AWMA- RMSS-AWMA lunch meeting on Wednesday, April 22 from 12:00 PM-1:00 PM

Mark your calendars for our April AWMA-RMSS meeting on Wednesday, April 22. This will be a web-based meeting, instructions will be sent to those interested. Our guest speaker will be Maninder Thind and his talk is titled: “Quantifying Air Quality and Health Impacts from Energy Systems: Electricity, Agriculture, Transportation.”

Time:  12:00 PM (no cost)

Place: Meeting will be through Microsoft Teams. RSVP to [email protected].

Maninder Thind is a PhD Candidate in Air Quality in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. Maninder brings extensive experience in energy-related air quality modeling and analysis. His doctoral research work is at the intersection of air quality and public health with focus on quantifying air quality metrics and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-related health impacts from different energy systems – electricity generation, agriculture, and transportation. As part of this work, he acquired deep proficiency in a novel and emerging air quality model called, Intervention Model for Air Pollution (InMAP). Maninder was previously a graduate intern (currently on collaborative appointment) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO. Maninder earned a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee.

Abstract: Through this talk, Maninder will present methods and important contributions from his doctoral work that aims to quantify and evaluate metrics for greenhouse and criteria air pollutants to estimate environmental consequences from interventions, quantify air quality impacts on human population from point, area, and mobile emission sources, and evaluate health impacts from air pollution by race, income, and geography. He will introduce an emerging spatial air quality model called, Intervention Model for Air Pollution (InMAP) that he used to estimate human health impacts from different emission source sectors and their impacts on demographic groups (race-ethnicity, income).

If you plan to attend this meeting, please RSVP to Sergio Guerra ([email protected]) by COB Tuesday, April 21. Meeting link and instructions will be emailed.

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AWMA-RMSS Announces Scholarship Awards Program for Fall 2020 – Spring 2021 Academic Year

The Air and Waste Management Association- Rocky Mountain States Section announces the opening of the application period for the Scholarship Award Program for the Fall 2020-Spring 2021 period. The application is available here: 2020-2021- AWMA-RMSS Scholarship Application.

Applicants must be juniors, seniors, or graduate students who will be enrolled full-time 2019-2020 in a college or university in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, or Wyoming.  Applicants may win scholarships for a maximum of 3 years (requires reapplication).

Applications: Applications must be received by February 14, 2020 (mail or email accepted), and must include the following. Please assemble these documents into a single pdf file or hardcopy (except reference letters which should be sent by the referee directly):
1. Coversheet (following page)
2. Copy of your transcripts or grade records for the last 2+ years (unofficial is acceptable)
3. Plan of Study – Two (2) page max detailing your academic program & training
4. Statement of Professional Goals – Two (2) page max detailing your long range plan
5. Complete CV or Resume- Six (6) page maximum
6. Two letter(s) of reference from an advisor and another faculty member. These should be emailed separately by the letter writers to: [email protected]
7. Award winners will be requested to participate with RMSS-A&WMA as student liason, lunch meeting speaker, planning committee for A&WMA national meeting, or in another capacity.

Awards: Anticipated 4 +/- 2 awards with amounts to be determined based on section financial status.  Past scholarships have been $250 to $1500 per student.  Final scholarship awards and amounts will be based on a merit based system to the top students as judged by an independent review panel (judging form is attached).  A 1-year student A&WMA membership will be reimbursed per awardee who joins A&WMA.

All Awards will be announced by May 31, 2020 and awarded by September 30, 2020 for A.Y. 2020-2021.

National Scholarship: Graduate level applicants are highly encouraged to separately apply to the A&WMA national student scholarship competition. A similar but separate application must be made at:

https://www.awma.org/scholarships

The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization that enhances knowledge and expertise by providing a neutral forum for information exchange, professional development, networking opportunities, public education, and outreach to more than 5,000 environmental professionals in 65 countries. A&WMA promotes global environmental responsibility and increases the effectiveness of organizations to make critical decisions that benefit society.

