Agenda for Jan. 15. 2025 Public Meeting

 General Membership Meeting Agenda 

Wednesday, January 15, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m. 

We will meet in person at St. Louis City Hall on Mill Street. For those unable to attend in person, please join the meeting via Zoom* (invitation follows).   

 Additions to agenda 

Approval of December minutes 

Treasurer’s report – Gary Smith, Treasurer 

Correspondence and Communication - Brittany Fremion, Chairperson 

• Update on documentary film project about PBB that will feature the CAG – Colin Gray (TBD) 

• Gary and Brittany prepared and submitted the the fourth TAG quarterly report to EPA this week. 

• The CAG Executive Committee met tonight from 6:00-6:45 to review the documentary film project materials shared by Colin Gray and discuss administrative items. 

• The CAG is still waiting on a response to our FOIA for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission records related to radioactive waste at the FPS (submitted in October 2024). We encourage EPA and EGLE to continue their work to determine whether there is still radioactive waste present at the FPS. 

• CAG officers successfully recovered organizational records from Alma College and delivered them to the Clarke Historical Library at CMU on Thursday, December 5th. As a gesture of goodwill and to recognize our long-standing partnership with Alma College, the CAG donated $1,000 to the Library at the beginning of the month. 

• Dr. Tom Corbett, a member of the PBB Citizen’s Advisory Board and CAG, wrote a letter to RFK, Jr., to remind him of the Michigan PBB Disaster and visit to St. Louis and the Velsicol Sites in the early 2000s. Dr. Corbett has asked the CAG to write a letter as well, in the hope that it will encourage funding of the remedial work at the FPS and VBP, and Michigan PBB Registry, the long-term health study. 

• On December 11, Gary Smith forwarded a list of questions to EPA on behalf of the CAG related to work at the FPS and VBP. 

• EPA provided a response to the CAG questions on December 18th.  

• At the December CAG meeting, Jane (Keon) Jelenek, a founding CAG member and long-serving officer, presented her new book, Toxic Town Cleanup, which documents the history of the CAG and Velsicol Sites since 2014. This is her second book and follows Tombstone Town, published in 2015. Both books are available on Amazon or can be purchased at CAG meetings. 

• Historically, EPA and contractors do not attend the December CAG meeting; however, Jennifer Knoepfle (RPM 1) shared a slide deck with important updates for remedial work at the FPS and VBP. Thank you! 

• Update on CAG website and traffic — Ed Lorenz 

EGLE Report - Erik Martinson, Project Manager 

• Residential bird/nest study 

• Impoundment fish sampling  

• Aging fish study 

 EPA Report: Velsicol Burn Pit Site – Jennifer Knoepfle, RPM 1, and Anna Nguyen, RPM 2 

• OU1 ISTT Operations Update – Jennifer 

• Ephemeral Channel Sampling West of VBP (ditch sampling) Update – Anna 

• OU2 Update 

 EPA Report: Velsicol Former Plant Site - Jennifer Knoepfle, RPM 1, and Anna Nguyen, RPM 2 

• OU1 

• Downgradient Vertical Barrier Wall  

• Upgradient Vertical Barrier Wall Repair 

• PSA 1 & 2 

• PSA 3 

• PFAS Groundwater Sampling 

• OU3 & OU4 (downstream) 

 Technical Advisor/TASC Report  

• The CAG still seeks a TA and welcomes recommendations. 

• TASC Team Report - Gary Smith 

Ongoing Business  

• PBB Leadership Team update – Ed Lorenz, Norm Keon, Jane Jelenek 

• CAG Hall of Fame Nominations — The award “recognizes individuals who have an exemplary record of giving time and talent to the restoration of the Pine River” watershed.  

• Given the November meeting cancellation, nominations remained open until tonight.  

• Nominees announced. 

• How to vote: Dues-paying members can vote in-person at the January meeting or can email Secretary Jane Jelenek (jelenekjane@gmail.com) before the next general membership meeting on February 19, 2025. 

• Hall of Fame inductees will be announced at the February CAG meeting and recognized during a potluck before the March CAG meeting.  

  New Business 

 Adjournment  

January Zoom Meeting Invitation 

 *Zoom meetings are primarily for streaming purposes, although Doug Brecht, CAG Zoom czar, will monitor the chat and look for raised hands so remote participants can ask questions/lend insights. Please note that the meeting ID and password change each month. 

Topic: January 2025 Task Force/CAG Meeting 

Time: Jan 15, 2025 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

Join Zoom Meeting 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87108787087?pwd=LQAdfaaPWWbk8aVVlpCSCICjfP8NKy.1  

Meeting ID: 871 0878 7087 

Passcode: 005880 

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Meeting ID: 871 0878 7087 

Passcode: 005880 

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