NOTICES
Availability of Great Lakes Mercury in Products Phase-Down Strategy for Comment
[37 Pa.B. 5089]
[Saturday, September 15, 2007]The Commonwealth, in cooperation with the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration and neighboring Great Lakes states, announces the availability of the Draft Great Lakes Mercury in Products Phase-Down Strategy for public comment. The strategy, designed to significantly decrease the use of mercury in consumer products, calls for action in five product areas and five economic sectors through which consumers come into contact with mercury. These proposed actions include the following:
Actions in the consumer products areas:
* Working with dental facilities to use best management practices for handling mercury waste and work to reduce or eliminate the use of mercury in fillings;
* Banning the sale and installation of mercury-containing thermostats;
* Banning the sale of mercury-containing thermometers to the public, including to public schools;
* Banning the sale of mercury-containing switches, relays and measurement devices, establishing collection programs for existing products and banning the use of mercury-added products in classrooms for K-12 students; and
* Working for labeling and recycling of mercury-containing lamps, including car headlights and outdoor lighting.
Actions in the industry sectors:
* Banning the purchase and use of mercury-containing devices in school classrooms and health care areas;
* Working to increase the removal of mercury-containing devices from scrap metal and vehicles prior to crushing or melting operations, including increasing participation in the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Removal Program, in which the Commonwealth already takes part;
* Conducting outreach to heavy industry to promote mercury reduction projects;
* Working with the health care industry to reduce mercury use; and
* Working to expand household hazardous waste and electronics collections to make this service available to more households.
In an effort to reach all product lines and economic sectors, the proposed strategy calls for labeling all products containing mercury. Once the strategy is finalized, the Commonwealth and other states may adopt the overall proposal without agreeing to implement every recommendation included in the strategy.
The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration is a cooperative effort to implement strategies for the restoration, protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes. Key partners of the Collaboration, in addition to the Commonwealth, include the Council of Great Lakes Governors, the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Cities Initiative, the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office.
The strategy is available at glrc.us/initiatives/toxics/drafthgphasedownstrategy.html. Comments should be submitted by October 27, 2007, to Debra Jacobson, Illinois Waste Management and Research Center/Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 1010 Jorie Boulevard, Suite 12, Oakbrook, IL 60523 or djacobso@wmrc.uiuc.edu.
Questions on the draft strategy may be directed to Debra Jacobson at (630) 472-5019 or fax (630) 472-5023. Questions may also be directed to Sharon Trostle at (717) 783-1653; shtrostle@state.pa.us or Glenn Mitzel (717) 783-9448; gmitzel@state.pa.us, who represent the Commonwealth on the strategy team.
KATHLEEN A. MCGINTY,
Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 07-1711. Filed for public inspection September 14, 2007, 9:00 a.m.]
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