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Published Quarterly for Members of the Texas Lone Star Chapter of SWANA
Update on Texas Legislative Issues by Ty Embry
Table of Contents
2014 TxSWANA Jack C. Carmichael, Scholarship Winners 4
2014 TXSWANA Annual Road-e-o, El Paso, TX 6-9
Safety First 11-12
14 Notice of Election of Directors and Officers
When the Texas Legislature convenes for
its Regular Session on January 13, 2015, the lead-
ership and make-up of the Texas House and Sen-
ate will reflect unprecedented change. The re-
sults of the primary and general elections of 2014
will significantly impact the direction of the Leg-
islature and how the Regular Session in 2015 will
unfold. To demonstrate the significant amount of
change that will occur at just the statewide
elected office level, Texas will have a new Gover-
nor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General,
Comptroller, and Agriculture Commissioner re-
gardless of the results of the general election in
November of this year.
Since the last article in April, the primary
run-off elections were held on May 27. On the
Democratic side, the only statewide elected office
result in the run-off elections was the victory of
Jim Hogan over Kinky Friedman. The Republi-
can voters elected current State Senator Dan
Patrick over current Lieutenant Governor David
Dewhurst for the Republican nomination for
Lieutenant Governor. In addition, current State
Senator Ken Paxton beat current State Repre-
sentative Dan Branch for the Attorney General
nomination for the Republicans, and Sid Miller
defeated Tommy Merritt for the Agriculture
Commissioner nomination.
While the activity has slowed down to
some extent because of the summer months, the
committees of the Texas House and Texas Sen-
ate continue to hold public hearings on the top-
ics the committees were assigned to study dur-
ing the legislative interim period. The Texas
House Committee on Environmental Regula-
tion held a hearing in May on the current con-
Volume 14, Number 3 Summer 2014
1
(Continued on page 5)
The Lone Star
TxSWANA Officers & Board of Directors
Director:
Bengy Williams
City of Beaumont
4955 Lafin Road
Beaumont, TX 77704-3827
(409) 842-1483
Director:
Ron Smith
City of Dallas
3112 Canton Street, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75226
(214) 670-3555
Past President:
Brenda A. Haney, P.E.
City of Irving
825 W. Irving Blvd.,
Irving, TX 75060
(972) 721-2349
President:
Michael G. Rice, P.E.
City of Amarillo
509 E 7th Avenue
Amarillo, TX 79105
(806) 378-9337
IB Rep:
Vance Kemler
City of Denton
1527 Mayhill Road
Denton, TX 76208
(940) 349-8002 [email protected]
Director:
Lawrence Mikolajczyk
City of Corpus Christi
P.O. Box 9277
Corpus Christi, TX 78469
(361) 826-1966
Vice President:
Ellen A. Smyth, P.E.
City of El Paso
7968 San Paulo Drive
El Paso, TX 79907
(915) 621-6719
Secretary:
Richard McHale
City of Austin
P.O. Box 1088
Austin, TX 78767
(512) 974-4301
Director:
Paul Gosselink
Lloyd , Gosselink,
Rochelle & Townsend, P.C. 816 Congress Avenue, Suite 1900 Austin, TX 78701
(512) 322-5806
Director:
Hector Chavez
City of Eagle Pass
100 South Monroe Street
Eagle Pass, TX 78852
(830) 773-9408
Director:
Frank Pugsley, P.E.
CP & Y, Inc.
1820 Regal Row, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75235
(214) 638-0500
Director: Robert H. “Holly” Holder, P. E.
Parkhill, Smith & Cooper
4222 85th Street
Lubbock, TX 79423
(806) 473-2200
Visit www.swana.org for a
membership application.
Director:
Lonnie Banks
City of Garland
1434 Commerce Street
Garland, TX 75040
(972) 205-3424
Director:
Jeffrey D. Mayfield, P.E.
North Texas Municipal Water
District
P.O. Box 2408
Wylie, TX 75098
(972) 442-5405
Treasurer:
David W. McCary
City of San Antonio
4410 W. Piedras Drive
San Antonio, TX 78228
(210) 207-6471
Director:
Harry Hayes
City of Houston
611 Walker
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 837-9103
Director:
Morris Williams
City of Midland
PO Box 1152
Midland, TX 79702
(432) 685-7278
2
The Lone Star
Message from the President by Michael Rice
Dear TxSWANA!
