An Environmental Planners Guide to the Recent Infrastructure Legislation
January 26, 2022 9:00 AM (PT) | 12:00 PM (ET)
Speakers
Fred Wagner, Esq., Partner, Venable, LLP Charles Nicholson, Senior Environmental Scientist, HDR Caroline Levenda, QEI
Moderator
Michelle Rau, PMP
About
Keeping track of the latest developments in infrastructure legislation and its effects on the environmental planning profession can easily become an all-consuming effort. NAEP has pulled together a group of industry experts to walk junior to senior-level environmental planners through the latest developments resulting from the recently signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better bill. Topics will include tracking where money will be allocated, an explanation of the environmental considerations, and the effect on agency policies.
Designing Resilient Transportation Networks with GIS
Co-Hosted by ESRI
November 16, 2021 10:00 AM (PT) | 1:00 PM (ET)
Speakers
Terry Bills, Global Transportation Industry Manager, esri Toria Lassiter, Assistant Division Chief, Maryland DOT State Highway Administration Christopher Dorney, Senior Resiliency Planner, WSP
Moderator
Courtney Arena, Principal Environmental Scientist, Gannett Fleming
About
Designing Resilient Transportation Networks with GIS Webinar co-hosted by esri.
There has been a “staggering rise” in the number of extreme weather events over the past 20 years, driven largely by rising global temperatures and other climatic changes. This has had a significant impact on our transportation systems, and transportation and environmental planners are facing ever-greater pressures to design more resilient infrastructure. Building resiliency into current transportation projects requires a solid understanding of future climatic change. Whether it's from sea level rise or from increases in precipitation, storm intensity, or temperature extremes, GIS can help you understand and plan for these changes in the environment. With GIS, you can design more resilient transportation systems for the future.
Join Terry Bills, Esri’s global transportation industry manager, along with a panel of experts from leading transportation agencies for a discussion on how GIS technology can serve as the foundation for building stronger and more resilient transportation networks.
This webinar will include:
A discussion of how GIS allows you to analyze a wealth of data and determine the most environmentally positive and resilient transportation infrastructure
Real-world examples of leading transportation agencies implementing GIS to build resiliency into their transportation systems
Demonstrations of the GIS tools and solutions to help you get started
Learn more about the geospatial community for transportation and sign up to receive the latest GIS news and trends specifically for transportation on the esri Community for Roads & Highways webpage.
Be sure to check out these other resources provided by our speakers:
Jayni Hein, Senior Director for NEPA and Counsel, White House Counsel on Environmental Quality Michael Drummond, U.S. Department of Transportation Ted Boling, Partner, Perkins Coie LLP
Moderator
Marie Campbell, President & CEO, Sapphos Environmental, Inc.
About
Environmental professionals are working during a period of rulemaking changes that has not been experienced since the late 1960s and early 1970s that established the guidance for regulatory oversight and evaluation that guided the practice for the most recent four decades. With the two most recent administrations, there has been an unparalleled number of executive orders and refinement of the Council on Environmental Quality Implementing Procedures for the National Environmental Policy Act.
NAEP is honored to have Ms. Jayni Hein, Senior Director and Counsel for the White House Counsel on Environmental Quality (CEQ) describe CEQ’s priorities for ensuring an inclusive, efficient, and science-based environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). She will provide an update on CEQ’s actions with respect to its NEPA implementing regulations, including CEQ’s comprehensive evaluation of the 2020 Rule. She will also provide an update on other relevant CEQ work.
Mr. Michael Drummond from the Department of Transportation’s Office of General Counsel will provide a perspective, based on his extensive past experience working with multiple federal agencies, during his prior tenure at CEQ, about best practices for environmental compliance during a period of transition in the NEPA process, including a discussion of relevant Executive Orders, regulatory guidance, and procedural updates.
Mr. Edward “Ted” Boling will similarly draw on his past experience in federal practice, including his former role at CEQ, and his current role for multiple public agencies about best practices for practitioners related to developing an administrative record that optimizes legal defensibility during an active period or rulemaking.
Moderator
Marie Campbell, President & CEO, Sapphos Environmental, Inc.
