FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies Holds 2018 Fall Business Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina
State and Local Air Agencies Welcome Senior Officials from U.S. EPA, Award Best Practices in Air Pollution Control, Highlight Opportunities for Collaborative Engagement
Lexington, KY
November 16, 2018
From November 13 to 15, the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) held its 2018 Fall Business Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. Rescheduled from mid-September due to Hurricane Florence, the meeting was attended by more than 140 participants, including senior officials from 25 state and local air agencies as well as senior leadership from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Offices of Air and Radiation, General Counsel, Transportation and Air Quality, Inspector General, and multiple EPA regions.
Following a leadership transition in October 2018 due to the meeting postponement, AAPCA’s Fall Business Meeting provided an introduction to the Association’s 2018-2019 Officers:
- President: Nancy Vehr, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
- Vice President: Marc Cone, Maine Department of Environmental Protection
- Secretary/Treasurer: Vivian Aucoin, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
- Past President: Stuart Spencer, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
“I look forward to the opportunity to serve as AAPCA’s President as we look to find key ways to collaborate with U.S. EPA to continue to improve air quality for our states and communities,” said AAPCA President Nancy Vehr. “AAPCA’s geographically diverse membership provides a leading forum for air agencies to discuss crucial clean air issues as well as share best practices and success stories.”
During the meeting, AAPCA recognized three 2018 Best Practices, which were reviewed by AAPCA’s Best Practices Committee and Board of Directors. The awards highlight groundbreaking technology, innovative practices, or exemplary operations in the field of air pollution control:
- Georgia State Implementation Plan Processing Procedures
Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Air Protection Branch (presented by Dr. James Boylan) - Toxicity Factors Database
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (presented by Dr. Tracie Phillips) - Inventory, Monitoring, Permitting, and Compliance Tracking (IMPACT) Web-based Data System
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division (presented by Adam Deppe)
AAPCA was pleased to welcome Bill Wehrum, Assistant Administrator for U.S. EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation to discuss a broad range of issues involving the Clean Air Act and air quality. The meeting also featured keynote speaker Dr. Armistead “Ted” Russell, Georgia Institute of Technology, and presentations and panels covering a broad range of clean air act issues. Topics included infrastructure, the implementation of ambient air quality standards, regional haze, mobile sources, permitting, technical updates related to modeling and monitoring, and other emerging issues.
AAPCA’s Vice President Marc Cone noted: “AAPCA’s members are responsible for air quality for hundreds of millions of Americans, and the Association appreciates the participation of key EPA leadership through the refocused lens of cooperative federalism.”
“From learning about this year’s best practices to hearing from EPA leadership, AAPCA’s meetings center on the issues that state and local air agencies must tackle day-to-day,” stated Vivian Aucoin, AAPCA’s Secretary/Treasurer.
“Over the past year, AAPCA has had engaged with experts at the state, federal, and local levels to better understand air quality issues and discuss practical solutions,” said Past President Stuart Spencer. “I look forward to seeing the organization continue its positive growth as well as provide resources that state and local members find valuable.”
All presentations from the 2018 Fall Business Meeting can be found here. AAPCA’s 2019 Spring Meeting will be held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana from March 25 to 27.
AAPCA Background
The Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) is a consensus-driven organization focused on assisting state and local air quality agencies and personnel with implementation and technical issues associated with the federal Clean Air Act. AAPCA’s members work collaboratively on behalf of states and the communities they protect to act as a conduit for and provide feedback to federal regulators on air quality rules that have significant impacts across the entire nation. AAPCA represents more than 40 state and local air agencies, and senior officials from 20 state environmental agencies currently sit on AAPCA’s Board of Directors. AAPCA is housed in Lexington, Kentucky as an affiliated association of The Council of State Governments (CSG).
Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies | 1776 Avenue of the States | Lexington, Kentucky 40511
www.cleanairact.org | @AAPCA_States
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