This year’s Road-E-O was another outstanding event with participants
from all across the state. The City of El Paso extended a warm hand of
hospitality to everyone, the hotels were comfortable, the venue was
great, and our host city did an excellent job. Many thanks go to the
City of El Paso staff and volunteers for their many hours of preparation
and work to make this event very successful. For those who were able
to participate, Thanks! The road-e-o could not be successful without
your participation, and every year I look forward to watching and
working in TxSWANA’s State Road-e-o. This year’s Top Gun Winners
were: Truck Competition -Robert Longoria, San Antonio
Landfill Competition –Jesus Marquez, El Paso
Mechanic Competition –Gabriel Telles, El Paso
I extend my warmest Congratulations to each of this year’s winners!
Near the end of August, Texas will once again have the special opportunity to host the annual
SWANA conference, WasteCon, to be held in Grapevine, TX beginning Sunday, August 24th. I en-
courage your participation if possible. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other solid
waste professionals from across the country, to hear from many outstanding speakers on a wide
range of topics, to check out the showroom floor with vendors from near and far, to attend some
outstanding tours, plus SWANA brings many opportunities for training as well. Check out all of the
many possibilities at SWANA’s web site.
And now, a quiet moment of reflection. This is my last President’s Message. With this year’s elec-
tions of Directors and Officers, my term as TxSWANA President comes to an end. It has been an
honor to serve an organization I have been a part of for many years, and to be an active part of an
industry I proudly work within. The chapter will be in great hands in the months to come. Your
President Elect is Ellen Smyth, Director of Environmental Services – City of El Paso, and I look for-
ward to serving under her as Past President and continuing to serve each one of you. The solid
waste industry has so many dedicated professionals that do so much for the growth and develop-
ment of our business, from actively seeking out opportunities and advances in the many areas of the
solid waste industry, to the everyday task of getting our jobs completed and completed well! Thank
you for the work you do and the expertise you bring to TxSWANA. You are a tremendous group and
I am sincerely thankful and grateful for the opportunity and honor of being your President!
Michael Rice
3
The Lone Star
4
During the last TxSWANA Board of Directors meeting in Austin, the TxSWANA Scholarship committee recommended, and the TxSWANA Board of Directors ap-
proved the following individuals for Scholarships. Congratulations to each !!!
2014 TXSWANA
Jack C. Carmichael, P.E.
Scholarship Winners
Ms. Reza Broun
Student Member-Univ. of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX
Mr. Austin Griesbach
TxSWANA Sponsor-Bryan Griesbach
Anderson, TX
Ms. Kathleen Carlton
TxSWANA Sponsor-Michael Carlton
Dallas, TX
Ms. Miranda Rice
TxSWANA Sponsor-Michael Rice
Amarillo, TX
Mr. Jacob Reinhard
TxSWANA Sponsor-Jon Reinhard
Corpus Christi, TX
Mr. Caleb Springer
TxSWANA Sponsor-Michael Springer
Sherman, TX
The Lone Star The Lone Star
bags adopted by several cities in Texas are le-
gal and consistent with the Texas Health and
Safety Code. I will provide TxSWANA with an
update as soon as an Opinion issued by the At-
torney General so TxSWANA can work on a
path forward to address any negative impacts
from the AG Opinion.
This article was prepared by Ty Embry of Lloyd
Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C.'s Government
Relations Practice Group. Ty is a registered lobbyist
with the Texas Ethics Commission. If you have any
questions concerning legislative issues or would like
additional information concerning the firm’s legis-
lative tracking and monitoring services or legisla-
tive consulting services, please contact Ty at (512)
322-???? or [email protected].