Speakers
Jayni Hein, Senior Director and Counsel, White House Counsel on Environmental Quality
Jayni Hein serves in the Biden-Harris administration at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) as Senior Director for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In this capacity, she oversees CEQ’s NEPA policy and implementation efforts and works to advance the administration’s climate, environmental, equity, and economic goals. She has extensive experience leading academic think tanks focused on climate change, energy, and environmental policy. Most recently, she served as the Natural Resources Director at NYU School of Law’s Institute for Policy Integrity, where she also teaches Natural Resources Law & Policy. Previously, she served as Executive Director of UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment and as an attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP in San Francisco, where her practice focused on environmental and regulatory law. Her writing has appeared in numerous academic journals as well as media outlets including The Washington Post, Politico, Slate, The Los Angeles Times, U.S. News, and more.
Michael Drummond, U.S. Department of Transportation
Michael Drummond served as Deputy Associate Director for the National Environmental Policy Act at the Council on Environmental Quality, 2013-2020. He supported drafting of the first comprehensive update to CEQ’s NEPA implementing regulations and Led the development of the first government-wide reports on EIS timelines and page counts.
Michael trained federal staff across multiple agencies on NEPA policy and compliance and provided technical assistance to Congressional committees regarding environmental permitting legislation, including FAST-41. Michael earned his B.A. from Evergreen State College and his J.D. from the University of Washington - School of Law.
Ted Boling, Partner, Perkins Coie LLP
As an associate director at the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Edward (Ted) Boling served as the country's top National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) attorney. He currently advises clients on the development of renewable energy, resource development, transportation, and infrastructure, drawing on over 30 years of high-level public service. Ted served in the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), CEQ, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in both Democratic and Republican administrations. His experience includes deep involvement in federal infrastructure issues, as well as leadership of the first comprehensive revision of CEQ's NEPA regulations in 40 years. Ted's work at CEQ also included the National Ocean Policy, CEQ's climate change guidance, and the regulatory response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. He drafted NEPA guidance on mitigation and monitoring, cumulative impacts analysis, and the development of categorical exclusions from detailed NEPA documentation. Ted advised on the establishment of numerous national monuments, including the first marine national monuments in the United States and the largest marine protected areas in the world. He also assisted in briefing three U.S. Supreme Court cases.
New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law as a Potential National Model
September 2, 2021 7:00–9:00 AM (PT) | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM (ET)
Speakers Troy Singleton, New Jersey State Senator and Bill Sponsor Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection Matthew Tejada, Director of the EPA Office of Environmental Justice Sara Colangelo, Director of the Environmental Law & Justice Clinic at Georgetown Law
Moderator Chris Whitehead, Air Practice Leader at Enviro-Sciences Inc. (ESI)
About
Environmental Justice (EJ) is hardly a new term. It refers to the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of their socio-economic conditions with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws. While first championed by Dr. Robert Bullard decades ago and furthered by dedicated community leaders around the world over the years, few could argue that this past year has been one of the most transformational periods in the history of EJ. Last fall New Jersey passed the most comprehensive EJ law in history. Since that time, other states have followed suit and made changes to their EJ programs. These recent changes have caused many to have questions.
Our panel discussion gathers some of the national leaders on the topic and addresses fundamental questions: How did we get here? What is currently being proposed by states and the EPA? Where do we see the EJ landscape in five to ten years? Can the New Jersey Model work nationally? What does EJ mean for my business?
Moderator
Chris Whitehead, Air Practice Leader
Enviro-Sciences Inc. (ESI)
Speakers
Troy Singleton New Jersey State Senator and Bill Sponsor
Senator Troy Singleton has devoted his life to public service in government, political, and policy posts at all levels. In 2011, he was elected to his first term in the New Jersey General Assembly, representing the over 220,000 residents of the 7th Legislative District. Senator Singleton was elected to the New Jersey State Senate in November 2017 and currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Economic Growth Committee, and as a member of the Senate Budget Committee and Judiciary Committee.
