RD58 - Pollution Prevention Report 2003


Executive Summary:
2003 Highlights

Virginia law requires the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to establish a voluntary pollution prevention technical assistance program and to report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly on its activities. This report summarizes DEQ’s pollution prevention (p2) efforts during the year 2003.

The Office of Pollution Prevention (OPP), which carries out DEQ's p2 program, was greatly impacted by state budget reductions in the fall of 2002. Seven of the program's ten positions were reassigned to other non-state funded areas of the agency. Some aspects of the program were eliminated in 2003, including onsite p2 technical assistance, and some were significantly reduced in scope.

Nonetheless, OPP continues to promote p2 and environmental management systems through a variety of programs. Highlights from 2003 include:

• Continued promotion of environmental management systems and p2, primarily through the agency's Virginia Environmental Excellence Program, including outreach and the development of incentives;

• Announcement in November of a new outreach initiative for the healthcare industry called Virginia Hospitals for a Health Environment;

• Expanded promotion of energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy technologies; and,

• Successful completion of the Commonwealth's first coordinated electronics recycling pilot project.

In 2004, the Office of Pollution Prevention will be focusing on a few primary areas, including:

• Full implementation of the Virginia Hospitals for a Health Environment initiative;

• Co-hosting of a "green lodging" conference;

• Expanded efforts to reduce hazardous waste generation by promotion of the National Waste Minimization Plan; and,

• Continued outreach in the areas of renewable energy and regulatory incentives for environmental performance.