2023 ECOS Fall Meeting

ECOS at 30: Bigger, Better, Boulder

As ECOS has expanded in size and scope, so too has the strength of our partnerships. This 30th Anniversary Fall Meeting offered states a chance to take stock of progress made and priorities ahead.

Materials

• Agenda
• Attendees
• Sponsors

ECOS Member Photo

ECOS Innovation Awards

Agency Management & Emergency Response Category

• Video Presentation
• Winners:
  • Kentucky Knowledge Management & eLearning Program
  • Virginia Permitting Enhancement & Evaluation Platform
• Honorable Mentions:
  • Tennessee Regulatory Dialogue Initiative
  • Rhode Island ‘5C’ Employee Engagement Week
  • Mississippi Orientation & Onboarding of New Hires
  • North Carolina Project Liaison Role
  • Alabama What’s Happening in Your County
  • Texas Emergency Response
  • Ohio East Palestine Emergency Response

Environmental Programs & Equity Category

• Video Presentation
• Winners:
  • Arizona AFFF Take-Back & Replace Program
  • Utah Charge Your Yard Initiative
• Honorable Mentions
  • Minnesota Drone Technology
  • Montana Open-Cut Mining Inspection Technology
  • Connecticut Geospatial Measurement of Air Pollution
  • Arkansas FireSmart Initiative
  • Indiana Stream Monitoring Program
  • New York Community Mobile Air Monitoring Initiative
  • Colorado EnviroScreen Tool
  • Wisconsin Student Diversity Internship Program
  • Washington Maddux Affordable Housing Cleanup Project

August 28

Breakout Option #1: ECOS Oil & Gas Caucus (O&GC) – Orphan Well Plugging, Prevention, and Mapping

• Presentation: Julie Murphy, Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission
• Presentation: Kim Mendoza-Cooke, Oxy
• Presentation: Sunny Fleming, Esri

Breakout Option #2: Environmental Research Institute of the States (ERIS) Board Meeting

• U.S. EPA ORD Tools for States by Media

Opening Plenary

• Host State Welcome Video from Governor Polis

Tales from the Trenches — Tips for Strengthening Risk & Crisis Communication

• Pictures of Response to the East Palestine Derailment: Anne Vogel, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

Breakthroughs in Carbon Management & Emissions Reductions

• Presentation: Leah Feldon, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
• Presentation: Edward Lush, Williams
• Presentation: Lauren Quillian, Xcel Energy

Open Problem Solving Session: Retention, Recruitment, & Leadership Development 2.0 — A Progress Report

• Presentation: Jim Kenney, New Mexico Environment Department

August 29

Breakout Option #1: ECOS-Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Community Healhty Air Monitoring Partnership (CHAMP) on Collaboration to Improve teh Collection & Use of Community Air Monitoring Data

• Presentation: Michael Ogletree, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
• Presentation: Fern Uennatornwaranggoon, EDF

Breakout Option #2: ECOS Infrastructure Workgroup on Addressing Lead-Covered Telecom Cables & Earmark Impacts on Future State Revolving Fund Investing

• Agenda (breakout open to states, state media associations, and U.S. EPA)
• Marine Taxonomic Services (MTS) Report, Lead Cable Investigation
• Beyond the Blue, MTS Report References
• New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services SRF Letter to NH Congressional Delegation
• Colorado Water Resources & Power Development Authority SRF Letter to Congressional Delegation

State Stewardship in the Wake of the Supreme Court’s WOTUS Ruling

• Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment Enforcement Policy on Unpermitted Discharges of Dredged and Fill Material Into State Waters
• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Memo on Recent Supreme Court Decision Sackett v. EPA
• Environmental Law Institute Report, Filling the Gaps: Strategies for States/Tribes for Protection of Non-WOTUS Waters, May 2023
• Preview of WOTUS Polling Questions
  • Question 1: For states that don’t have dredge and fill permitting provisions, are you thinking about asking for statutory authority? (Yes, No, N/A)
  • Question 2: Who is most likely to be able to deliver a jurisdictional determination post-Sackett? (State environmental agency, Corps, Other)
  • Question 3: Are you finding success with the Corps with issues that span pre- and post-Sackett time periods? What clarity is still needed from the Corps?

Partnerships in Materials Management 

• Presentation: Jeffrey Smith, Upland Road Developers
• Presentation: Maranda Demuth, Eastman
• Presentation: Dylan de Thomas, The Recycling Partnership

Compliance Innovations & Lessons Learned Around the Country

• Presentation: Julie Moore, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
• Presentation: Karen Peters, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
• Presentation: Ed Kowalski, U.S. EPA Region 10
• Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Fact Sheet on ARPA Projects

Remarks by Basil Seggos, New York DEC

• New York’s Seggos Pens Column on the Importance of Guarding Ukraine’s Environment

August 30

Breakout: ECOS Digital Business Workgroup (DBWG) on the Value of Data Visualization in Decision-Making & Public Outreach

• Presentation: Sunny Flemming, ESRI