EPA Region 4 Clean and Sustainable Energy Conference

 

 

Meeting Report

The U.S. EPA Region 4 Clean and Sustainable Energy Conference meeting report is available in pdf version only.

 

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Tom Kilgore - CEO, Tennessee Valley Authority,
Overview of Clean Sustainable Energy Efforts at the National and Regional Level

Tom Kilgore was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Tennessee Valley Authority in October 2006, having served as Acting CEO since March 2006. He was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2005. Kilgore came to TVA from Progress Ventures, where he served as President and CEO. He previously served as President and CEO of Oglethorpe Power Corporation in Georgia. Kilgore serves on the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), and was recently elected to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations’ Board of Directors. A native of Alabama, Kilgore earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University. In 2002 he was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. Kilgore and his wife, Myra, have a daughter, two sons, and five grandchildren.
 

 Julie Rosenberg - Chief, EPA Clean Energy and Environment Partnership Program,
Clean and Sustainable Energy – What Is EPA Doing To Promote It At The National Level?

Julie Rosenberg is the Branch Chief for EPA's State and Local Clean Energy-Environment Programs in the Climate Protection Partnerships Division within the Office of Air and Radiation. Julie directs the Clean Energy-Environment State Partnership programs and the new Clean Energy-Environment Municipal network. Julie’s programs provide state and local governments with policy, technical, and analytical resources that help link air quality and energy policy to voluntary greenhouse gas reductions, economic and other benefits.

Julie has been with EPA for nearly 20 years. During that time she has worked on a broad range of air quality programs including climate change, acid rain, indoor air quality, and radiation.

Her degrees are from Duke University, where she received a Masters in Public Policy, and Pitzer College, one of the Claremont, CA colleges.
 

Ken Nemeth - Executive Director, Southern States Energy Board,
Clean and Sustainable Energy In The Southeastern United States from the Perspective of the Southern States Energy Board

Ken Nemeth has served as the Southern States Energy Board’s Secretary and Executive Director since February 1975. He is responsible for the direction, formulation, development, demonstration, and implementation of all Board programs. During Mr. Nemeth’s tenure, the Board has undertaken initiatives in a wide range of energy and environmental policy and technology areas. These include the creation of international partnerships and coalitions for clean energy, environmental protection, and economic development. His diplomatic and political skills have facilitated joint partnerships throughout the world.

Mr. Nemeth currently serves as a member of the National Coal Council and numerous boards, organizations, task forces, and partnerships representing energy and environmental strategies and technologies. His service to the region is acclaimed with honors and awards throughout the country. Mr. Nemeth is a graduate of the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.

 
Dennis Creech - Executive Director, Southface Energy Institute,
Clean and Sustainable Energy In The Southeastern United States – A Perfect Storm Of Opportunity

Mr. Creech is co-founder and Executive Director of the Southface Energy Institute, a non-profit organization established in 1979 that promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities. Under his leadership, Southface programs reach over 40,000 people each year and have received numerous awards from professional societies, government agencies and community groups.

He is a nationally recognized leader in the energy and sustainable development fields. He has served on policy advisory groups for federal, state and local government, private foundations, and non-profit organizations on topics ranging from healthy buildings to greening affordable housing. He also has consulted on energy and environmental policy with government, private industry and non-profit organizations in the Dominican Republic, Japan, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, New Zealand and Turkey.

He is an alumnus of the Regional Leadership Institute and the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership. In 1999, Mr. Creech was named Environmental Professional of the Year by the Georgia Environmental Council and in 2007 he was recognized by Georgia Trend as one of the “100 Most Influential Georgians.”

Before co-founding Southface, Mr. Creech did research at the Georgia Tech Engineering Experiment Station and was Deputy Director of Atlanta 2000, a non-profit regional planning organization. He has worked as a field ecologist conducting research on nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. He works in a green office building, lives in an environmentally-restored 1950s ranch-style home and drives a hybrid vehicle.
 

