Travis County Commissioners Court
December 4, 2007
Item 26
28 is consider and take appropriate action on proposed rules to -- 26. What did i say?
>> 28.
>> yeah, 26. It must be late in the day. Texas commission on environmental quality proposed rules to implement house bill 2714, the texas electronics take back law.
>>
>> [inaudible] so tomorrow the tceq is going to be proposing rules to implement house bill 2714. Basically what this statute does is provide for computer manufacturers to establish convenient recycling and reuse programs for their computers for home users and home business users. Basically the system would be -- it's a take-back system so that when they sell these things, the consumer ultimately when they come to the end of the useful life of this product, they have a convenient way to send the thing back so it doesn't end up in -- pitched alongside the road or in one of our landfills or something like that. Take-back laws are real important because it helps divert a lot of this material from our landfills where it really posts a problem because of hazardous substances and sufficient that are in these components. Texas campaign for the environment has had this as a major issue for them for a number of years and so they are very instrumental in lobbying for this and now they have asked the travis county commissioners to join with them in comments on the proposed rule. It's important to understand that the proposed rule -- it won't be proposed until tomorrow. The time frames that are established right now, they are going to propose it tomorrow. They expect publication in the texas register on december 21st. There will be a public comment period probably from late december through early february. So really the comment letter that has been proposed by texas campaign for the environment is very, very early in the process. They are hoping to perhaps influence some of the preamble that will be in the texas register. So we have a couple of different options here. One is that we could sign on to their letter as is written or we could have our own letter and i prepared a draft, a somewhat shorter version of the same basic paints that were raised in the texas campaign for the environment letter.
>> my recommendation to john was that if we take any action, we should submit our own letter. That in fairness we ought to indicate in our opening paragraph that we support the comments submitted by the texas campaign for the environment because we track their language so closely. It's just up front the situation. But to me the big question is whether we submit ours now or later, and if we think we have an opportunity to get ours considered early, may as well do it now.
>> chances are we'll have to submit the same comments later anyway.
>> right. When is their meeting, though? Tomorrow.
>> i believe they are scheduled at 10:00 a.m.
>> the texas campaign for the environment language -- the language won't be new, it will just be a new source.
>> correct.
>> any other comments? I say let's do it -- if we can get it over there today or first thing tomorrow morning. And then we take advantage of the public comment opportunity. Staff may well call to the attention of the commission that in addition to the comments being submitted by texas campaign for the environment, the travis county commissioners court is supportive and you did tweak their letter and a few -- in a few other minor ways, i would think, based on the e-mail that i got from you yesterday.
>> that's correct. What i've done in the draft since you asked that we at least reference the texas campaign's letter, what i did is in the second paragraph, i closed it saying we offer these comments in conjunction with and in support of similar comments submitted by the texas campaign for the environment.
>> i think that's fair. It's not like we had original thoughts on it. Their ideas made sense, though. Right?
>> correct.
>> and as a governmental entity, we support them. That seems fine to me. Any other ideas? I’m doing all the talking. I move approval.
>> second.
>> that we submit that, get it over today if we can. Is that possible?
>> yes, indeed.
>> that's the state. They close early. Let's do our best to get it to them. Any more discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 18:30 AM