Submit Applications (by Feb 14, 2020):
Bethany Moffat
[email protected]
Applewood Environmental Inc.
2410 Urban Street
Lakewood, CO 80215

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EXTENDED CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – MAY 14, 2020 Air Quality Conference in Denver

The Rocky Mountain States Section – Air & Waste Management Association (RMSS-A&WMA) is hosting a one-day Air Quality Conference at the Denver Marriott West, 1717 Denver West Blvd., Golden, Colorado (located on the North side of I-70 at Exit 273) on Thursday, May 14, 2020.  The theme of the conference is “Air Quality Issues in the Rocky Mountain Region”.  This is the 7th Air Quality Conference the RMSS-A&WMA has hosted in the past 14 years. 

By virtue of this announcement, the Section is extending its Call for Abstracts for this conference.  The time allotted for each presentation shall be 15 minutes with an additional 5 minutes allocated for questions and answers.  Details are listed below:

  1. Abstracts will now be accepted through Friday, November 22, 2019.
  2. Abstracts shall be approximately 150 words and the submittal package shall include:
    1. Title
    2. Author(s)
    3. Affiliation
    4. Author(s) contact information (e-mail and telephone number)
    5. Brief bio of the author(s) – about 100 words
  3. Topics of Interest as they affect the Rocky Mountain Region:
    1. Air Quality Permitting, Compliance and Enforcement Trends (Local, State, Federal)
    2. Climate Change in the Rocky Mountain Region/Western US
    3. Air Quality Monitoring
    4. Air Quality Modeling (Federal or State guideline revisions, advancements in model development, etc.)
    5. Industry Specific Air Quality Issues (Emission Controls, Utilities, Transportation, Oil and Gas, Refineries, etc.)
    6. Air Quality Rule Changes (Ozone Non-Attainment Area Designation changes, impact on permitting, etc.)
    7. Air Toxics
    8. Air Quality Evaluations under NEPA
  4. Send your abstract and bio electronically by Friday, November 22, 2019 to: 

Peg Young, Technical Conference Content Committee, RMSS-A&WMA

E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]

Questions:  Call (720) 320-4839

All those submitting abstracts will be notified regarding the program committee’s decision. Please ensure your complete contact information is enclosed with your submittal. Thank you for your interest in participating in this conference!

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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – May 14, 2020 Air Quality Conference in Denver

The Rocky Mountain States Section – Air & Waste Management Association (RMSS-A&WMA) is hosting a one-day Air Quality Conference at the Denver Marriott West, 1717 Denver West Blvd., Golden, Colorado (located on the North side of I-70 at Exit 273) on Thursday, May 14, 2020.  The theme of the conference is “Air Quality Issues in the Rocky Mountain Region”.  This is the 7th Air Quality Conference the RMSS-A&WMA has hosted in the past 14 years. 

By virtue of this announcement, the Section is issuing a Call for Abstracts for this conference.  The time allotted for each presentation shall be 15 minutes with an additional 5 minutes allocated for questions and answers.  Details are listed below:

  1. Abstracts will be accepted through Monday October 14, 2019.
  2. Abstracts shall be approximately 150 words and the submittal package shall include:
    1. Title
    2. Author(s)
    3. Affiliation
    4. Author(s) contact information (e-mail and telephone number)
    5. Brief bio of the author(s) – about 100 words
  3. Topics of Interest as they affect the Rocky Mountain Region:
    1. Air Quality Permitting, Compliance and Enforcement Trends (Local, State and Federal)
    2. Climate Change in the Rocky Mountain Region/Western US
    3. Air Quality Monitoring
    4. Air Quality Modeling (Federal or State guideline revisions, advancements in model development, etc.)
    5. Industry Specific Air Quality Issues (Emission Controls, Utilities, Transportation, Oil and Gas, Refineries, etc.)  
    6. Air Quality Rule Changes (Ozone Non-Attainment Area Designation changes, impact on permitting, etc.)
    7. Air Toxics 
    8. Air Quality Evaluations under NEPA4.
  4. Send your abstract and bio electronically by Monday October 14, 2019 to: 

Peg Young, Technical Conference Content Committee, RMSS-AWMA
E-mail: [email protected]
Questions:  Call (720) 320-4839

Our goal is to select abstracts for the conference by Thursday November 14, 2019.  All those submitting abstracts will be notified. Please ensure your complete contact information is enclosed with your submittal.

Thank you for your interest in participating in this conference.