Ben Taube - Executive Director, SEEA - Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance,
Potential Clean and Sustainable Technologies for the Southeast

Prior to becoming the Executive Director of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, Ben served as the Public Affairs Manager for the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute where he was responsible for planning, coordinating, and communicating GREENGUARD's activities, capabilities, goals, and priorities to a variety of audiences. Ben also worked as the Director of Government Affairs for EcoSMART Technologies. Prior to EcoSMART, Ben served as the Environmental Manager for the City of Atlanta with the responsibilities of developing and enhancing environmental initiatives and policy. Programs included a green building policy development task force, energy management and conservation program, an urban heat island mitigation pilot project, and many other water quality projects. In addition, he led the Bureau of Stormwater Management with the goal of producing a comprehensive stormwater management program and utility.

Ben is Vice Chair of the Atlanta Chapter of the USGBC; Board member of the USGBC Greenbuild Program Committee; and on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Conservation Voters. Mr. Taube has a Bachelors Degree from the University of Memphis and a Masters in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver.

Bob Hawsey - Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs, Oak Ridge National Labs,
Clean and Sustainable Technologies: An Overview

Robert A. (Bob) Hawsey is the director of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. He is responsible for leading, coordinating and implementing ORNL's research and development portfolio of projects conducted for the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. The diverse R&D portfolio includes Vehicle Technologies; Industrial and Building Technologies; Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies; Solar, Wind and Hydropower; Biomass; Federal Energy Management and Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs; Distributed Energy; High-Temperature Superconductivity for Electric Power Systems; Transmission Reliability; Power Electronics, Sensors and Controls for High-Voltage Applications; Electric Grid Modeling and Visualization; and Electricity Storage. From 1991 through 2005 he was the manager of

ORNL’s Superconductivity Program and from 2004- 2006 he also managed ORNL’s Transmission and Distribution research program. Prior to coming to Oak Ridge in 1980, Mr. Hawsey was a development engineer for the AiResearch Manufacturing Company (now Honeywell) in Los Angeles where he designed and conducted experiments for high speed rotating machinery.

He holds the B.S.-Ed. degree in Physics-Mathematics (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) and the M.S. in Engineering Physics (University of Virginia). Mr. Hawsey is a member of the IEEE and previously served as president of the Oak Ridge Section of ASME-International. He has served on an Industrial Advisory Board for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. He holds three U.S. patents and in 2005 was cochairperson of the program committee for the 18th International Symposium on Superconductivity held in Tsukuba, Japan. He is a member of the board of directors for the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance.

Michael Slanders - U.S. DOE, Office of Fossil Energy,
Advanced Coal Generation Technologies

Mr. Michael Slanders is a General Engineer for Senior Program Management in the Unites States

Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Systems within the Office of Fossil Energy. His responsibilities include the technical evaluation of emerging clean coal technologies for process optimization, as well as the development of systems modeling in support of DOE’s Fuel and Power Systems Program areas. A recent graduate from the Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Slanders first joined the Department of Energy in 2005 as a Technical Career Intern. Previous to his current position at DOE Headquarters in Germantown, Maryland, he served as a member of the Advanced Turbines Research Team at DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Stan Thompson - Mooresville/South Iredell Economic Development Corporation,
Hydrogen as Fuel

Stan Thompson retired from BellSouth (now AT&T) in 1996 after 33 years as an engineer, planner, futurist and market manager. As the company's futurist for environmental matters, he became interested in the potential of the hydrogen economy.

When he retired from BellSouth, he kept in touch with his Federal Government colleagues at the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. These connections provided early support for the Mooresville Hydrail Initiative -- North Carolina's bid to become home to the USA's first hydrogen fuel cell passenger rail service.

Stan is chairman of the Mooresville Chamber's Hydrogen Economy Advancement Team—"HEAT." HEAT is a small team of active and retired government officials, technical professionals and environmentalists who see the urgency of helping NC become a leader in the hydrogen economy. He coined the word "hydrail," which has now become the generic term of art for hydrogen powered railway traction.

