Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies’ 2022 Fall Business Meeting Held in Raleigh, North Carolina
State and local agencies discuss Clean Air Act priorities with U.S. EPA, Association elects 2023 Officers
October 3, 2022
Raleigh, NC
From September 28 to 30, the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) hosted its 2022 Fall Business Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Association’s first Fall Business Meeting since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AAPCA welcomed almost 140 governmental and nongovernmental attendees, with participation from nearly 30 state and local environmental agencies, several U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Offices, and multiple regional EPA offices.
During the meeting, AAPCA’s Board of Directors, comprised of senior air officials from 21 state environmental agencies, voted to transition to the 2023 Officers slate. The Association is pleased to announce the following 2023 Officers:
- President | Mike Abraczinskas, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
- Vice President | Jason Meyers, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
- Secretary/Treasurer | Rhonda Thompson, South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control
- Past President | Bryce Bird, Utah Department of Environmental Quality
“We were glad to have AAPCA in North Carolina and host so many local, state, and federal partners,” stated AAPCA President Mike Abraczinskas, Director for the North Carolina Division of Air Quality. “I look forward to serving as Association President and continuing the conversations we had at this meeting.”
Attendees were welcomed by Elizabeth Biser, Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and the meeting keynote was given by former U.S. EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Dr. Stan Meiburg, now Executive Director for the Wake Forest University Center for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. Both Secretary Biser and Dr. Meiburg spoke to the value of partnerships in improving the environment.
“Cooperative federalism has driven success under the Clean Air Act and being able to engage regularly with EPA and other agencies is critical to making meaningful progress on air quality priorities for our communities,” underscored Jason Meyers, Division Administrator for the Louisiana DEQ’s Air Planning and Assessment Division.
Following recognition of AAPCA’s 2022 Best Practices in Air Pollution Control, the agenda featured presentations from state and local agencies, U.S. EPA, and other energy/environmental leaders. A broad range of policy and technical topics were covered, including: air planning priorities; enforcement and compliance updates; Clean Air Act litigation; air quality standards reviews and implementation; greenhouse gas and methane rulemakings; power sector rules and grid planning; air toxics; environmental justice; permitting; and, technical updates associated with modeling, monitoring, and emissions inventories. U.S. EPA’s Offices of the Administrator, Air & Radiation, Enforcement & Compliance Assurance, and Research & Development presented as part of the agenda.
“With several significant rules and proposals expected over the coming months, we were pleased to have robust participation from EPA,” said AAPCA Secretary-Treasurer Rhonda Thompson, Chief of the South Carolina Bureau of Air Quality. “Being able to share agency perspectives directly with senior leaders at EPA can highlight implementation challenges early.”
“We were glad to continue to be in-person for these meetings,” noted AAPCA Past President Bryce Bird, Director for the Utah Division of Air Quality, “They provide an excellent forum that is directly focused on the work of state and local agencies that protect air quality.”
All available presentations from AAPCA’s 2022 Fall Business Meeting are available here. The Association’s 2023 Spring Meeting is scheduled to be held April 4, 5, and 6, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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 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 nearly 50 state and local air agencies, and senior officials from 21 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).
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