provide cities new tools and new resources, $500 million, for innovative land management and conservation programs," said Ms. Scarlett. "The 4 C’s program will address some of the challenges of environmental management such as high cost, high conflict and unintended consequences by fostering innovation, motivating actions through incentives, incorporating local ideas and insights and creating integrated solutions." Ms. Scarlett shared some best practices, including a habitat restoration project in Jupiter Island, FL, a river restoration project in Harrisburg, VA, and a partnership to remove invasive species in Eugene, OR.

The Environmental Committee continued its meeting in Boston with a panel devoted to air quality. Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City presented a number of strategies his city is taking to achieve clean air goals. In addition to the more conventional, EPA-mandated regulations, Salt Lake City is striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through using alternative fuels in its municipal fleet vehicles, encouraging public transportation and enabling safe pedestrian traffic and several other notable projects, including the "Blue Sky Wind Power Program." Mayor Anderson’s rationale goes beyond mere compliance with environmental goals. "We deserve better, our youngsters—future generations—deserve better…we have the means to improve conditions."

Following Mayor Anderson's presentation, John Paul, the supervisor of the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency (RAPCA) of Dayton, OH, provided an overview of current trends in air quality and air pollution control regulations. Paul presented extensive background, relating the sources and effects of particulate matter, ground level ozone and mercury. In noting the EPA's new strategies for attaining air quality standards, Paul emphasized the importance to American cities of adopting stringent national standards for addressing air pollution from diesel engines and electric utilities.

The Environmental Committee, chaired by August Mayor Bob Young, aspires to identify new urban environmental trends in the arenas of air, water, waste to energy and recycling and provides a forum for best practice exchanges between cities. The Committee recommended six resolutions to the full membership on water an wastewater service agreements, increased investment for water and wastewater infrastructure through the removal of private activity bonds from the state volume cap supporting sustainable communities, supporting green house gas reduction benefits of waste to energy and renewable energy sources, prohibiting liability protection of MTBE manufacturers and increasing appropriation levels for Superfund.

Enter! Recycle! Win!
Alcan Aluminum, MWMA and The US Conference
of Mayors Team Up for Recycling Challenge

Did you know nearly $1 billion in recyclable aluminum cans go into landfills every year? The United States Conference of Mayors and Alcan Aluminum are teaming up for Cans for Cash: City Recycling Challenge. The City Recycling Challenge is a new national challenge that will reward cities for recycling aluminum cans and demonstrating innovative and creative promotion of aluminum can recycling. "Cities can really benefit from increased aluminum can recycling," says Brenda Pulley, Alcan's vice president of corporate relations. "We're looking forward to helping cities get the word out about recycling- and their recycling programs."

Cities will be divided into four divisions and compete against like-sized cities to recycle aluminum cans between November 2 and November 15 for four $5,000 awards. Sign up at www.usmayors.org/mwma and submit your receipts or similar third party documentation to win $5,000 to use towards recycling education and promotion.

Cities will also be recognized for innovative approaches to recycling education. Four cities will receive $5,000 awards for the most innovative recycling education, marketing or promotion program. Cities should submit a 500-word description and copies of promotional materials when submitting receipts. "By sharing really great marketing programs, every city’s recycling program is a winner," continued Ms. Pulley.

"Recycling is still a core issue for cities," said Kevin Bennett, Solid Waste Manager, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and MWMA President. "MWMA is thrilled to be a part of this program and I think our members will really be involved in the competition."

The Cans for Cash City Recycling Challenge kicked off at The US Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Boston and cities can sign up online until October 31,2004.

To register your city for the Cans for Cash Challenge, log on to www.usmayors.org/mwma.

2003-04 United States Conference of Mayors President, Hempstead, NY, Mayor Garner announces the Cans for Cash Recycling Challenge

MWMA Explores Electronics Recycling
During Conference Call

Assistant EPA Administrator Claire Lindsay briefed MWMA members on federal initiates in the arena of electronics recycling and the continued public-private dialogue surrounding national legislation.

"Our goals for electronics recycling and producer responsibility incorporate the life cycle of the product. We want to lower the environmental impact of electronics and increase production of electronics with less hazards and toxins, making electronics easier to reuse and recycle. We also want to increase the demand for greener products and increase awareness about e-cycling and e-cycling centers." began Ms. Lindsay.

