EPA Mid-Atlantic Region 2022 Summit

Summit Session Descriptions

Title

Description

Protect, Empower, Inspire — EPA and You Engaged to Build a Better Community

A conversation with Adam Ortiz, EPA Region 3 Administrator, and State Environmental Leadership:

Shawn Garvin, Secretary, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

Tommy Wells, Director, District of Columbia’s Department of Energy & Environment  

Horacio Tablada, Maryland Acting Secretary of the Environment

Patrick McDonnell, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Mike Rolband, Director, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Harold Ward, Cabinet Secretary, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

Looking Ahead at Mid-Atlantic Priorities

An Overview of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; An Overview of Environmental Justice: What it Means for our Communities; and An Overview of the Draft Region 3 Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan

Diana Esher, Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Region 3

Samantha Beers, Director, Office of Communities, Tribes and Environmental Assessment, EPA Region 3

Matthew Konfirst, Ph.D., Climate Change Coordinator, Water Division, EPA Region 3

Inequity in Air Quality: Exploring Solutions (Part I)

Presentations on active efforts to address environmental justice in air quality, and best practices with broad applicability.

Cristina Fernandez, Director, Air & Radiation Division, EPA Region 3

George S. (Tad) Aburn, Jr., Senior Advisor, Former Director, Air & Radiation Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment

Jeffrey King, Director of Climate, Energy and Air Programs, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Aligning Climate Adaptation Plans to Maximize Resilience in the Mid-Atlantic

An opportunity to learn more details about EPA Region 3’s Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan, as well as to learn about some other climate plans being developed in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Matt Konfirst, Ph.D., Climate Coordinator, Water Division, EPA Region 3

Susan E. Love, AICP, Climate and Sustainability Section Administrator, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC)

Elizabeth Grant, AICP, Planning Specialist, Cumberland County, PA

Get the Lead Out: Strategies for Protecting Children’s Health & Communities

Learn how the EPA is strengthening efforts to address lead and reduce exposure regionally and nationally, what resources are available to communities and stakeholders to address lead locally, and how the City of Reading, PA successfully developed a lead action plan for their community.

Noelle Watanabe, Life Scientist, Land, Chemicals, and Redevelopment Division, EPA Region 3

Bill Richardson, Chief, Drinking Water Section, EPA Region 3

Alexander Mandell, Community Involvement Coordinator, EPA Region 3

Jeffrey Young, Program Coordinator, City of Reading, PA

Erin Sullivan, Children’s Environmental Health & Healthy Schools Coordinator, EPA Region 3

Utilizing EPA Grants to Improve Your Community: How to Search, Identify, and Apply for EPA Grants

Led by EPA grants management staff, this session will provide attendees with information on how to search for and identify grant opportunities for which they are eligible, and how to apply for identified grants, including information on recipient and EPA roles and responsibilities, cost principals, budget creation, and workplan creation.

EJScreen – Identifying Communities Burdened by Environmental Pollution

EJScreen is EPA’s web-based mapping tool for nationally consistent Environmental Justice screening and mapping.  The tool combines environmental and demographic data to highlight areas where vulnerable populations may be disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution.

Angus Welch, Physical Scientist, Office of Communities, Tribes and Environmental Assessment, EPA Region 3

Sacoby Wilson, Ph.D., Director, Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health; Professor, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health

Reginald Harris, Chief, Communities & Tribes Branch, Office of Communities, Tribes and Environmental Assessment, EPA Region 3

Inequity in Air Quality: Exploring Solutions (Part II)

Open discussion on active efforts to address environmental justice in air quality, and best practices with broad applicability.

Cristina Fernandez, Director, Air & Radiation Division, EPA Region 3

Karen Moe, Cheverly Green Infrastructure Committee

Parisa Norouzi, Executive Director, Empower DC

Catasha Davis, Ph.D., Justice for Brentwood

Becoming Climate Resilient: ARC-X and Regional Success Stories

This overview of ARC-X, an EPA tool designed to help small- to mid-sized communities build climate resilience using a curated package of information, will also feature examples of adaptation work being done in the Region.

