PROGRESS REPORT 2000 

Introduction and Background

In 1997, Canada and the United States agreed to work toward the virtual elimination of persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes by signing the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy: Canada-United States Strategy for the Virtual Elimination of Persistent Toxic Substances in the Great Lakes, also known as the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy or GLBTS. Since 1998, Environment Canada (EC), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and Great Lakes Basin stakeholders have been working toward the goal of virtual elimination of strategy substances. This report represents the third annual report of progress under the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy.

The main focus of the strategy implementation remains the twelve "Level I" substances, for which seven chemical-specific workgroups have been formed. These workgroups consist of:

Mercury
PCBs
Dioxin
Benzo(a)pyrene/Hexachlorobenzene (B(a)P/HCB)
Octachlorostyrene (OCS)
Pesticides
Alkyl-lead

The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy establishes reduction challenges for the Level I substances in the timeframe 1997 to 2006. Several "Level II" substances are also named in the strategy with the goal of promoting pollution prevention and sound management to reduce levels in the environment. Also included in the strategy are challenges to complete or be well advanced in remediation of priority sites with contaminated bottom sediments and to evaluate and report jointly on long-range transport of strategy substances from world-wide sources. Highlights of progress toward achieving these challenge goals over the past year are presented in the following section. A time line of activities undertaken since the strategy's inception, as well as related events, is presented in the Appendix.

The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy reinforces and coordinates with other programs and activities to control and prevent releases of persistent toxics, including:

• EC's Strategic Options Processes (SOPs) and development of Canada-Wide Standards (CWS),

• EPA's Persistent, Bioacculative, and Toxics (PBT) Initiative (www.epa.gov/pbt),

• EPA's Great Waters Program ( www.epa.gov/airprogram/oar/oaqps/gr8water) , and

• Other international activities such as the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Treaty (www.epa.gov/oiamount/iepi.htm)

Analytical Process Reports

1. Information gathering;

2. Analyze current regulations, initiatives, and programs which manage or control substances;

3. Identify cost-effective options to achieve further reductions;

4. Implement actions to work toward the goal of virtual elimination.

Consistent with this 4-step framework, analytical process reports have been prepared to document workgroup efforts in implementing the strategy. To date, reports associated with Steps 1, 2, and 3 have been drafted for all Level I substances: alkyl-lead, B(a)P, HCB, dioxin, mercury, OCS, PCBs, and the five canceled pesticides (aldrin/dieldrin, chlordane, DDT, mirex, and toxaphene). In addition, preliminary assessments of the Level II substances in both Canada and the U.S. have been documented in Level II reports prepared by each country. The analytical process and Level II reports, as well as previous GLBTS progress reports, can be found on the Internet at the GLBTS website,www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/.

Integration Group

n addition to the substance-specific workgroups identified above, an Integration Group comprised of the governments and interested stakeholders was formed to discuss issues relevant to, but outside the scope of, the individual substance-specific workgroups. The Integration Group met February 15, 2000, and September 22, 2000. Issues discussed at these meetings included contaminated sediments, long-range transport, a GLBTS communications strategy, negotiations on the global treaty on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and significant stakeholder activities related to the GLBTS. In addition, a municipal solid waste incineration workshop was held on May 15, 2000, in Toronto, Ontario.

Outlook 2001

The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy will continue to advance toxic reduction activities. Specific plans the GLBTS intends to accomplish are the following:

• Initiate partnerships for voluntary toxic reductions
• Launch the outreach effort described in the communications strategy
• Fund additional work at the stakeholder level in support of GLBTS efforts
• Sponsor workshops on sediment remediation and long range transport
• Continue to reinforce other efforts such as the PBT Initiative, CWS, and POPs Treaty

Future Direction

Over the next year, Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy efforts will move into Step 4, implementing actions to work toward the goal of virtual elimination. Having completed analyses of sources and regulations (Steps 1&2), and identifying cost-effective options for reduction (Step 3), the workgroups are expected to begin a new phase that is marked by additional voluntary partnerships and actions with stakeholders that build on progress to date and result in further achievements of the strategy's challenge goals.

Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Highlights November 1999–November 2000

Stakeholder fora were held on November 18, 1999, in Chicago, Illinois, and on May 16, 2000, in Toronto, Ontario. These meetings included a plenary session with separate breakout sessions for the chemical-specific workgroups. Progress achieved in the past year on each of the Level I chemicals, as well as on remediation of contaminated sediments and characterization of long-range transport, is described below.