During his time in the legislature, Senator Singleton had a significant number of proposals signed into law and has received numerous awards for his public service and legislative acumen from business, education civic, labor and non-profit organizations.
Senator Singleton is currently employed as the President of Realogy Insurance Agency. Along with this busy career, Senator Singleton is a devoted husband and father of three who has long included personal involvement in his community as an essential component of his life.
Shawn LaTourette, Commissioner NJDEP
Appointed by Governor Philip D. Murphy, Shawn M. LaTourette became New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection on June 14, 2021. He had served as Acting Commissioner since January 16, 2021. Commissioner LaTourette is responsible for formulating statewide environmental policy while directing programs that protect public health and ensure the quality of New Jersey’s air, land, water, and natural and historic resources.
A lawyer and policymaker with more than 20 years of experience in environmental protection, Commissioner LaTourette began his career defending victims of toxic exposure, including organizing and advocating for the needs of vulnerable New Jersey communities whose drinking water was contaminated by petrochemicals. Throughout a career shaping environmental law and policy, he has served in executive roles and as a trusted adviser to governments, community and non-profit organizations, and leaders in industry and infrastructure, while also litigating high-stakes lawsuits involving environmental, energy, and public health concerns.
Matthew Tejada, Director EPA Office of EJ
Mathew Tejada is the director of the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ), where he is responsible for all the aspects of work of the Office of Environmental Justice within EPA and the EJ Program more generally throughout the Agency and across the federal family. OEJ also has external aspects, such as direct community engagement, outreach and communication, and management of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (NEJAC), of which he serves as the Designated Federal Official. OEJ encourages external partnerships with other federal, state, local and tribal agencies in support of community initiatives. OEJ also supports and manages the work of the EJ Inter-Agency Working Group and is instrumental in the planning and implementation of EPA’s environmental justice strategy, the EJ 2020 Action Agenda. In essence, OEJ supports the efforts of communities to address environmental justice challenges across the country through direct support, intervention, partnering, and elevation of the community voice.
Sara Colangelo, Director Environmental Justice Clinic at Georgetown Law Center
Sara Colangelo is the Director of the Environmental Law & Justice Clinic at Georgetown Law where she teaches multiple courses in environmental law. She also served as the Director of the Law Center’s Environmental Law & Policy Program for 6 years prior to her current role. Professor Colangelo’s areas of specialty are environmental litigation and enforcement, including community considerations in the enforcement process: She speaks at conferences, appears in the media, and provides Congressional testimony on these topics.
Before returning to Georgetown Law, her alma matter, Professor Colangelo served as a trial attorney for the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division at US DOJ for 8 years. She joined the Division through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. At DOJ Professor Colangelo managed complex civil environmental enforcement cases for pollution control and cleanup of hazardous waste sites to negotiated or litigated resolution, appearing on behalf of the United States in trials across the country. xxx
Speakers Doug Bellomo, PE, FEMA Hollie Schmidt, Advance Planning Group - Jacobs Dr. Robert Young, National Park Service
Moderator Nicolas Frederick, NAEP Coastal/ Climate Resiliency Working Group Chair
About
NAEP is pleased to present a panel discussion on topics relating to coastal and climate resiliency, one of the most important emerging topics in the environmental planning industry. Our speakers will discuss project highlights and success stories among multiple client sectors. Topics will include updates to the FEMA flood mapping program, rebuilding after a Category 5 hurricane and lessons learned from the National Park Service.
Moderator
Nic Frederick, Senior Environmental Project Manager
DAWSON
Mr. Frederick has over 11 years of experience managing environmental projects, including NEPA, Natural and Cultural Resources, and public involvement and planning. He is an at-large board member with the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) and heads the communications committee. As a member of the board, he has helped spearhead the initiative to broaden the scope of services offered by NAEP. As such, he is the cohost of the newly release NAEP podcast, Environmental Professionals Radio. As a Senior Project Manager at DAWSON, he specializes in environmental policy, environmental justice and water resources, particularly as they relate to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). He has provided general Conservation and Planning services to a wide variety of federal and state clients and has been an important part of the development of these services for DAWSON. Mr. Frederick has demonstrated a consistent ability to prepare written reports and represent his organization to the public in a positive, effective manner. He is a confident public speaker, which has allowed him to handle difficult situations with a variety of concerned interested applicants, agencies, and stakeholders.
