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EPA Underground Injection Control (UIC) Technical Workgroup State Membership
| UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Washington, DC 20460 APR 6 2001 |
MEMORANDUM
| SUBJECT: | EPA Underground Injection Control (UIC) Technical Workgroup |
| FROM: | William R. Diamond, Director Drinking Water Protection Division (4606) Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water |
| TO: | UIC Program Managers EPA Regions I-X |
We wish to thank the Regions, along with the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC), for formally submitting nominations for State UIC primacy program membership on EPA's UIC Technical Workgroup. Fourtenn names were submitted to EPA for consideration in adding four State members to the Workgroup. All of the candidates we received were exceptionally well qualified, and all would have competently represented their respective State programs.
The EPA members of the Technical Workgroup submitted recommendations for selection of State members from the list of nominees based on criteria outlined in earlier memoranda you have received regarding State members, including: 1) overall technical background in the UIC program, 2) expertise with shallow and/or deep injection well classes, and 3) geographic diversity. Therefore, after careful consideration, we would like to name the following individuals to serve an initial 2-year term on the Workgroup:
- Mike Cochran: Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment (I, III-V)
- Valerie King: Nevada Div. Of Environmental Protection (I, III-V)
- George Hudak: Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation (II), and
- Tom Maunder: Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (II)
We believe these individuals will provide a high level of technical expertise in their particular injection well class. They will also help the workgroup focus on the current programmatic issues that we are attempting to address at the national level, such as Class V well controls, coalbed methane production wells, and new oilfield technology. If one or more of these individuals declines the offered opportunity, we will consult with the Technical Workgroup to provide alternate recommendations.
The Workgroup will soon be contacting these new State members, and bringing them into developing technical discussions. Plans are to include the State members in full participation on monthly conference calls. We will also be discussing travel arrangements for any upcoming meetings. We hope to work closely with the GWPC on the facilitation of travel and meeting venues for the State representatives.
On another matter, since the Workgroup received no substantive comments on the Charter, we are assuming that it meets the standards and conditions we set at the 2000 Seattle UIC National meeting, and which were incorporated into the November 2000 draft. We are also anticipating that the Technical Workgroup will prepare a list of projects and will brief these up to all the UIC managers in the Regions and Headquarters. The projects approved will eventually develop into the next workgroup products.
If you have any questions or comments, please call Joan Harrigan-Farrelly, Chief, Prevention Branch, at (202) 260-7275, or Bruce Kobelski at (202) 260-7275.
| cc: | Michel Paque, Executive Director/GWPC Cynthia Dougherty, Director OGWDW |