HEAT and its partners have convened three annual International Hydrail Conferences so far; two in the US and one in Denmark. The 2008 Conference is in June in Valencia, Spain, and the 2009 "IHC" is being planned for British Columbia, Canada.

Stan has authored and co-authored articles on hydrail in several technical journals and has presented at conferences in Denmark, Italy, Canada and the US. He has been an invited speaker on hydrail at Duke and Pfeiffer Universities, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Davidson College and national and regional conferences of the US Environmental Protection Agency. He is a published Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

He and his wife live on Lake Norman, near Mooresville, North Carolina, USA

Dr. Lou Circeo - Principal Research Scientist, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Plasma Arc Gasification Of Municipal Solid Waste

Dr. Louis J. Circeo is a Principal Research Scientist in the Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute(GTRI) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of West Point and holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University. He has extensive research and development experience relating to construction and environmental engineering, and is a registered professional engineer. Dr. Circeo came to Georgia Tech after a full career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He has been involved with plasma arc technology since 1971, and holds five U.S. patents relating to plasma technology applications. He established the plasma applications research program at Georgia Tech in 1990, and is now conducting an active research program principally directed toward engineering and environmental applications of plasma arc technology for the ex-situ treatment and energy recovery of municipal and hazardous/toxic wastes. Related interests include the in-situ plasma remediation of contaminated soils, municipal landfills, and buried hazardous /toxic waste deposits.
 

Dr. Tom Adams Ph.D., P.E. - Director, Faculty of Engineering Outreach Service, University of Georgia,
The Wide World of Biofuels

Dr. Adams received a B.A. in Chemistry and a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky, a M.S. in Agricultural Engineering and a Ph.D. in Biological Engineering from the University of Georgia. Tom worked for nine years in Lexington, Kentucky as an environmental consultant and ten years in the petrochemical industry on the U.S. gulf coast where he was Vice President and Board member of Carter Chambers, LLC, a petrochemical service industry headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has worked since 1994 in the University of Georgia Faculty of Engineering Outreach Service and became its Director in 2000. The Engineering Outreach Service provides technology transfer and applied research for industry and government in the areas of renewable energy, energy conservation, water conservation, climate sustainability and for other environmental and economic development needs. Dr. Adams’ current research centers on bio- and thermo-chemical processes for producing renewable fuels, chemicals and energy from biomass. He lives in Athens, Georgia with his wife, Carolyn. They have three children.

Dr. Alex Hobbs PhD, P.E. - Director, NC Solar Center, NC State University,
Agriculture Waste to Energy, Energy Production from Hog Manure

Alex Hobbs has more than 38 years of engineering experience in the areas of electric power generation and delivery, water and wastewater treatment, as well as production agriculture and food processing. As an in-house consultant for a major southeastern utility, he has led applied R&D programs to evaluate advanced power production technologies, combined heat and power applications and use of biomass based renewable fuel. Currently he is Associate Director for Renewable Technologies at the NC Solar Center and is working on opportunity fuels and biomass feedstock assessments for NC as well as demonstrating the economic value of reduced emission technologies which can produce biobased fuels, products and power.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Dr. Lynette Cardoch, PhD - Director of the Climate Change Commitment for MWH Americas,
Promoting Clean Sustainable Energy in the Southeast: Case Studies

Lynette Cardoch, PhD is a supervising scientist and Director of the Climate Change Commitment with MWH Americas, Inc. In this role, she coordinates the company’s global activities and projects as they related to carbon footprinting and reduction, as well as educational outreach for middle school students.

