Now accepting nominations for Cleanup Rule Advisory Group

The cleanup of Port Gamble Bay is just one of the more than
7,000 sites we've cleaned up since MTCA became law 30 years ago

Ecology’s Toxics Cleanup Program is updating Washington’s Cleanup Rule and we’re recruiting an advisory group to help!

The Cleanup Rule hasn’t been fully updated since 2001. We're updating it in three stages called “rulemakings” over several years. The first rulemaking is already underway and the advisory group will play a key role.

The Stakeholder and Tribal Advisory Group (STAG)

This group will provide feedback on the proposed rule changes, such as process changes to make cleanups more efficient. We’ll also seek its input on the cleanup standards during the second rulemaking starting in 2021.

Know someone who would make a great candidate?

You’re welcome to nominate yourself, someone else, or more than one person.

We’re looking for diverse voices and perspectives:

• People who have practical experience with cleanups under the Model Toxics Control Act and experience working in advisory groups
• People who are willing to represent the broader interests of their organization or community, and can attend up to 12 meetings in Bellevue over the next two years

Check out the details in our First Rulemaking Notice No. 1 then submit your nominations by midnight, Sunday, July 28, 2019. 

Why does the Cleanup Rule matter? 

The rule outlines steps and standards that help protect your health, wildlife, environment, and economy. There are more than 13,000 contaminated sites in Washington and about 250 new sites are reported each year. But there’s good news: Ecology and our partners have already cleaned up more than 7,000 of these sites and we’re tackling more every day. 

Some of these sites may be in your own neighborhood, like a petroleum spill at your local gas station, or wood waste from an abandoned lumber mill contaminating the shoreline. Other sites stretch for thousands of acres, like the Tacoma Smelter Plume where air pollution deposited arsenic and lead for decades. The Cleanup Rule and Model Toxics Control Act help us clean up these sites so communities can thrive.

Submit your STAG nominations by midnight, Sunday, July 28, 2019, then discover more ways to get involved:

1.    Track the rulemaking: Cleanup Rulemaking webpage, STAG EZView site, and Ecology's Site Register

2.     Subscribe to Cleanup Rule Update emails: MTCA-SMS Rule Listserv

3.     Visit What’s in my neighborhood to explore cleanups in your community

4.     Learn more about MTCA, Washington’s environmental cleanup law 

If you have any questions about the STAG or the rulemaking, contact Clint Stanovsky at MTCARule@ecy.wa.gov and 360-407-7193.

By Elaine Heim, Toxics Cleanup Program Policy Unit Planner