Download the agenda here.
Conference Day 1
Day 1, Wednesday, May 17
Grand Foyer
7:15 am Registration and Check-In
BREAKOUT SESSION (Two Tracks)
Track One, Salon F-J
8:00 am EHS Staff Training
THOMAS JONES, TRC (Moderator)
8:00 am Common Issues EPA sees with SPCC Plans AMY REED, Burns & McDonnell
8:20 am Managing Change During Transitions
SHAWN ZABLOCKI, Olsson Associates
8:40 am Surviving EPCRA 311/312/313 Reporting
JENNIFER VAN THOMME, GHD
9:00 am Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs): Common Misconceptions
LIZ BLACKBURN, US EPA Region 7
9:20 am US EPA’s Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule
MATT SHANAHAN, Burns & McDonnell
Track Two, Salon A-E
8:00 am EHS Upper Management Session
JEFF DEXTER, iSi Environmental (Moderator)
8:00 am Explaining Environmental Issues to Upper Management, Elected Officials and Political Appointees
RUSS BAKER, Omaha Public Power District
NICOLE CRAIN, Iowa Assoc. of Business and Industry
8:25 am Winning Strategies to Improve Relations in Your Community and with Local, State and Federal Regulators
MIDGE WINKLER, General Motors
KYRA MOORE, MO DNR, Air Pollution Control Prog.
8:50 am Using Consultants, Contractors, and Attorneys More Efficiently and Effectively
PAUL LING, KCPL
RUSSELL GEORGE, NEBCO
9:15 am ISO14001 Revisited: Updating Your EMS
Implementation strategies and benefits.
ROBIN FRIED, Tellevate
MICHELLE BRIGHTWELL, Dept. of Veterans Affairs
9:45 am Networking Break, Grand Foyer
(All Breaks will be held in the Grand Foyer)
PLENARY SESSION, Grand Ballroom
10:15 am Welcome
ROGER WALKER, JD, LLM, Planning Chair, MECC
10:20 am A Discussion in Transition—What to Expect from the Trump Administration and US EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt
WILLIAM EHM, Administrator, IDNR
JIM MACY, Director, NDEQ
JOHN MITCHELL, Director, Environment, KDHE
CAROL COMER, Director, Missouri DNR
ED CHU, Deputy Regional Administrator, US EPA Region 7
DAVID SHORR, Lathrop & Gage LLP (Moderator)
11:10 am The Legal Reality of Making Changes in Environmental Policy
This session will address the legal niceties of changes in environmental policy at the state and Federal level. It’s never quite as easy as it seems.
KATIE JO WHEELER, General Counsel, MDNR
ED TORMEY, General Counsel, Iowa DNR
DARIAN DERNOVISH, KDHE
ANNETTE KOVAR, Legal Counsel, NE DEQ
KYLE FOOTE, Stinson Leonard Street (Moderator)
12:00 pm Lunch, Grand Ballroom
Sponsored by Kansas City Power & Light
Changing the Construct to Support Energy Innovation
CHUCK CAISLEY, Vice President, KCP&L
CATHY BENNETT, KC Chamber (Introduction)
BREAKOUT SESSION (Two Tracks)
Track One—Industry and Manufacturing, Salon A-E
1:25 pm General Duty Clause: The Provision that Swallowed the Rule
A Review of Risk Management Plan requirements including the “General Duty Clause,” proposed changes to the rule and the practical impact on regulated facilities.
LISA FUNDERBURG, Olin Corporation
NATALIE VANLIEW, Trinity Consultants
PAT REITZ, US EPA Region 7
INGRID SETZLER, Kansas City Board of Public Utilities
BRITTANY BARRIENTOS, Stinson Leonard Street (Moderator)
2:15 pm NSR/PSD Reform: Does Reform Have Legs This Time?
DAVID SHANKS, Boeing
JOSH GARDNER, Trinity Consultants
Track Two—Utility and Energy Issues, Salon F-J
1:25 pm PACE, Energy Efficiency, and Power Purchase Agreements to Meet International Sustainability Goals
ASHOK GUPTA, Natural Resources Defense Council
JOSH CAMPBELL, Missouri Energy Initiative
2:15 pm Energy Crystal Ball Gazing Under Trump/Pence
This panel will address national and regional impacts on procurement, deregulation, energy efficiency, financing, and other key energy issues.
CHRIS NEAVILLE, The Doe Run Company
EWELL LAWSON, Missouri Public Utility Alliance
PAUL LING, KCP&L
DAVID TRIPP, Stinson Leonard Street (Moderator)
3:00 pm Networking Break
STATE AGENCY BREAKOUT SESSIONS (Two Tracks)
Track One—Kansas and Nebraska, Salon A-E
3:25 pm Kansas
Generator Improvement Rule for Kansas generators and compliance assistance.
BRIAN BURBECK, KDHE
KEN POWELL, KDHE
JEFF DEXTER, iSi Environmental (Moderator)
4:20 pm Nebraska
Innovative compliance issues. Structuring compliance agreements that have Win/Win Outcomes
JIM MACY, Director, NDEQ
ANNETTE KOVAR, Legal Counsel, NDEQ
TODD ELLIS, NDEQ
SHAWN ZABLOCKI, Olsson Associates (Moderator)
Track Two—Iowa and Missouri, Salon F-J
3:25 pm Iowa
JASON MARCEL, Director, Field Services Bureau Chief
GRANT HARSE, Lathrop & Gage (Moderator)
4:20 pm Missouri
Overview of recent changes and focused review of MRBCA.