5
(Continued from page 1)
tested case hearings process in Texas. The
HERC received testimony from multiple wit-
nesses that represented a wide spectrum of
stakeholder groups interested in the contested
case hearings process, such as environmental
groups and business groups like the Texas
Chemical Council and the Texas Association of
Business. The HERC is attempting to identify if
any revisions are needed to streamline the con-
tested case hearings process in Texas. The Sen-
ate Natural Resources Committee was assigned
a similar interim charge by the Lieutenant Gov-
ernor but the SNRC has yet to hold a public
hearing on the topic. We will continue to follow
the interim committee work by the Texas Legis-
lature and closely studying the reports that are
ultimately issued by the
committees this fall.
The Texas Attorney
General, Greg Abbott, has
not yet issued an Opinion
in response to the Request
for AG Opinion submitted
earlier this year by State
Representative Dan Flynn
that addresses plastic bag
bans. Rep. Flynn asked
Attorney General Abbott if
the bans on plastic bags
and fees on replacement
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FRONT LOADERS
1st Place -Joe A. Chavez, El Paso
2nd Place -Andres Garcia, College Station
3rd Place -Julian Ramirez, City of Bryan
REAR LOADER
1st Place -Robert Longoria, San Antonio ***
2nd Place – James Perez, San Antonio
3rd Place – Roberto Soto, University Park
SIDE LOADER
1st Place – Danny Smith, Garland
2nd Place – Noel Dimas, San Antonio
3rd Place – Quinntus Larkin, Plano
ROLL OFF
1st Place – Michael Wilkerson, Beaumont
2nd Place – Michael J. Carnline, Austin
3rd Place – Mike Beltran, El Paso
RUBBER TIRE LOADER
1st Place – Alfonso Piedra, Denton
2nd Place – Billy Downey, Denton
3rd Place – Carlos Perez, El Paso
*** = TOP GUN WINNERS
DOZER
1st Place– Gabriel Rodriguez, Denton
2nd Place– Joe Ortega, El Paso
3rd Place– Roger Gilland, Beaumont
COMPACTOR
1st Place– Jesus Marquez, El Paso ***
2nd Place– Nathan McDaniel, Beaumont
3rd Place– Donald Fabian, Denton
TRANSFER TRAILER
1st Place– Jesus Ruiz, El Paso
2nd Place– Hector Vasquez, El Paso
3rd Place– Sergio Almaguer, Houston
TRUCK MECHANIC
1st Place– Gabriel Telles, El Paso ***
2nd Place– Ruben Mora, El Paso
3rd Place– Marco Arambula, El Paso
LANDFILL MECHANIC
1st Place– Mark A. Bartek, Denton
2nd Place– Michael Zamora, El Paso
3rd Place– Fredrick Harris, Dallas
*** = TOP GUN WINNERS
2014 TXSWANA ROAD-E-O WINNERS
The Lone Star
9
The City of El Paso and TXSWANA wish to thank
all 2014 ROAD-E-O sponsors for their support in
making this year’s ROAD-E-O such a success.
The City of El Paso and TxSWANA also want to thank the following:
Friedman Recycling Vista Markets Traffic Control Specialists
El Paso Electric Gage Electric Mariachi Amistad Cowtown Boots
Whiplash VFW-812 El Paso County Coliseum
The Lone Star
10
The Lone Star
The Question of the Day: How Often Should You Conduct Safety Training?
Work Place Safety Training can help to develop the knowl-
edge and skills needed to understand workplace hazards
and safe procedures. The question arises all too fre-
quently….. “How Often Should
You Conduct Safety Training?
There is no absolute cut and
dry answer to this question.
There are too many variables to
consider. I absolutely agree
that knowledge is empowering.
The more we learn and the
more we know, then the more
we are able to grow and con-
tribute to our communities. As
Robert Dedman once said,
“Leadership starts with learn-
ing”. So if we want to champion
leaders within our teams, we must encourage them to de-
velop a thirst for learning.
When it comes to safety training here are some things to
think about:
Safety training is an essential part of every employer’s pro-
gram for protecting workers from injuries and illnesses.
Not only does it keep our staff safe, it’s an investment that
lowers your insurance costs and has other financial bene-
fits. To really know how often you should be conducting
safety training, it is best to ask your in-house safety profes-
sional who can counsel you on your particular status. How-
ever, frequency of such training can help define a safety
culture within your organization.
