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State Air Pollution Control Board adopts electronic meetings policy, discourages remote quorum use
Summary
The board approved a draft electronic meetings policy allowing remote participation under strict conditions but warned remote attendance will not count toward quorum unless statutory criteria are met; the policy must be readopted annually per law.
The State Air Pollution Control Board voted to adopt a draft electronic meetings policy that permits remote participation under defined circumstances but advises members to attend in person when possible.
Eric Lansing, legal counsel from the attorney generals office, presented the policy prepared with staff from the Department of Environmental Quality and said remote dial-in participation "would not be counted for purposes of a quorum" unless the board met statutory criteria and complied with notice and admission procedures. Lansing urged members to notify the board coordinator and the chair in advance to meet legal requirements.
The policy also allows an all-virtual meeting option under limited circumstances. Lansing said these provisions are a form of "life insurance": useful when needed but not desirable as routine practice. He emphasized that, by law, the electronic-meetings policy must be readopted at the first meeting of each year.
Board members moved and carried the adoption by voice vote. David Hudgins presided over the vote after explaining the regular chair was absent for health reasons.
The boards decision means remote participation remains available but will generally not be counted toward quorum unless the board follows the procedural safeguards spelled out in the policy. The policy adoption is intended to keep the board compliant with open-meeting statutes while preserving flexibility for members who cannot attend in person.