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AWMA-RMSS Board of Directors Opening

The Air & Waste Management Association – Rocky Mountain States Section (AWMA-RMSS) provides a nonpartisan forum for networking, education, and discussion of technical issues relating to air and waste management. A principal goal of the Rocky Mountain States Section is to stimulate and enhance environmental, quality, and ethical leadership among our member professionals. The Section is operated/maintained by a Board of Directors which is made up of 4 officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary) and 8 at-large board members (Directors) from various backgrounds. The Directors typically serve 3-year terms.

We currently have an opening for a Director. Since our current Board is made up of representatives from the private sector (both consulting and industry), we are seeking to achieve more diversity by adding Board Members who represent either the higher education sector or regulatory agencies. Board Members may be involved in a number of activities, which include but are not limited to:

  1. Helping to arrange and be present at member meetings;
  2. Providing hot topics for monthly meetings;
  3. Developing ideas to further engage and increase our membership;
  4. Promote networking opportunities;
  5. Evaluating applications for and awarding student scholarships;
  6. Judging science fairs;
  7. Helping to organize and execute our one-day environmental conference which is held every 2 years (next one scheduled for May 2020); and,
  8. Attending Board meetings (either in person or teleconference).

Additional information about our Section can be found in our web site: https://awma-rmss.org/  

Any member is welcome to apply. If you want more information about being considered for a Board position or just want to learn more about the Section, please contact Joe Rubino (Current Chair) from Stanley Consultants at [email protected].

Thank you for your interest in AWMA-RMSS!

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AWMA- RMSS-AWMA lunch meeting on Wednesday, Aug 21 from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM

Please join us for our next AWMA lunch meeting, where we will hear from Sara Heald, who is a Technical Planner in the Planning and Policy group at the CDPHE, Air Pollution Control Division. Sara is a chemical engineering graduate of the Colorado School of Mines and spent 10 years working in the petroleum industry, mostly in refining and specialty chemicals.

Her presentation will cover the 2019 Colorado greenhouse gas inventory.  This is a 5-year update of the inventory in accordance with Governor Bill Ritter’s Executive Order D-004-08.  The inventory is the most recent in an ongoing process and will be updated more frequently in the future in accordance with SB-19-096, which was signed into law on May 30, 2019.  The inventory addresses emissions of greenhouse gases from a wide range of economic sectors and activities within the state for the years 1990 through 2015.  The inventory also includes a high-level projection of emissions through 2030.

The meeting will be held in the Colorado State Bank Building, located at 1600 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202 in the 5th floor Conference room, (SE end of the 16th St mall at Broadway), on Wednesday, August 21st

We’ll start with refreshments and networking at 11:30, followed by the presentation around noon, and we’ll adjourn around 1pm.  If you plan to attend this meeting, please RSVP to Dawn Eisinger ([email protected]) by COB Monday, August 19th.

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AWMA- RMSS-AWMA lunch meeting on Thursday, July 25th from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM

Please join us for our next AWMA lunch meeting, where we will hear from Phil von Hake, who works in the Mobile Sources (motor vehicle emissions inspection) program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. That usually means working on the Air Care Colorado program, but the past year has also involved developing Colorado’s new Low– and Zero-Emission Vehicle rules. Phil will provide an update on these rules, how they relate to Colorado’s air quality, and how they will lead to a wider variety of electric vehicles available for sale. 

The meeting will be held at 1801 California Street, Denver, CO 80202 in the 1st floor New York Conference room, on Thursday, July 25thWe will start with refreshments and networking at 11:30 am, followed by the presentation around noon, and we’ll adjourn around 1 pm.  

If you plan to attend this meeting, please RSVP to Ginger Fast ([email protected]) by Tuesday, July 23rd. _____________________

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AWMA-RMSS Lunch Meeting on Wednesday, June 19th from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM

Please join us for our next AWMA lunch meeting, where Jill Engel-Cox, Director of the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA) at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), will speak on Clean Energy Technologies for Economic and Environmental Transitions.

The meeting will be held at the EPA Region 8 building at 1595 Wynkoop St, Denver, CO 80202 in the Dakota Room on the 2nd floor conference center, on Wednesday, June 19th. **Please bring a valid ID (e.g., driver’s license, passport, etc.) and do not bring any weapons, as all attendees will have to pass through a security checkpoint. ** We will start with refreshments and networking at 11:30, followed by the presentation around noon, and we’ll adjourn around 1pm.  