The Plug into eCycling program is a voluntary partnership program between manufacturers and retailers centered on long-term education strategies. "Plug into eCycling partners agree to host take back collections and other outreach events. The retailers or manufacturers pay for the processing and the municipal partners pick up the collection costs," explained Ms. Lindsay. The long-term goal of the Plug into eCycling is ongoing drop off programs inside stores. "Currently the programs are episodic." Plug into eCycling partners have recycled 26.4 million pounds of electronics during the programs first ten months.

The EPA has also launched the Federal Electronics Challenge, aimed at getting the federal government to "walk the walk", said Ms. Lindsay. "Approximately 10,000 federally owned computers are deemed excess or surplus each week." She continued, "The federal electronics network wants to ensure the government purchases green products, uses electronics efficiently and then recycles. The EPA is looking at this as a life cycle challenge for each product. The FEC will address monitors, PCs, copiers, laptops, cell phones, LCD screens and printers."

The EPA is currently developing the Electronics Product Environmental Assessment Tool, EPEAT, and distribute the tool so government agencies can purchase and manage the life cycle of their electronics. EPEAT should be in use as a pilot program in winter 2004.

Ms. Lindsay’s PowerPoint presentation is available on www.usmayors.org/mwma and Identifying Challenges and Exploring Best Practices in Electronics Recycling will be a plenary session at the 2004 Fall Summit, October 20-22 in Lexington, KY.

Community and Brownfields Revitalization
Initiative Unveiled at Conference

By: Judy Sheahan

Conference of Mayors Vice President, Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic and Tom Darden, CEO, of Cherokee Investment Partners (Cherokee) announced a joint effort designed to clean up and redevelop contaminated or blighted properties at the June 27 plenary session.

"Brownfields redevelopment can be a vital part in improving our economy, putting people back to work and reusing land that was once productive," said Plusquellic, "but it is sometimes extremely difficult to attract private sector investors and redevelopers to take on the challenge of a brownfields site, or for that matter, any large redevelopment project that is located within our communities. That is why I am so pleased today to announce a new cooperative venture between the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Cherokee Investment Partners."

The initiative would match underutilized or blighted sites, commonly known as brownfields, identified by mayors who are interested in redeveloping with Cherokee, the nation’s largest investor in brownfield redevelopment. Under the agreement, the Conference will refer Cherokee to its members who have an interest in cleaning and redeveloping properties that cannot accomplish it on their own.

Cherokee's mission is to acquire environmentally impaired, blighted, or underutilized properties, clean them up, and return them to productive use. But unlike typical developers, they don’t have a preset development agenda. "We don't come to your city and say we have an idea, we'd like to build a hotel here or an apartment building or an office building." Darden said, "We come to you and say, ‘What is your vision for your community?’ We’re bringing institutional capital and we would like to help you implement your vision.”

"We invest in urban redevelopment areas. We spend our investor's capital and our time on environmental remediation, urban planning and designing community redevelopment," said Darden. "We focus on large projects in communities that have the will and vision to do what is needed to carry out these audacious plans."

Cherokee is funded by large public and private pension funds and endowments. Cherokee’s current fund comprises nearly a billion dollars of discretionary debt and equity capital to be deployed over the next few years.

Since 1990, Cherokee has acquired over 330 sites in the United States, Canada and Western Europe where it will spend over $200 million cleaning up pollution, with an estimated built-out value of its projects exceeding $4 billion as these brownfield sites are redeveloped and returned to productive use.

Some examples of their work in progress can be found in Elizabeth and Camden, New Jersey’s waterfront redevelopment projects as well as cleaning up and redeveloping an area of Charleston where there are three Superfund sites.

Cherokee is seeking properties that meet its investment criteria, which includes:

•	Properties can be owned or controlled by municipalities, private parties or a combination of both.

•	Cherokee prefers large tracts of property, but would be willing to buy a portfolio of sites as long as they represent an appropriate economic return.

•	The preferred investment will require $10 - $20 million or more of equity and financing, with no maximum.

For more information about this initiative, please contact Judy Sheahan at 202.861.6775 or jsheahan@usmayors.org; or visit the Cherokee website at www.cherokeefund.com.

Save the Date
MWMA’s 2004 Fall Summit

When: October 20-22

Where: The Griffin Gate Marriott Resort, Lexington, KY

Cost: MWMA/SWAC Registration: $400 before September 19th

Please call The Griffin gate Marriott Resort directly at 859.231.5100 for hotel reservations by September 29th to receive the $65.00 MWMA room rate.

Log onto usmayors.org/mwma for the
updated agenda and registration materials!