Environmental Leadership Virtual Learning Conference
Tailored to the needs of environmental managers and their teams
March 30-April 1, 2021
Daily: 9:45 AM – 1:00 PM Central
Expert Presentations | Relevant Topics | Industry Specific
The MEA Environmental Leadership Virtual Learning Conference provides timely and relevant information on environmental issues facing the energy industry nationally. The three-day event is tailored to the needs of environmental managers and their teams, covering a range of topics and roundtable discussions such as emerging issues, MGP, and decommissioning.
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 | Topic Highlights: MGP & Decommissioning
- 9:45 AM – 10:00 AM | Welcome / Intro to Conference
- 10:00 AM - 10:40 AM | Soil Vapor Intrusion: Overview & Case Studies
Speaker: Eric Hoglund, GHD | Topic Highlight: MGP
- Vapor intrusion overview
- Investigation framework
- Mitigation options
- Legal considerations
- Case studies
- 10:40 AM - 11:20 AM | Full-Scale Reactive Cap Remedy to Address Ebullition-Related Sheen Activity: History, Community, and Combined Sewage
Speaker: Sean Carroll, Haley & Aldrich, Inc. | Topic Highlight: MGP
- Presents key design components and a summary of the dredging and cap installation construction
- Technical components include a NAPL mobility assessment, accommodation for steep riverbank slopes, renovation of an aging combined sewer outfall, restoration of a badly eroded riverbank, and challenges related to implementing a dredge and cap project in an urban setting with limited available space
- Community engagement on multiple fronts was key to the success of this project
- 11:20 AM - 11:40 AM | Break
- 11:40 AM - 12:20 PM | Third Party Liability Transfer vs. Conventional Decommissioning Approach
Speaker: Jill Stevens, Alliant Energy | Topic Highlight: Decommissioning
- Pros and cons of liability transfer vs. DIY demolition
- Lessons learned
- 12:20 AM - 1:00 PM | Combustion Turbine Plant Decommissioning
Speaker: Luke Mackewich, Barr Engineering | Topic Highlight: MGP
- Prior planning and assessment to minimize the unexpected during decommissioning
- Detailed environmental due diligence and hazardous materials surveys
- Detailed biddable specifications to clearly identify conditions and responsibilities and minimize changes and cost overruns
- 1:00 PM | Wrap Up
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 | Topic Highlight: Emerging Issues
- 9:45 AM – 10:15 AM | Welcome & Award Presentation
- 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM | Permitting, Conservation Banking and Endangered Species Recover Efforts: All the Tools in the Toolbox
Speakers: Josiah Maine, Paul Sherman, Burns & McDonnell; Karen Herrington, Laurel Hill, John Weber, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) | Topic Highlight: Emerging Issue
Permitting new projects can be time consuming. Keeping up to date on the regulatory options can be challenging. USFWS will present background and new information on the endangered species regulations; Avoidance, Minimization and Mitigation are the keys to successful permitting. Knowing what tools are available is key to a successful permit process; how implementation of endangered species habitat restoration activities fits within the broader efforts for species recovery.
- 11:15 AM - 11:35 AM | Break
- 11:35 AM – 12:15 PM | Emerging Waste Issues
Speaker: Sindy Panagiotopoulos, Burns & McDonnell | Topic Highlight: Emerging Issue
Discussion of emerging waste issues utilities may soon need to address, if not already, including solar panels, wind turbine blades, and PFAS impacted media. The presentation goal is to raise awareness, present examples, and provide recommendations for addressing these emerging waste issues.
- 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM | Reducing Methane Emissions Using ZEVAC
Speaker: Dustin Daniels, CenterPoint Energy | Topic Highlight: Emerging Issue
- Overview of the ZEVAC equipment
- Projects ZEVAC has been used
- Amount of methane emissions saved
- 1:00 PM | Wrap Up
Thursday, April 1, 2021 | Topic Highlights: Leadership, Natural Resources, & General Education
- 9:45 AM – 10:00 AM | Welcome
- 10:00 AM – 10:40 AM | Project Management: Sharpening Your Tools
Speaker: Dave Palmer, Ameren | Topic Highlight: Leadership
- I just want to get my project started / finished…
- What makes you a “stakeholder”?
- Why do I have to explain this again?
- 10:40 AM – 11:20 AM | Developer Perspective: Renewable Energy and Public Engagement
Speakers: Adam Renz, Pattern Energy& Joab Ortiz, Burns & McDonnell | Topic Highlight: Leadership
How developers’ perspective differs in project approach and development
- Discuss the need for managing community expectations in renewable development
- How developers deal with contentious landowners and opposition
- 11:20 AM - 11:40 AM | Break
- 11:40 AM – 12:20 PM | The Roles and Responsibilities in Mitigating Adverse Impacts to Archaeological and Historical Resources—A Case Study from an Ameren Substation Expansion in Granite City, IL
Speakers: Brian Holderness, Ameren; Joseph Craig, Prairie Archaeology & Research | Topic Highlight: Natural Resources
- Federal and state regulations protecting cultural resources, outline the procedures for mitigating impacts to various types of historic properties
- Offer suggestions for efficient agency coordination aimed at minimizing project delays
- As a case study, Ameren Companies’ recent experience mitigating the impacts of a substation expansion to a circa A.D. 1150 Native American archaeological site
- 12:20 PM – 1:00 PM | PFAS: An Introduction to Remediation (The Early Years)
Speaker: Dennis Keane, XDD Environmental | Topic Highlight: General Education
- Basic understanding of the properties of PFAS that impact remedial efficacy
- Overview of remedial technologies that are currently effective for the remediation of PFAS and those that are being developed
- Case studies associated with the remediation of PFAS
- 1:00 PM | Wrap Up
Distinguished Environmental Professional Award
Acknowledge an outstanding environmental professional
This award was established in 2016 to recognize an individual who has made significant contributions in the environmental area of the energy industry. Due to the cancellation of our in-person conference in 2020, our 2020 Distinguished Environmental Professional Award winner will be recognized at the 2021 virtual conference.
Learn MoreCommittee
The Environmental Committee consists of a number of environmental professionals from utilities and consulting firms. The purpose of our committee is to provide resources and educational opportunities to the energy industry on the diverse set of environmental issues related to both the management of environmental liabilities as well as those encountered in the field.
Committee FAQ