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Conference Puts Focus on Mercury
and One Clever Dog
by Leeann Hanson, NEIWPCC / JETCC
More than 165 state, federal and municipal regulators, educators and
enforcement personnel from 34 states and eight countries took part in the
“Achieving Mercury Reductions in Products and Waste” conference in
Portland, Maine, on May 23 –25, 2005. EPA New England funded the
conference, which was sponsored by Maine’s Department of Environmental
Protection and the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA).
NEIWPCC and the Maine Joint Environmental Training Coordinating Committee
(JETCC), which NEIWPCC manages, were among the partners assisting with the
coordination of the event.
The conference featured technical sessions and information exchanges on
the removal, phase-out, and recycling of mercury in lamps, batteries,
dental clinics, medical facilities, auto switches, schools, and
laboratories. Among those on hand was U.S. Representative Tom Allen of
Maine, who drew praise for the knowledge and enthusiasm he displayed
during his speech at the opening session.
Another popular guest didn’t speak a word, but still made a powerful
impression. Clancy the Mercury Sniffing Dog traveled to the conference
from Minnesota with his handler Carol Hubbard from the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency. Carol and Clancy work as team, serving the state of
Minnesota by identifying mercury in school laboratories. Clancy is the
only dog in the nation trained for this task.
Other highlights included the presentation of silver ribbon pins to
approximately 50 “Mercury Pioneers.” The pins recognized them for their
efforts on behalf of mercury reduction.
A CD containing speaker presentations, roundtable summaries and
proceedings of the conference will be mailed to all participants. The
proceedings will also appear on NEWMOA’s Web page
(www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/conferences/).
Leeann Hanson is the Coordinator of JETCC, which NEIWPCC manages under a
contract from Maine DEP.
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