Previously, Dr. Cardoch was a research scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency in North Carolina. She was part of the Global Climate Change Program. Her research focused on nitrogen in the Neuse River Basin. More broadly, her interests lie in the distribution and allocation of water resources, both in terms of quality and quantity, for natural and human environments. Lynette received her PhD. from Louisiana State University (Oceanography and Coastal Sciences). She was a Fulbright Scholar in Barcelona, Spain focusing on ecological economics. Lynette received her M.A. from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami (Marine Affairs and Policy) and her B.A. from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges (Biological Anthropology).

Bryan Collins P.E., DEE - Chief, Energy & Transportation Branch, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality,
Permitting A Clean, Sustainable Energy Source (Biodiesel), One State’s Experience

As Energy & Transportation Branch Chief of the Environmental Permits Division (EPD) for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Bryan leads a team of engineers in developing diverse environmental permits required by federal and state, multi-media regulatory programs. Bryan has worked primarily with the industrial and agricultural regulated communities dealing with wastewater and air emission equipment during his 17 years with MDEQ. He is currently serving as the Environmental Permits Division’s NPDES coordinator and liaison with EPA Region IV. He has been a participant in the Southeast Diesel Collaborative and serves as a board member for the Mississippi Energy Coordinators Association (MECA). Bryan received his BS in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1990 and is a registered professional engineer in the State of Mississippi. He is also Board Certified by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers in Water Supply/Wastewater and Air Pollution Control.

Bryan enjoys his time away from the office with his wife, Allyson and three children, Zachary, Abigail, and Megan. He serves as a deacon in his local Baptist congregation

Clark Wiedetz - General Manager, Alternative Energy, Siemens Building Technologies,
Practical Applications of Landfill Gas as an Alternative Energy Source

Clark Wiedetz leads a Siemens Building Technologies business group, which utilizes alternative fuels and renewable energy technologies across the country to drive down costs for their clients and reduce their fuel cost risk. Clark has over 12 years experience in the Energy Services business working with industrial, commercial, government, city and county organizations on ways to conserve energy or produce it using alternative fuels. Most recently, he led the development of Siemens’ first endeavor into waste to energy and the world’s first carpet to energy gasification plant, which was built for Shaw Industries (Dalton, GA).

Prior to joining Siemens, Clark served as Business Development Manager for the Atlanta office of

Duke Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Duke Energy. At Duke, he worked with textiles, chemical and paper companies on energy services projects. He started his career with the specialty metals division of Allegheny Teledyne for 7 years, where he worked in engineering and sales management capacities, with particular experience in aerospace and large industrials.

Clark is on the board of the Georgia Tech Energy and Environmental Management Committee and is a member of Association of Energy Engineers. He has a BSME from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Kevin Kelly - GA Energy Division, Deputy Director,
State Environmental and Energy Office Partnerships To Promote Clean Sustainable Energy

Kevin Kelly serves as the Deputy Director of the Division of Energy Resources at GEFA. In this capacity, Kevin supports state energy planning, coordinated energy procurement and management in state facilities and energy data analysis for Georgia. Kevin came to GEFA from the Environmental Protection Division of Georgia, where he was a Policy and Planning Advisor for energy issues in the Director’s office. Prior to his post at EPD, Kevin was on a one-year sabbatical with his wife, traveling in Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Prior to this sabbatical, Kevin worked for three years with the Atlanta-based Turner Foundation, as both the Program Director and Program Officer for Energy and Transportation. The Turner Foundation is a national environmental foundation. Kevin hails from New York, but has called Atlanta home for more than a dozen years.
 

Bob Leker - Renewables Program Manager, NC State Energy Office,
State Environmental and Energy Office Partnerships To Promote Clean Sustainable Energy

Bob Leker is the Renewables Program Manager for the State Energy Office, North Carolina Department of Administration. Working as part of the State Energy Office since 1999, he currently manages projects in solar, wind, and biomass technologies and provides technical consultation and assistance in both renewable energy and energy conservation. Bob also serves on a range of energy advisory committees both in NC and the region. He has broad experience managing statewide energy and environmental programs working for NC State Government and NC State University since 1985. Prior to 1985, he worked at Duke University managing the central automation control system and also held several positions with private sector companies providing energy audits and engineering support for energy management systems. Bob earned an M.Ed. in Adult & Community College Education from North Carolina State University, a B.A. in Environmental Studies with an Energy Major from Sonoma State University in California and an A.S. in Solar Technology from Cabrillo Community College also in California.

