FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies Holds 2017 Fall Business Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina
State and Local Air Agencies Elect 2017 – 2018 Officers, Recognize Three Best Practice Award Winners, Welcome Senior Officials from U.S. EPA, White House
September 25, 2017
Lexington, KY
From September 20 to 22, the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) held its 2017 Fall Business Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. More than 150 Clean Air Act practitioners, including senior officials from roughly 30 state and local air agencies, participated. The meeting included presentations on Clean Air Act topics from state and local air agencies, as well as senior officials from the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Offices of the Administrator, Policy, Air and Radiation, Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Research and Development, and several regional offices.
During the meeting, AAPCA’s Board of Directors, which includes senior air officials from twenty state environmental agencies, elected its 2017-2018 Officers:
- President: Stuart Spencer, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
- Vice President: Nancy Vehr, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
- Secretary/Treasurer: Vivian Aucoin, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
- Past President: Sean Alteri, Kentucky Division for Air Quality
Following review by AAPCA’s Best Practices Committee and Board of Directors, the Association recognized three member agencies with 2017 Best Practice Awards for ground breaking technology, innovative practices, or exemplary operations in the field of air pollution control:
- National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Exceedance Reports- Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Air Protection Branch (presented by Dr. Byeong-Uk Kim and Dr. James Boylan, Planning and Support Program)
- Pollutants of Concern Table Implementation- Kentucky Division for Air Quality (presented by Benjamin Matar, Permit Review Branch)
- Standardization of an Engineer’s Notebook for Title V Permitting– Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division (presented by Lori Bocchino, Title V Program)
All presentations from the 2017 Fall Business Meeting can be found here.
“I am excited to serve as President of AAPCA during this time of growth and following our largest meeting to date. Our members are responsible for improving air quality for hundreds of millions of Americans,” said 2017-2018 President Stuart Spencer of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. “We plan to build upon recent projects- including cataloging air quality indicators in The Greatest Story Seldom Told: Profiles and Success Stories in Air Pollution Control and highlighting opportunities to engage with federal advisory committees through STATES AT THE TABLE- and we look forward to continuing to find consensus among our geographically diverse and growing membership.”
According to Vice President Nancy Vehr of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality: “In addition to discussing timely Clean Air Act issues, AAPCA meetings provide a much-needed forum to highlight best practices, share ideas on cross-cutting issues like succession planning and agency efficiency, and interface with career and political leadership at our federal partner agencies. I am thrilled to have been selected by my peers to serve as Vice President, and I look forward to representing the Association’s growing state and local membership.”
Secretary/Treasurer Vivian Aucoin, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, stated: “AAPCA members are on the frontlines, dealing with complex and emerging air quality issues, and the Association offers a seat at the table for state and local agencies to compare notes and discuss these issues with key stakeholders. I was particularly pleased at the robust participation from U.S. EPA, including senior representatives from the Agency’s regional offices, at this meeting.” “I am proud of the great strides and leadership provided by the Association’s eleven technical committees over the last year. AAPCA has found opportunities to provide meaningful, consensus comments on issues from addressing interstate and international air quality to regulatory reform to preparing for personal air sensors,” reflected Past President Sean Alteri of the Kentucky Division for Air Quality. “The Commonwealth of Kentucky looks forward to hosting AAPCA’s Spring 2018 Meeting, which will be held April 4-6, 2018, in downtown Lexington, Kentucky.”
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. AAPCA represents more than 40 state and local air agencies, and senior officials from 20 state environmental agencies currently sit on the AAPCA Board of Directors. AAPCA is located in Lexington, Kentucky as an affiliate of The Council of State Governments. You can find more information about AAPCA at: http://www.cleanairact.org.
Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies | 1776 Avenue of the States | Lexington, Kentucky 40511
www.cleanairact.org | @AAPCA_States
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