The levels of safety training:
First, initial training for all new employees….before they
begin their jobs. Yes, we hire the best and brightest for our
teams, but no matter the skill set and resume, everyone
needs a baseline on the specifics and nuances of your op-
eration. This specific training should include a thorough
review of the equipment and process used as well as a dem-
onstration of the techniques employed and a discussion of
the potential hazards at bay. Doing this will embed with
your new staff that safety is a priority with you and your
operation and provide your staff with information that
could prevent an accident and injury. This initial training
should take place during the workers orientation on their
first day on the job. Years ago, when I originally started in
our profession, the department I
was with had an internal
“Academy” for all new hires. The
program ran for three days and
did a great job integrating new
staff into the organization, as
well as allowing the new hires
that ability to gather necessary
knowledge to perform their
tasks.
Some also suggest that organiza-
tions conduct annual safety
training. This is required for cer-
tain occupations via OSHA. Some topics are annual. Some
are one time and some are on other frequency time lines.
Frequency of training evolutions in your organization is
also dependent on your unique situation. Although all of
us share a commonality of needs in the solid waste profes-
sion, each entity will need to train and retrain on issues
salient to them. Such topics as Defensive Driving, Back
Injury Prevention, Blood Borne Pathogens and PPE are
always a constant.
A key component is keeping guidelines and rules fresh in
workers’ minds. Those of us who conduct regular safety
sessions are less prone to workplace accidents and
Safety First
by David Vartian, City of University Park, Texas
Use S.M.A.R.T.
We’re part of the
Solution!
(Continued on page 12)
11
The Lone Star
have better workplace safety
overall. Consistency in safety training helps workers
realize the importance of workplace safety and it
boosts moral because it helps make your team feel
cared for. Many years ago I was once told that we
need to “Practice the way we Play” so each and every
aspect of our training and learning program had a
resemblance to our daily activities. If we “play” seri-
ously, then we should practice seriously as well.
When an injury does occur, it is a great idea to con-
duct a job hazard analysis. I spoke about this topic
previously in a prior addition of our newsletter. Then
immediately conduct safety training with employee
and show them how to properly perform the actions
that went wrong and caused the accident.
Stay current in your safety skills by taking classes and
seeking to improve your safety skill set. Through
safety training classes, you and your team are pro-
vided good information to help you better perform
and display your individual skill set. This extra step
ensures you are implementing an effective workplace
safety program and can help you reduce your injuries
and accidents. Safety training is time and money well
spent.
Some organizations implement formal programming
when it comes to their safety training regimen. Some
produce and training calendar and post it for all to
see in advance of the scheduled date or dates. Some
organizations schedule it early before the kick off
their day. In doing this, it is also a nice idea to offer
your staff a breakfast to help them engage and to
show them how important you feel it is and from that,
ensure that all levels of supervision attend. Your staff
will realize a fuller appreciation of the importance of
this meeting if you are there as well.
Lastly, always remember what your goal is when you
are taking about occupational safety. We endeavor to
keep our staff injury free and accident free so that
their best talents can surface when they engage in
their daily tasks. When your employees are kept up to
date and regularly reminded of how to do their jobs
safety, and skillfully, you greatly reduce the potential
for accidents in the workplace. Air Traffic Controllers
and other astute individuals will often be heard using
the phrase…. “Safely, orderly and expeditiously…is
how we roll here… In the end, effective and timely job
safety training saves both lives and dollars.
As always, if anyone ever has any questions regarding
solid waste safety, feel free to contact the S.M.A.R.T
Committee for timely counsel on solid waste safety
issues.
Yours in Safety,
David Vartian
12
The Safety Management and Resource Team is a network of Safety professionals organized to effectively share
methods of injury and collision prevention. Contact David Vartian at (210) 207-6406 to obtain safety support, exchange
safety strategies, or to arrange an onsite audit of your work practices.