Matt Konfirst, Ph.D., Climate Coordinator, Water Division, EPA Region 3

Joel Scheraga, Ph.D., Senior Advisor for Climate Adaptation, EPA Office of Policy

Maia Davis, Senior Environmental Planner, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG)

Katie May Laumann, Ph.D., Science Integrator, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Ian Cheyne, Northern Neck Master Gardeners

Using Geospatial Data & Applications to Inform State, Tribal, & Local Initiatives

This session will highlight exciting new geospatial data and tools the Regional Office and Chesapeake Bay Program Office are developing that will help with multi-scale assessment, valuation and decision-making.

Kristopher DeNardi, Regional GIS Coordinator, Laboratory Services & Applied Science Division, EPA Region 3

Kelsey Hensley, Senior Data Analyst, Laboratory Services & Applied Science Division, EPA Region 3

Peter Claggett, Research Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey, EPA Region 3

Small Grants, Big Change: Successfully Leveraging Small EJ Grants and other Resources

Learn how Alice Coles, and her organization, Bayview Citizen for Social Justice successfully implemented an EPA EJ Small Grant in 1995 and leveraged local, state, and federal resources to obtain over $11 million in funding to invest and drastically improve the infrastructure of the community of Bayview, VA and the health and wellbeing of its residents.

Alice Coles, Co-founder, Bayview Citizens for Social Justice

Niketa Coles, Member, Bayview Citizens for Social Justice

Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership Overview:  Tools and Information for Local Decision Makers

This session will provide an overview of the progress the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership is making toward the bay watershed restoration effort as well as highlight information and tools the Partnership has developed for local decision makers.

Amy Handen, Local Implementations Program Coordinator, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, EPA Region 3

Michelle Edwards, Regional Planner, Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission

David Wood, Stormwater Coordinator, Chesapeake Stormwater Network

Addressing Inequity in Air Quality through Enforcement

Learn about integrating environmental justice into air quality enforcement and compliance from a panel of air quality leaders and experts.

George S. (Tad) Aburn, Jr., Senior Advisor, Former Director, Air & Radiation Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment

Kelly Crawford, Associate Director, Air Quality Division, District of Columbia’s Department of Energy & Environment

Kris Hall, Chief, Air Section, Enforcement & Compliance Division, EPA Region 3

Angela Marconi, Director, Division of Air Quality, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

Richelle Wormley, Director, Division of Air Enforcement, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Safeguarding Public Health: EPA’s Progress on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 

A multi-media update and discussion on the Agency’s actions and new policies to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and hold polluters accountable.

Rick Rogers, Branch Chief, Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, EPA Region 3

Ruby Stanmyer, Life Scientist, Water Division, EPA Region 3

Charles Brown, Life Scientist, Water Division, EPA Region 3

Laura Mohollen, Branch Chief, Superfund and Emergency Management Division, EPA Region 3

Revitalizing Communities through Successful Brownfields Funding

Make an impact in your neighborhood - learn from experienced organizations how Brownfield Grants provide funding to clean up and revitalize your community by reinvesting in idle and abandoned properties to increase your local tax base, facilitate job growth, utilize existing infrastructure, take development pressures off undeveloped, open land, and improve & protect the environment.

Susan Spielberger, Branch Chief, Brownfields and Revitalization Branch, EPA Region 3

Carrie Staton, Director, Brownfields Assistance Center at WVU and WVU Technical Assistance to Brownfields

Katie See, Brownfields Redevelopment Specialist, WVU Technical Assistance to Brownfields

Marvin Six, Executive Director, Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle

Juan Garrett, Executive Director, Riverside Center for Innovation

Jacob Keeney, Assistant Executive Director, Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle

Think Small Business First, It’s a Win/Win! The Benefits of Using Small and Disadvantage Businesses

This session will provide attendees with information and resources to utilize and/or increase utilization of small businesses, as well as the four statutory socioeconomic subcategories, within their communities, as well as highlight the benefits to both the organization as well as its surround communities.  It’s a win/win! 

Hana Jones, Small Business Coordinator, EPA Region 3

Building Green and Resilient Infrastructure through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Opportunities

With historic funding from the BIL, learn more about opportunities to improve climate resilience using green infrastructure, especially in disadvantaged communities.

Magdalene Cunningham, Clean Water State Revolving Fund Coordinator, Water Division, EPA Region 3

Robert Boos, Deputy Executive Director for Project Management, Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST)

Jeffrey Popp, Senior Program Officer, Chesapeake Bay Trust