Chuck Huling - Vice President of Environmental Affairs, Georgia Power Company,
Breakout Session 1- Legacy ABCD

Chuck Huling is Vice President of Georgia Power’s environmental affairs organization. In this position, Huling directs the company’s environmental stewardship and compliance programs to meet or surpass all environmental laws and regulations.

Since joining Georgia Power in 1974, Huling has held a number of positions in the areas of power plant construction, project management, corporate communication, regulatory affairs, marketing, consumer affairs, external affairs, and environmental affairs.

Born in Atlanta, Huling is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology where he received a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Georgia. Huling serves as a member of the board of directors of The Clean Air Campaign, Southface Energy Institute, and Trees Atlanta. He also serves on the advisory panels for the State of Georgia Small Business Environmental Assistance Program, Georgia Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He is a member of numerous professional organizations. Chuck and his wife, Becky, have two children, and reside in Smyrna.
 

Kathy Hornsby - Renewable Energy Program Manager, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs,
Breakout Session 2 - Salon 1

Mrs. Hornsby has over 14 years experience in state government and currently serves as the Renewable Energy Program Manager for the Energy, Weatherization and Technology Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). Her duties at ADECA include management of the Agriculture Energy Program and the Alternative Transportation Fuels Program. Earlier this year Kathy was appointed to the Governor’s Alternative Energy Advisory Group and is currently serving on the Alternative Fuels & Biofuels and the R&D Subcommittees of the Alabama Joint Legislative Committee on Energy Policy.

Kathy previously served as project manager for the Federal and State Technology Transfer – Small Business Innovative Research Program and the Telecommunications Strategic Planning Project; and has collaborated on various other technology and energy programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Auburn University.
 

Erika Hartwig - Renewable Energy Coordinator, South Carolina Energy Office,
Breakout Session 3 - Salon 4

Erika Hartwig works for the South Carolina Energy Office as the Renewable Energy Coordinator. In her position Hartwig promotes renewable energy including biomass, offshore wind, and solar power. Hartwig administers the South Carolina Renewable Energy Grants and Loans Program and the South Carolina Renewable Energy One-Stop Shop to attract renewable energy business to the state. She serves on Governor Mark Sanford's Climate, Energy, and Commerce Action Committee, the South Carolina Solar Council, and the South Carolina Biomass Council. Hartwig is working towards a master's degree in Environmental Resource Management, with a concentration in energy and climate change. Hartwig attained an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Clemson University, with a minor in Communication Studies. In her spare time she serves as an executive committee member on the South Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Larry Taylor - Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection,
Breakout Session 4 - Salon 5

Larry Taylor is an Environmental Scientist with KDEP. He works in the Commissioner’s Office and serves as science and policy advisor for the Department. Larry’s background is in human health and ecological risk assessment. His education is from the University of Kentucky with a BS in Biology and a Master of Science in Biology with emphasis in toxicology and ecology.

Larry serves as Kentucky’s Toxic Release Inventory Coordinator, Environmental Justice Coordinator, State Environmental Review Officer, the department’s legislative liaison, and regulations coordinator. He has been instrumental in several prominent initiatives including leading the state’s efforts on the Brownfields Task Force that resulted in developing the state’s first Voluntary Cleanup regulations, and involved with Kentucky’s Blackwater Task Force, Mercury Task Force, and Air Toxics Workgroup.

Larry was the environmental lead for the state’s proposal to have FutureGen sited in Kentucky. He has been involved with risk- and permit-related issues for Kentucky power plants and implementing Kentucky’s recent legislative action to develop clean alternative fuels and energy.

 

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