Speakers
Doug Bellomo, PE
FEMA
Doug Bellomo is Vice President in the water business line at AECOM focusing in the area of flood risk management and resilience. Previously Doug served as a senior technical advisor for flood risk management at the US Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources working in the areas of Dam and Levee Safety, the National Flood Risk Management Program, coastal flood risk management efforts, and floodplain management services. Before joining the US Army Corps, Doug was the Director of the Risk Analysis Division within the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There he oversaw implementation of several National Programs including the Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) program, the National Dam Safety Program, HAZUS (a federal risk assessment software application), and FEMA’s Mitigation Planning operations. Doug is a professional engineer and holds a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering. He has been working in the fields of flood hazard identification, risk management, emergency management, and mitigation since 1993.
Hollie Schmidt
Advance Planning Group - Jacobs
Task Lead for the Tyndall Air Force Base Rebuild Program. In her role at Tyndall AFB, Hollie facilitated stakeholder engagement and outreach, served as the on-site coordinator and led a 200+ person, multi-disciplinary technical team while championing resilient and sustainable solutions. She led the infrastructure strategy, updates to the Installation Facilities Standards (IFS), and the integrated land management approach for the reconstruction of Tyndall AFB.
Hollie Schmidt is the Director of the Resilience + Sustainability Business Advisory with the Advance Planning Group at Jacobs. She is a landscape architect with 26 years experience specializing in strategic planning and executive-level decision facilitation for private and public sector clients. She leads large-scale, complex mega-projects facilitating diverse teams of city and community planners, urban designers, landscape architects, and the full spectrum of technical and engineering experts.
Dr. Robert Young
National Park Service
Robert S. Young is the Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, a joint Duke University/Western Carolina University venture. He is also a Professor of Geosciences at Western Carolina University and a licensed professional geologist in three states (FL, NC, SC). The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) is a research and policy outreach center serving the global coastal community.
Dr. Young received a BS degree in Geology (Phi Beta Kappa) from the College of William & Mary, and an MS degree in Quaternary Studies from the University of Maine, and a Ph.D. in Geology from Duke University where he was a James B. Duke Distinguished Doctoral Fellow. Dr. Young serves on Editorial Boards of the Journal of Coastal Research and Environmental Geosciences. He currently oversees more than $5.5 Million in grant-funded research projects related to coastal science and management. He has been awarded Western Carolina University’s highest honor for scholarship (University Scholar Award) and service (Paul A. Reid Distinguished Service Award). He is an elected Fellow of the Geological Society of America. Washington State presented him an award for Excellence in Environmental Education and Diversity in Action for his work with science education in Native American communities. And, he was named a Fulbright Senior Scholar for the 2012-2013 academic year where he worked on the development of coastal management planning along the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. The North Carolina Coastal Federation presented him with the Pelican Award for Coastal Stewardship.
Dr. Young is a frequent contributor to the popular media. He has written numerous articles for outlets like the New York Times, USA Today, Architectural Record, the Houston Chronicle, and the Raleigh News and Observer, among others. He regularly appears on programs like PBS Now, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, National Public Radio, and many others. He is co-author of two books, The Rising Sea and co-editor of Geologic Monitoring, both released in 2009. Finally, Dr. Young has testified before Congress and numerous state legislatures on coastal issues. He currently serves the State of South Carolina as a member of the Governor’s Flood Commission and the State of Virginia on the Technical Advisory Committee for the state’s Coastal Master Plan.
He is leading a major project for the National Park Service to identify the vulnerability of all coastal park assets to coastal storms, erosion, and sea-level rise for the purpose of adaptation planning.
Jayni Hein, Senior Director and Counsel, White House Counsel on Environmental Quality
Ted Boling, Partner, Perkins Coie LLP 
Shawn LaTourette, Commissioner
Sara Colangelo, Director 
Nic Frederick, Senior Environmental Project Manager
Doug Bellomo, PE
Dr. Robert Young