(continued from Page 11)
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SAVE THE DATE
TxSWANA 2015 Annual Conference
EL PASO, TEXAS
APRIL 16-18, 2015
The Lone Star
14
SWANA-TEXAS LONE STAR CHAPTER
NOTICE OF ELECTION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
In accordance with Article VII of the Bylaws of the Texas Lone Star Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America, an election of Directors and Officers will take place during the Chapter’s Annual Business Meeting on August 28, 2014 in Grapevine, Texas. Members in good standing may vote in person at the Annual Business Meeting, or by absentee ballot. In accordance with the Bylaws, Article 7.5, “A valid ballot will include a member’s identification number.” Mem-bers who are unable to locate their SWANA member number may obtain their member number by emailing a request for same to the TXSWANA Newsletter Chairman at [email protected]. All ballots must be received not later than 10 days before the date of the Annual Business Meeting. Ballots may be submitted electronically to [email protected], or ballots may be sent by US mail to the address listed at the bottom of this ballot.
The Nominating Committee has recommended the following Slate of Directors and Slate of Officers for 2014-2016, beginning Sep-tember 1, 2014 to serve a two years term. Questions concerning this election, including write in votes, may be directed to Michael Rice at (806) 378-9337.
SWANA-TEXAS LONE STAR CHAPTER
NOMINATIONS FOR DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
FISCAL YEAR 2014-2016 Past President: President: Vice President: Treasurer:
Michael Rice, P.E. Ellen Smyth, P.E. David McCary Richard McHale
City of Amarillo City of El Paso City of San Antonio City of Austin
Secretary: IB Director: Director: Director:
Morris Williams Vance Kemler Frank Pugsley, P.E. Robert (Holly) Holder, P.E.
City of Midland City of Denton CP & Y, Inc Parkhill, Smith & Cooper
Director: Director:
Paul Gosselink Brenda Haney, P.E.
Lloyd Gosselink, P.C. City of Irving
SWANA – TEXAS LONE STAR CHAPTER
ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR 2014-2016
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
VOTE FOR RECOMMENDED SLATE OF DIRECTORS
AND OFFICERS (CHECK BOX)
MEMBER NAME: __________________________________________
MEMBER NUMBER: ________________________________________
CITY/COMPANY: __________________________________________
MAIL COMPLETE BALLOT TO:
CITY OF AUSTIN ATTN: RICHARD MCHALE
P.O. BOX 1088
AUSTIN, TEXAS 78767 May 16, 2014
The Lone Star
2014 WASTECON
August 24-28, 2014
Grapevine, TX
2014 TXSWANA Annual
Business Meeting
August 28, 2014
Grapevine, TX
2014 SWANA International Road-e-o
September 20, 2014
Denver, CO
2015 TXSWANA Annual
Conference
April 16-18, 2015
El Paso, TX
Calendar of Events
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEETINGS
Aug. 28, 2014 Grapevine
Sept. 19, 2014 Houston
Oct. 17, 2014 Austin
Nov. 21, 2014 San Antonio
MEMBERSHIP ===========================================================
We Welcome the Following New Members (Through July 31, 2014 )
Nick Alford DFW Int’l Airport
Michael A. Beckley ECOLO
Rob Bishop JVI Vibratory Equipment
Reza Broun Univ. of Texas at Arlington
John C. Chastang Chastang’s Bayou City Autocar
Brett J. DeVries Univ. of Texas at Arlington
L. Elena Etcitty San Antonio, TX
Jake Friemel Comerica Bank
Pedro R. Fuentes La Porte, TX
Arturo Garcia City of Denton
Gene Gaston City of Amarillo
Donny Hooper City of Pampa
Joseph Jones City of Tyler
Fred Leach Bane Machinery
Vincent Lewis City of Dallas
David Lopez City of San Antonio
Bharati Maskey City of Grand Prairie
Michael Mayo Caterpillar
Jesus Mendez City of McAllen
Carlos Munoz City of El Paso
Ambrose Onuorah Mission, TX
Pete Pina City of Kingsville Landfill
Kieran M. Prabhu SCS Engineers
Preston J. Ruley BVSWMA
Alise Tate City of Tyler
Katie Turner City of Sherman
Jerry White City of Sherman
Wealthia H. White City of Houston
Tim Williams City of McKinney
Rick Wood Peterbuilt Motors Co.
15
