FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Air Pollution Control Agencies Hold 2015 Annual Meeting in Raleigh
September 24, 2015
Lexington, Ky.
From September 16 to 18, the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) held its 2015 Annual Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. The meeting included over 100 attendees, including air quality directors and personnel from 17 states and many local environmental agencies, as well as two dozen senior staff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Air and Radiation.
The meeting included presentations and panels on topics ranging from EPA’s Clean Power Plan and forthcoming ground-level ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards to modeling accuracy and the role of scientific advice under the Clean Air Act. Over the course of three days, AAPCA members discussed critical air quality issues with keynote speaker Secretary Donald van der Vaart of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator Janet McCabe, recent Chair of the EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee Christopher Frey, and experts from state agencies, academic institutions, and U.S. EPA. All presentations can be viewed on AAPCA’s website. Additionally, the Florida Division of Air Resource Management and the North Carolina Division of Air Quality were awarded 2015 Best Practices designations for the AirCom Database & Tool, Florida Air Inspector Reference program, and promoting energy efficiency at commercial and industrial facilities in North Carolina.
September 18 included meetings of AAPCA’s Board of Directors, which currently includes 18 state environmental agencies, as well as AAPCA’s 12 committees. The Board elected the following officers for 2016:
- President: Sheila Holman, Director, North Carolina Division of Air Quality
- Vice President: Sean Alteri, Director, Kentucky Division for Air Quality
- Secretary/Treasurer: Vivian Aucoin, Senior Scientist, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
- Past President: Steve Hagle, Deputy Director, Office of Air, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
“This meeting reflects AAPCA’s growth into a premier forum for state and local agencies to share best practices and discuss pressing Clean Air Act issues,” said 2016 President Sheila Holman. “AAPCA Board members are responsible for tremendous air quality progress in recent years, and currently represent roughly 40 percent of the U.S. population and Gross Domestic Product.”
According to Vice President Sean Alteri: “I look forward to this important leadership role at a critical time with new and unprecedented Clean Air Act challenges for AAPCA’s growing membership. We will continue fostering strong working relationships with our federal counterparts to improve regulatory development.” 2016 Secretary/Treasurer Vivian Aucoin stated “Whether it is implementation of the Clean Power Plan or traditional Clean Air Act responsibilities, state and local agencies are being asked to do more with less when it comes to air quality.” “The robust attendance in Raleigh from state and local personnel and our federal partners demonstrates that the Association is tackling the critical, technical issues affecting regulators,” commented Past President Steve Hagle.
AAPCA Background
The Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) is a national, non-profit, 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. 18 state environmental agencies currently sit on AAPCA’s Board of Directors. AAPCA is housed in Lexington, Kentucky as a policy program with The Council of State Governments. You can find more information about AAPCA at: http://www.cleanairact.org.
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