From: Harry B Houchins

Sent: Wed Mar 16 05:30:20 2011

To: ToxicsRuleMaking

Subject: Adopt Oregon’s draft human health criteria for toxics

Importance: Normal

I urge the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the

Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) to move quickly to adopt Oregon’s

draft human health criteria for toxics based on the accurate fish

consumption rate of 175 grams per day. This rate is a joint

recommendation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and DEQ.

I urge DEQ and EQC not to undermine their own efforts by making it

easier to obtain exceptions or “variances” to current standards. More

specifically, the new rule allowing DEQ to issue variances without EQC

approval should not apply to standards that aren’t affected by this

rulemaking. The new variance rule should be limited to only those

standards that have changed as a result of the current process.

Harry B Houchins

1655 Ridgefield St

Eugene, Oregon 97404