STEVE FEELER, Acting Director, DEQ, MDNR
CHRIS CADY, PhD, HWP, MDNR
PHIL HARVEY, GHD (Moderator)
5:15 pm Networking Reception (Open to all attendees)
6:30 pm End of Day 1
Conference Day 2
Thursday, May 18
7:00 am Buffet Breakfast
7:45 am Welcome
RAY MCCARTY, President/CEO, Associated Industries of Missouri
7:50 am Big Rivers, Big Issues and Finding a Path Forward
This session will address the myriad of water quality issues, opportunities, and next steps concerning the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers including public-private partnerships and collaborations among all partners to find more cost effective alternatives, pollutant trading, and a draft EIS.
KAREN FLOURNOY, Acting Deputy RA, US EPA Region 7
SEAN MCMAHON, Executive Dir., Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance
ROB MORRISON, Barr Engineering
JEFF ROBICHAUD, Acting Water Director, US EPA R7
8:45 am Advanced Monitoring: New Ideas
This session will discuss the use of advanced monitoring technologies used by States, EPA and the private sector to better understand emissions and compliance. Focus will be on 1) Landfill Gas emissions, 2) RCRA air emissions, and 3) 3D ground level scanning for SPCC compliance.
MARK SMITH, USEPA Region 7
DAN NYBERG, Burns & McDonnell
9:20 pm Using a Phase I ESA to Assess Compliance
We take a closer look at a trend to supplement Phase I with a close look at operational environmental compliance performance in light of increased use of Representations and Warranties Insurance (RWI).
MICHAEL LINDER, Koley Jesson
NICK STEINKE, Tellevate
9: 50 am Networking Break
PLENARY SPEED LEARNING
10:00 am CCR Rule certification of utility waste landfill (UWL) stability, groundwater monitoring systems for UWLs and surface impoundments
GARY PENDERGRASS, GeoEngineers
10:20 am TSCA Changes and Next Steps
JULIE MARKS, Barr Engineering
MARGARET RICHARDS, Lathrop & Gage
10:45 am Water Permitting Case Studies
ROB MORRISON, Barr Engineering
ALLISON PEARSON, Barr Engineering
11:15 am Key Issues under Consideration at the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC)
MICHAEL SIECZKOWSKI, JRW Bioremediation
11:35 am Vapor Intrusion Challenges
LAURA TROZZOLO, TRC
12:00 pm Lunch
BREAKOUT SESSION (Two Tracks)
Track One—Municipal and Higher Education Issues, Salon A-E
1:00 pm Panel of Experts from Higher Education and Municipalities for Q & A
PHILWALSACK, Missouri Public Utility Alliance
DAN OLSEN, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
JAMES JOERKE, Johnson County DHE
INGRID GRONSTAL ANDERSON, University of Iowa
A. DAVID INYANG, Ph.D, Iowa State Univ.
TODD HOUTS, University of Missouri, Columbia
STEVE McGINNIS, Ramboll Environ
MIKE RUSSELL, University of Kansas (Moderator)
2:00 pm Understanding recent changes to the Federal hazardous waste regulations
TODD HOUTS, University of Missouri, Columbia
2:25 pm University Labs: Best Practices
DAN OLSEN, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
2:40 pm Shrinking cities /legacy cities: Old Problems and Limited Resources
Flint’s issues are closely related to the fact that they were shrinking, in population and Median Household Income. Flint is not alone. In Region 7, all of the major urban areas are shrinking, as are more rural communities, which have been losing population for over 100 years. Unfortunately, US EPA, USDA-RD, and engineering firms appear to be ignoring this important demographic issue.
PHIL WALSACK, Missouri Public Utility Alliance
3:00 pm End of Conference
Track Two—Speed Learning, Salon F-J
1:00 pm Protecting Intellectual Property for Emerging Environmental Technologies
As environmental consultants and others develop innovative ways to address environmental compliance, remediation, pollution reduction, etc., many are discovering the value of legal tools to secure intellectual property protection through patents and trade secrets.
ROBERT LAMBRECHTS, Lathrop & Gage LLP
1:25 pm Common Issues and Gaps Found in Environmental Compliance Audits
Environmental audits can serve as a useful tool to identify gaps for new and existing facilities. Nikki Chavez has conducted hundreds of audits and has summarized common gaps and trouble points in all media compliance.
NIKKI CHAVEZ, iSi Environmental
1:50 pm Single Source Impacts on Secondary PM2.5 Formation–A Case Study
This case study explores the practical aspects of applying US EPA’s two-tier approach to permitting a new facility with substantial SO2, NOx, and PM emissions.
JOE STOLLE, GeoEngineers
WENDY VIT, GeoEngineers
2:15 pm Specific Conductivity: The Future of Water Quality Standards?
ED GALBRAITH, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.
2:35 pm Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Update
MELISSA HART, TRC
3:00 pm End of Conference
See you next year, April 11-12 at the Kansas City, Missouri, Convention Center