John Irving

The National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) became part of John’s professional life in 1995 when he attended the NAEP Annual Conference in Washington D.C. John has attended most annual conferences since that time. He recognized early on, that NAEP was the association for him ... he believes in its Code of Ethics, and he enjoys the people he meets and the programs and opportunities that come with membership and participation.

John’s involvement in NAEP started with giving presentation related to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) at annual conferences, but quickly expanded to giving workshops on NEPA & Environmental Management Systems (EMSs), chairing the NEPA Working Group, and program chair for three annual conferences in 2004 (Portland, OR), 2005 (Washington D.C.), and 2008 (San Diego, CA). John has also been involved on the Permanent Conference Committee and served as the Chapter Committee Chair for several years. John’s tenure with the NAEP Chapter Committee was the most rewarding aspects of his ‘NAEP’ life. Holding the first ‘Chapters Retreat’ in 2007 was a highlight and was really the beginning stages of the new ‘affiliation agreement’. Working with environmental professionals from across the nation (and chapters) is a real treat. He served two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors of NAEP. John and several other started the Idaho Chapter (Idaho Association of Environmental Professional (IdAEP) in 2019. John believes the backbone of NAEP and its chapters are its members … the people who make up the organization with their varied backgrounds, experiences, and dedication make NAEP a great organization! In 2016 at the Chicago annual conference John became an NAEP Fellow. John currently serves as the interim president of the Idaho Association of Environmental Professional, an affiliated chapter of NAEP.

John started his professional career working for Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, Illinois as a fishery biologist working on a couple of large environmental impact studies in the west; little did John realize that this would lead to a career in ‘NEPA’. After five years, John and his wife and children moved back west to Idaho Falls, Idaho, where John continued working in the NEPA arena for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). While he works for Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), who contract with the Department of Energy; he also started his own business, JSI Environmental Consulting, LLC to satisfy a desire to do his own environmental work.

John graduated from Utah State University with a BS in Fishery Biology and the University of Idaho with a Masters in Fishery Management and a Doctorate in Limnology, the study of lakes and rivers and all that live there. John’s graduate research projects included studying the Fishes of the Teton River and understanding the effects of selective water withdrawal from Libby Dam on the plankton populations of Lake Koocanusa. Following his graduate studies, he spent a few years working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the University of Idaho’s Cooperative Fisheries Unit, These early years gave John the field experience to help him develop an appreciation for the types of studies and data needed to support environmental impact assessment. John has used information from those early years, alongside tools and techniques garnered from NAEP experience to prepare EAs and EISs across the country.

As a Regulatory Specialist with BEA, the Management and Operations Contractor for INL, located in Idaho Falls, Idaho his interests include assessment of impacts on natural ecosystems.  He has extensive experience using NEPA and EMS, providing project management and technical expertise on several environmental assessments and impact statements. His current responsibilities include oversight and compliance with INL’s NEPA and the EMS programs. He has taught college level courses in ecotoxicology and applied ecology with an emphasis on aquatic ecology.

John has only one hobby, that is hiking; he takes an annual hike in the Tetons just to make sure that he can still breath ‘air’ at 11,000 feet. He takes great pleasure in taking his sons, daughters, wife, boy scouts, and young women groups with him on these pilgrimages. He has climbed it over 60 times, John and Chris are a religious family and enjoy their involvement in their Church. He has found that his academic background (sciences), employment, and his religious upbringing do not clash at all, but rather complement one another.