If you plan to attend this meeting, please RSVP to Miriam Hacker ([email protected]) by Monday, June 17th.

Jill Engel-Cox is Director of the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA) at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Over her 25-year career, Dr. Engel-Cox has been an engineer, researcher, program manager, and strategic planner for a diverse suite of renewable energy, clean technology, and environmental programs in the United States, Asia, and Middle East. Her first job was climbing smokestacks in Los Angeles, followed by leading industrial pollution prevention programs for small and medium sized businesses and R&D laboratories in the United States and internationally. In the past decade, she has led international strategic planning and technology assessments for renewable energy and environmental sustainability research programs, working extensively in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. She also teaches industrial processes and environmental communications courses at Johns Hopkins University Engineering for Professionals Program.

Abstract: Energy systems across the world are undergoing fundamental transformations.  Electricity and heat production are becoming cleaner and more distributed, driven by declining energy prices and higher technology efficiencies, as well as a desire to reduce environmental impact.  The technologies that produce clean energy, such as solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and lithium ion batteries for vehicles and storage, depend less on fuel costs and more on technology costs and global manufacturing and trade.  Therefore, innovations in technology manufacturing, systems integration, and deployment can reduce costs of materials, equipment, labor, operations, and transportation, across all the links in the energy supply chain.  The clean energy trends are expected to continue and perhaps grow through expansion of clean energy technologies for industrial and transportation sectors, although there are many possible future scenarios due to the diversity of resources and societal objectives in different communities, countries, and regions.  This presentation will summarize the status and potential futures of key clean energy technologies and their manufacturing, deployment, and integration with other energy systems and sectors.

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AWMA -RMSS Lunch Meeting – Wednesday, May 29 from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM

Mark your calendars for our May AWMA-RMSS meeting on Wednesday, May 29th, at the conference room of the 1801 California Street Building in downtown Denver. Our guest speaker will be from Christy Woodward, Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs for the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, for an overview of the 2019 Colorado legislative changes affecting environmental regulation.:

Time:  11:30 lunch (no cost); 11:50 welcome and introductions; noon presentation

Place: Main floor conference room of the 1801 California Street Building in downtown Denver.

DIRECTIONS:

Christy Woodward, serves as the Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs for the Colorado Oil & Gas Association (COGA). She leads COGA’s regulatory strategy. Ms. Woodward has 19 years’ experience in civil and environmental engineering design and project management, including Clean Water and Clean Air Act permitting and compliance and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Wildlife and Cultural assessments for energy projects on Federal Lands. She is an Environmental Engineer and has provided technical support for the oil and gas industry, the homebuilding industry, mining industry, other private clients, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense (DoD).

ABSTRACT: The 2019 Colorado Legislative Session saw numerous reforms on the regulatory front for the oil and gas industry, but other components of the energy sector as well. Senate Bill 181 calls for a reorganization of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and to prioritize their mission on the protection of Public Safety, Health and Welfare, the Environment, while also requiring additional regulation from the Air Quality Control Commission of the oil and gas sector and transmission sector.  Additional legislation was passed including; HB 19-1261 – Climate Action Plan to Reduce Pollution, SB19-96 – Collect Long-Term Climate Change Data, and SB19-236 – Continuation of the Public Utilities Commission. All of this legislation also establishes sweeping air emissions and environmental rulemakings and changes in the coming years and decades.

If you plan to attend this meeting, please RSVP to Ty Smith (([email protected]) by Monday, May 27th.  Feel free to share this announcement with other colleagues who may be interested.

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Young Professionals Event! Thursday, May 16th

Please join us for our next Young Professionals event from 5-7 pm on Thursday, May 16th, at The 1up, 1925 Blake St, Denver, CO 80202.

For this Rocky Mountain States Section AWMA Young Professionals event, we will be playing arcade games while networking with other AWMA colleagues. The 1up has 45 classic arcade games, 16 pinball machines, three lanes of classic Skee-Ball and multiple sets of Giant Jenga. Drinks are on you, but hors d’oeuvres will be provided.

Please RSVP to Lauren Miyazawa at [email protected] by Friday, May 10th.

What’s a “Young Professional?” That depends. AWMA charges members age 35 or younger a lower membership fee — but you don’t have to be that young to attend; if you’re interested, RSVP and come! We love new members, so feel free to share this invitation with colleagues.

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